June 2017 Sack Newsletter from Japan 

Dear Friends in Christ: 

We would like to share with you about a seminary open lecture class that we started three years ago. “Open lecture” means that it is a class open to the public as well as seminary and undergraduate students. We will be starting the class once again in September for 14 weeks. 

 If the class had an English title it would be “Sensible Christian Spirituality,” as the course is based on how we use our 5 senses to interact with God, exploring new ways to express our spiritually on a daily basis. Each week we transform the classroom to create a different environment in which to engage in another facet of spirituality. Most weeks are based on the “Pearls of Life,” using a bracelet with 18 different colored beads, each having it’s own meaning. This bracelet facilitates an inner conversation with God about our dreams, longings and prayers. At the beginning of the course each participant makes his or her own bracelet that will be used in each session. A Lutheran Bishop from Sweden came up with the idea of the bracelet in 1995.

January 9, 2017

Dear Sponsoring Congregations:

It is time for a long overdue newsletter from the Sacks. This summer we had the opportunity to be back in the States for home leave. We were able to visit 11 of our sponsoring congregations and were reminded once again how grateful we are for our family in Christ all over the world, especially you congregations who pray for and support us so faithfully. At many of the churches we talked about the severe persecution of the Japanese Christians for a couple of centuries. Just now a powerful movie entitled “Silence” is starting to be shown in theaters. This is a movie directed by Martin Scorsese and is based upon the 1966 novel written by Shusaku Endo, a Japanese Catholic Christian. We encourage you to see this movie as it will give some insight into the deep struggles that many Japanese Christians had to come to grips with about their faith. This story is a novel but does give an accurate portrayal of the trials many believers faced during this period of Christianity being outlawed in Japan. 

There is a temple that is not so far from our house in Tokyo which has a hidden Christian tombstone. When you look at the picture (see below) you will notice that the top of the stone flairs out and there is a circle in the middle of that. This represents a cross and for the family members of their dead loved one, they could come to pay homage to that person and still worship the Lord Jesus Christ and not have the authorities know about their faith. A similar way of hiding the Mother Mary and child was to create statues that looked like the Goddess of Mercy called Kannon ( see below). This is representative of the many Christians who went underground in order to survive the severe persecutions and still practice their faith. The majority of these persecutions took place in the southern most part of Japan, especially in the Nagasaki area. Since there was a great expulsion of the Catholic clergy, the hidden Christian communities relied on lay leaders to lead the services. In 1873 when religious freedom was re-established, the hidden Christians emerged and started to display their faith in the open once again. 

One last picture shows a “fumie,” which is a wooden or copper relief of the image of Christ or the Virgin Mary (see below). The government used these images to find out who were either practicing Christians or at least sympathizers. People who would hesitate to step on the image were considered to be Christian and were taken to the Nagasaki area. If they refused to renounce their faith in Christ, they were tortured and/or killed on the spot. In the context of Japan’s past history, it brings great joy each year when students come to faith in Christ and are baptized. This Christmas saw a male student by the name of Chisaka proclaim his faith and be baptized. We give thanks to God for that new member in the faith. 

As a family we continue to do very well, and are kept quite busy with the many opportunities we have been given to train, teach and offer witness to the living Christ here in Japan. Carol is currently working with the sixth set of students taking the Lyra Precaria course, where they learn to use the harp and voice at the bedside of the dying. There have been 32 graduates from the first five classes that have completed this two-year study. Most of them are active in providing care to those who are dying and their families in various hospices and hospital throughout Japan. For this academic year Jim was asked to be head of the Christianity Department which means he has a number of new committee meetings to attend to each week, but provides him with numerous opportunities to deal with students in the department. He continues his teaching at the graduate school in clinical psychology as well as teaching pastoral counseling in the seminary. Jim also trains staff at a large Lutheran nursing home to do active listening with the patients who live in the facility. 

We are also fortunate to have two of our three grown children coming back and living in Tokyo. This provides many chances to be with our two granddaughters since they live just a 10 minute ride from our home. We will also include a picture of our entire family taken in the summer of 2016. We hope to have the chance for all of us to reunite again when we return to the States. Each occasion to be together is cause for thanksgiving!

We ask for your prayers. Please pray for:

1)    The four seminary graduates who will become pastors in March, as they begin their ministry for the Lord. 

2)    Mr. Chisaka as he starts his new life of faith as a Christian.

3)    The rapidly ageing society of Japan and the decrease in population of younger people.

4)    The Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church, that the Word of the Lord would be powerfully preached each week and that others would come to know Christ as their Savior. 

