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The Japanese translation of the English word "encounter" is de-ai, but the English word may imply a confrontation for the word "counter" has the meaning of "contrary". In the King James Version of the Bible, the word "encounter" is found only once, in Acts 17:18, in relation to the meeting of some Greek philosophers with the Apostle Paul. A modern translation says they "debated with him". Some encounters are of this confrontational kind, but another meaning of "encounter" is an unplanned or unexpected meeting. In this sense, many of Jesus first disciples began to follow him as the result of an encounter with him, even though that word is not used. The first two chapters of the Gospel of Mark contain stories of how five of Jesus' twelve apostles became disciples after an unplanned meeting with him--four fishermen and a tax collector. Since that time, many men and women have had a spiritual encounter with Christ through reading the Bible or listening to a sermon. It is possible that such an encounter may occur as a result of listening to or reading these "Daily Word" messages, and I hope that sometimes happens. Even if the initial encounter is confrontational, the end result may still be beneficial. -------Archaeologists examine ancient ruins and dig into the earth to find vestiges of people or civilizations that no longer exist. Such vestiges may include bones, pottery, hunting or farming tools and so on. The word "vestige", spelled v-e-s-t-i-g-e, comes form the Latin word, vestigium, meaning "footprint". In English, a vestige is a visible sign, evidence or trace of something that once existed but has disappeared. The same Latin word is the root of the word "investigate". You may have seen a picture of the famous fictional detective and investigator, Sherlock Holmes, searching for a footprint with a large magnifying glass to find evidence of a criminal. Although footprints of Jesus no longer exist, his disciples are expected to follow in his footsteps. -------A vehicle with two wheels is called a bicycle. An "ancestor" of today's bicycle was a four-wheeled device on which the "rider" propelled himself by walking the vehicle rather than pedaling it. A Frenchman received a patent for this kind of cycle in 1645. It and early versions of the bicycle were called velocipedes, derived from Latin words meaning "swift feet". It was in 1839 that a Scottish blacksmith produced the first practical bicycle after four years of experimentation. Early bicycles had large wheels, over 75 centimeters in diameter, rimmed with iron. You can probably guess why they were nicknamed "boneshakers". Fifty years later, with the introduction of an air-filled, or pneumatic tire, the ride became much smoother. Bicycles have become popular again in recent years and are the suggested subject for an essay this week. Do you ever ride a bicycle these days? Did you ride one when you were younger? What are the advantages or disadvantages of riding a bicycle? Why do you think they are increasingly popular these days? I will correct those essays sent to me and print them in the next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------As an adjective, frank, spelled f-r-a-n-k, means "free in expressing what one thinks or feels, being outspoken or candid". Westerners tend to be more frank than Orientals. As a noun, Frank, spelled with a capital F, denotes a member of an old Germanic tribe that settled along the Rhine River in Europe. A part of the area settled by the Franks is now France. Frank is also a masculine name and another masculine name with the same root is Francis, spelled F-r-a-n-c-i-s. There is also a feminine name with the same pronunciation but spelled differently. It ends in e-s instead of i-s. A common nickname for ladies named Frances is Fanny, spelled F-a-n-n-y or F-a-n-n-i-e. Recently, the headline of a newspaper article caught my attention: "Fannie Mae enjoys large Japanese securities investment". "Fannie Mae" is the trade name of some high quality chocolates and my wife's mother used to send us a box of "Fannie Mae" chocolates as a special gift at times after we came to Japan. After reading the above-mentioned article, however, I found out that Fannie Mae [or Fanny May] is also the nickname given to the Federal National Mortgage Association of the United States. So you see, I also learn new facts as I prepare these messages. -------In Japanese, the 'katakana' script is used for foreign names, but sometimes it seems that the 'katakana' syllables chosen reflect the original spelling of the name rather than its pronunciation. For example, the American masculine name John, spelled J-o-h-n, is usually put into 'katakana' as 'jon', whereas the feminine name Joan, spelled J-o-a-n, is often transliterated 'joan'. The second president of the United States was John Adams, but the lady who will (or did) attend the 50th anniversary celebration of the Nagoya Japan-America Society this afternoon at the Nagoya Kanko Hotel is (or was) Joan Adams Mondale, the wife of the American ambassador to Japan. Joan's father's name was also John Adams and, like the father of her husband, he was a Christian minister. Mrs. Mondale has been at her husband's side throughout his political life, but she has also made a name for herself as an enthusiastic promoter of the arts. She has published a book related to politics in art and has been given the nickname "Joan of Arc of American Art", a play on words from the name of the famous French maiden known in Japanese as 'Jannudaruku'. We welcome her to Nagoya and hope she enjoys her visit to this major city of central Japan. -------Today is the first day of the final month of the year. In Japan, it is traditionally a busy time of year as people try to bring a proper conclusion to various activities and to clean up both homes and financial obligations. Many people are also busy attending so-called "year forgetting parties". The old Japanese name for this twelfth month 'shiwasu' is now usually written with Chinese characters which literally mean "teacher run" but there are various theories regarding why it was given that name. In English, it is called December. Have you ever noticed that the present English names for the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th months of the year begin with prefixes meaning 7, 8, 9 and 10 respectively? Among many English words beginning with "dec" are decade, meaning ten years, Decalogue, meaning Ten Commandments, and decimal, based on the number ten. The old Roman calendar had ten months, beginning with March and originally, names of months for the last half of the year corresponded to their number. When two new months were later added to the beginning of the year, the older names continued to be used, which accounts for the discrepancy. This month has been called "holy month" because in it we celebrate the birth of Jesus. -------The seminary thesis I wrote 45 years ago before coming to Japan was related to the peculiar Japanese kind of Buddhism which teaches the need for faith in the mercy of a divine being to find salvation, which is quite different from the original teaching of the Indian prince, Sakyamuni, who became known as the Buddha. For my thesis for the graduate school in philosophy, I chose a theme related to the philosophical atmosphere in Japan at that time. The title of that thesis was "Marxism and Religion" and in it, I indicated how Marxism first denies the validity of religion but then itself becomes a substitute for religion. It may be called a pseudo, or false, religion, with its own dogma, scriptures, prophets and rituals. Of course, at that time, we did not have a word processor and I was not a very able typist, so it fell to my dutiful wife, who worked as a stenographer, to type both of my theses in a presentable fashion. Frequently, she had difficulty deciphering my handwriting and sometimes left spaces for words she thought were in Greek letters for me to fill in later. Both theses were presented the same year and the degrees from the two institutions were received within a month of each other. -------A central concept of the American Declaration of Independence is the conviction that "all men are created equal". Yet, in a physical, economic and social sense, this is obviously not true, for some people are born with physical handicaps, in poverty and subject to discrimination while others are healthy, rich and highly respected from birth. Nevertheless, it is the Biblical teaching that all people are created equal in the sense that they are created in God's image, equally loved by God and are of equal value in God's eyes. If the Biblical God has favorites, they are those who are discriminated against in human society. Thus, the Old Testament law repeatedly commands that special consideration be given for "foreigners, orphans and widows". According to Deuteronomy 24:19-22, for example, when fields are harvested, a part of the crop should be left for such people to gather. In the New Testament Letter of James, chapter 1, verse 27, one characteristic of true religion is to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering. From the Christian viewpoint, the essence of genuine religion is not to obtain some blessing for ourselves but to manifest love and to share the blessings God has granted us with those who are in need. -------One Chinese character for a book or volume is pronounced 'satsu.' When the character for "child" follows it, the new word is pronounced 'sasshi' and denotes a small book, or booklet. If the character for "small" is placed in front of this term, the expanded word is pronounced 'shosasshi' and signifies a still smaller booklet or a pamphlet. This English word, " pamphlet" seems to be rooted in Greek words meaning "loved by all", but another theory of its etymology is related to an erotic Latin poem that appeared in the 12th century. The poem, explaining how to make love, was entitled 'Pamphilet' in French. it is said that after the invention of the printing press, this poem was printed as abooklet, called a pamphlet, after the name of the poem, and that was the origin of the word. -------Japan is a very orderly country. The traditional emphasis on orderliness is seen in the formal greetings or gestures which are observed at home, at school and at work. The Chinese characters for the most common Japanese gesture, a jigi, literally mean a word-ceremony. Many 'jigi' will be performed the first few days of the New Year when formal greetings are offered during visits to relatives, friends, business associates and others. This last month of the year is also a busy time for writing and addressing New Year's cards, or nengajo. Nenga/nengajo is the suggested theme this week for those who wish to write an essay and send it to me for correction and publication in "Daily Word" Echoes. What do you think of this custom? Do you enjoy writing and receiving these New Year's cards and do you also make formal visits over the New Year season? Have these customs changed over the years and do you think they will change in the future? The next issue of "Daily Word" Echoes will be available at the next meeting of "Daily Word" fans which is scheduled to be held on January 21st, for the 5th Sunday of this month does not seem an appropriate day. This is "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------Today, December 6th, is a national holiday in one of the northernmost countries of Europe. A region of northern Europe is called Scandinavia and, sometimes, this country is included in that designation, but at other times, it is not. Norway and Sweden, which are located on the Scandinavian Peninsula, plus Denmark are the recognized Scandinavian countries and speak related languages, but the Finns have different roots from the Norwegians, Swedes and Danes. When they entered the territory now called Finland, they pushed the earlier inhabitants, known as Lapps, further north into what is now called Lapland. Finland was conquered by Sweden in the 13th century and later invaded by Russia which annexed it in 1809 and imposed the Russian language upon the country. Following the Russian Revolution, Finland declared its independence which became official 78 years ago today, on December 6, 1917. The patterns of the national flags of the four Scandinavian countries are similar. They all contain a cross whose bars extend to the borders of the flag with the vertical bar closer to the left. In the case of the Finnish flag, the cross is light blue on a white field. -------Major government officials in Japan and many other countries tend to be older people, but, of course, who is considered "old" depends on the age of the speaker. A well-known American businessman and government adviser, Bernard Baruch, is reported to have remarked, when he was 85 years old, "To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am". Unfortunately, wisdom does not always develop with age and many older people find it difficult to change and carry out reforms that are necessary for progress. What would you consider to be the appropriate age for the head of government of an important country? Two hundred and twelve years ago today, on December 7, 1783, William Pitt, the Younger, was appointed prime minister of Great Britain by King George III when he was only 24 years old. His liberal policies and attempts at reform were not all successful, but a biographical dictionary notes that he was "probably England's greatest prime minister". He served for 18 years before his resignation, which was caused by a disagreement with the king, but he was recalled as prime minister for another two years before his death. The Younger Pitt's youth did not seem to hinder his effectiveness. -------Mapmakers, or cartographers, face difficulties these days making maps that accurately portray the present world situation. In Africa and Asia, former colonies have become independent countries. With the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, several new countries have emerged. Where to draw the lines between political entities in the former Yugoslavia is a current problem. Even names of countries and cities change. The island country off the coast of India which used to be