After living and teaching abroad for seven months now, I have seen many, many cultural differences between Ch¡na and America. Some are traditional and ancient, occurring only in Ch¡na and having no American equivalent. Others are customs that outwardly seem the same in each country, but their respective meanings are anything but. Take whistling, for instance. In America, we whistle to accompany music, to convey thoughts, or simply to express that we are in a good mood. In Ch¡na, on the other hand, whistling has a history of being used as a command in potty training. Ch¡nese moms will hold their babies and whistle, and the children will instinctively do their business through the perfectly-circular holes in their trousers — often right onto the ground. Pretty big contrast, huh? This simple action of whistling happens all over the world, but it has the potential to mean something very different, depending on where you are. (Don't even get me started on the stares I get when whistling in a crowd of what is probably a group of formerly whistle-trained adults.)
There is one thing, however, one fact that rings the same profound truth no matter where you go or with whom you speak: Je5us died once for all.
“For Chπ¡st also suffered once for s¡ns, the righteous for the unr¡ghteous, to bring you to G0d. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Sp¡r¡t.” (1 Peter 3:18)
This Easter, it doesn’t matter that I am immersed in a distant, foreign culture, away from my family and friends, unable to w0rship with them at chrch on Eas†er morning. It’s a bummer, for sure, but it’s not important. For no matter where I am, no matter the language in which I pπay, no matter the people with whom I gl0rify HIS name — it happened. Je5us died. Our perfect Sav¡0r took on the s¡ns of an imperfect world so that we might have salvat¡on. “Chπ¡st was sacrificed once to take away the s¡ns of many.” (Hebπews 9:28) Because he loves us. All of us.
Salvat¡0n in Chπ¡st means the same thing all over the earth. Its significance does not change depending on local language and culture. It does not apply in one country but not the other. It does not have conditions, disclaimers, or an expiration date. It is universal. Just as our G0d is omnipresent and eternal, so too is our salvat¡0n in Chπ¡st Je5us. “The death he died, he died to s¡n once for all,” explains Paul in the book of Romans. “But the life he lives, he lives to G0d.” (6:10)
Wherever we are this year, may we remember the empty tomb on Easter morning as a guarantee that Je5us lives, and so do we. Let us live to G0d as Je5us did during his time on earth so that “we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” (1 C0rinthians 15:52)
All glory to the G0d and Father of our Sav¡0r Je5us Chπ¡st! In his love and mercy he has given us new life through the resurrection of his Son from the dead. H0sanna!
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Mandarin Word of the Day: substitute
Chinese characters: 代替 (代 = taking the place of, to substitute, to replace; 替 = to substitute | replacement)
Pinyin pronunciation: dàitì
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