Spring has just begun in Japan and the buds are starting to appear on the trees. Kyoto is now overflowing with visitors not only from around the world but also local tourists from other parts of Japan who have gathered to see the cherry blossoms. It is a beloved Japanese tradition called hanami (花見) or literally ‘flower watching’. Many companies will even reserve good spots in parks for their employees to have hanami picnics.
However, less important than the cherry blossoms are the flowers that can be found blooming in more humble circumstances that no one would spend time looking at.
These are the flowers that I often see growing out of the cracks in the sidewalks or along the road. Seeing them always make me smile as these flowers seem to sprout up miraculously, amidst harsh conditions without any signs they were planted or tended.
Before we came to Japan, we were often told that the country is a hard ground for the gospel. Others have even called it a ‘missionary graveyard’ for the many who have come and given their lives with little to show for it. Christianity has a long history in Japan and yet, it appears that the gospel has made little impact. With as little as 1% of the population officially Christian, the seeds seem to have indeed fallen upon hard soil. But is that really the case?
Kusatsu Church, where we are serving, is but one of 14 churches planted by WEC Missionaries in our 70-year history in Japan. Though the church is small, those who attend have been doing so faithfully for many years. Many of them come from non-believing families and travel some distance to attend the church. They each have a remarkable story of how the gospel touched their hearts and led them to believe and follow Jesus.
One person’s testimony that left a deep impression on me is that of an elderly lady who attends another church in Ritto. She told us her amazing conversion story of how the Spirit caught her attention as she heard hymns being sung while walking past a church. She immediately felt strangely warmed and though she did not know what was being sung, she felt peace that she had never felt before. Both she and her husband have devoted their lives to serving the Lord and one of their sons now serves as a Pastor. Her testimony and the many others we have heard demonstrate how the Spirit swept through the land, raising up the churches that stand throughout Japan today.
A more recent example is that of my Japanese friend (a father of Chloe’s ex-kindergarten classmate). Not too long ago he asked me why I chose to come to Japan as a missionary to which I explained that it was the Lord who had called me. He had been asking questions about the Bible and attending bible study with the kindergarten’s Pastor. It appears that he can sense the Lord has been calling him too and he is now searching. I hope and pray that he will accept the Lord’s invitation. It is stories like his that remind me that the Spirit is still at work calling people to Jesus.
Finally, whenever we speak to someone new, the topic will naturally veer towards our work. Once we explain, and against all expectations, they will often mention a member of their family, or someone they know who happens to be a Christian. These chance conversations remind me of how far the seeds have been sown. Like how the Lord can cause flowers to sprout up even in the crack of a concrete pavement, He can grow the seeds of faith in a dark and unbelieving world.
I think that the metaphor of a flower blossoming through a crack is an apt one for the churches of Japan. Though outwardly the soil appears hard, it is actually very rich and fertile, ready to receive the Gospel. Every believer is evidence of this and like a flower that has emerged from a seed of faith that sprouted despite all the harsh conditions. Like the beautiful flowers, surely the Lord who tends to them and causes them to grow, will do likewise for His church as His beloved children. Once we accept that, just like a flower, God is the one who brings growth to a church in His good timing, we can change our perspective about Christian work in Japan. So perhaps when we look to Japan, we won’t see it any longer as a missionary graveyard, but as a bountiful flower garden tended by a loving Gardener. The Lord never abandoned Japan, neither has His hand been absent. It may not experience the same explosive growth that has characterized other mission fields, but His handprints are evident, and the Gardener is still hard at work, giving growth to the seeds sown in faith.
