Holiiiiii!

I woke up this morning and wondered  what the streets would look like. It was 8 AM. The neighborhoods are generally not up and moving until around 11. I went to the veranda and searched the streets.
I saw children, and I saw their colors.

Holi is an old festival which has no been widely adopted throughout India. Often when there’s a really fun festival, all the religions will begin to celebrate it for their own [made up] reasons. This one seems to have abandoned any religion’s claim to it, though it does have its roots in Hindu mythology, and unites the whole of India in uninhibited celebration to ring in the coming of spring.

Modern day in Delhi, it’s basically a neighborhood-wide water balloon fight plus food fight.

...This has got to be redeemable.

We try very hard to separate ourselves from questionable  behavior – to stay about reproach and demonstrate the difference that faith makes in our lives. I know this is the way to have a witness among the desperate hopelessness in the world.

When I look at the life of J.C., I see him acting counterculturally and causing a disturbance, but I also see Him being a Jew. I see Him living His life among people, demonstrating great love and empathy for them, and redeeming His culture.

I worry sometimes about the Chrstn community creating a subculture that excludes people who do not fit our criteria. As I understand it, we should be in the culture, though we should not be of it.

On a normal day in Delhi, people mistrust each other. People tell white lies to get better prices. People glare at each other. On holi, as I tried to sneakily replenish my water balloon bucket I looked at the street to meet the eyes of a kid I’d been secretly hitting from our balcony. He’d caught me. I grinned and raised my eyebrows. He smiled with happiness behind his eyes and grabbed for a water balloon to chuck at me. 

Enmity was replaced with amiability.

Again I say – this has got to be redeemable!

Why not celebrate the resurrection of our Savior with the bursting of  balloons and the explosions of color? Why not come together corporately and rejoice over His sacrifice and triumph with uninhibited exuberance, as well as with folded hands and crossed feet?

Because of all of this I chose today to participate: to redeem this festival, at least in our household. 

I think I may always use holi to celebrate the Holy One –

With dancing and with the greatest uncontainable joy.

me throwing like a girl... But my aim was pretty good! i even hit a guy on a motorcycle!

Love from Delhi,

Julie: enjoying holi; becoming holy.