FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: CHINESE NEW YEAR EDITION

After so many years of celebrating Chinese New Year, it’s become second nature to bring a pair of oranges along every time you head out visiting.

Remember, two hands. And if you accidentally squash/eat one, don’t bother bringing just one – that’s taboo. Good things come in pairs, and oranges symbolise wealth and luck in the Chinese culture.

But beyond tradition and superstition, oranges ought to remind believers of how Jesus sent out the 72 disciples in Luke 10 – in pairs.

Even if you forget to grab that little bag of oranges before you go, know that you are called to bring a far better gift to every house: A gift of peace.

And as they went, Jesus gave them specific instructions: To speak peace and bring blessings to every house. “If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them,” He said (Luke 10:6).

So even if you forget to grab that little bag of oranges before you go, know that we are called to bring a far better gift to every house. A gift of peace.

Make this the prayer for the family you’re visiting. Pray for the homes you enter, for as many people as you can, with each mandarin orange you peel and with every refreshing carpel (yes, that’s what you call a segment of an orange) you pop in your mouth this CNY.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:18)