Prioritizing Christ on Christmas

Since Christmas is in the air, it is worth remembering what Christmas is really all about. It is the time to celebrate and commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, into this sin-laden world as human being, to finally redeem the sin of mankind by His death upon the cross.
Christmas, the birth of Christ, is really the most precious gift God ever gave us. Without this heavenly gift of the Father’s mercy, none of us can anticipate the promise of eternal life in heaven. Without Christmas, all that is in store for us is death and eternal condemnation.
Nevertheless, for the past century, our focus on the birth of Christ seems to be distracted by the presence of another figure whose commemoration is also celebrated on December. People hang more decorations of Santa Claus instead of Baby Jesus, everywhere around the city, in every city of the world.
(Even the Japanese, who mostly don’t believe in Christ, celebrate Christmas! Try visiting Tokyo on December and you’ll find it decorated in red-white-green-and-gold as much as any city in USA!)
Now, Santa Claus also gives presents, especially to children, and especially to good-behaved ones. They come in sweetly-wrapped gift-boxes, containing toys, candies and treats. Who wouldn’t want to receive such nice gifts on this special month of the year? I believe all children love Santa Claus.
It’s not that it’s basically wrong to distribute presents during Christmas-time. The underlying idea is good enough: “Kids, if you behave, be nice to others and obedient to your parents all through the year, on the last month of the year you’ll be rewarded.”
This is a sort of incentive to cultivate good-behavior in the lives of our children. The problem doesn’t lie on the giving of gifts itself, but rather in the nature of man.
It is only human to regard with more respect the things that are visible over those which are invisible. We want material presents that can be touched with our hands, smelled with our noses, seen with our eyes, and tasted with our tongues. We find it rather elusive to understand the idea of an immaterial gift that will secure our future existence after leaving this material world.
Isn’t that the case?
So, the matter in question here is not whether it is wrong or not to have Santa Claus around on Christmas. What we need to ask ourselves is: what or who are we prioritizing, the gift or the Giver of gifts, the celebration or the One whose birth we are celebrating? First thing first!
We need to understand the reason why we are celebrating Christmas, and understand it to the full! All those celebrations, presents, carols, lights and bells will mean nothing if we do not first accept the gift of salvation granted to us by the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Receive Christ and the gift of eternal salvation first into our lives. Then, we are ready to celebrate and give thanks to God for all His goodness and mercy!

Talking About Tattoos

My, my, my… don’t you think this picture is simply beautiful?
Well, I realize that not everybody will agree with me about painting a permanent pattern on their skin, but literally and commonly speaking, the “picture” within the picture above is one remarkable beauty!
I’ve always been an admirer of body art and body painting, something that would make my parents’ hair stand on ends. They dismissed body art as a sort of vulgar and indecent act of breaking the norms. Perhaps it’s due to their perception that only convicts, rascals and criminals have tattoos. They cannot see the art that it embodies. For me, having a beautiful tattoo means becoming a living-masterpiece of art.
But I’ve long decided not to have any permanent tattoo decorating my skin.
No, it’s not because Mom and Dad strictly prohibited me to.
It’s got something to do with integrity instead of child-obedience.
A long time ago, far back in ancient days, in Middle-East, God brought the Israelites out of Egypt to possess the promised land of Canaan. They were commanded to wage war against and annihilate the people of the land, do away with their practices of idol worship and traditions that so vexed the heart of the Lord, and purge the land of evil.
One of the customs of the Canaanites that the Lord commanded His chosen people not to follow was piercing and engraving their bodies with certain paintings. Tattooing!
In those days, tattoos were considered as sacred symbols carved on people’s skin to invite the natural spirits and powers into their bodies and dwell in their lives. There certainly were some rites and enchantments done in tattoo-making, and an amount of blood dripped during the making of them (blood being the “price” they paid as a sacrifice to the natural spirits they were inviting to enter their bodies).
Leviticus 19:28 says, “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord!”
It is clear that tattooing one’s skin is an act of breaking allegiance with the Lord, a challenge against His command, and defiance against His good and perfect will.
Even when the time has changed and tattoo-making no longer has anything to do with demon-worship or paganism, the Word of God stands. We cannot break a single law of God without stirring up His fury – especially we, who know the Scripture and have devoted our lives to ministering the Lord.
That’s the only reason I deny my self-will to decorate my body.
But still, I adore body art and body painting up to this day. I love seeing beautiful tattoos and collecting tattoo patterns. The one shown above is one of the best I found in internet. A few weeks ago I sent the above picture to a good friend of mine in Jakarta. I posted it on his Facebook wall. He’s a tattoo lover as well (in fact, he’s got three already – all invite my jealousy; they’re so beautiful). I knew he would appreciate it.
He did. I was satisfied at finding out he gave the picture a thumb up.
What I didn’t know was that the next morning after receiving the picture, he went and had that pattern tattooed all over his back…!!!

