'‘Mission’: a call to take sides with poor' - by Philipose John, Gurukul

Text: Amos 2:6-16

Irom Sharmila Chanu is in indefinite fast for the last ten long years. She is continuing her hunger strike against the beastly iron-handed law, the Armed Forces Special Power Act- 1958, enforced in Manipur to counter the insurgency. This law grants immunity to Army and Para-Military forces to shoot at or take into custody anyone who appears suspicious; without the need to wait for the usual judicial and administrative sanctions. This law guarantees the soldier a solid cover against any atrocities committed in the wake of upholding the security of the nation. The army personnel cannot be trialled in a civil court for any crime they commit against the civilians. They can only be trialled at a military court. Irom Sharmila considers that if this law rules, the bodies of the Manipuris will be crushed and their lives will be trampled to dust. She protests against this ruthless law to defend the dignity of the lives of ordinary Manipuris. Lying on the hospital bed in the police custody, she continues her struggle against the might of the Indian military. While the police ironically, takes the role of protecting her life by forcibly feeding her with liquid food. A glaring example of the ethical pauperism of government, which tries to save its face by saving the life of an activist protesting for taking the lives of thousands in Manipur.

Who is there to side with them? It is a pertinent question thrown up to all of us who are called to be in God’s mission.  Through the prophecy of Amos, God calls every one to a mission of taking sides. Mission is a creative response to God’s supreme will for the whole creation through decisive acts of taking sides. Let us think about two aspects of this mission, which are imperative in our missionary journey.

1. Taking sides to affirm the rights.

The text taken for meditation historically situates itself to the first half of 8^th century BCE. The leadership of Uzziah and Jeroboam II led Judah and Israel into prosperous nations. The military victories over the neighbours and the conquering of trade routes brought some peace in the land. But at the same time the gap between the minority rich upper class and the majority poor peasants widened.

In this context, Amos prophesises against the scornful sins committed by Israel, described in V.6. It is the style of wisdom literature to indicate the innumerable, unaccounted, cumulated sins committed, by the usage of ‘Three transgressions and four’. These sins refer to the human rights violations that dehumanised the poor and enslaved them in poverty. Any kind of violence committed by a person or group of persons against another person or group of persons denying others’ freedom comes under the purview of human rights violation. The innocent people in Israel were trapped, convicted and chained by the powerful and rich by bribing the judges. This eventually resulted in the kill of truth in the courts of Israel and the criteria for justice turned to be motives of personal gain.

Since the rich could buy justice from courts of law, the poor were sold as slaves even for meagre sums of debts. The story of Ruth reveals, as we see in Ruth 4:7, about the method of transfer by the exchange of pair of sandals. This was most commonly done with the exchange of commodities. So the selling of human beings for a pair of sandals violates the value of personhood of human beings and commodifies them to be sold in the market.  

In Ancient Israel, dust on the head was a sign of sorrow as we see in Job’s life in Job 2:12. V. 7 confirm that in Jeroboam’s kingdom monetary power got prominence over human values. The injustice of the influential elite took precedence over the rights of poor. They trampled the heads of the poor to the dust of the ground and those who had the will to confront these were disposed out of the way.

God commands Israel to be in favour of poor, in law-suits according to Exodus 22: 25 and 23: 3 & 6. But on the contrary the Israelites to whom Amos was prophesying, was never in favour of poor. The order of the day was that the justice and rights were only for the rich. The human life and dignity was distorted violently. And one should be cognizant that human rights violation is a serious distortion of Image of God. In a broader perception all kinds of violation of rights such as poverty, injustice, exploitation, discrimination amounts to disregarding and dishonouring God’s Image in creation.

We are more or less in the same situation as it was happening in the context of Amos. Poverty is the upshot of our myopia to see our brothers and sisters and stinking selfishness. Money lenders and goonda gangs rampant in Indian public spaces ravage the lives of poor, making their lives undesirable. The loop holes in the law guarantee safe passage to many who violate women and children. Manorama Devi, a Manipuri woman is just one among them to name. She was accused of seditious underground activities by the military. She was picked up by the army personnel her from her house in the cover of the dark, raped and killed.

In the name of development and mega projects, dalits and tribals are uprooted from their ancestral settlements and rehabilitated elsewhere. Their culture, faith and world views are things, which can be easily disposed with, to give way for the mega developmental projects like dams and mines. It is crystal clear that none of these projects are going to benefit the lives of these indigenous people, but it simply adds on to the sophistication and comforts of the super rich stakeholders of such projects. As in the case of the poor of Amos’ time, today’s poor are also bought for a paltry sum like a pair of sandals as they are silenced through assimilation into resettlement and rehabilitation programmes.

