Over the past year, I’ve been so aware of God’s divine choreography. We’ve been back and forth over the ocean, once as COVID was just getting started, and once with my mum’s death. Each time, we’ve waited on God’s timing, and He’s had us dodging COVID outbreaks in both countries, missing border closings to foreigners trying to enter Japan, catching flights back to Canada while they exist in very narrow time windows, and more. At times, I’ve felt like we’re ballroom dancing, with God in the lead!

Today, I thought I’d share a very cool story, where once again He took the lead.

I first met Lucy several years ago, when she came with a friend to Mummy and Me ESL class. Over the years, we’ve become friends. She’s come out to home outreach parties and cooking clubs, and through COVID our friendship continued to grow. We texted each other often; met up in the park across the street from our place when restrictions allowed; and her little daughter and I traded 30-second audio messages back and forth, telling each other about how we were doing, and always ending with “I love you”.

When we came back to Okinawa from Canada, Lucy was one of the people I was most looking forward to seeing.

In late November, I received a message from her. “I’m dissatisfied with the way Japanese people celebrate Christmas,” she wrote. “It seems to have no meaning. This year, I want to inject more meaning into my family’s Christmas. Can you give me some suggestions on how to do this?”

Could I ever!

She then made it clear that she wasn’t interested in inserting a lot of religious stuff into her Christmas.

Well, we weren’t going to force them to listen to something they didn’t want to hear. Hmm…

I asked her to give me a couple of days to think about what to suggest.

And then I prayed.

On day two, the idea came to me. Maybe I could invite them over, and we could celebrate some Christmas traditions.

“If she doesn’t want to do something religious, maybe you can start with baking together, and giving the goodies to neighbours,” Peter suggested.

I looked at our calendar. All of our weekends were fully booked. Lucy and her family were only available on weekends.

I prayed some more.

Make the time, God said.

I invited Lucy and her family over on the least-busy weekend. They were busy.

After a desperate prayer for aid, I scheduled them for our most busy weekend.

Lucy, Lewis (her husband) and their two kids came. We started with a snack, and then made some cookies. Lucy told me that her children have been attending a Christian daycare, where the older kids have been preparing a pageant. Though Lillian and Louie (aged 5 and 3) were deemed too young to participate, they’d been watching the daily practices while waiting to be picked up by their mum, and knew all the lines by heart. Lillian and Louie began quoting lines right there.

I pulled out two children’s Christmas story books, and had them choose which one they wanted to use. As we looked at the pictures, I asked them to tell me the Christmas story. They proudly did.

Christmas story books

At the end, Lucy said, “Yesterday, Lillian asked her teacher why Jesus came to earth. Her teacher told her all about Jesus dying on the cross. Last night, Lillian asked me why Jesus had to die. I didn’t know what to tell her. Perhaps you can help me answer her question.”

By that point, Lillian had decided to play shy. Her mum wanted her to ask me the question again, but for quite a while, she refused to do so. As I waited for her to be ready, I could see the anticipation building in her parents.

Finally, Lillian was ready.

“I think a lot of people are really confused by Christmas. After all, a baby being born isn’t really that big of a deal,” I said. “I mean, it’s a big deal to the baby, and to the mother, but over history billions of babies have been born. Why make such a big deal about this one?”

Lucy nodded vigorously.

“The reason we celebrate Christmas isn’t because a baby was born but because of who that baby was and what he would grow up to do. Christmas means nothing without the cross.”

I then told her the whole story, from Jesus’ birth, to death, and resurrection. I explained the problem of sin in the world. (Lillian had said something about being clean in her confused explanation of Jesus’ death, so I used the imagery of cleanliness and dirtiness in describing sin.) We talked about our slavery to sin, and the freedom that Jesus brings.

And of course, we talked about the restoration of the relationship between God and human beings, and the way that this gives us hope for the future right up until our own deaths. (Lucy had been the one to help me translate the poem I’d written about my mum, so we’d already had some conversations about heaven.)

At the end, Lucy had one question. “So, if you had to choose a holiday that’s more important—Christmas or Easter—it would be Easter, wouldn’t it?”

Oh, yes!

After the Christmas story, we continued with our day, playing games, trading dollar store gifts, and of course eating cookies. At the end of our three-hour visit, I invited her to the next day’s Christmas Sunday celebrations at church if she wanted to hear more.

Christmas baking


The next day, bright and early, Lucy and her two kids arrived at church.

“My kids loved yesterday so much. Louie, my son, fell asleep on the drive home and didn’t wake up for supper; he slept straight through to this morning! Lewis couldn’t come; he’s too tired today.”

Though I was involved in leading parts of the Christmas service, I sat with Lucy and her family as much as I could. During the sermon, I coloured with her kids while Lucy listened to the talk. And, with God’s impeccable choreography, the sermon was entitled: “From Christmas to the Cross.”

Celebrating Christmas at church


Since Lewis wasn’t able to come, I provided Lucy with the YouTube link to the morning’s festivities, so that he could watch. Because he didn’t come, I now had a reason to send Lucy that recording. Maybe she’ll watch it again, too.

In God’s plans, nothing is ever wasted.