called Ceylon is now Sri Lanka and the country that lies between Thailand and India, formerly known as Burma is now Myanmar. The English names of Chinese cities have also been changed, so the former Peking is now Beijing and Canton is called Guangzhou. A recent news article reported that the name of the largest city in India is also being changed. For the past 400 years, since Portugal granted the city to Great Britain, it has been called Bombay, but before that, it was called Mumbai, spelled M-u-m-b-a-i. Now that older name will be restored In the case of Japan, if the English name were altered to reflect its Japanese pronunciation, there would be a problem about whether to make it Nihon or Nippon. -------During my first year in New York City, while living in the single men's dormitory at the seminary, I regularly ate my three daily meals in the dining room there where I also waited on tables. After getting married, bringing my bride to the big city and renting an apartment of our own, we usually ate at home. And she did the cooking, even though she had a full-time job as a stenographer. On one occasion, however, this normal procedure was interrupted. It so happened that the International Missionary Council, where she was employed, was to hold a conference, lasting three or four days, in a Canadian town near Toronto and my wife was asked to accompany her female boss to the conference. She could have refused to go, but we both decided that I could get along by myself for that short period of time. Because of her considerate and conscientious nature, she prepared a number of dishes for me to eat beforehand and put them in the freezer. While she was gone, I ate my dinners at home as usual. They consisted of my wife's cooking which I simply heated on the stove before eating. Of course, in those days, we had never heard of microwave ovens and frozen dinners were not available in supermarkets. I endured those few days without her, but I was very happy to welcome her back home. -------95/12/10(Sun) The Final Judgment (5114) The Bible begins with the story of the creation of the world in the Book of Genesis. It ends with a vision of the future, the end of the world, in the Book of Revelation. In the Biblical view, both the physical world and human history have both a beginning and an end. In the 25th chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew we find three stories told by Jeses regarding the end time. The last one tells of the final judgement on people of all nations. According to this story, the basis of judgement meted out by the devine king is not related to a person's fame, fortune or religious affiliation. It is simply the concrete acts of mercy either bestowed upon or withheld from needy people--those in need of food and drink, shelter and clothes, healing and compassion. The king stated that "whatever you did for one of my least brothers of mine, you did for me" [40]. A surprising feature of the story is that those who are rewarded are surprised to hear the King's words of commedation. They did not do good deeds to gain a reward. Their deeds were just expression of the selfish love that Jesus taught by word and example. We who read the story should be moved to reflect on our attitude and actions toward suffering people--both in our homeland and in our foreign lands. -------The Japanese fish, hirame, may be called a flatfish in English. One way to write hirame in Japanese is with two characters meaning "flat eye", but it may also be written with one character, combining the character for "fish" with that meaning "flat". When this character is preceded by the character for "big" the resulting word, meaning "big flatfish", is pronounced 'ohyo'. In old England, a flatfish was called a "butt" and because the largest king of flatfish was regularly eaten on holy days, it was sometimes called a "holy (or haly) butt". It is for this reason that this large edible flatfish is now called halibut, spelled h-a-l-i-b-u-t. Large halibut may weigh up to 270 kilograms, but their average weight is between 10 and 50 kilograms. Needless to say, they are not eaten only on holy days or holidays. -------People who travel must find a place to spend the night and eat their meals. There are various types of facilities to meet these needs. An "inn" is a public lodging house serving food and drink to travelers. In Europe, there are boarding houses for travelers called "pensions". A "hostel" is a supervised, inexpensive lodging especially for youthful travelers and a "hotel" is the common commercial establishment that provides lodging, meals and other services for its short-term or long-term residents. With the increased use of automobiles for traveling, a special kind of lodging place with a parking space attached was developed and called a "motel", a blend of the words "motor" and "hotel". Seventy years ago today, on December 12, 1925, the first motor was opened in San Luis Obispo, California. Since that time, motels have mushroomed in the United States and now there are a number of popular motel chains to serve people traveling by car. When lodging places are full, what are travelers to do? As we approach the day to celebrate Jesus' birth, I am reminded of the story in the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke. When Jesus was born, he was laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn. -------Various expressions in English are related to dogs. To "go to the dogs" means to be ruined and to "lead a dog's life" denotes a very unpleasant existence. To "put on the dog", however, signifies a showy display of elegance, wealth or culture. A "dog's chance" implies that there is no chance at all but "every dog has his day" means that no one is always unlucky. It is said the dogs have been a companion to human beings for more than 14,000 years. Since being domesticated, they have been used as mascots and hunters, as guardians of sheep and cattle and as protectors and pets of human beings. Among the traits of the domesticated dog that distinguish it from its wild relatives are an upturned tail, smaller teeth and barking. Dogs have been called "man's best friend" and, in recent years, they have been trained to be guides for blind people, to sniff out concealed drugs and to search for people still alive under collapsed buildings. In the Old Testament book of Isaiah (56:10-12), the nation's leaders were compared to watchdogs that do not bark. They only lie and dream and love to sleep. Like greedy dogs, they never get enough and seek their own advantage. Now, 2500 years later, how much has the situation changed? -------When an American hears the name "Notre Dame", he or she will probably think first of a famous American university bearing that name, located in the city of Notre Dame in the state of Indiana. A Frenchman hearing the name will probably think of the famous cathedral situated on a small island in the Seine River in the French capital. Its name, Notre Dame de Paris, means "Our Lady of Paris". Today is the birthday of a French physician and astrologer named Michel de Notredame, who was born 492 years ago on December 14, 1503. This man is said to have effected remarkable cures during outbreaks of the plague in southern France. Later, he became famous as a result of a book of rhymed prophecies he published in 1555 under the title 'Centuries', which suffered papal condemnation in 1781. He is better known by his Latinized name, Nostradamus. According to certain interpretations, some of his symbolic, ambiguous prophecies have been accurate, but that depends on the viewpoint of the interpreter. According to 'Brewers Dictionary of Phrase and Fable', the saying, "as good a prophet as Nostradamus" actually means, "so obscure that your meaning cannot be understood". -------
The message for today is a cute poem entitled "Unsolved Mysteries of Anatomy". It makes humorous references to many figurative expressions related to parts of the human body. I wonder how many of them you can understand. For the benefit of those who receive written copies of the message, l will under-line certain words which I will emphasize in my recitation. Because I took extra courses every term at university, I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in three years instead of the usual four. The regular course at a theological seminary is three years following graduation from university. Requirements for obtaining a Master of Arts degree from a graduate school can usually be completed in one year after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree. During my three years in New York City, I attended classes in a seminary during the day and at a graduate school an evening or two each week. So, after three years, I was awarded degrees from two different schools. The seminary graduation was held near the end of May and the graduate school ceremony was scheduled for the middle of June. Of course, the seminary was the central focus of my educational endeavor, so that ceremony was given precedence and my parents made their first trip to the East coast in order to attend it. Since my wife and I returned to the midwest with them following that memorable occasion when I received a theological degree. I did not attend the ceremony of the graduate school, but eventually received the Masters' degree diploma in the mail back in Illinois. -------Pictures or symbols often are more effective means of communication than words. The most common symbol associated with Christianity is a cross, but what does this symbol communicate? Actually, it is a strange symbol for a religion that stresses love and mercy for a cross originally denoted a cruel method of execution for low-class criminals. For Christians, however, the crucifixion of Jesus has a deep theological significance. It illustrates two facets of the character of God: his justice and love. The Bible teaches that the sins of human beings who have disobeyed divine laws must be punished but that in the death of Christ on the cross, atonement was made for the sins of all people. A way of salvation was provided for those who accept that offering of sacrificial love by faith. In the first chapter of I Corinthians, Paul writes that "the message about Christ's death on the cross is nonsense" to those who do not believe, but to the believer, "it is God's power" by which they are saved [18]. He then goes on to contrast the "foolishness" of God with "this world's wisdom". To Christians, the cross is the symbol of God's infinite love, for on it "the Lamb of God" was offered to take away the sin of the world [John 1:29]. -------The usual meaning of protocol, spelled p-r-o-t-o-c-o-l, is the forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state. At international gatherings of government officials, protocol is very important. Even at formal ceremonies of companies, schools, social organazations or families, protocol is followed in deciding who is given preferred seats. This word, which comes from two Greek words meaning "first glue", was originally used to designate the first sheet of a roll of papyrus, which consisted of sheets glued together. The protocol, or top sheet, listed the content of the manuscript and its purport. Another meaning of protocol is an original draft or record from which a document, such as a treaty, is prepared. In effect, it is a "first gluing". -------Four years ago this month, the Union of Sovet Socialist Republics was dissolved. During the 70 years of its existence, 11 men held the post of prime minister. How many of them can you name? Today, December 19th, is the anniversary of the birth of the one who was prime minister for the longest time. No, it was not Joseph Stalin, who officially served as prime miniter for only the last 12 years of his life. This man became prime minister following the ouster of Nikita Krushchev, but at first he shared his power with Alexei Kosygin. Sending Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia in 1968, he asserted that the USSR could intervene in any Soviet bloc nation if Commuist rule were threatened. This was called the Brezhnev Doctrine for the name of the man who was the political leader of the Soviet Union from 1964 to 1982 was Leonid Brezhnev, born on this day in 1906. During his tenure, tensions between the Soveit Union and the United States were relaxed and a so-called Detente was established. Although he had expressed the opinion that peaceful coexistence with countries with different social systems was possible, Detente was overturned when he sent troops into Afghanistan in 1979. -------When I began this "Daily Word" telephone service, I requested a post office box at the Moriyama Post Office to simplify my address for those listeners who would write to me. Although I have moved since then, I continue to go by bicycle to that post office, about 2 1/2 kilometers away, regularly to pick up our mail. The population of Moriyama Ward is about 150 thousand, and there are fifty such boxes at that post office. A recent news article noted how different the situation is in the U.S. town of Middleburg, Virginia. The post office in that town, which has a population of 590 and 224 businesses of one kind or another has 1856 post office boxes. It has no more space to add more, so it has a waiting list of those who want one. The reason for this strange state of affairs is that the name Middleburg, Virginia, where John and Jackie Kennedy once lived, has come to evoke the prestigious image of an elegant community of wealthy people and beautiful landscapes. Thus many people living in surrounding towns up to 50 kilemeters away rent post office boxes there to be able to have a Middleburg address. The English poet, William Cowper, has written: "Some to the fascination of a name surrender judgment hoodwinked." -------Years ago while visiting churches in the hinterland of the Philippine island of Mindanao, a lady approached me and asked me for some medical advice. She had heard that I was a doctor and assumed that I could provide such advice. Evidently, she thought I carried medical instruments and medicines in my briefcase. I had to explain to her that I was a doctor of theology, not a doctor of medicine. There are various kind of medical doctors also. They include