Moral stories
Well I am still here in Delhi. This past Friday was my last day working with EMI on the Blue Haven Children's Home & School project. It was a wonderful opportunity to work on such a project, and also to work with the organization itself; I wasn't necessarily expecting the edification, but we had daily Bible studies in the office, good fellowship, and I was able to attend church and a young adult's Bible study, pleasantly bringing my beliefs and design endeavors to a closely knit network.
A couple American women I met at church have been studying Hindi for the last 1.5-2 years and presented the opportunity for me to join them this week as they went to a church and, with their newly acquired speaking skills, taught Bible stories in Hindi.
The ladies have had great opportunities to be submerged in Delhi culture, and even the opportunity to attend an Indian wedding a few months back. One story they recounted that really stuck out to me was at this wedding, while waiting for a certain processional with the crowd of guests, some children in front of my friends wanted them to tell a story. "What kind of story?" "A moral story," the children replied. A moral story! What an answer. I was so impressed with these children's inquiry of moral matters; I've never heard of such an answer in the U.S. So my friend found this a good opportunity to share stories of Jesus, and did so. While thinking later on about which story I would share, several came to mind at first. The Prodigal Son, The Bleeding Woman, The Paralyzed Man, amongst others. But then I realized that many stories in the Bible aren't about morality, not at all in the direct sense, in fact. We're given instruction on correct conduct in the Epistles and letters at the end of the New Testament, yet Jesus' teaching go way beyond morality.
He teaches us
1. How to treat others, in terms of action, thought, intention, and our hearts. He teaches this through stories, but mainly in how he treats others (Philippians 2:6-8).
And just as importantly,
2. Why to treat people in such a way. And this is to honor God. As Christians, He has forgiven our sins and, although we are unable to pay back what we have been given, we can honor Him through our conduct and faith in Him in each step and area of life. (John 10:10).
It's encouraging to be reminded that our faith goes beyond mere conduct, but rather affects and transforms the heart. This is humbling, as only God can create the change in others, not our own efforts.
So back to today, I met up with these friends early afternoon and we headed to East Delhi on the metro. I won't go into the few details I've acquired, but there is a Hindu pilgrimage happening throughout Delhi now, and we see men walking with orange on, sometimes carrying what is some sort of holy item I believe, and other times, such as near our metro stop, there are stopping points for the men to gather, rest, and even dance. It was cool to see, before we continued on a rickshaw to our destination, the church. There were around 20 of us gathered, all women and several children, for today's story. My friends told the story in Hindi, someone repeated it, it was retold in the form of a drama, then we broke off into groups where everyone recounted the story (except the one American who spoke only English...) and answered questions about the story. My group included a new friend, Monica, who led the group of 5 children we met with. I was impressed with both their attention span, as they sat quietly, awaiting their turn to answer, and also their thoughtful answers to the questions, as they found ways to apply the story of Elijah in the wilderness to their everyday lives. Following this, we had snacks and fellowship, and the opportunity to express the story through henna. I really like henna, and find this such a relevant, tactile way of expressing the story and as an aid for sharing it with others.
A couple American women I met at church have been studying Hindi for the last 1.5-2 years and presented the opportunity for me to join them this week as they went to a church and, with their newly acquired speaking skills, taught Bible stories in Hindi.
The ladies have had great opportunities to be submerged in Delhi culture, and even the opportunity to attend an Indian wedding a few months back. One story they recounted that really stuck out to me was at this wedding, while waiting for a certain processional with the crowd of guests, some children in front of my friends wanted them to tell a story. "What kind of story?" "A moral story," the children replied. A moral story! What an answer. I was so impressed with these children's inquiry of moral matters; I've never heard of such an answer in the U.S. So my friend found this a good opportunity to share stories of Jesus, and did so. While thinking later on about which story I would share, several came to mind at first. The Prodigal Son, The Bleeding Woman, The Paralyzed Man, amongst others. But then I realized that many stories in the Bible aren't about morality, not at all in the direct sense, in fact. We're given instruction on correct conduct in the Epistles and letters at the end of the New Testament, yet Jesus' teaching go way beyond morality.
He teaches us
1. How to treat others, in terms of action, thought, intention, and our hearts. He teaches this through stories, but mainly in how he treats others (Philippians 2:6-8).
And just as importantly,
2. Why to treat people in such a way. And this is to honor God. As Christians, He has forgiven our sins and, although we are unable to pay back what we have been given, we can honor Him through our conduct and faith in Him in each step and area of life. (John 10:10).
It's encouraging to be reminded that our faith goes beyond mere conduct, but rather affects and transforms the heart. This is humbling, as only God can create the change in others, not our own efforts.
So back to today, I met up with these friends early afternoon and we headed to East Delhi on the metro. I won't go into the few details I've acquired, but there is a Hindu pilgrimage happening throughout Delhi now, and we see men walking with orange on, sometimes carrying what is some sort of holy item I believe, and other times, such as near our metro stop, there are stopping points for the men to gather, rest, and even dance. It was cool to see, before we continued on a rickshaw to our destination, the church. There were around 20 of us gathered, all women and several children, for today's story. My friends told the story in Hindi, someone repeated it, it was retold in the form of a drama, then we broke off into groups where everyone recounted the story (except the one American who spoke only English...) and answered questions about the story. My group included a new friend, Monica, who led the group of 5 children we met with. I was impressed with both their attention span, as they sat quietly, awaiting their turn to answer, and also their thoughtful answers to the questions, as they found ways to apply the story of Elijah in the wilderness to their everyday lives. Following this, we had snacks and fellowship, and the opportunity to express the story through henna. I really like henna, and find this such a relevant, tactile way of expressing the story and as an aid for sharing it with others.
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| some of the women re-enacting the story to learn it better. |
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| Hindu pilgrimage |
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| The story of Elijah's interaction with the LORD on the mountain. |
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| from "Henna Stories" book |
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
_Jesus, John 10:10
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