Superman, X-Men, and Transformers

One indicator that shows the way the next generation has shifted in trend, frame of mind and preference is the hero they adore. The media and showbiz enterprises have given the young people opportunity to vote the hero of their time, the figure that represents them best.
Decades ago, in the late 1930’s, the eye and mind of the young generation were fixed on a superhero created by D.C. Comics: Superman. He was awesomely – and simply – perfect: he got superhuman powers, the ability to fly faster than speeding bullet, eyes that beamed like lasers, breath that could freeze fire, and impenetrable skin. Physically, he was tall, well-built and handsome – not to mention his decency, politeness and prudence. He gave his life to rescue others, save the planet, and promote the goodness of all mankind. Basically and thoroughly, he was flawless inside and out!
Why did the children and teenagers of 1930-1940’s love Superman so much?
It was because they lived in an era of broken lives and torn nations. They experienced the time of war, fright and terror. In such a difficult period of time, the young sought for a figure that might save them out of calamities, came from a place none of this fallen world, perfect in every single aspect in life, a character that could stand as a flawless hero through and through.
Nevertheless, time went on and trends changed. Teenagers grew up and wars ended. A new generation sprang up, the generation of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, a bunch of kids that defied the old dominations and fought for the freedom of mind and decision. It was then, early in 1960’s, that Marvel Comics hit the crowd with its band of superheroes. But these new characters were not termed “heroes.” They were labeled “mutants.” They were the X-Men.
Unlike D.C. Comics that had brought forth Superman, a perfect superhero coming from another planet with multi-superpowers and abilities, Marvel offered teenagers a different kind of heroes: heroes that lived among us, ordinary human beings. These characters had superpowers as they had flaws. Each superhero had his/her own power, and each had his/her own weakness and problems:
• Spider-Man was a nerdy, unpopular student at school before he got bitten by a radioactive-loaded spider and became a mutant with superpower resembling the nature of a spider.
• Wolverine was a vagabond suffering from amnesia due to excessive torture.
• Daredevil lost his parents and sight in an accident but developed into a great martial-artist.
• The Fantastic Four were a group of scientists that fell into genetic mutation after an episode of radioactive blast in space.
Why did Marvel make such a great impact on the young generation of 1960’s with the creation of these superheroes?
It was because they understood the frame of mind of the teenagers. The young people of 1960-1970’s didn’t need to be rescued as in the previous generation. They simply wanted to be accepted the way they are. They wished for their weaknesses to be understood and their talents and abilities recognized. Through X-Men (and other heroes), Marvel was telling them, “It’s okay to be different. It’s alright to be imperfect. Nobody on Earth’s perfect, anyway. But, hey! You’ve got gifts as much as you’ve got flaws. Why not use your powers to do goodness and cover up your weaknesses?”
And teenagers simply loved it!
But now, the millennium has shifted and we live in an era of fast-growing information and technology. We’ve got computers, laptops, iPODs, digital cameras, camera-phones, netbooks and symbions. Slowly but sure, our younglings begin to grow asocial due to too much interaction and exposure to gadgets instead of humans.
Do you notice what superhero-movie our teenagers love most, these days?
Yup, you’ve guessed right: Transformers!
We no longer need a Superman from another galaxy coming to our rescue, or a pack of genetically mutated individuals to be the heroes of our time. We’ve got machines as our heroes that give solutions to our problems – and the young just love them!
Can anybody predict what sort of heroes our grandchildren will look up to, 2½ decades into the future?

