Inviting-Not!

A portion of the road to Wiang Kaen follows the Mekong River.  Perched on a hill on a bend in the river is a stupa and Buddhist shrine.

Interestingly, there is no name of this place posted along the road. There is a staircase from main road up to the stupa (though it does not get used much because it is also possible to drive up).  On either side of the stair case are these interesting statues.  One is a man holding a scythe, the other is a man wielding a club.





 

I'm not sure how the locals interpret these statues.  But what I DON'T read is "Welcome, come on up," or "We're glad you're here."  It looks more like they are saying, "we dare you to come up."  In my eyes, this is anything but welcoming.

What a contrast to how we see God depicted in the Bible.  We have an invitational God.  In the Old Testament, we see God was welcoming the alien and stranger.

He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.  Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:18, 18 ESV)

The temple was to be a  place where everyone was invited to come pray.

these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations. (Isaiah 56:7 NIV) 

Jesus welcomed all people.  He invites people to follow him. He invites the weary to come find rest. He invites even children into his presence.

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14:23 ESV)

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 ESV)

but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”  (Matthew 19:14 ESV)

God is a welcoming God.

But what about us?  Are we as inviting as Jesus was?

I have not seen any strange statues outside our church buildings that would deter people from entering.  But sometimes the buildings themselves can be quite intimidating.  In an historically non-Christian culture like we find in Thailand, very few people would dare go into a church building unless they are already believers or they are pretty much ready to receive Christ.

We believers can be a bit intimidating as well.  Sometimes our speech or behavior can be less than inviting.

I pray that my life would not be like these statues below the stupa, but that it would bear testimony to our God who welcomes all who come to Him.

Armed and dangerous

Last week my wife brought in a leaf from our rose bush.  It had several very small, yellowish-green insect like creatures crawling over the back of the leaf.

On examination, I wasn't sure if they were some kind of caterpillar (moth or butterfly larvae) or if they were larvae or nymphs of some other insects.

I did notice that they were covered with some furry hairs.

While looking at them, I accidentally touched one of them.

Ouch!

Limacodidae-Spiny slug caterpillar
Yes-that's my thumb for scale

How could such a minute hair on a minute insect inflict such an intense burning pain!

And why is it that the hairs on some creatures are soft and cuddly while others are itchy and painful?  How does one even know except to purposefully or accidentally come in contact with the animal?

Appearances can be deceiving.

I have lived in several countries and I have noticed a commonality among all of them: people like stuff.  People mortgage their homes and their souls in order that they might obtain more and nicer things in order that they might be fulfilled, happy, comfortable, or perhaps perceived as having higher status.

But it fails so often.

Why do people who seem to have it all end up committing suicide?

Why do winners of mega-lotteries often end up worse off than they started?  (And why do governments promote such systems that ultimately fail at what they are hyped to achieve?)

Jesus calls it "the deceitfulness of riches."

That which appears soft and cuddly may in fact be prickly and poisonous.

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.  (Matthew 13:22)

Not only does that which appears to be good actually fail at being good, it ultimately ends up choking what little good one had to start with.

While I am not a proponent of Buddhism, I have had the opportunity to visit is an interesting temple about 10 miles south of Chiang Rai often referred to as "the white temple".  The artist/creator of the temple makes an interesting contrast.

The temple is divided into two sides.  One side is very ornate with lots of interesting sculptures and such which draw the eye.  It is quite beautiful in many ways.

The other side is quite plain and almost boring.

The two sides are reached by bridges from a central structure.  One starts their journey there and has to decide: "Which side shall I choose.  Should I choose the beautiful and ornate side?  Or should I choose the plain and boring side?"

The catch here is that the "beautiful" side is side of karma-the endless cycle of birth, suffering and death.  The "plain" side is the side of Nirvana.

Many years ago, two men representing two large, extended families stood at a crossroad.  Their combined families were too big to be raising their livestock together and they needed to separate.  The older man said to his nephew, "take your pick, you go one way, I'll go the other."