physicians, surgeons and dentists. People who go to see these medical specialists for examinations or treatment often have to sit and wait in waiting rooms for extended periods of time, which tries the patience of some patients. A study was conducted in Australia to find out what kind of decoration in a doctor's waiting room would be most soothing to impatient patients. According to the results, one out of every three patients who responded recommended a tankful of tropical fish. How to remain calm under stressful circumstances is a perennial problem. The answer given in the Bible is to have a healthy faith in God whose love and concern for us was manifested in the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior on Christmas Day. -------I presume you know whose portrait appears on the Y1000 bills commonly used in Japan today. It is that of the famous Japanese writer of the Meiji Era, Soseki Natsume. Some older listeners to or readers of these telephone messages may recall that the older Y1000 bills were a little larger than the present ones and carried the portrait of a famous Japanese statesman. Do YOU remember who it was? He was a key figure in the modernization of Japan following the Meiji Restoration. His name was Hirobumi Ito. Marquis Ito was a member of various missions to foreign countries, supervised the drafting of the old Japanese Constitution and, 110 years ago today, on December 22, 1885, became Japan's first prime minister. In contrast with the age of prime ministers in recent years, he was 45 years old at the time. The other members of his cabinet were also comparatively young, ranging from 39 to 51, making the average age of the men in that first cabinet 46.2. In contrasting the outlook of young men and old men a century before that cabinet was formed, the English lexicographer, essayist and poet, Samuel Johnson, wrote: "Age looks with anger on the temerity of youth, and youth with contempt on the scrupulosity of age." -------When I graduated from seminary in 1951, the usual degree granted by most seminaries to those who had studied for three years following graduation from university was a B.D., or Bachelor of Divinity, degree. The seminary I attended chose to use the Latin term for its degree. Thus I received an S.T.B., Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus, or Bachelor of Sacred Theology, degree at the end of May of that year. To attend that seminary graduation ceremony and to transport my wife and me back to the midwest, my parents drove out to New York from their home north of Chicago, Illinois. Instead of using his old car for that 1500 kilometer trip, my father borrowed the new car my elder sister had recently purchased after teaching in a high school for a couple of years. Since it was my parents' first trip to the East Coast, they were interested in doing some sightseeing as well. During the couple of days they stayed in New York City, we were happy to serve as their guides to famous sites in the city. Following the graduation, we also drove through some historic areas in New England before heading back to Illinois. Since my father had driven all the way out, I became the driver for our tours and the trip back home. -------Christianity is basically a joyful religion. Its worship services are characterized by joyful music and songs of praise. The Christmas season in particular is a time of joy and singing. The joyful songs sung at this time of year are called carols. Singing has always been characteristic of the Advent and Christmas seasons. In fact, the Gospel according to Luke includes four songs in its first two chapters associated with Jesus' birth. All four are known by their first words in Latin. The first one, found in verses 46-55 of chapter 1, called the Magnificat, is that of Jesus' mother-to-be, Mary. The first part of the song is of a personal nature, in which Mary thanks God for the great honor he has bestowed upon her. The second part notes the character of the Kingdom of God and the moral revolution it will bring about. It ends with an affirmation of God's mercy and faithfulness. During Christmastide, which begins today and lasts until January 6th, Christians joyfully give thanks to God for his great mercy and faithfulness in sending the Savior he had promised long before. In the Jewish-Christian tradition, there are no 'bonenkai'. Rather, we recall God's mercy in the past and look forward to greater blessing in the future. -------X, the 24th letter in the English alphabet, is really unnecessary for its pronunciation is the same as that of other letters, but there are other uses for this letter. It is used to represent the signature of a person who cannot write, to indicate a particular point on a map or diagram and to indicate a kiss in letters. It is the symbol for xenon and the Roman numeral ten. It is also used for an unknown quantity or person. "Xmas" is often used in Japan these days, but in this case, this first letter in the Greek word 'Christos', stands for "Christ". Unfortunately, for many people here, Christ is still "unknown" and his birthday is celebrated without him, but it is only when Christ is included in Christmas that the true joy of the season is experienced. I wish you a Merry Christmas. -------In Western tradition, the Christmas season is a time for giving gifts. Strictly speaking the Christmas season lasts for twelve days beginning with December 25th. In most families, Christmas gifts are exchanged either on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Gifts to others may be given earlier or later. In Britain, this first weekday after Christmas Day is called Boxing Day, on which Christmas gifts, or boxes, are given to employees, mail carriers, messengers and others. In Japan, it is customary for companies to give a bonus to employees near the end of the year, but, in that case, "bonus" has a different meaning than in English. In Japan, bonuses are considered a part of employees' salaries, given to all alike according to standard calculations. In America, this word, which is rooted in a Latin word meaning "good", denotes something given in addition to what is usual or expected. Bonuses are usually based on the work performance or some superior achievement of the recipient. Salaries may also be different depending on the ability or zeal of the worker. Bonuses are given as rewards not simply as regular stipends. But in the case of God's gifts, all of them are more than we stumbling people deserve. -------The common meaning of "cabinet", spelled c-a-b-i-n-e-t, is a piece of furniture with drawers or shelves to hold small objects, a kind of 'todana'. A kitchen cabinet contains dishes or silverware and a medicine cabinet holds medicines. Another meaning of this word is a body of persons appointed by the head of government to supervise official departments and to act as his advisers. In this case, the Japanese equivalent is 'naikaku', which literally means "within the palace". Section 5 of the Japanese Constitution, Articles 65 to 75, is related to the Cabinet. w According to these articles, members of the Cabinet, including the Prime Minister, must be civilians. Cabinet members are appointed by the Prime Minister, but a majority of them must be members of the Diet. If you ask how this compares with the Cabinet in the United States, you may be surprised to know that there is no provision made in the American Constitution for a Cabinet. This group of presidential advisers developed over the years but it has no constitutional basis. According to the Japanese Constitution, "Executive power shall be invested in the Cabinet", but the American Constitution states that "executive power shall be invested in a President". -------Many place names in the United States are derived from native American languages. One of the many different native American tribes that inhabited the central portion of what is now the United States were known as Iowa Indians. One explanation for the origin of the name "Iowa" is related to a derogatory name given to that tribe, meaning "the sleepy one". But according to another explanation, it means "the beautiful land". The nickname of the state of Iowa, Hawkeye State, is said to be derived from the name of an Indian chief. A person with very sharp eyesight like a hawk, may be said to be hawkeyed. It was 149 years ago today, on December 28, 1846, that the state of Iowa was admitted into the United States as the 29th state. Iowa has an area larger than the combined areas of the Japanese islands of Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, but among the 50 states, it ranks number 23. Its population of about 2,780,000, makes it the 30th largest state. The oldest settlement in the state, the present city of Dubuque, lies on the Mississippi River just across the river from the state of Illinois. It was in that city that I attended university and met the girl who became my wife. -------If I am not mistaken, the name of a well-known tire company in Japan was derived from the name of its founder whose name was Ishibashi and he called the company Bridgestone which is the English translation of his name with the characters reversed. There is a famous American tire company called Goodyear, which literally means 'yoi toshi' in Japanese I hope this has been a good year for you but what do you suppose is the origin of the name of this company? It also was derived from the name of its founder but without any variation. Charles Goodyear was the American inventor who discovered how to vulcanize rubber to keep it from sticking and melting in hot weather. The word "vulcanize" is derived from the name of the Roman god of fire and craftsmanship who was called Vulcan. When rubber is vulcanized it also becomes stronger, more resilient and has less of an odor. Today is the birthday of Charles Goodyear, who was born on December 29, 1800. He began his experiments with rubber when he was in prison where he was serving time because of indebtedness caused by the failure of earlier business ventures. Despite the success of the new process he patented, he died a poor man, still in debt. -------Following my graduation from seminary and a university graduate school in New York City in June of 1951, my wife and I returned to my hometown of Zion, Illinois, north of Chicago. There we lived until our departure for Japan in October of that year. After our June wedding just two years earlier, we stayed in the apartment of one of my high school teachers who had gone to Colorado to attend a summer school and we lived there until we left for New York City. Now, following our return, we stayed in the spacious house of another high school teacher who had temporarily relocated to Florida. In both cases, we served as house sitters. in our case, this meant that we did not pay rent but conscientiously took care of their homes and yards while they were away. The brick house we lived in in 1951 was still quite new. It had a large yard around the house and was situated on a beautiful boulevard. One of my responsibilities that summer was to keep the newly-sodded yard well watered. During dry spells, I regularly moved a sprinkler, which was attached to the end of a water hose, to different sections of the front and back yards to keep them moist. Whether sown in the earth or in our minds, seeds need to be watered to develop in a healthy manner. -------Memory is a wonderful ability. Those of us who are getting older are especially conscious of the value of a clear memory. Human brains are wonderful organs, but as they age, they also lose some of their sharpness. Our minds cannot remember all of the events of the past year, but all of us had certain experiences that were memorable. Some experiences we will forget without a sense of loss, but others we will treasure. What we focus our attention on will depend on our personal interest and general outlook or faith. The Biblical festivals which are a part of both the Jewish and Christian traditions emphasize remembering the blessings of God in the past which provide the basis for hope and expectation in the future Even in sorrowful or disappointing experiences, the comforting, encouraging voice of God may be heard in the heart of the believer. In the 77th Psalm, the writer felt confused and disheartened, but in verses 1112, he wrote: "I will remember your great deeds, Lord; I will recall the wonders you did in the past. I will think about all that you have done; I will meditate on all your mighty acts." On this last day of the year, I urge you to remember with thanksgiving blessings which have been yours. -------HAPPY NEW YEAR! Today is the first day of the Year of the Rat. Despite the fact that the vermin called a rat is not highly respected, I hope today is the beginning of an auspicious year for you. The word "auspicious" has the meaning of favorable, successful or prosperous. It, along with the related word "auspices", is rooted in Latin words meaning "bird watcher". In ancient Rome, priestly soothsayers used to make predictions about the future based on their observation of the flight of birds, which direction they flew and their number. We no longer forecast the future by watching birds, but Jesus told his disciples to look at the birds and remember that the God who cares for birds also cares for them. A healthy faith in a loving God is related to an auspicious beginning. -------On this second day of the year of the rat, I will mention- a number of English expressions related to this long-tailed rodent. Although in ancient Egypt, rats were sometimes deified, in modern America, to call a person a "rat" is an insult. It is a slang term denoting a despicable, sneaky person, especially one who betrays his associates, becoming an informer, or stool pigeon. As a verb, "to rat" may mean to desert or betray one's companions by informing on them. To "smell a rat" is to suspect a trick or underhanded plot of some kind. The exclamation "rats!" is an expression of disgust, scorn or disappointment. It is a term I often use on the tennis court after one of my frequent blunders. A "rat race" may signify a confusing, crowded, disorderly scramble in general or a relentless struggle to get a head of one's rivals in particular. Because the pad of hair or other material