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| Forbidden City, Beijing |
I was in Beijing several years ago, on business. We
were trying to see if our product line could be sold in China. Our team
consisted of myself, a few Chinese people residing in the United States and our
Chinese hosts.
A few street signs and shop signs had their
English meaning in small letters underneath, but for the most part I had little
idea what I was looking at. Since Chinese is a tonal language, I was warned not
to speak any words in Chinese. I was as likely to insult somebody as to get
help.
The second full day there, as I was beginning to
get over jet lag, my hosts took the entire team out to dinner. It was quite a
feast. We had tilapia, squid, jelly fish, crab, turtle soup, bird’s nest soup,
scallops, oysters and other things I purposely ate without asking.
I liked the crab legs; they preferred the liver and
roe. It seems the legs are considered garbage food in Beijing. So I was known
as “man who eat garbage.” (And they graciously gave me their ‘garbage’ to
devour!)
By the end of the day, I was at ease and felt very
welcomed.
Today’s reading is Genesis 23:1-9. Abraham’s wife,
Sarah, had just died. Living in Canaan, a foreign land, among the Hittites, Abraham
needed a place to bury his wife. Because God promised Abraham that his descendents
would inhabit Canaan, the Promised Land, Abraham wanted is wife to be buried
there.
The grieving Abraham was no doubt anxious. Would
the Hittites sell a foreigner some land?
The Hittite leaders did sell him land, giving him
his choice for a burial plot. Abraham must have been relieved.
When we meet someone new to the faith, or is
exploring the faith, they might be anxious. After all, Christianity is new to
them. In a sense, they are in foreign territory.
What can you do to reach out to a new face at
church and help put that person at ease?
What will you do?
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