Confusing Cultural Christmas Adventures

So this is just a quick story from a recent sermon I preached that I thought would be fun for you all to hear. It is a reminder that no matter how long we live here, we will sometimes forget things we've learned or not always connect the dots.

As we are preparing for the church plant, we are serving in an existing Austrian church. I preach there on occasion to keep my skills up and to serve the church. We've been in a sermon series talking about Christmas songs, where we look at the scriptures that are quoted or alluded to in the verses and see how they are preparing us to celebrate Christ's birth.

I personally love Christmas music. I worked enough retail while in high school and college to be inoculated to the pop music side of things. But I am deeply affected when we sing about the simple and old truths of our faith. These songs refresh my faith and remind me of the core of what I believe.

My text was Oh Come All Ye Faithful. It is a truly great song. It is an invitation to come and see the child, the baby king and savior of all. The invitation is to respond to the incarnation with worship.

So here's where I goofed up a bit. One of my points of application was that we should set aside our worries and hurrying and make our Christmas celebration more worshipful. For example, as a family we do readings together that go along with taking ornaments out of a box and putting them on the tree. Each ornament has a picture on it that reminds us about the story connected to it. It is a great family tradition that leads us to think about who Christ is and what happened in that stall. We talk about the incarnation and celebrate Christ's arrival together.

So this was my encouragement to the congregation in my sermon: to grab something like this and move Christmas from worry and hurry to worship. To try out something like putting ornaments on the Christmas tree throughout December that remind us of Christ.

Here's the problem: Almost everyone in that room listening to my sermon didn't have a Christmas tree up yet.

Some of this depends on the family and background, but Austrian tradition regarding Christmas trees is pretty different to how I was raised. Austrians put their tree up usually at Christmas eve. The kids are sent out of the room, and the parents decorate the tree, and put out the presents. Then the kids come in and open their gifts. The tree usually stays up until January 6th (Three Kings Day). This marks the 12th day of Christmas.

To be honest, it wasn't that big of a deal...mostly because people understood the point. They understood the application and the basic point still stands, even if the specific suggestion doesn't quite fit. But thinking about this error, it was a good exercise in humility and reminder that I still need to work hard at learning this culture and always keeping cultural norms in mind.

We pray that you have a worshipful time this Christmas. We pray that you find times of stillness where you can connect with the creator and sustainer of the universe. The same one born as a small child in the middle of nowhere. 

The Foreigner's Advantage?

An Austrian friend stopped by recently to meet with Nate for prayer. As we were discussing with him our efforts to get to know neighbors, we had an interesting discussion about the potential benefits of trying to share the gospel as a foreigner as opposed to an Austrian.

Here in Austria, most people are private and like to keep to themselves. It is uncommon, especially in the Vienna area, for strangers to converse in public places or for friendliness to go beyond your basic gestures (saying hello or thank you, for example). Our friend said that if an Austrian makes an effort to be especially friendly with those he meets, it is often met with skepticism. If, for example, a Christian tries to be friendly with his neighbors and is outgoing in a way that is counter-cultural, most Austrians would ask themselves, "why is he being so friendly? What does he want from me? What's the catch?" They assume that there is some motivating factor behind his behavior and are skeptical about his motives. They might then close themselves off or write him off as being weird.

On the other hand, when Austrians meet a foreigner, they automatically expect them to behave differently than an Austrian would. Americans are known here for being boisterous, outgoing and very friendly (sometimes overly so!). If we reach out to neighbors and are friendly in an atypical way, we are often given a pass. This can open up more doors for us to be open about sharing the gospel with those we meet! 

In many ways, being a foreigner in this culture brings difficulties and challenges. But it was encouraging to hear that it can also be something unique about us that can be a special ministry advantage. Pray with us that God blesses our efforts to reach out to those around us!

Comparing "Home" to "Home"

The longer we live in Austria, the more of an adjustment we go through each time we visit the States. Austrian life, culture and routines have become our new normal and as such, returning to the U.S. has begun to feel "foreign". In some ways, American routines and ways of life are still a part of our DNA, and we do settle in after a period of time. But this takes longer and longer with each visit.

The things that we notice to be different between our former "home" and our current "home" also change. During this most recent visit to the States, there were differences that stood out to me that hadn't been as noticeable before. Here are a few...

• The Egg Yolks - Yes, the eggs are different in Austria (and perhaps Europe in general?) The egg yolks are bright orange. When we first moved to Vienna, we found this to be odd, but now, it is totally normal to us. When I first cracked open an egg in Minnesota, I exclaimed, "The egg yolks are so yellow here! How weird!" I had totally forgotten that this used to be normal to me. It may not seem like much, but it represented to me how much we have adjusted to our new home and how foreign our former country now seems.
• The Toilet Paper - The toilet paper in the U.S. is so soft! Enough said.
• The Restaurant Experience - This is a big one. There are several things about eating in a restaurant in the U.S. that are very different and have been difficult for me to get used to. Specifically...

• The cost of eating out is higher. Drinks are more expensive, food is also pricey, and you are expected to tip 20% (for a good reason...the servers depend on this for income). In Austria, drinks are cheap and tipping is more like rounding up. 
• There aren't coat racks everywhere. In Vienna, I always hang up my coat by the door. In the US, I have spent time looking for a coat rack in several restaurants, finally to realize that it's not very common.
• The bill! In Austria, you must ask to pay and sometimes track down your server to do so. I have come to appreciate this so much! But you can also sit and wait for awhile, before finding your server to ask for something. The benefit is you can take your time eating and are never rushed out the door. When you are ready for the bill, you ask for it. In the US, your server brings your bill as soon as you are finished and also checks on you often. After getting used to the Austrian system, this gives me the impression that they want me out the door as soon as possible, and I find the interruptions a bit of an inconvenience.
• Talking to Strangers - I have mentioned this before in previous blog posts, but it continues to astound me. People are so chatty in the US! I find myself being startled when strangers talk to me in public places. I should remember that they are just being friendly, but I'm no longer used to it.
• The Size of Things - In the US, everything is bigger - the cars, the open space, the stores (can we say "Target"?), the food portions, the houses, the highways...and I'm sure I could list many more. In the US, "bigger is better" is king, whereas in Austria, bigger can be considered wasteful or over-the-top.
• Where "Home" Is - In some ways, the US still feels like home to us. It will always be our native culture and after a period of time, we can slip back in. But now, we proudly and comfortably refer to Austria as "home" when we are talking to friends and family. Hearing someone say to us, "Welcome home", when we visit the US feels odd, because this is no longer our home. Home is now Vienna.

Photo credit: 5demayo from morguefile.com 
Photo credit: DMedina from morguefile.com