Many tribals and social activists of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand regions are indefinitely kept as trial captives in the jails of India to abort any efforts of resistance to the inhuman coercion and displacement by the powers promoting the so called developmental projects. Dr. Binayek Sen, a paediatrician working in Chhattisgarh was arrested and kept in jail without any trial for two years accusing alleged relations with Maoists as he was working for the development of Tribals. If an educated doctor like Dr. Sen had to undergo such kind of torment and trouble what could be the state of poor peasants of rural India. He is one such, who took side to confront the dehumanising programmes of the government to benefit the multi billionaires of the country at the disposal of the rights of the tribal poor. His imprisonment was an instance of disposal of a genuine resistance to defend the sanctity of life.

What has been the main engine of the processes that created a situation of exploitation of the poor during Amos’ and our times? I think it is the fake spirituality, which is constructed and sustained by the unholy alliance of the priests, the judges and the ruling class to conveniently suit their self-seeking agendas.

2) Taking sides to assume a renewed spirituality.

The Spirituality of the Amos’ time was a distorted one. God is speaking through the prophet to those hypocrites who have domesticated religion and temple for their ulterior desires. V. 7b refers to yet another wickedness of the community. The ‘Temple prostitution’ was copied from Canaanites by the Israelites at that time and is said to have performed inside the Temple premises. This expresses the unholy nexus that was built between the stakeholders like priests and judges to sustain the economic luxury, which was also linked with the temple worship. The desire for pleasure that overwhelmed the lives of the religious leaders sought its legitimisation by developing a spirituality, which assures divine sanctions for it. The prostitution done by both the father and son alike to the same girl makes it a perversion that runs through the generations.

The foundation of Israel’s spirituality is the dwelling of God in the house of God, in the midst of God’s people, which is the visible expression of the God who delivered God’s people out of oppression with strong, outstretched hands. They have desecrated God’s temple with these filthy acts which was an abomination to the Lord God.

 The Clothes mentioned in v 8 have much significance in the Hebrew understanding of the honour of a person. Clothes taken in pledge implied ones reconciliation with God and the people, as the honour of a person is understood as a possible experience only in continuum with the glory of God and glory of the people. There were provisions in Hebrew law to safeguard the poor from any possible abuse of this judicial ritual. The divine commandment stipulates that the clothes taken in pledge from the poor are to be returned before the sunset as we see in Exodus 22: 27 and Deuteronomy 24:13. Clothes are the final belonging that one can give in pledge, which shows the unfathomable depth of financial crisis that one goes through.

When clothes are taken from human beings the whole dignity and glory is snatched away from them. They imposed on people fines for default of payment and they enjoyed the wine collected as fines on the cloth collected as pledge, negating the basic subsistence of the poor. This wine symbolises the squeezed outcome of the peasants laborious days, which some are unlawfully enjoying. All the relationships were got corrupted and commercialised. Religion and its leadership forgot the entrusted duty of caring expected of them and indulged in ways of enjoyment and dominated and manipulated the fellow beings.

This manipulating spirituality of Israel draws parallel with today’s spiritualities complying with globalised commercial intends. The places of worship have become spaces ridden by consumer relations. Altar is supposed to be a place where everyone is considered equal. This affirms that every creation is a member of the ‘family of God’ and it confers us the right to call our God Abba and Emma. This family endorses a system of no disparity and each call to the Lord’s Table is to quench the thirst and quell the hunger of the brothers and sisters by offering ourselves as the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Considering ourselves as the part of Family of God is not just our spiritual fervour but it is the core of Christian life. This leads us to a spirituality of care and concern.

Advocate P. A. Cyrus is an epitome of this caring spirituality. He was a leading advocate in the bar of Kerala High court, when he left his lucrative profession in fulfilling this caring spirituality. He went to ‘Vatattupara’, in the high ranges of Kerala, the place where I happened to do my internship program, where he joined with the daily labourers who cut bamboo for their daily living and became part of their life. He became a member of their families, stood for their rights and sowed the seeds of socio-economic changes in peoples’ lives. His is a beautiful model of the siding mission of God with the poor. Even at an advanced age of 80 and more he continues his missional voyage of realising the extension of the family of God in the North Indian villages.

Where do we, as the called ones, find meaningful mission models of taking sides for the rights of the poor and excluded? We see it nowhere else, but in the life and ministry of Jesus. Jesus took his stance with the poor and oppressed and announced the challenging message of the reign of God, establishing justice and fair deal to the poor. This vision of life that was open to the interests of the poor and the weak provoked the powerful of the day and they eventually murdered him. Though he was slain on the cross and suffered a cruel death he could keep his eyes open, to see the pain of his neighbour on the cross. This mind of Jesus should be our desire in our missiological endeavours.