used by women to puff out their hair (a 'kamoji' in Japanese) may have the shape of a rat, that is what it is called. Though a rat is a small animal, its actions may have serious consequences. As the British statesman, Edmund Burke once stated, "By gnawing through a dyke, even a rat may drown a nation." -------Have you ever heard of a hobbit, spelled h-o-b-b-i-t? Hobbits are mythological creations of an Oxford professor of English who specialized in pre-Renaissance English literary and linguistic traditions. Although he published many philological studies and translations of Old and Middle English poems, his fame rests upon his fictional works which are enjoyed by children and adults alike. The first such work, entitled 'The Hobbit', was published in 1937. It was followed by 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. This professor, philologist and author, was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and he was born in South Africa on January 3, 1893, 102 years ago today. The hobbit of Tolkien's imagination were a benevolent, hospitable burrow people, two to four feet high, and fond of bright colors. Tolkien's fans have looked for all kinds of meanings in his works, but he said they offered only an opportunity to live in another world. The stories with happy endings he called "eucatastrophes". The following quotations from Tolkien's 'The Fellowship of the Ring' are worth pondering: "He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom" and "It's the job that's never started as takes longest to finish". -------The word "grim", spelled g-r-i-m, denotes a person or circumstance that is dismal, gloomy, rigid or uninviting and we do not usually associate this word with fairy stories for children. But not all children's stories are lighthearted and happy; some of them are very grim, including some of the famous German stories, known as 'Grimm's Fairy Tales'. In this case, however, Grimm is a proper name, for the folk tales were collected by a German philologist and folklorist named Grimm, spelled G-r-i-m-m. In case you did not look up the word "philologist" after yesterday's message, it denotes a scholar of classical literature and linguistics. Jacob Grimm was born in Germany 210 years ago today, on January 4, 1785. The founder of comparative philology and a writer of important works on German grammar and mythology, he is famous for the folk tales he published. A number of them are included in a book of children's stories we have in our home which our children used to read when they were young. Looking over them, I find similarities to such Japanese folk tales as 'Momo-taro', 'Urashima-taro' and 'Shitakirino-suzume', which were in the textbook we used when we were in Japanese language school in Tokyo over 40 years ago. -------In some Christian churches, this 5th day of January is celebrated as Twelfth Night, marking the close of the Christmas season. In the past, it was an occasion for various festivities -- including feasting, revelry, dramas, music and dancing. As you may know, 'Twelfth Night' was the name of one of Shakespeare's dramas. In many modern Japanese homes, it is difficult to hold parties or play music with out disturbing the neighbors who live very close--often on the other side of a wall. People who play musical instruments are unable to practice at home for fear of upsetting their neighbors. Now the Yamaha Corporation is attempting to solve this problem by means of a silencer for trumpets. The silencer, which costs ¥25,800, reduces noise to about one one-thousandth of the actual volume while a small microphone sends normal volume to headphones worn by the player. It is said that many of those purchasing the trumpet silencer are men in their 30s and 40s who gave up the instrument after graduation from school because they didn't have anywhere to practice. Silencers may be suitable for practicing, but according to I Corinthians 14:8, unless the trumpet sounds are loud and clear, troops will not prepare for battle. -------During the summer of 1951, I was involved in various church activities prior to our anticipated departure for Japan in the fall. That involvement included participating in the church's youth program. During my high school days, young people from my home church went together for a week or two to a YMCA camp on the shore of a small lake in central Wisconsin during the summer. We lived in tents and enjoyed swimming, boating, hiking and other outdoor activities. After my graduation from high school, the church purchased land for its own camp on the peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan in northern Wisconsin. There, a dining hall and activity h a 11 were built and tents were pitched to shelter the children and young people who attended the camping periods. Part of our last summer in the U.S. was spent at that camp, where my wife helped in the kitchen and I had responsibilities in the devotional program. We enjoyed the opportunities for close contact with other church leaders as well as with the young campers and the relaxed atmosphere and natural beauty of the camp before we became engaged in the many-sided busyness of preparing to leave our homeland on a new adventure. -------It is the custom of our church in the city of Takahama, outside of Nagoya, to distribute a list of daily Bible readings for the entire year to those who attend our 'gantan-reihai'. This list, published annually by the Japan Bible Society, is called 'Seisho Aidoku Koyomi'. Church members are advised to read the listed Bible passages every day and my Sunday sermon is regularly based on one of the Bible passages for the preceding week. Thus, my sermon for today is taken from Psalm 9 which begins with these words: "I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the wonderful things you have done." This is a good way to begin a new year--praising the Lord. The psalm continues: "the Lord is king forever;" "He rules the world with righteousness; he judges the nations with justice. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a place of safety in times of trouble. Those who know you, Lord will trust you; you do not abandon anyone who comes to you." For those who believe the Bible, these are timeless truths which are well to remember at the beginning of a year: the righteous, merciful God is in control of world events, is concerned about and protects his children. We may not completely understand, but we still believe. -------One English word pronounced 'eit', spelled a-t-e, is the past tense of the verb "eat". A homonym, spelled e-i-g-h-t, is the cardinal number following the number seven. Today is the 8th day of the year, which means the first octave of the year has been completed. An octave, spelled o-c-t-a-v-e, denotes a series of eight and is used especially in music for a set of eight tones. The Greeks considered eight the symbol of death and in the Western game of pool, the ball numbered eight is a black ball. In one kind of pool, balls must be rolled into the corner pockets in numerical order with the number eight ball pocketed last. If another ball touches this ball, the player is penalized, so the expression "behind the eight ball" means to be in an unfavorable or dangerous position. -------Over the years, it has become our custom to hold a meeting of listeners to and/or readers of these "Daily Word" telephone messages on the fifth Sunday of a month. Prior to such meetings, I suggest a theme and each of those who attend makes a short speech of a couple of minutes related to the theme. That theme then becomes the first theme suggested for essays for the next issue of our little periodical, "Daily Word" Echoes, which is also available at the meetings. Since the fifth Sunday of December, the last day of last year, was not a convenient time to hold the meeting, it has been scheduled for Sunday afternoon, January 21st at 1:30 at the Nagoya Geijutsu Sozo Senta- near the Shinsakaemachi subway station. The theme I am suggesting for that meeting, to which you are invited, is: Plans, Hopes and Fears for 1996. We would like to hear about your plans, hopes and fears for this year whether on a personal, family, school, business or national level. That will be the 61st such meeting and we are looking forward to welcoming both old-timers and newcomers to the meeting. As usual, my wife will prepare some homemade cookies for the occasion. Please attend if you can. -------The English word "league", spelled l-e-a-g-u-e, comes from a Latin word meaning to bind. A league is an association whose members are bound together for a certain purpose. These days, it is often used for sports associations such as baseball and football leagues, but this 10th day of January marks the 75th anniversary of the official founding of the League of Nations upon the German ratification of the Treaty of Versailles following the close of the First World War. At its formal inauguration, there were 23 members, including the victorious Allies with the notable exception of the United States, and most of the neutral nations. While the League of Nations served a useful purpose in certain areas, it was unable to effect solutions to major political problems and was weakened by the withdrawal of Japan in 1931 followed by Germany in 1933. The League of Nations was eventually supplanted by the United Nations following the Second World War. Its General Assembly held its first meeting in London 49 years ago today, on January 10, 1946. The U.N. also has served a useful purpose, but its effectiveness is limited by the nationalistic priorities of members who are not yet committed to a united world. -------From the beginning of the so-called United States of America the issue of states' rights has been a continual problem. It was an underlying cause of the American Civil War and the tension between a strong central (federal) government and governments of individual states continues to be evident today. Until 1973, it was recognized that states had the right p to establish the speed limits on highways within their respective states, but that year, in response to the energy crisis and the need to conserve fuel, the U.S. Congress established a maximum speed limit of 55 miles (88 kilometers) per hour on all highways throughout the country. Last month, despite appeals by citizens groups which assert that higher speed limits will result in more accidents, Congress repealed that restriction and returned to the states the right to determine speed limits. A number of states immediately raised the limits in their states up to 75 miles (112 kilometers) per hour and safety experts predict an additional 6,500 deaths from traffic accidents within the coming year as a result. Speeding is only one cause of traffic accidents, but all drivers should drive with care, using common sense. -------There are now three countries in the world that have a population of over 200 million. Can you name them? Two of them are in the eastern hemisphere, but the third is in the west They are China, with 1,180 million, India with 898 million and the U.S. A. with a mere 258 million. The census taken last year in Japan revealed that it's population (125,568,504) as of October 1st, had dropped it from seventh to eighth place in the global population ranking. Japan's population growth rate has been slowing down as its economic status has risen. For the first time ever, the average number of family members per household has fallen below three to 2.85. This decline indicates that the number of children per family is falling and the number of elderly couples living separately from their children is rising. In 1973, Japan's birthrate was 19.4 per 1000, but in 1993, it had fallen to 9.6 per thousand. A survey conducted by the Japanese government revealed that the number of farmers declined 13 percent in the past five years and has now reached a new low of about 15 million. Considering these trends related both to the general population and to farmers, it seems important for Japan to become more integrated into the world economy, including agricultural products. -------As the summer of 1951 turned to fall, my wife and I were involved in various kinds of preparations related to our departure for Japan. Along with mental and spiritual preparation, both for us and our families, we had to decide on the kinds of clothes to take with us or to send separately, the basic household equipment needed for preparing and cooking food and keeping our living quarters and wearing apparel clean in a land where very few modern conveniences were available. In New York, a group of seminary friends had presented us with a fine, American-made camera which we used for many years until we finally replaced it by a superior model made in Japan. Our church provided us with an electric refrigerator, a simple 3-burner kerosene stove, an electric roaster, a tiny washing machine, an electric vacuum cleaner and a short-wave radio. We were informed that it would be difficult for us to find clothes and shoes to fit us in Japan and my wife was advised not to bring any of her red dresses, which would not be suitable for a respectable married woman to wear. We expected to remain in Japan for at least five years before our first visit back to our homeland, so we had to make preparations accordingly. -------Jesus often made use of easy-to-understand parables to teach difficult spiritual truths. Many of the people who listened to his teachings were simple peasants who planted and harvested crops at the proper seasons. Thus, a number of Jesus' parables were related to seeds. He spoke of the mysterious life within the seed which even the farmer does not understand [Mark 4:26-29], of the marvelous development from a tiny seed to a large plant [Matthew 13:31-32], of the different result produced depending on the type of soil [3-8] and the type of seed [24-30]. And the Apostle Paul stated in chapter 6 of his Letter to the Galatians, that "a person will reap exactly what he sows." Those who sow seeds of selfish acts will reap a different kind of harvest than those who sow seeds of loving deeds. He admonished his readers: "let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest." Every day during this year of 1996, we will be sowing seeds of one