Thai-Style December

Shiny holiday baubles weigh down December for most in the Western world.  The holiday party at work, the neighborhood cookie exchange, the potlucks, the tree cutting and decorating, the white elephant gift exchange, putting up the lights, the school parties, buying the gifts, the mall runs, the gift wrapping...the list could go on and on.  The month that is supposed to be celebrating the Prince of Peace turns into a fleet of chaos, stress, and anxiety.

In Thailand, Christmas is different.  Christmas is only celebrated by Thai Christians.  Others have heard of the day, but have no idea of its meaning.  One of my Thai friends admitted, "Before I was a Christian, I thought Santa Claus was Jesus."  The positive side of this fact is that the celebrations that do take place are more centered on Christ. 

What if we took some pointers from the simplified, yet Christ-rooted Thai Christmas?  Here are three examples...




1.  Take a tradition like caroling. The students visited neighbors, shops, and other ministries, not only singing carols in Thai, English (and Feliz Navidad because it's catchy), but they also praying and encouraging the families they visited. 


2.  Parties.  Simple is okay.

 

 Just include the reason we're celebrating.

 

Worship and Christmas songs.

 Some prayer and thanksgiving for the past year.

 Plenty of silly games.

 And snacks...especially those that you have to eat blindfolded to win a game. 

3. Self-control...words only used with "no" or "none" in December for most of us born in America.  Can you believe, we actually had to work hard at giving away our Christmas cookies?  That was because everyone just at one! 

 Using knives as cookie cutters allowed us to be extra creative.   We had an elephant and a camel along with snowmen, trees, and the BJD house. :)

 The fun was in the making and fellowship.  

 Decorating.  Thanks to a team who left us with Christmas sprinkles!

 And admiring before giving them away. 

Woops...someone got anxious in tasting before the picture!  :)

Have a wonderful holiday!
And don't get too busy to remember...

The Prince of Peace whose birth we celebrate.

The Perfect King, the Perfect Father

 

The Thai King is loved and honored in Thailand.  And saying just that, is an understatement.   His birthday, also celebrated as Father's Day, is one of Thailand's biggest holidays. 

"Father" is a term that stirs mixed emotions in many Thais.  Many Thai children grow up with mom or extended family.  Stepbrothers, half-sisters, the mom of the older kids, the dad of the younger siblings, it's all family, and it's all the norm here.  One of the big consequences of sin is broken families. 

This fact has left a lot of people needing to hear that God is "Father to the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5), "compassionate and merciful" (James 5:11), and will never abandon for forsake us (Psalm 94:14).

A group of Buddhist Thais initiated a conversation at the park this Father's Day that led my friend to share how "God is the perfect King, and the perfect Father."  As good as any earthly, human father can be, God reaches infinitely beyond.  And he loves us as his children, wow!

 One of the beautiful things about this holiday is that it reminds families how life is "supposed to be."

The park was filled with the beautiful scene of fathers and children enjoying floating lanterns and watching fireworks light up the sky together.