5)    The seminary as it struggles to deal with the loss of important faculty members through retirement.

6)    For ourselves that we will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be clear witnesses for Christ in our assignments. 

We give thanks for all of you and your support through prayers and financial offerings on out behalf. May 2017 be a year filled with joy, meaning and the Peace of God.

In Christ, 

Jim and Carol Sack

Tokyo, Japan

 Sent: Monday, March 07, 2016 1:15 AM

 March 2016 Sack Newsletter from Japan 

Dear Sponsoring Congregations:

We wanted to fill you in a little about our current ministries in Japan. We have mentioned before how our academic year begins in April. Beginning in April Jim will become the Department Head of the Theology department as well as head of one of five courses called “Christian Studies.” He will continue his teaching and responsibilities for the seminary as well as working with graduate students in the Clinical Psychology Department. Carol remains director of Lyra Precaria, the 2 year training program for using voice and harp at the bedside of the dying. April will mark the beginning of the 6^th group of students taking this program. They just had their graduation of the 5^th group of seven students in March. 35 individuals have now finished completed training.

 Please pray for: 

1) our ministries in Japan.

2) Jun Akihisa, the newest graduate of the seminary

3) the schools and organizations for which we work,  including The Japan  Evangelical Luther Church,  Japan Lutheran College, Japan Lutheran Theological Seminary, Japan Evangelical Lutheran Association

4) the Japanese pastors who faithfully minister to the members of their churches

5) the four new seminary students who will start at the seminary in April

Please note the three pictures at the end of the email:

1) The labyrinth used for our class on Christian Spirituality in the chapel.

2) The sign language club at the college singing in sign language.

3) Jim and Carol after the celebration of graduation for the Lyra Precaria program

We give thanks to God for all of our sponsoring congregations. 

In Christ, 

   Jim and Carol Sack 

  An experience from Carol:

Filling the Hole

 Jim and I both visit one of Japan‘s largest prisons once a month to offer a listening ear to prisoners. Though our normal involvement is done on a one-to-one basis, twice I have been asked to bring my harp to a rehabilitation group for sexual offenders. Although the prison atmosphere appears extremely harsh for the most part, I have been impressed with this program, which meets for 90 minutes, a total of 70 times with the same four or five men. Some people have criticized me for offering prayerful presence in voice and harp for such offenders of society, but my own conviction is that there has been for these individuals some fundamental injury of identity, some tragic demolition of dignity which leads to societal harm, and if that foundational hole can be filled, the source of the violence can be touched and transformed. I realize that my conviction may be naïve and simplistic, but only God knows that, and I feel there is nothing to lose by trying. Thus I accepted these invitations with honor.

As last year, I was told that these men are generally afraid of people they do not know, especially women. Four staff persons and four inmates were present. I introduced myself and briefly explained what I do, visiting patients one-on-one, offering voice and harp at the bedside. I invited all to close their eyes. Without explanation I began to play our simple music, a combination of Gregorian chant, Latin Taize chants and lullabies in various languages. I purposely use unfamiliar music sung in non-vernacular, so as to offer the listener freedom to take whatever heart-journey is necessary. I sense the presence of the Holy Spirit leading them wherever they need to go. In this instance, I particularly felt the effect of the lullabies, and prayed that whatever might have been bereft in their maternal relationships might be offered through God’s grace in these moments. After about 30 minutes, the music came to a quiet close and the leader asked staff and inmates alike to share their thoughts.

I was awed by God’s movement in their hearts. Our music is so simple, it is clear that this is not a result of musical prowess, rather the sheer grace of God at work. Let me share the response of one of the inmates. Please recall that these were all Japanese men, and that Japan is a country where the Christian population is less than 1%. Also please note that I had explained nothing, and sang in foreign tongues.

The gentleman to my right said, “Before I committed crimes, I used to go into churches from time to time and listen to the music. This music reminded me of those times. I felt like I was back in a church pew. I realized that I need to be in that kind of place. I need to return there. If I were listening to this kind of music and were in the church, I could not commit crimes. I want to start reading my Bible again. We need the love of Christ….”

I sat back, stunned. He went on an on, proclaiming that the church, the Bible and the love of Christ was not only his, but their hope. I felt I was in the presence of an authentic missionary, one who had earned a right to speak with power and with the word of authority. Fortunately I had the restraint not to add my two-cents’ worth, but just to let this man, one of them, be my spokesperson.

I was thankful that this man confirmed my original conviction ~ that there is transformative power not only to an individual but to society, when Christ’s love is offered right into the hole of any human condition. At least it seemed to be true for this one man. If Jesus leaves the 99 for just the one, it is enough.