kind or another. Let us take care regarding the kinds of seed we sow into the thoughts and lives of those around us, especially impressionable children, remembering that the harvest will continue even after we are gone. -------Today, January 15th, is known as 'Seijin-no-hi' in Japan. A literal translation of this term is "Adult's Day". On this day, celebrations and ceremonies are held for those young people who reached the age of 20 last year. From now on they are to be treated as adults. "Adult", spelled a-d-u-l-t, from a Latin word meaning grown up, signifies a mature person. It should be noted that the words "adultery" and "adulterer" and have a completely different root. These words, along with "adulterate", are rooted in another word meaning to pollute. Adultery denotes sexual activity between a married person and a partner other than the lawful spouse. It is a kind of pollution of human society and is contrary to the moral law as revealed in the Ten Commandments. True adults do not commit adultery. -------The word "prohibit", spelled p-r-o-h-i-b-i-t, means to forbid by law and a special meaning of the noun, "prohibition", is related to alcoholic beverages. Seventy-five years ago today, on January 16, 1920, the 18th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution became effective. Called the Prohibition Amendment, it prohibited the "manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating liquors" in the United States. It was soon recognized, however, that such a law could not be enforced in a democratic society without the cooperation of its citizens. Thirteen years later, this idealistic amendment was repealed and alcoholic beverages again became legally available. We will not be serving any alcoholic beverages at our meeting of fans of this "Daily Word" telephone service on this coming Sunday afternoon, however. The meeting will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Senta- near the Shinsakaemachi subway station. The theme for the meeting is: Plans, Hopes and Fears for 1996. We will be interested in hearing the ideas of those present in regard to plans, hopes and fears on a personal, institutional or national level. We will be happy to see you there if you are able to attend. -------A recent English newspaper article reported results of a survey of favorite foods among the French. I was surprised at the number of words in the article that I was not familiar with. It began with this sentence: "Forget nouvelle cuisine and cholesterol, say a majority of French who elected steak and fries as 'king of French gastronomy' and ranked couscous among their top favorites." According to the article, the preferred dish of 71 percent of the French was steak and fries followed by lamb chops (67 percent) and couscous (66 percent). The article included English equivalents for French dishes, but I consulted a dictionary to verify the meaning of a couple of words and to find the meaning of a third. I learned that "nouvelle cuisine" denotes "a contemporary school of French cooking that ... substitutes light, low-caloric sauces ... for the traditional heavy butter- and cream-based preparations" and that "gastronomy" may mean simply "cooking". "Couscous", spelled c-o-u-s-c-o-u-s, was a new word for me. It denotes "a North African dish of crushed grain steamed and served with various meats and vegetables." It seems that the French, well-known for their pride in French cooking, are also becoming internationalized. -------A person skilled in the art of public speaking may be called an orator, spelled o-r-a-t-o-r. One America's greatest orators was born 104 years ago today, on January 18, 1882. By the time he graduated from Dartmouth College at the age of 19, he was already recognized as an exceptional speaker. Advised not to become a lawyer because that profession was overcrowded, his reply was, "There is always room at the top." He became a lawyer and a politician, who served in the House of Representatives, the Senate and as Secretary of State. Daniel Webster was famous for his orations, delivered in a dramatic voice enhanced by dark, penetrating eyes. In the struggles over states' rights and slavery, he gave priority to the preservation of the Union and made the memorable statement: "Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable." On Sunday, January 21st, we will hold a meeting of listeners to and readers of these "Daily Word" telephone messages at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Senta- near the Shinsakaemachi subway station. The meeting will be held from 1:30 to 3:30. The theme is: Plans, Hopes and Fears for 1996 and we would like to hear about your plans, hopes or fears for this year if you are able to attend. -------Everyone is born with a unique face. Some faces are considered pretty or beautiful and others are deemed homely or ugly. Some people have smiling faces and others always appear gloomy. This is not necessarily the result of one's mental disposition. It may be the natural shape of one's face. A recent news article noted an operation performed last month on a 7-year old girl in California aimed at enabling her to smile. The corners of the blue eyed, blond girl's mouth sag because she was born without a key facial nerve that transmits commands to muscles that control smiling, frowning and pouting. During the eight-hour operation, doctors removed muscle and nerve tissue from her leg and transplanted it to her face in the hope that this will enable her to smile, something her parents have been waiting for since she was born. When I was a child, my mother used to tell me I was too serious and urged me to smile. She even instructed me how to do so. I wonder if I have an abnormal nerve in my face? If you attend the meeting of "Daily Word" fans on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Senta- near Shinsakaemachi subway station, I'm sure you will see a beautiful smile on the face of my wife. The theme for the meeting is: Plans, Hopes and Fears for 1996 Plan to join us if you can. -------Among the preparations required for entering Japan back in 1951, was obtaining an entry permit. At that time, Japan was still under the occupation of American troops. During the Occupation, missionaries seeking to enter the country needed to be associated with or approved by a mission organization that had been working in Japan before the war. Since my wife and I were preparing to go to Japan as the first missionaries from our church, we needed to gain approval from such a missionary group and we were happy that the Evangelical Alliance Mission, which was headquartered in Chicago was willing to extend its approval. In April 1951, President Truman suddenly dismissed General MacArthur as the commander of American occupation forces in Japan. He was replaced by General Ridgway, who was the man in charge when we arrived that fall. In September, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida came to San Francisco to sign the peace treaty with the representatives of 48 nations who had gathered there for that purpose. I recall watching that historic event on television in the parlor of my wife's parents' home where we were visiting at the time. -------In answer to the question "How many disciples did Jesus have?" most people would answer "Twelve". But according to the Bible, he had many more than that. Twelve were chosen to be his companions, to whom he gave special instruction and whom he sent out to preach and to minister to people's needs. These twelve men were called "apostles", from a Greek word meaning "one sent out", and in the New Testament Gospels, they are sometimes called simply "the twelve". Although all twelve apostles were men, many women also were disciples of Jesus. According to the first 3 verses of the 8th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, a group of women accompanied Jesus and the twelve as they "traveled through towns and villages preaching the Good News about the Kingdom of God." The names of three of them are given. One, Joanna, was the wife of an official in the court of King Herod. Another, Mary Magdalene, had been healed by Jesus. Of the third one, we know only her name: Susanna. These women ministered to the needs of Jesus and the twelve on their journeys, providing for them out of their own resources. From that time to this, faithful women have been an important, indispensable part of the Christian community. -------It is surprising what a wide variety of meanings is included in word "litter", spelled l-i-t-t-e-r. Among them are the following: an elaborate conveyance in ancient times in which a single important passenger was carried, a simple stretcher on which to carry a sick or wounded person, straw used as the bedding for animals, a disorderly accumulation of discarded scraps of waste materials and a brood of young animals, such as kittens or puppies, born at the same time. The root of this word is a Latin word meaning "bed" or "couch". A pile of straw may serve as a bed for animals along with other scraps of material and in such a place cats and dogs may give birth. Signs in a public parks that say "Do not litter" remind people that they should not discard rubbish there. -------Among the proper nouns, or 'koyu-meishi', listed in an English dictionary is that of John Hancock, a man who was born 259 years ago today, on January 23, 1737. A political leader in the American Revolution who became president of the Continental Congress, his signature appears first and most prominently on the Declaration of Independence. It is for that reason that the term "John Hancock" may denote a person's signature. In commemoration of his birthday, today has been called Handwriting Day, a day of encouragement of legibility in handwriting. Unfortunately, such a day has never been observed in my experience. In Japan, writing may be considered an art as well as a means of communication, but the art form known as 'shodo' does not enhance legibility. 'Shodo', or calligraphy, is the suggested theme for an essay this week. What do you think of this style of writing? Have you taken classes in calligraphy? Do you appreciate this form of art? What are the benefits of learning to write in this manner? What do you think about the future of 'shodo'? I will correct essays sent to me and print them in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------When reading a book, some people use a bookmark to mark the place in the book where they stopped reading. A less refined way to mark the place is to turn down the top corner of a page. It has been said that the word "earmark", meaning an identifying mark or sign was derived from this objectionable practice of turning down the "ear" of a page, but that is not so. The word comes from the custom of animal breeders to make a special mark on the ears of their animals to distinguish them. Another method of marking animals to show ownership is by making an identifying mark on their skin using a hot iron, called a brand. The mark on the animal is also called a brand and it is from this custom that the word came to identify a special kind of article. There are various brands of quality goods that attract certain people, but those who are attracted simply by brand names must be on guard against imitations or counterfeits. In his Letter to the Galatians, chapter 6, verse l7, the Apostle Paul considered the marks or scars on his body, received from persecutors because he was a Christian, as brands that indicated he belonged to Christ. In John 13:35, Jesus indicated that the true mark of a disciple was the love shown to others. -------In the 'Kojien' dictionary, there are seven different words listed with the same pronunciation: 'kagaku'. The two most common ones mean "science" and "chemistry" in English. Chemistry is a branch of science that deals with chemicals. The forerunner of chemistry was "alchemy", or 'renkinjutsu' in Japanese. As the Japanese word implies, the basic aim of this ancient art was to change common metals into gold. Alchemy was tinged with magic, but the modern science of chemistry developed out of the experiments of the alchemists. The man considered the father of modern chemistry, who separated chemistry from alchemy, was born 269 years ago today, on January 25, 1627. This Anglo-Irish physicist and chemist, Robert Boyle, became the leading scientist of his day and formulated the principle known as Boyle's law that the volume of a gas varies inversely with pressure. The following statement this physicist made may apply to human society as well as to physical science. He observed that "In an arch, each single stone, which, if separated from the rest, would be perhaps defenseless, is sufficiently secured by the solidity and entireness of the whole fabric of which it is a part." -------On the North American continent there is a chain of five fresh water lakes called the Great Lakes. Four of those lakes form a part of the boundary between the United States and Canada. Since these lakes are among the largest in the world, the precise international border in that area appears to be quite fluid and I'm not sure exactly how it is determined. The fifth lake lies entirely within the United States. It is Lake Michigan, whose name is derived from Native American words meaning "big lake" or "great water". My hometown in the state of Illinois lies on the southwestern coast of that lake. The state on the eastern coast is also named Michigan. In fact, a part of Lake Michigan divides the state of Michigan into two separate sections. Michigan was officially admitted to the United States of America 159 years ago today, on January 26, 1837, as the 26th state. Among the 50 states, it ranks 22nd in land area and 8th in population. The largest city in the state is Detroit, the center of the country's automobile manufacturing industry, which has over five times the population of the second largest city. The state flower of Michigan is the apple blossom, but in contrast to Japanese cherry blossoms, in Michigan, trees that produce apple blossoms also yield apples. -------Among the various memorable events that occurred while I was a student at the University of Dubuque was meeting the girl who became my wife and accompanied me to Japan. Both of us were from