Has anyone come across a Japanese art form called Kintsugi ? It has a lot to teach us in our modern world, as it did to the ancient civilisations. Read on to find out more.

It is difficult to imagine or recall a time where there is such conflict, strife, hardship, poverty – both physical and spiritual – fear and breakdown in a large part of our world. The word that has sprung to my mind in thinking about what to write here is brokenness. In so many ways societies and cultures are broken, or breaking down, with seemingly little that can be done to fix the root cause. Fundamental to all cultures is relationships, and we see across the globe the results of breakdown in relationships, causing huge pain and suffering wherever we look.

This is where Kintsugi comes in – it is the Japanese technique for repairing broken pottery with seams of gold – the word means ‘golden joinery’. It repairs the brokenness in a way that makes the object more beautiful and even more unique than it was before being broken. Instead of hiding the scars it makes a feature of them.

In my own experience the longer we live the more likely we are to develop scarring and wounding by living in this broken, fallen world. The answer to brokenness is wholeness – ‘Shalom’ in Hebrew – through the most painful but beautiful scars that we could ever look upon – those of Jesus Christ, as He took all the sin, sickness and brokenness of the whole world upon Himself at His crucifixion 2,000 years ago that first Easter time. Those scars on His hands, feet and side are still visible in heaven even now, as He sits with His Father, having been raised to life again.

Jesus’ sacrifice, as we apply it personally, repairs our broken lives to take on His healing and beauty. Every life is precious and unique in God’s eyes, and His burning desire is to see every one of us transformed and made whole, which is only possible through accepting the offer of new life that Jesus came to bring.

This is the exchange Jesus offers as we surrender to Him: “He binds up the broken-hearted, brings liberty to the captives, opens the prison doors to those who are bound.” (Isaiah 61 verse 1 paraphrased). Why refuse such an offer?

Bob House

Pastor at Rockwell Green Christian Centre

Rep for Wellington Street Pastors & Wellington One Team