A letter from Thomas Goetz in Japan
May 2013
An Interview with Hiromi Takahashi
Hiromi Takahashi operates a coffee shop in Sapporo city near Hokusei Gakuen University where she ministers, counsels, and witnesses to all who visit.
Tom: Hi, Hiromi. Thank you for coming in today to share your faith journey. I know that many Americans are curious about how a Japanese would convert to Christianity. If you could just begin by sharing some of your memories, that would be wonderful.
Hiromi Takahashi
Hiromi: Okay, try to place yourself in my situation. Had you grown up in Japan, you probably would have gone to shrines or temples at least once or twice to ask gods or Buddhas there for something good or desirable to you: health, money, happiness, safety, etc.
T: I would imagine so, it seems like there is either a temple or a shrine in every neighborhood.
H: That is true. Well, when I was young, I would go to visit a shrine to toss some money into offering boxes, put my hands together, and ask whatever was called by the name of "kami-sama" or "hotoke-sama" for what I wanted.
T: Did anything happen as a result?
H: Sometimes. It is something that everyone did.
T: How about when you became a Christian?
H: When I became a Christian 10 years ago, I stopped turning to those "kami-sama" and "hotoke-sama" and started to pray to God the Father of Jesus Christ. When I needed something, I would ask God to give it to me. As Matthew 7:9-11 says, God the Father has been faithful to His promise over the last 10 years and has answered my prayers for necessities in life such as work and finances. When you hear that, you might think that the God of the Bible and all the other "kami-sama" and "hotoke-sama" are the same.
T: Are they?
H: To be honest, I had often approached God just the way I approached those "kami-sama" and "hotoke-sama" when I was a kid. But I came to realize the other day that there is one thing that makes God the Father of Christ Jesus radically different from all the other deities.
T: What is it?
H: Let's look at Matthew 7:9-11, and let's keep in mind its parallel passage in the Gospel of Luke. These two passages tell us what God the Father gives us if we ask Him. In Luke 11:11-13, Jesus says, "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
T: So, if I might paraphrase, it sounds like God hears the prayers of those who are sincere in their hearts.
H: Yes. According to Jesus' word in Matthew and Luke, God the Father gives those who ask Him "good gifts" and "the Holy Spirit." As for the good gifts, Jesus didn't say exactly what they were, but we know who the Holy Spirit is: He is the Spirit of God, that is, God Himself.
T: So, can we find this perspective on prayer in ordinary Japanese religion?
H: It is not there at all. While I was reading those Bible verses and thought about them about a month ago, it dawned on me how tremendous God's gift-giving really was. God is great. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. He has created the universe and all that is in it. He knows everything; He is absolutely powerful; and He is always present.
T: So, when you are talking to Japanese who are non-Christian, it seems like you have to emphasis God's greatness and "personableness" (if that is a word).
H: Yes, there is so much there. Compared to God, we are like tiny ants on the ground. Would you give yourself to one of those ants if it cried out to you for help?
T: Of course not.
H: But according to the Bible that's exactly what God does for us. It doesn't make sense, does it?
T: In a practical sense, no.
H: So I was thinking of all that and said, "God, You are the God Almighty who created heaven and earth. We are nothing but dust compared to You and the vastness of Your Creation. Still, You give Yourself to us? Why do You have to do such a crazy thing?" Then I remembered the famous Bible verse in the Gospel of John: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). As I thought about the verse, I felt as if I got struck by thunder.
T: Really.
H: Yes, I was overwhelmed and speechless for a while. Why does God give Himself to us? Because He loves us! John 3:16 says that God loved the world so much that He gave His Son Jesus Christ, who is God Himself, to give eternal life to whoever believes in Him. In other words, God loves the world, including you and me, and gives Himself to us so that we will live forever in His love.
T: Does God require anything from us?
H: Let's start with what is not necessary. He doesn't ask us to throw our money into offering boxes for His gift; He doesn't ask us to work hard to get the gift from His hands.
T: Okay.
H: The only thing He asks of us is that we believe in His Son Jesus Christ. Of all the "kami-sama" and "hotoke-sarna" in the world, who loves us and gives us so much? It's God the Father, with no strings attached.
T: On the one hand, it sounds like you just became a Christian, but you said that you have been one for about 10 years. How do you keep your energy?
H: Daily reading of the Bible and prayer. I had read the Bible again and again over the last 10 years, and I had thought that I understood the Bible verses I mentioned. But I hadn't truly understood the depth of God's love for me and all humanity until that day last month.
T: In seminary we called that a "transformational moment."
H: And I thank the Lord for that. Since then, I have finally started to appreciate God's overwhelming love that is expressed in the ultimate gift from Him, that is, God Himself. God does give us good things like health, wealth, and happiness. They are all good and wonderful.
T: Is that all?
H: No, there is more, an even better gift from God than those, that is, God Himself. The Maker of the world and everything in it—He is the best gift of all! And this wonderful gift is always available to us, ready to be picked up by our hands. All we have to do to have it as our own is simply ask God the Father as children do, believing in Jesus Christ.
T: Hiromi, thank you so much for stopping by. I look forward to chatting with you soon.
H: You are welcome.
Tom Goetz
The 2013 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 208
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