the greater Chicago area in the northeastern part of the state of Illinois. Her hometown was west of the city and mine was north, but we each had our own reasons for going across the state and the Mississippi River to attend this university on the eastern border of the state of Iowa. It so happened that we both decided to major in Bible, which meant that we shared a number of the same classes. And we were both active in Christian organizations on the campus so we got to know each other fairly well. Furthermore, both of us were thinking of going to some foreign country as a missionary. Thus we had much in common. But when we began dating, we found out that there was one matter about which we were in complete disagreement and we had to decide whether it was serious enough to damage our relationship. Since my time is about up, I must postpone divulging the nature of our disagreement until next Saturday's message, so if you a re interested in hearing the rest of this story, please call on that day. -------It is difficult to define a "human being". While our physical bodies are related to those of other mammals and we share certain natural instincts, it is clear that there is a qualitative difference between human beings and animals. This difference is not related only to the ability to speak and to reason. Human beings have a conscience, make moral decisions and live in accordance with certain basic beliefs. In fact, the human heart may be considered a battleground between the forces of good and evil. All of us are faced with the choice of following the lower desires of our physical nature or the higher summons of our spiritual nature. In the 5th chapter of his Letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul emphasizes Christian freedom and gives two contrasting lists of acts or attitudes which result from the decision to follow either our animalistic desires or the leading of God's Spirit. The latter list of the "fruit of the Spirit" should be characteristic of those who believe in the Christian God Paul proclaimed. How much of this "fruit" is seen in our lives? Here is the list given in Galatians 5:22-23: "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control". -------I wonder if you can write correctly the Chinese characters for the Japanese dish of vegetables or seafood dipped in batter and deep fried, called 'tenpura'. The literal meanings of these characters are "heaven", "a cake made of wheat gluten" and "net" or "thin silk". You may be surprised to know that they are 'ateji', the phonetic equivalent for a foreign word. 'Tenpura' is considered a Japanese dish, but the word itself is derived from Portuguese. There are two different theories regarding the meaning of the original word. One is that it signified a time of fasting and the other is that it was a condiment or kind of cooking. In modern Japanese, 'tenpura' may be used to denote a kind of sham that looks good only on the outside which Jesus condemned in Matthew 23:27. -------The next issue of our little periodical, '"Daily Word" Echoes', is expected to be available at the next meeting of "Daily Word" fans on March 31st, the 5th Sunday of that month. This periodical consists of essays that have been sent to me on themes I have suggested in Tuesday messages and which I have corrected before publication. Writers may compare their original manuscripts with my corrected version to note the changes made. The first two themes for the 52nd issue of the 'Echoes' are "My Plans, Hopes, Fears for 1996" and "Japanese Calligraphy", or 'Shodo'. For the third theme, I am suggesting the names of three historic men whose lives are related to this 30th day of January. You may choose one or more of them to write an essay about. They are: Franklin Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, who was born on this day in 1882; Adolf Hitler, who was appointed German Chancellor on this day in 1933; Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian political and religious leader, who was assassinated on this day in 1948. Each of these men affected the course of world history. What are your thoughts or memories regarding one or more of them? This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama, Nagoya 463. -------Recently, I spied a new word in a newspaper headline that attracted my attention. The word was "zorse" spelled z-o-r-s-e. It is not found in a dictionary for it is too new. Can you imagine what it means? It is a combination of "zebra" and "horse" and, according to the article, it denotes "a new breed of steed". A "steed" is a horse, especially a high-spirited horse, and by cross-breeding these two related mammals, the aim is to "combine the speed and savvy of zebras with the friendliness of horses". The picture that accompanied the article showed the zorse to be smaller than a horse but larger than a zebra, having light stripes and white legs. In their natural habitat, zebras have been running from lions for a long time, so they are very fast and can jump high. Thus, especially high fences are required to keep them in a corral. A third member of the same family of mammals that include horses and zebras is the ass. A domesticated ass is called a donkey, and mules are the offspring of horses and donkeys. Mules and zorses are both infertile hybrids, which means they are not capable of producing offspring. Even so, the breeder considers zorses "the horses of the future". -------
In 1949, the United States Congress designated this first day of February as National Freedom Day. It commemorates the signing by President Abraham Lincoln of the document abolishing slavery on this day in 1865. Two years earlier, during the Civil War, President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation in which he declared that all slaves within those states in rebellion against the federal government "are and henceforward shall be free". Slavery continued, however, in certain areas and the President urged Congress to propose an amendment to the Constitution that would prohibit slavery in all parts of the nation. After bitter debate, Congress passed such an amendment and the President signed it the following day, 131 years ago today. This 13th Amendment to the Constitution did not become effective, however, until it was ratified by three-fourths of the states, which occurred in December of that year, following the virtual end of the four-year-long war. On this National Freedom Day, let us consider these words from James Russell Lowell's "Stanzas on Freedom": Today, the sixth day of the week is called Friday in English. This name comes from the Scandinavian goddess Frigg, the goddess of love and of the household. She is considered the Scandinavian equivalent to the Roman goddess, Venus. The Japanese name for this day, 'kinyobi', also comes from the planet with that name, which is called 'kinsei' in Japanese. Many people who listen to these "Daily Word" telephone messages from Monday to Friday do not call on Saturday and Sunday. In fact, the number of callers on those two days is sometimes only half of that for the other days of the week. Consequently, I wish to inform those who do not regularly call on the weekend that my Saturday messages are autobiographical, in which I relate personal experiences and Sunday messages are religious messages in which I share part of a recent sermon I preached at a Sunday worship service. Both the English original and Japanese translations of all the daily messages are available to those who request them by sending me a self-addressed, stamped envelope plus ¥30 in stamps for each copy desired. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------As mentioned in last Saturday's message, I met the girl who became my wife in college. Getting acquainted both in the classroom and in extracurricular activities, we found that we had many common interests and seemed well-suited for each other. On dates, we often visited a popular hangout for students across the street from the college campus and it was there that we discovered a basic difference in our tastes. She was a coffee drinker and I was not. Whenever we had some refreshments, she always ordered coffee, but I always ordered another kind of drink for, as a child, I had determined not to become an addict of alcohol, tobacco or coffee. We decided, however, that this disagreement was not serious enough to damage our relationship and thought that if we got married one of us would convert the other to his or her way of thinking. We have now been happily married for over 46 years and what do you suppose has happened? As a matter of fact, she continues to drink coffee, albeit less than previously, and I continue to choose another drink when I have a choice. That is to day, at home, I do not drink it, but I do imbibe when it is served to me elsewhere--and usually add milk and sugar to change the taste. -------The word "genesis", spelled g-e-n-e-s-i-s, means beginning or origin. Genesis is the name of the first book in the Bible. The first chapter of this book contains the story of the creation of the universe, the beginning or origin of all that is. According to this story, the universe is the creation of God. Nothing is mentioned about the origin of God for, according to the Bible, God is eternal and has no beginning. The climax of the creation story is the creation of human beings, who were said to be created in the image of God. But since the Bible teaches that God is spirit and thus has no visible figure, to say that human beings were created in the image of God must be related to their spiritual nature, their personality. Basic characteristic elements of human persons. which distinguishes them from animals, include self-consciousness, the ability to think, to imagine, to believe and to make moral choices based on these human characteristics. To be fully human involves making effective use of these peculiarly human abilities and the Bible implies that a truly satisfying human life is found only when those of us created in God's image are related in a personal way with our Creator and heavenly Father. -------Each of us has a name that distinguishes us from everyone else. Our name is a part of our identity and individuality. "Name" may also mean "reputation". We feel proud to attend a school or work for a company that has a good name. Some people are very particular about the name of certain products they buy. To be without a name, to be a nobody, is considered disgraceful or shameful. That is the meaning of the word "ignominy", spelled i-g-n-o-m-i-n-y and rooted in a Latin word literally meaning "no name" or "no reputation". The adjective "ignominious" denotes something deserving disgrace or shame. Many Americans would use this modifier to describe the attack on Pearl Harbor and many Japanese would use it to describe the dropping of an atom bomb on Nagasaki. -------As you know, last Saturday was the "season-divider" day, called 'setsubun', in Japan. The following day was 'risshun', literally meaning "start of spring". Actually, there are four "season-divider" days each year, but the term setsubun is now used only for the one at the beginning of spring which is also associated, traditionally, with the beginning of a new year. In the agricultural almanac, there are 24 seasons of about 15 days each, which are related to the relative position of the sun and the earth. Some of them are well known by the general public, but others are often overlooked. Do you know, for example, what season follows 'risshun' and on what day it begins? What do you think of these 24 seasonal divisions? In your daily life, do you ever think about them? If so, in what way or for what reason do they come to mind? I would be interested to read your comments about these 24 seasons and their place in Japanese thought in the past and present and what you think about their future. I will correct essays sent to me and print them in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes', scheduled for publication on March 31st. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------Are you acquainted with the word "fort", spelled f-o-r-t? It denotes a fortified place or an army post where troops are stationed. So what do you suppose a "fortnight" is? Actually, this word has nothing to do with such a fort. In this case, "fort" is a shortened form of the number "fourteen". A fortnight is fourteen nights, or two weeks. This word is related to the ancient German custom of measuring time by counting nights instead of days. Native Americans count days by "moons" rather than by "suns" and, in Jewish tradition, days are considered to begin at sundown rather than at sunrise. Listeners to or readers of these "Daily Word" telephone messages in the Nagoya area may be interested to know that I teach a fortnightly Bible Class on the first and third Tuesday evenings of a month at the Nagoya City Kyoikukan near Sakae, across from the Watchman Store. From 6:30 to 7:30, I teach in Japanese and from 7:30 to 8:30, we consider the English translation of the same Bible passage. During that second hour, I ask questions and explain the meaning of words in English. There is a nominal fee of ¥500 per month to cover expenses and anyone who is interested is invited to attend. The next meeting will be held on February 20. -------There are a number of different kinds of skin disease included under the term "leprosy". In Bible days, this was a very fearful disease and those who had it were considered ritually impure. Many detailed descriptions and regulations regarding leprosy and lepers are given in the 13th and 14th chapters of the Old Testament book of Leviticus and in the New Testament Gospels, Jesus is reported to have healed a number of lepers. These days, leprosy is more commonly called Hansen's Disease, after the name of the Norwegian physician who discovered its cause 120 years ago. In Japan also, lepers have been ostracized from society and forced to live in segregated areas. This infection was previously thought to be incurable but it can now be treated with drugs. Forty years ago, an international association of leprosy experts denied the need to segregate or institutionalize patients but the law requiring their isolation remained unchanged. Now, a bill