Sunday, April 29, 2007

Money to Burn

My love of paper almost got me in trouble the other day. Miss K and I were walking home from the store and I walked past a store that had such cute paper items. I saw the paper food and thought that would be so cute for scrapbooking. Then I paused and remember, "wait a second, people here don't do scrapbooking." I looked at the store and it was not a scrapbook store rather a store selling money, incense sticks, and paper food, paper cars and other things for worship. I decided that I did not want to buy those paper items. Maybe it is like eating meat offered to idols but I didn't want to do it.

I have lived here in an region where money is burned for some time. There is a special money that they buy to burn so that ancestors have money to spend in the after life. Here in addition to burning money they burn food and cars so you can eat and drive.

I thought about it and was reminded that our God is preparing a feast for us. We are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb. We don't need to take our own food, it isn't a potluck but a feast. He is preparing for us, his children.

My heart is saddened for those around me living in fear and darkness. My heart rejoices to know that there is still time to go and tell them of the feast.

2 comments:

Beth Branch said...

I remember seeing windowsills with all the ancestor worship things on them when we were visiting there. At that time, they put actual food at the alter, thinking that when it dried up, rotted, etc, that their family had gotten all the nutrients from it. One village we stayed in there was an entire flat rented out for a person's ancestors. So sad.

Blessed are the feet.....!

Beth in NC

Stuart and Beth said...

They do still leave real food on the god shelf or family alter. Oranges are a favorite.