The 17th Sunday After Pentecost:
Scriptures: 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10
Key Verse: “For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6)
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Hello, This is Jade.
Welcome to Yi.kigai
A space for all to explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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For the past month, I have been thinking about what a rekindled life is like. When life seems lifeless, people might choose to stop doing what gives them meaning and purpose in life. Sometimes, people might decide to keep doing the same thing just to keep breathing. What comes to mind when you think of ‘rekindle the gift of God in you’? It reminds me of Pastor Will, an old family friend and person of faith.
Pastor Will and his wife Irene were very special to us. We were called to serve at their home congregation. They often took us out for meals and even included us in their important family gatherings. We shared meals together a lot. At each meal when food was served, we would say prayers together, and he would say, “itadakimasu” before enjoying the food. It’s a common phrase said before enjoying a meal in Japan. A simple definition of ‘itadakimasu’ is ‘to receive’ or ‘I humbly receive.’ That’s what my grandpa always said before a meal. Pastor Will reminded me of my grandpa a lot and his Japanese sounded like that of a native Japanese speaker.
Even though he had served as a missionary for 35 years in Japan, Pastor Will would still use English throughout our conversation except this word ‘itadakimasu’. I could tell he really liked this Japanese word. Whenever I listened to their stories about their lives in Japan as missionaries and saw the way of living as the people of faith, I understood why. When we got to know them, Pastor Will was 81 years old, and Irene was 80. Nonetheless, they were still full of life. They shared their lives with others graciously and generously as if God owned them one hundred percent. I could feel their humbleness and gratitude to God for the lives they had received from God.
I asked him once about his call. He told me that his life was like charcoal still burning because of the eternal life that he had received from our Lord Jesus Christ. Whenever he sensed the temperature dropping in his surroundings, he would try to gather people and get closer to them. That’s how God kept our faith community together, he believed. If there was breath, there was hope. He enjoyed teaching Bible classes, bringing the Holy Communion to the homebound and sharing God’s good news with them, and visiting the sick and elderly.
The last time I saw him before moving to the Pacific Northwest in 2017, he was on his way to visit people at the assisted living community where he lives. For the 19 years we had known each other, we moved from place to place. However, he never missed sending us cards for our birthdays and our wedding anniversaries. Then we learned about his passing. He joined the Lord in peace on January 30, 2021. He was 99 years old. His life was full of rekindled testimonies as a humble servant of God. His strong faith in Christ rekindled God’s gifts in him throughout his life. I gave thanks to God for knowing him, a blessed unique charcoal.
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May your coming week be blessed by God’s grace
As together we explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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