The nephew looked one way and saw barren, rocky hills.  He looked the other way and saw a lush fertile plain.  He said to his uncle, "I think I'll head down to the valley over there."

The older man took his cattle to the barren hills.  God blessed him and he prospered.  The younger man found himself living among people whose only purpose in life was having a good time.

Eventually the older man had to rescue his nephew from the destruction of the city. The younger man ended up spending the rest of his life in a cave.  The older man prospered and became a great nation. (Genesis 13; 18:22-19:38)

Sometimes, that which appears soft and cuddly is in fact prickly and poisonous.

When you come to the crossroad, which side will you choose?

Wat Rong Khun (วัดร่องขุ่น) - the 'hell" side

Wat Rong Khun (วัดร่องขุ่น) - the "heaven" side

The Walled City

And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall,

and every wall shall tumble to the ground.

 Ezekiel 38:20b (ESV)

Soon after we moved to Wiang Kaen, we discovered a forest near our home that still had a lot of very large, old trees.  We were surprised because there aren't a lot of old native trees left in Thailand, especially near towns.

Road through the forest

Looking at Google maps, we noticed that this Forest was fairly large in size.




Another thing that struck us when we moved here is the name of the place: Wiang Kaen. “Wiang” is a term used to describe walled cities, and we certainly didn't seem to be any walls around that we could notice.

Wiang Kaen today: Where's the wall?

Recently, they have been doing some cleaning up around the old forest, and in the process we have discovered something—the reason that this old forest still exists is because it is the old, walled city—it’s just that the forest have covered up a lot of the walls and moats and other historical landmarks in the place.  But now there is a map that shows the general layout.  Knowing this we have become aware of the old moat, quite deep in places and often near the present roads, but obscured by brush and trees.

The name of this place is “Boran Satan Wiang Kaen” (โบราณสถานเวียงแก่น which roughly translates: ancient Wiang Kaen) or “Wiang Kaen Forest” (ดงเวียงแก่น).  The old city was founded about 700 years ago.

Map of the old city

The general pattern of the border is an exterior wall, then the moat, then a larger, interior wall.  Below are two photos of where the interior wall has been cut for a road.

The cut through the wall looking into the old city

The cut through the wall looking out of the city

The moat is so grown over with vegetation, it is usually hard to notice that it exists.  In the photos below, I traced the approximate cross section of the moat.

The moat

The Moat

The are a few small “hills” which are the remains of old chedis.  The one below is labeled #3 on the map.  It has been opened up so that you can see some of the old bricks inside.

One of the old chedis

Looking down into the chedi

Another old chedi is across from the present, simple, Buddhist temple.  This one has a large tree growing in it.

Another remains of an old chedi

The are other, interesting relicts scattered about the forest.  This Buddha image of uncertain vintage is along a mostly overgrown trail.  Some “lucky bamboo” plants in front of it show that it seems to have received some attention in recent times.

Old Buddha image with newer
planting of lucky bamboo

The Buddhist temple is a bit different.  It is constructed like an ordinary building instead of using the usual ornate architecture.  The entrance is a roll-up steel door.  Often it is closed.

The temple

There is a shrine to the “Lord (spirit) of Wiang Kaen” (เจ้าหลวงเวียงแก่น).  A new one has just been built in the last couple of months; it is adjacent to the old one.

Shrine of the "Lord of Wiang Kaen"

It's interesting to look back at this old city and see what it has become.  I'm sure that the people of the old city thought that what they built would endure for ages, but instead all that remains are a few mounds of dirt.

In the same way, we often behave like or think that the things we see around us, the product of the labors and imaginations of mankind, will last forever.  In reality, we really have no idea what our hometown will look like in 50 or 100 years.

Only God is the eternal, unchanging one; He and His word will remain forever.


Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
   and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Isaiah 55:2 (NIV) 

For he is the living God
   and he endures forever;
his kingdom will not be destroyed,
   his dominion will never end.

Daniel 6:26b (NIV)