Easter is not big in Japan. Just like Christmas, it is not a public holiday here. However, whereas Christmas is in some way celebrated (albeit in presents, cake and bright lights fashion), Easter just passes by unnoticed. For the churches, Christmas is a big opporutnity for outreach and many events are held, usually very well attended. But Easter is often simply marked with a special service for the church folks on Easter Sunday and that's it. There is little observance of Lent and nothing to mark Holy Week (of course there will be churches which do so but generally that does not happen, at least that has been so in our experience). But how we want to celebrate Easter and take the opportunity to proclaim the message of the cross and a risen Saviour! This Easter we are doing something a bit different in Hiragishi. We got the idea from visiting church at this time last year. That church has for the past 20 years or so held an Easter Festival for the community on a Sunday afternoon at the end of April having held their worship service in the morning. Japanese people love festivals - food, games, fun things to do (and they are often associated with the Shinto shrines). The church we visited has built up many contacts over the years and had well over 250 people coming that Sunday afternoon. We are planning something much more modest and who knows how many will come. Like we did at Christmas we are renting a building very near us which has lots of space both inside and outdoors. We are palnning food, games, crafts and a section in the middle where one of our OMF colleagues who does hip hop dancing will do his stuff and everyone can join in. We'll have a simple Easter message then too. Just now we are busy with all the preparations - always a challenge for our small church. Later that day we will hold the Hiragishi Easter worship in the same building and it would be great to see some folks coming to that too. Easter is not known here - but through this Festival we want to make the message of Easter known. Jesus is alive - may people in Hiragishi hear that and come to know him!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Easter is coming
Easter is not big in Japan. Just like Christmas, it is not a public holiday here. However, whereas Christmas is in some way celebrated (albeit in presents, cake and bright lights fashion), Easter just passes by unnoticed. For the churches, Christmas is a big opporutnity for outreach and many events are held, usually very well attended. But Easter is often simply marked with a special service for the church folks on Easter Sunday and that's it. There is little observance of Lent and nothing to mark Holy Week (of course there will be churches which do so but generally that does not happen, at least that has been so in our experience). But how we want to celebrate Easter and take the opportunity to proclaim the message of the cross and a risen Saviour! This Easter we are doing something a bit different in Hiragishi. We got the idea from visiting church at this time last year. That church has for the past 20 years or so held an Easter Festival for the community on a Sunday afternoon at the end of April having held their worship service in the morning. Japanese people love festivals - food, games, fun things to do (and they are often associated with the Shinto shrines). The church we visited has built up many contacts over the years and had well over 250 people coming that Sunday afternoon. We are planning something much more modest and who knows how many will come. Like we did at Christmas we are renting a building very near us which has lots of space both inside and outdoors. We are palnning food, games, crafts and a section in the middle where one of our OMF colleagues who does hip hop dancing will do his stuff and everyone can join in. We'll have a simple Easter message then too. Just now we are busy with all the preparations - always a challenge for our small church. Later that day we will hold the Hiragishi Easter worship in the same building and it would be great to see some folks coming to that too. Easter is not known here - but through this Festival we want to make the message of Easter known. Jesus is alive - may people in Hiragishi hear that and come to know him!
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