“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:25-34
Otoshidama (お年玉) refers to the practice of giving envelopes with money to the children in your family at New Year’s. Historically these gifts were rice cakes or other presents rather than money and were given by adults of higher status to those below them. Now they are gifts given to children.
There are a few accounts of where this practice comes from, but one popular telling connects it to a Shintō belief that each year the god of the New Year, Toshigamisama, bequeaths the spirit required for that year to the head of the household, who then shares it with the members of the house. Think of this as the health and welfare for the coming year.
These days, perhaps Japanese people are no more thinking of these gifts as a symbol of Toshigamasama’s provision than your non-believing friend is deliberately honoring the gifts of the Magi when giving gifts to their own children. However, the origins of this tradition strike at something we all share – a desire for surety that our needs (and the needs of our children) will be met.
As Christians, we are not guaranteed health and wealth in this life – if anything, we are guaranteed suffering. But, God also promises to be with us. He promises that our ultimate needs have been met in Christ Jesus. And He promises that He knows our needs and says that if we “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…all these things will be added to you.”
Prayer Prompts
- Pray that Christians in Japan would grow in faith and contentment – that they would be confident that Christ will provide what they need and that what He provides is more than enough.
- Pray that non-Christians in Japan would recognize their need – that just as health and wellbeing are beyond their control, they need a powerful, loving savior to secure their very souls.