News Stories
Pray for Those You'll Never Meet: Loy Kratong
09/11/2007 4:21 am
Each November Thailand celebrates the holiday called Loy Kratong. The most impressive aspect of the holiday is the night sky during the celebration. Thousands of people launch paper lanterns (some as big as 50 gallon drums) into the sky. Wads of paraffin are lit at the bottom center of the lantern, and the heat slowly lifts them up. Since the paraffin takes a long time to burn outyou can imagine the sight: hundreds and hundreds of flames drifting high in the sky for miles around. Of course, the landscape for days afterward is littered with burned out lanterns. One landed on our balcony and well illustrated the meaning of the lanterns to us. Stapled to the framework of the lantern was a note scrawled on a scrap of paper and wrapped around 3 one-baht coins. This is what the note said: "From Tong, Lang, and Pong: Tonight may this lantern float all suffering, all weeping, all disease, and all danger far away. And may this year have only good luck all the time."
Sometimes people go to a temple or a spirit medium to deal with woeful circumstances in life. The attitude in such cases is always sober and reverent. But on Loy Kratong the attitude and the atmosphere of the whole country is pure lighthearted fun and revelry. Both occassions implicate the heart of participants in sin. Both equally ignore the presence of God and substitute things in his place. We don't know who Tong, Lang and Pong are. But, little did they know that their lantern would fall on the balcony of those who don't believe in luck, who see God's hand in everything, and who hurried to place the lives of Tong, Lang and Pongbefore the throne of grace. (submitted by Dave Sheahan, church planting in Chiangmai, Thailand)
- Pray for the witness of Christians during this year's Loy Kratong celebrations on November 24th.
- Pray that those Thai who are seeking an answer to their suffering and sin would find the truth in Jesus Christ.