The Bibles scattered around the table were opened to Psalm 136: "Give thanks to the Lord...His love endures forever." The pastor explained that in Japanese, "His love endures forever" comes across as a prayer--"May His love endure forever"--but that the true meaning was less a prayer and more a proclamation: "Hey, Israel! God's love endures forever!" The pastor went on to explain that each line of Psalm 136 gave Israel another reason for thankfulness, another example of God's love enduring forever.
The ladies around the table looked at each other in surprise and bewilderment. "Wow! The psalmist really spoke very concretely of God's love and His actions! That's not very Japanese!" was one comment. "It's difficult to imagine being so concrete and direct," said another.
I was the sole foreigner at the table for this Japanese Bible study. Every week we meet--a rag-tag group, in my mind, with me usually coming from a quick attempt at house-cleaning and the pastor's wife running around grabbing garbage to set out at the corner and others tumbling in from various experiences and in various forms. The discussions we have are usually very...formulaic, in my opinion. But that's because I'm a foreigner. Most weeks I just listen and try to glean what I can regarding people's opinions, concerns, etc. Sometimes I share a bit about what we are learning in English Bible study, if the topics coincide. This week I decided to take a deep breath and plunge into the murky pool of faith discussions between our two cultures.
"I understand that Japanese people aren't very direct..." I said slowly, trying to figure out what Japanese words would be good to use. "But I have a question then. How do Japanese people remember God's actions if they don't speak clearly about what He's done? How do they grow their relationship with God? How do they speak indirectly about what God has done, but still remember it?"
This led to over an hour of discussion, and we covered many bases as we went around the table--going to temples and shrines, women's rights, Christian families, Buddhist art, Japanese styles of education and imitation, and more. I was told again that because I come from America, I probably expect people to want to be Christian right away, but Japanese people have very different ideas of God...etc. etc.
Finally, on my third attempt to clarify the question and say that I was not condemning Japanese culture or saying that Japanese should be more direct, but wondering how they have relationships based on such indirect-ness, I just said honestly, "Personally, it's hard to support my faith here. When I live in America, I can go to Bible studies and share thoughts about the Bible...I can talk about personal things and things that God is doing...I can list God's actions in my life, like in Psalm 136...but in Japan, Christians don't seem to do that. So I am just alone, trying to support my faith and remember God. How do Christians in Japan support their faith?"
As soon as I said it, I realized that that had really been my question all along. One of the blessings of working in a Japanese church is seeing the differences of culture and really learning what faith looks like in the eyes of a Japanese person. One of the difficulties of working in a Japanese church is that ways I might have in America to support faith are gone. (Example: one church member told me angrily of a former American teacher who used to pray for people by name, thereby bringing great embarrassment to them. While I would naturally shy away from mentioning what I'd consider personal things in prayer, the lines making things personal or public here are very different.) Speaking about faith with others--not appropriate. Praying about personal things with others--not appropriate. Understanding what I sing/read/hear in worship on Sunday morning--well, I can do about 50%.
As I asked the question, silence settled on the room for a moment. Then one church member answered, "I remember that Jesus is with me."
I'm so glad that He is. When it seems like our words and thoughts and faith expressions are completely opposite, He is here. When words just don't quite reach deep enough, He is here. When we end up hurting each other and speaking words of frustration or judgment, He is still here. When I crave words of forgiveness and love and get impersonal lectures, He is still here. When I am too emotional and embarrass the other church members, He is still here.
The discussion was a good reminder of our differences and different ways of thinking...and if anyone knows how to express the idea of "encouragement in faith" for both new and old Christians (maybe a word with a more passive connotation?) in Japanese, please let me know for future discussions! :) It was also a good reminder of God's grace in the middle of our relationships. It's hard for both the church and for me to work together--it's unnatural, you might say. But we do it...and I am blessed by their forgiveness and the way they try to fight to understand me, and I am blessed when I try to fight and understand them.
Give thanks to the Creator of all, who brings people together and keeps giving them forgiveness and strength...
His love endures forever!
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