Down the River

We could do without the noise.

For the past several days, the fireworks have been going off throughout the night.  And last night was the worst.

But there is a reason to celebrate.  Don’t you sometimes wish you could take all the bad things you have done and just send them away out of your life so you can start over?

Sending away your flaws and bad deeds is part of the symbolism in the Thai festival known as Loy Krathong.  The center of the celebration is not the fireworks, but the small “boat” (krathong) on which your flaws and bad deeds float (loy) away.

The small boats usually contain a candle and some incense and perhaps a few other things as well.

This symbolism is similar to a ritual in Judaism where the scapegoat is sent off into the desert:

But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. (Leviticus 16:10-NIV)
Loy Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. This usually happens sometime in November.
 
The Loy Krathong celebrations in Bangkok were a bit muted this year because of the flooding.  Often the krathongs are placed in the rivers and canals—but the authorities are trying to keep those clear so that the flood waters can escape more easily.
 
We went to observe the festivities at a nearby park where the krathongs were placed in a small pond.  Because there is no current, people had to help shoo the krathongs away.
 
As I was watching this happen, I kept thinking about how John the Baptist described Jesus, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29-NLT)
 
How grateful I am that Jesus takes our sins away.  All of them.  Forever.  And I don’t have to shoo them away.  As the Psalmist writes: “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12-NLT)  And we don’t have to wait twelve months.  We can confess our sins and put them away from us at any time.  But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:9-NLT)
 
God, I thank you that because of what Jesus did for us on the cross,  I can send my bad attitudes and my bad deeds “down the river” at any time.  Thank you, too, that you clean up in us the things that we are unable to clean up on our own. 
Some scenes from last night:

Flickr Tags: Bangkok,Thailand,Festivals,ลอยกระทง

Storm Purge

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.
¹³ But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

--1 Peter 4:12-13 (NIV)

A little while ago we were at the coast.  We noticed a lot of debris high up on the beach that we had not seen in earlier visits.  It was the result of a combination of strong east winds (to push the trash) and unusually high tides (to get it high enough to not be washed back).

Our lives can be a lot like the ocean.  We accumulate a lot of debris and trash that makes us not so pretty and pleasant to be around.  But when storms or trials come, then can help purge our lives of this trash.  The more junk we get rid of, the better people can see Jesus inside of us.
So while the storms may be difficult to endure, we can rejoice in what they produce in our lives.