Celebrating the world’s biggest holiday of Christmas in Japan is quite an interesting experience — first of all, Christmas is not even a nation holiday here. That means that people work as normal and even our kids went to school! For foreigners in Japan, this is a big shock. The rest of the world is celebrating, and it’s life as normal in Japan. This can be hard to deal with as you see pictures and videos of your close family and friends celebrating across the world. A time that should be one of great joy and celebration only exasperates the feeling of missing out that we as humans avoid as much as possible.
So this year we decided to celebrate Christmas bigger than ever, as you can see in this episode of Life in Japan. All in all, it was the best Christmas yet here in Japan, and we’ve lived here over 5 years now! The more you prepare, work and anticipate, the greater the celebration when it comes.
If you feel like you’re missing out — missing out on life and happiness, missing out on romance, missing out on family — then know that’s exactly why Jesus came. He came to seek and save those who are missing out, those who are lost. He came to make us whole in Him. Jesus name means “I am God who saves” and another title of Jesus is “Emmanuel” or “God with us.” He cares so much that He came to us in the form of a little baby boy so we would never have to miss out again.
Think about that — never miss out again! Not miss out on a wonderful relationship that God our Heavenly Father desires, not miss out on experiencing the joy of family the way He designed and purposed it. And not miss out on fulfilling, healthy relationships with the people God puts in our heart. This is the message of Christmas: let those who have missed out never miss out again. Receiving the greatest gift of Christmas, Jesus Christ, is the way to the greatest joy and purpose. Following Him leads to a fulfilling life of love and purpose, and that’s a great reason to celebrate!
Merry Christmas from the Reutters and Happy New Year!