has been submitted to the Diet to abolish that discriminatory law and the Health Minister has apologized to leprosy sufferers for the long delay. But how many other discriminatory practices in modern society continue because of false or obsolete traditions that continue to cause suffering to innocent people? -------Although I'm not sure if it deserves to be called "newsworthy", a recent article appeared in a newsmagazine entitled "Rent-a-Pooch". ("Pooch" is a slang term for "dog".) The article began with this sentence: "The perfect cure for first-date jitters just might be a Labrador retriever." A Labrador retriever is the kind of dog my son has and we are all very fond of it. This article reported on a pet shop in Tokyo that rents dogs for prices ranging from $50 to $80 a day. The pet shop owner stated that many of his young customers spend the day in a nearby park with a dog and find that it helps to encourage friendly conversation with others. He notes that renting dogs is especially popular with young men who are going out with a young lady on their first date. It gives them something to talk about and helps avoid awkward pauses in conversation. Most homes in Japanese cities are not suitable for keeping a dog, but a rented dog may serve as a new kind of 'nakadachi'. An English word for 'nakadachi' is "mediator" and that is the word used in the New Testament book of First Timothy, chapter 2, verse 5, to describe the person who breached the gap between a holy God and sinful people: "the man Christ Jesus". -------When my wife and I came to Japan in the fall of 1951, we traveled for over a month from the day we left our homes in northern Illinois until we arrived in the port of Yokohama. According to my records, it was on October 9th that we left by car from my home north of Chicago. My parents had moved into that new house following their marriage and it was there that 1, my brother and four sisters were all born and raised. It took less that two hours to drive to the home of my wife's parents west of Chicago. They had moved into that newer home when my wife was in college. After spending a day there, we boarded a train the following evening in Chicago. It was called "The City of Portland" and that was its destination. Portland is the largest city in the northwestern state of Oregon, over 3500 kilometers from Chicago. We spent two nights and a day on the train, passing through some very beautiful scenery, including the rocky mountains. My wife's aunt and uncle met us at the Portland station on Friday morning. The day we spent with them, they took us to the snowcapped Mt. Hood, the highest mountain in Oregon, but about 300 meters lower than Mt. Fuji. I will continue this travel report in next Saturday's message. -------Even many non-Christians are acquainted with the words of Jesus found in the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 4, verse 4, that "Man shall not live by bread alone", but they may not know that these words are not Jesus' own words but part of a quotation from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. And in fact, they are only the first half of that quotation. The full quotation is: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." These words were used by Jesus as his response to the first temptation of the Devil to prove that he is the Son of God by turning stones into bread. After fasting in the desert, Jesus was hungry, but he refused to follow the devilish suggestion to use his power for a selfish purpose. Here, as he was about to enter on his public ministry, he clearly demonstrated his priorities. It was not physical, material benefits that he came to bring people. He came to communicate spiritual food by which people would gain eternal salvation. Today also, while Christians are involved in many activities to alleviate physical suffering, our primary aim should be to transmit the spiritual Bread of Life which brings health and satisfaction to people's hearts. -------Today is a 'furikae-kyujitsu' in Japan. Yesterday was an official holiday but because it fell on the "holy day" when Christians attend worship services in commemoration of Jesus' resurrection and non-Christians enjoy themselves in other ways, today is a "substitute holiday". 'Furikae', usually translated "transfer" or "change", is used of postal savings accounts into or from which funds are transferred. It may be said that yesterday's holiday was transferred to today. So today is a "substitute holiday". A "substitute" is a replacement for the real thing. Transferring money from one account to another may be legal, but substituting counterfeit money for real money is a crime. I hope you are enjoying this "substitute holiday" as much as, or more than, the real one. -------Probably the most well-known kabuki drama which has maintained its popularity over the years is that called 'chushingura', in which 47 masterless warriors, or 'ronin', literally meaning "men on the waves", avenge the death of their lord by killing his adversary and taking his head to their lord's grave to console his soul, after which they all committed suicide. This drama exhibits many characteristic aspects of Japanese culture and traditional mentality--including the emphasis on proper decorum, concern for face and the honor of one's leader or group, loyalty, discipline, the endorsement of vengeance and the approval of suicide. I would be interested in reading your impressions of this drama and its influence in Japanese history. Have you seen it performed? Do you approve of its theme and the actions of its heroes? Does it continue to attract and impress young people today as it did in prewar days and will it continue to be a popular drama in the future? If you wish to write an essay on this theme and send it to me, I will correct it and publish it in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. My address is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------A map of the United States of America on which individual states are clearly marked shows a distinct difference in the size of states In the eastern and western halves of the country. This is related both to the topography and the history of that country in which there are fourteen states along the east coast and only three on the west coast. Can you name the three west coast states? The largest, of course, is California, north of which is the state of Oregon. There are many theories regarding the origin of this name. It has been called "the most disputed of U.S. names". There is even controversy about its correct pronunciation. A hundred and forty years ago, there was also controversy about whether to admit this territory into the Union. Politicians in the southern states did not want to admit another state that outlawed slavery and Republicans were afraid the new state would favor the Democratic Party, but on February 14, 1859, 137 years ago today, Oregon became the 33rd state. The nickname of this state comes from one of the industrious animals found there. It is called the Beaver State. An informal term, "eager beaver", denotes an enthusiastic person who is always busy doing many things, not all of which are important. -------There was an old Spanish kingdom called Castile and that name continues to be used for a region in central Spain. A certain kind of fine, hard soap that was originally made in that area from olive oil is called Castile soap. The Japanese name of a light porous cake, called sponge cake in English, is derived from the name of this area also. This 'pao de castella' is said to have been introduced to Japan from Portugal about 400 years ago. At that time, it was called a cake of southern barbarians, but it has since become one of Japan's most popular cakes, brown on the top and yellow inside, called kasutera. A 27-year-old Portuguese man, Paulo Duarte, is now in Japan studying how to make this cake which has been adapted to suit Japanese tastes in order to take it back to his homeland. "We have a similar sponge cake back in Portugal," he said, "but its taste is completely different from the one the Japanese make." After studying at the Shoken confectionery in Nagasaki, one of Japan's oldest 'kasutera' makers, he plans to return to Portugal and open his own castella shop there. This is one of many examples of how the Japanese have received something from another country, improved it and sent it back. -------Probably many of you who listen to or read these messages have been visited by people who have literature to give or sell and who are interested in giving their peculiar interpretation of Bible passages related to the end of the world. These aggressive "evangelists" are members of a religious group which is now known as Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah is the obsolete pronunciation of the sacred name for God in the Old Testament. This name, consisting of four Hebrew consonants was considered so holy, that the Jews never pronounced it, but most Bible scholars today agree that the correct pronunciation is Yahweh. The man who founded the movement now called Jehovah's Witnesses, Charles Taze Russell, was born 144 years ago today, on February 16, 1852, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He predicted the second coming of Christ and the start of the "Millenial Age" in 1872. Since that time, other specific dates have been given for the return of Christ and the establishment of his kingdom. Even though they did not prove accurate, the movement has continued to spread and today, in many countries, Jehovah's Witnesses are well-known for their refusal to serve in the military, to salute a flag, to celebrate Christmas or to accept blood transfusions. -------The first stage of our journey to Japan from our hometowns in northern Illinois in October 1951 was by train to the American west coast. The train we boarded in Chicago took us to Portland, Oregon, where we spent a day with an aunt and uncle of my wife. From there, we took another train south to the city of Corvallis, where my eldest sister was living at that time with her family. Her husband was a biology teacher at Oregon State College in that city. We had a pleasant five-day visit with them and their two young children. During our stay there, we were able to attend a meeting of the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship group which met on the college campus. Since my wife and I were both members of this organization during our college days, we enjoyed meeting with this group of students. We also spent an evening with a couple who had just recently returned from Japan, who gave us various helpful suggestions and factual information concerning the present state of affairs in Japan and showed us colored movies they had taken there. From Corvallis, we continued our train trip to San Francisco, California, where we were scheduled to board a freighter for the two-week trip to Yokohama. -------There are a number of English words that include a form of the Greek word for "word", which is 'logos'. Among them are "monologue", meaning a word or speech of one person, "dialogue", meaning a conversation between people and "decalogue", meaning "ten words". This term is used to denote the Ten Commandments which God gave to the people of Israel through Moses on Mt. Sinai and which form the central core of the Old Testament Law. They are found twice in the Old Testament, in Exodus, chapter 20, and in Deuteronomy, chapter 5. The first commandments are related to the one, true God, who alone should be worshipped. The last commandments are related to human society. And the last commandment, in particular, is concerned with an internal attitude rather than external acts. It is the commandment "Thou shalt not covet ... anything that is thy neighbor's". In the New Testament Letter to the Colossians, chapter 3, verse 5, covetousness is called a form of idolatry. So the last commandment is related to the first. The question is who or what comes first in our lives? As Jesus clearly stated (in Matthew 6:24), "No one can serve two masters." "You cannot serve both God and Money." -------In the United States these days, a long election campaign is taking place and one of the important qualities of a popular candidate is "charisma". Charismatic politicians, lawyers, salesmen and religious leaders have a distinct advantage over those who lack this characteristic. But what is "charisma", spelled c-h-a-r-i-s-m-a? One dictionary defines it as "the special quality that gives a person influence, charm or inspiration over large numbers of people." This word is actually the Greek word for grace, favor or kindness. It is often used in the New Testament for gifts that God gives to human beings. But we must be careful how we use such gifts. In I Peter 4:10, we are reminded to use the special gifts we have received from God for the good of others. -------A bank is a business establishment for receiving, keeping or lending money. Banks and the banking business have been in the news recently. A Japanese bank was ordered to close in the United States because of its failure to abide by the law and the so-called 'jusen' problem in Japan continues to provoke controversy. The subject I am suggesting this week for those who write essays for '"Daily Word" Echoes' is "Banks". You may give your opinion regarding the 'jusen' problem or simply tell of your experience with banks. How often do you go to the bank? for what purpose? Are you happy with the service? Do you have any suggestions for improving the service? Do you often use the automatic tellers? Have you ever borrowed money from a bank? According to the American comedian, Bob Hope, "A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it." And the American poet, Robert Frost, wrote: "A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back again when it begins to rain." Please send your essays to reach me by Saturday, March 2nd. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------The expression "in the red" means to be losing money or to be in debt. When a business is prosperous and out of debt, we may say it is operating "in the black". But what do you suppose it means to be "in the pink"? Pink is a pale red color. It is also the name of a plant that has fragrant flowers, not all of which are pink in color. The little finger on your hand may be called a "pinkie" and as a verb "to pink" may mean to stab lightly with a pointed weapon or to cut with pinking shears. Pinking shears are a special kind of scissors with notched blades that are used by dressmakers to prevent raveling (or unraveling, which, interestingly enough, has the same meaning). Pink may also denote a sailing vessel with a narrow stern. A few years ago, it was also used to designate a person who was sympathetic with or influenced by Communist doctrine for Communists were considered "red". But to answer my earlier question, "in the pink" means to be in excellent condition. This phrase is often used in relation to a person's health. To be "tickled pink" means to be very pleased or delighted. I hope that you are in the pink today and even may be tickled pink with this message. -------