The Lily and the Rose

A friend of mine played a quiz on Facebook to find out what flower represented her best. She got for her answer the White Lily, the symbol of purity.
“Oh, really?” she commented. “I was hoping to get the Red Rose!”
What’s so wrong about the lily? I thought to myself, taking into mind the white-lily bouquet I held – and adored so much – during my wedding.
Why be dissatisfied with innocence and chastity when passion and flaming charm aren’t ours to keep?
Every person on Earth is unique, imperfectness is normal, and each positive trait is a gift. Nevertheless, it’s human nature to compare one’s self to others. Sometimes, jealousy opens the way for ambition, and ambition in its turn prompts people to pursue goals. And goals are the reason that turns the world and eras around.
However, success is not gained through the fulfillment of our goals. Rather, it is found in understanding that satisfaction is grasped only when we know how to make the best of our time/energy/effort not to merely reach our personal goals, but to work things out for the best benefit of others as well.
I’d love to be a lily as much as I enjoy being a rose. But the narcissus and freesia are just as beautiful, and there’s no point in feeling down when we are born to be tulips or hyacinths.
Doesn’t God rejoice over all His creations?
Let all that has breath praise the Lord!

The Origin of Santa Claus

A long time ago, in Turkey, in a city called Myra, lived a young bishop named Nicholas. Despite his age, Nicholas was a wise man.
It so happened that a father in his neighborhood was about to sell his three daughters since he couldn’t afford their dowries. The family was very poor.
Nicholas gave a thought and then came up with a generous idea. Secretly, at night, he climbed on top of the poor family’s house and dropped a bag of gold coins down the chimney to provide for the girls’ dowries. He did it for three consecutive nights. And so the three girls were saved from being sold.
This story took place some time around the 4th century. As time went on, the legend of St. Nicholas spread to other lands: Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, and England.
In the Netherlands, the Dutch called him Sinter-Klaas, a variant of St. Nicholas. And, after the discovery of America, some Dutch settlers founded New Amsterdam in the newly discovered continent. We all know this city today as New York.
The Dutch brought the tradition of Sinter-Klaas to America as they settled in New York. Plays and stories evolved and additions to the legend of Sinter-Klaas took place: they gave him another variant of name: Santa Claus, together with stories about the flying reindeer, the toy factory in North Pole, and the furry outfit he wore.
People still holds St. Nicholas Day on December 6 every year. But, seeing how close that date is to Christmas, finally the two celebrations were fused, and Santa Claus becomes the icon of Christmas as well.

Cherry Blossoms: the Icon of Wabi-Sabi

A long time ago, in Ancient Japan, during the reign of Tokugawa Hideyoshi, lived a master-artist highly respected by people of his time. The maestro’s name was Rikyu.
The influence of Zen Buddhism, the tradition of the people, and the beauty of the land’s scenery and climate prompted Rikyu to usher in the idea of perceiving and cherishing the art of nature as it existed in the present. This idea, known as Wabi-Sabi, adored the fleeting, temporal, natural, elemental and frail beauty of nature above the Chinese classical artistic values which dominated the oriental culture of the era.
The philosophic idea Rikyu suggested was a perfect representation of the Japanese soul and way of mind. He saw in nature the amazing beauty of the mortal and mundane, and the icon that represented it best was the cherry blossom (sakura).
The cherry trees only blossom for an extremely short period of time, and only in the heat of summer. Throughout the 365 days in a year, they only bloom for three days! During these precious moments, people all around Japan gather under the beautifully blossoming cherry trees and spread white sheets of cloth to collect the precious, falling flowers. Deep inside, the Japanese prize the ephemeral beauty of nature.
The significance of the Wabi-Sabi frame of mind is to fully comprehend that nothing lasts forever in this elemental world. So, let’s cherish what we’ve got at present before it fades away and be gone.
What deep philosophy Rikyu had proposed!
Unfortunately, his master disagreed with the idea. Hideyoshi’s idea of art was represented by the Chinese golden pagoda, not the Japanese tea hut as Rikyu suggested! He banned the master-artist from his service, and later on ordered the old man’s hara-kiri (ceremonial suicide).
Time passed.
Hideyoshi grew old and died, as all great shoguns that preceded him. But every year, for three days in midsummer, the cherry trees bloom and shed their flowers.
The spirit of Rikyu lives on.