Happy Easter!

 Happy Easter to All!

I hope you’re all having a great Resurrection Day, I know we’ve been blessed with a big crowd at church, several baptisms and the all time Australian treat of Hot Cross Buns.  My grandchildren are all playing together as we speak, and that always makes us count our blessings.  

I am reminded today of something that happened years and years ago, 1979, in fact, when we were in Japanese language school in Tokyo.

For some unknown reason, our mission leaders decided that we would be “Guinea Pigs” and sent to the Catholic language school.  There were several schools around, but each one had its own “issues”, so they thought they’d give the Catholics a chance.  After a bit of culture shock, we were delighted. The classes were challenging but not impossible, and while we didn’t emerge exactly “bilingual”, everyone agreed the two-year experience was worth it. 

Every day we were surrounded by nuns and priests, most of whom did not speak English, having come mostly from European countries all over.  The more we all learned to speak Japanese, the better we were able to get to know one another and over time became true friends. 

They gave us a hard time for our Protestantism, but we came to respect each other and Tony even got to lead a chapel service (He called it “Mass” but they assured him it not).  

As we got to know each other more, we came to realize that, like Baptists, our Catholic friends came in all kinds. We had very liberal ‘orders’ of Catholics as well as some ultra conservatives.  The Polish priests and nuns, and at least one French priest seemed to have a real relationship with Jesus as Saviour, and because of that, we resonated with them more than some of the others.

And then one day, around Easter, some of us were sitting out in the chilly spring sun during break.  I don’t know what brought up the subject, but I’ll never forget the corporate frisson we experienced in that circle when the Polish priest, in his broken English, said simply, “All Jesus wants is for us to come back to Him”.

I’m reminded of Colossians 1:19 – 20, “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.”

I’ve mentioned this verse before as a proof text for why all dogs go to heaven, but more than that, here is the reason for Easter! Let’s remember today what an impeccable God we have, Who would leave Glory and suffer and die on the cross for us.

As a post script, Tony and I did finally graduate from language school, although I confess that we still have a hard time reading our diplomas with all the stilted language and formal Japanese characters. But in spite of that, we were able to go to work getting to know the wonderful Japanese people. After forty years, we can really say it was worth the effort.

As for the priests and nuns we studied with, it’s been harder to keep up with them because we travel in such different circles. I especially miss the Polish guys, who probably had the worst English of the lot, but the strongest faith of them all. 

Have a Blessed Easter!!

Marsha