Lowell is a famous family name in New England as descendants of the prominent jurist and legislator, John Lowell, achieved fame in various areas. One of his sons, James Russell Lowell, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts 177 years ago today, on February 22, 1819. James Russell Lowell became well-known as a poet, essayist, critic, editor and diplomat. He succeeded Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as professor of modern languages at Harvard and served as the first editor of the 'Atlantic Monthly'. He was later appointed minister to Spain and Great Britain and while abroad he did much to increase the respect of foreigners for American literature and institutions. One of his poems is found in many English hymnals. In translation, it has become #276 in the Japanese 'Sanbika'. It contains these words which continue to be relevant today. Capital punishment denotes the killing of a person by some legal authority as the penalty for some crime. There are various forms of capital punishment, including crucifixion, hanging, the guillotine, a firing squad, the electric chair and the gas chamber. Today is the anniversary of the execution by hanging of Tomobumi (or Tomoyuki) Yamashita, the Japanese general who led his army to victory in various campaigns in southeast Asia but who finally surrendered to the Allied forces under General Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines in September 1945. He was tried by a military commission for atrocities committed by soldiers under his command and hanged in Manila on February 23, 1946, fifty years ago today. Sixty years earlier in England, a man named John Lee was sentenced to death by hanging for murdering his employer. At Exeter Prison, a noose was placed around his neck but, despite three attempts, the trap door under him failed to open and he survived. Thirty-two years later, he was released. He emigrated to America where he married and died a death of natural causes in 1933. One of the many reasons that I am opposed to capital punishment in any form is the obvious unfairness in deciding who is to be killed and who is to be spared. -------When my wife and I first came to Japan in 1951, we did not travel by airplane nor by passenger ship. We had booked passage on a ship that carried cargo or freight, commonly called a freighter. Freighters do not follow schedules in the same manner as vessels that carry passengers. After arriving in San Francisco by train from Portland, we found out that the freighter would leave a few days later than the original schedule and that it would depart from the port of Oakland, on the opposite shore of San Francisco Bay. Thus, we had some time to spare. We contacted a man I knew from my hometown, a member of our church who was now living in that area and he kindly took us sightseeing. We crossed the famous Golden Gate Bridge, visited other famous sites and rode on a cable car. Both my wife and I were able to meet cousins whom we had not seen for many years. I also met a friend from my elementary school days. We even took a train trip to the Los Angeles area, where we stayed overnight with a couple from my hometown who were our good friends. He was the student pastor of our branch church there where we also met a number of church people when we attended a prayer meeting that evening. -------One of the problems faced by those who try to convey concepts, doctrine or truth of one religion to people having a different language and culture is to choose the appropriate words to use. At times, the exact equivalent of words or concepts in the one language or culture cannot be found in that of the other. Missionaries from Western countries often are faced with this problem in Japan, but a similar problem is faced by translators of the Bible who try to find suitable words for the original ancient Hebrew or Greek terms in modern languages. Such crucial terms in Biblical and Christian thought as "God", "love" and "worship" are usually translated into Japanese these days as 'kami', 'ai' and 'reihai'. None of these Japanese words, however, convey the full meaning of the English terms, let alone that of the original Biblical manuscripts. Consequently, what is meant by the love of God and the exhortation to worship God must finally be communicated on a deeper level than spoken or written words. From the standpoint of this missionary in Japan, when the genuine love of the true God is really experienced, the result is worship, which is not a formal act, imposed from without, but a natural response that comes from within. -------The Dutch used to call this second month of the year "vegetation month". Anglo-Saxons called it "sun month", but in the French Republican calendar, it was called "rain month". As you probably know, in the traditional Japanese calendar it was called 'kisaragi'. Originally, this word did not denote putting on another layer of clothes but was related to the regeneration of vegetation ('somoku no kosei'). The English name for this month, February, is derived from an old Roman festival of purification which was held during this month. Purification is an important concept in traditional Japanese thought and also in Biblical thought. It is important, however, to distinguish between simple ritualistic or physical purification and the inward purification of the mind or heart. -------In the United States, a political campaign is being carried on by men who want to be the Republican Party's nominee for president in the national election which will be held in November. As of now, it seems certain that the Democratic Party's nominee will be President Bill Clinton. If President Clinton is re-elected to a second term, it must be his last term because of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution which was officially ratified on February 27, 1951. The basic Constitution specifies who is eligible to hold the office of president and how that person is to be elected but it sets no limit on the number of four-year terms one could serve. The first president, George Washington, chose not to run for a third term and all presidents followed his example until Franklin Roosevelt ran and won a third term in 1940 and was reelected to a fourth term four years later. Two years after Roosevelt's death, Congress submitted the 22nd Amendment to the 48 states for their approval. It was four years later, 45 years ago today, that the 36th state ratified the amendment and it came into effect. It is thought that limiting the number of terms for those holding this powerful office promotes a healthier functioning democracy. -------Differences between British and American English include differences in pronunciation, spelling and word usage. For example, in America, officers entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order in a community are called "policemen", whereas in Britain they are called "constables". A slang term for an English constable is "bobby", derived from the nickname of Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel, who established the Metropolitan Police in 1829. For the past 126 years, a distinguishing characteristic of bobbies has been their tall, conical helmets, but constables of Manchester recently shocked the rest of the country by discarding the traditional helmets in favor of flat-topped, American-style police caps. Policemen in Scotland and Northern Ireland already are wearing the American-style caps, but Manchester is the first city in England and Wales to make the change. The Police Superintendents Association urged all English and Welsh forces to keep the old headgear, but the Chief Constable of Manchester said that officers want hats that fit inside a police car and don't fall off when chasing suspects on foot. While modernization may improve efficiency, changes are always opposed by traditionalists. -------
The Chinese character for this 'urudoshi' consists of the character for "king" ('o') within the character for "gate" ('mon') for in old China, a festival was held in the gate of the imperial court every fifth year. In the Gregorian calendar now in common use, a year is actually one fourth of a day shorter than the astronomical year, so every fourth year it is necessary to have a year of 366 days rather than the normal 365. In normal years, days move ahead one day in the following year. For example, since March 1st fell on a Tuesday in 1994, it fell on a Wednesday in 1995. But in years that have 366 days, they leap ahead two days, so March 1st will fall on Friday this year. That is the reason it is called a "leap year" in English. Such years fall in years whose numbers are divisible by four, except for centennial years which are not divisible by 400. The year 2000 will be the first centennial leap year since 1600. Japanese children may remember which months do not have 31 days by thinking of the warrior facing west ('ni-shi-mu-ku-samurai'), but many American children memorize this saying: In the Christian Church calendar, we are now in the season called Lent. During this period of 40 days before Easter, some Christian churches encourage fasting or abstinence as a sign of penitence A recent government report, however, indicates that Americans ought to be more careful in regard to their eating habits. Early this year, the government issued guidelines telling people to eat more grains, fruits and vegetables and try to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. Two weeks later, the results of an Agriculture Department survey of 5,500 Americans were reported, indicating that half of them ate no fruit on a given day and passed up dark green and deep yellow vegetables. It noted that one in three adults was overweight and that children were switching from milk to soft drinks. A spectacular increase in the consumption of snack foods, such as crackers, popcorn, pretzels and corn chips was noted. The snack foods industry estimates that the average American ate 10 kilograms of salty snacks in 1994. During this Lenten season when many traditional Christians make some changes in their diet, it is well to recall the words of Jesus, in Matthew 4:4, that "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. -------In October of 1951, my young wife and I were marking time in San Francisco, California. We were waiting, somewhat impatiently, for the freighter on which we had booked passage to Yokohama to be loaded with its cargo, after which it would set sail. In those days, Japan was not a very popular country and Japanese restaurants were almost non-existent, but to get a foretaste of the Orient, we did have a meal in a Chinese restaurant. And it was while we were waiting in San Francisco that we got another foretaste of Japan, for it was there that we experienced our first earthquake. We had read and heard about earthquakes that frequently occurred in Japan, but in the midwestern United States where we had been born and raised, earthquakes never occur. We realized then that these natural phenomena were not unique to Japan but that parts of our native land also experienced them. On our last Sunday in the United States, we attended the worship service of the First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, whose pastor had previously been a featured preacher at the Presbyterian university we had attended years earlier. -------Salt is a very common substance. It may be derived from sea water or from deposits found in the ground. Human bodies require salt to function well, but too much salt is not good for the health. Jesus called his disciples "the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13) and told them to "have salt in yourselves" (Mark 9:50). What do you suppose he meant? In Jesus' day, there were three customary uses of salt in the lives of the fisherman and housewives who became his followers. For the fishermen, salt was used as a preservative. It kept fresh fish from spoiling. For the housewife, salt was a seasoning. It made food more tasty. A third use of salt is related to the Japanese custom of giving a small packet of salt to people who have attended a funeral and of sumo wrestlers scattering salt as they enter the ring. As a symbol of purification, Jewish worshippers added salt to the sacrifices offered to God in the temple. As the "salt of the earth", Jesus' disciples, through their lives, words and actions, should add flavor to society, seek to halt corruption and work to make our world purer. Christians today need to reflect on their daily lives and consider whether they are accomplishing these simple, yet important functions. -------The word "mammoth", spelled m-a-m-m-o-t-h, is now mainly used as an adjective denoting something of enormous size. As a noun, it may signify a certain kind of large elephant which is now extinct. This word comes from Russian and is rooted in the Ta(r)tar word, 'mamma', which means "earth". Russian peasants who found the remains of these prehistoric animals in the earth assumed they must have been burrowing animals like moles and gave them that name. In Russian, 'mamma' may mean "mother" as well as "earth", but it is not clear whether this is related to the English term "mother earth". A huge cave in Kentucky, with passages extending for 240 kilometers, is called Mammoth Cave, not because any mammoths were found there but simply because of its gigantic size. ------- |