grave consequences  | inside out

“Where will I be buried when I die?” The answer in Japan holds grave consequences. It is a major detail at the forefront of all priorities when the subject of death is discussed. With ancestor worship and reincarnation woven into the minds of Japanese people, elaborate family grave sites are purchased to provide a place for descendants to continue to worship the spirits of those who die. Into this realm of Satan’s deceit, the Church in Japan has taken a stand. It’s a beautiful story of God’s glory.

When a Japanese believer is baptized in Japan, they stand before fellow believers and make a number of promises. One is to worship only God in heaven, and not ancestors or idols. Most churches purchase a grave site for the church family to use at their burial time if they choose. After every Easter Worship of the Risen Lord, and at Japanese Memorial Days, the church family gathers, cleans the grave area, then worships and praises the Lord Jesus.

At a recent grave side service, the pastor spoke from John 11:25. “I am the Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth in Me though he were dead, yet shall he live.” There in the midst of mainly Buddhist graves stands the carved-out cross with God’s Word engraved on the stones. (“Our citizenship is in heaven”…Phil. 3:20) God is building His Church in Japan and the gates of hell can’t stop it.


contributed by Jane & Harry Landaw
C&MA missionaries in Japan