Amos, as his name indicates was ‘laden’, with God’s message to the people of Israel of 8^th Century BCE. In today’s world we, as called for God’s mission are challenged to stand along with the poor for their rights and life? As God’s spokespersons, can we keep silence when the Image of God is distorted in front of our eyes? Would our pale spirituality get lifeblood to indulge with those who stand protesting for the liberation of the poor? Did the Kingdom Family which Christ envisioned take sides to include everyone irrespective of divisions? Let us side with the weak and poor and envision for a renewed spirituality so that justice may roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. May the Christ our Lord empower us for this. Amen.

[Philipose John, the preacher of this sermon, is a final year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

"Wombs from where the Heaven could sprout" by Ajay T.Oommen, Gurukul

Text: Luke 1: 26 -38

Advent season holds a mystery of waiting. We all are waiting to celebrate the day, which brought the great joy the world have ever known. Often waiting is something, that makes us bored and irritated. But the advent season demands, a waiting that should be kept as creative moments. Those people who dedicated this waiting, as creative moments, have experienced this great joy. To name some of them, Zachariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, Simon, Hanna, the Shepherds, the wise men etc.

What we see here in the gospel, is the annunciation to Mary by angel Gabriel. The dialogue between Gabriel and Mary is going to be the ground of our meditation today. It is only with amazement can we realise from this passage that, the Kingdom of God is not descending from heaven, rather it shoots forth from humble people like Mary. Traditionally it is believed that Mary was graciously selected, but I would rather say she was the most qualified person to carry a child like Jesus. It was not because she was a virgin, not because of her lineage, that she was blessed in such a unique manner. The gospel portion itself paints colour to the supreme character she possesses, to be called as Blessed Mary.

1.         In verse 28 and 29 we see, as Mary heard the greeting of the Angel, she was greatly troubled by this words and wondered that what kind of a greeting this is. The evangelist records that she wonders, not after the angel tells Mary that she is going to bear a child, but it was immediately after the angel meets her and greets that ‘the Lord is with you’. If we put ourselves in Mary’s position, we could find that, we are the ones who most commonly hear these words of assurance, that ‘the lord is with you’, in and outside Christian circle. Today itself if we look into our liturgy, how many times we are hearing this assurance, the God is with you. But for us, it often does not bring wonder.

We have seen many times women become troubled as well as wondered, when some guests unexpectedly comes to the house. What would be the reason? They are concerned, whether their house is in a position to welcome the guest.

The reason why Mary was troubled and wondered is that, she seriously doubted that, whether her space was ready to occupy God. She was considering critically the place she reserved for God in her life at the moment she heard the greeting. In her actions she proves to be a theist practically. But if we consider ourselves often we find ourselves as practically atheists without having any response even when we hear that, the god is with us.

We have been like Zachariah, who was not prompted by the presence of God, even in the alter, the most expected place of God. Mary who was troubled and wondered, by the reminder about God’s presence proves to be more theist than the priest Zachariah.

Here, the trouble and wonder that Mary experienced becomes a preparation to hear, the heavy burden she has to bear. If we are not moved or amazed by such reminders about God’s presence in our lives, we fail to fulfil the tasks entrusted to us by God.

If we are troubled and wondered at the remainder that God is with us, it should be taken as a sign, for the next step, God is going to entrust with us, some great tasks.

 2.         In verse 31 and 32, we see the angel commanding Mary to name the child as Jesus. He also gives some promises from the part of the heaven regarding the future of the child, that he will inherit the throne of David, he will reign in the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will never end. These promises were enough, to make the young girl Mary enthusiastic to accept the command to bear a child, even though she was not married. 

But we see though the angel said, the child is the son of God, he was not born with any of the well-beings of the heaven, except the name Jesus, nothing was given to him by the mighty heavens. Moreover he lost the natural environment needed for a child, from the time he was born.

Mary did not see any of these promises from God being accomplished, in Jesus’ life. But still, Mary groomed that child, to make the claims by himself that, I’m the son of God, I have a kingdom and I will reign on my Father’s throne. Jesus was taught by His mother Mary that he could even say at the age of 12 that he has to sit in his father’s place. Mary seems to be more convinced that Jesus is the son of God, as she asks Jesus to do something immediately, at the wedding of Cana. Mary didn’t raise her son for herself, but for God.

She didn’t burdened Him with the responsibilities that the eldest son of the family need to fulfil, she neither raised Him by telling the inconveniences that the heaven brought to her through His birth, nor by reiterating the unaccomplished promises of the heaven.  We see God in the heaven giving lot much of promises, but it was the poor mother Mary who works for the promises.

About every child the heaven has very high aspirations. But the heaven in its might, doesn’t groom any child. But what we have to introspect today is that, is there any parents like Mary who groom their children according to Heaven’s expectations? If so, you can also become like Mary and your children can also become one like Jesus.

3.         Finally in vs. 36 and 37 we see that Mary is being informed by the angel about the pregnancy of Elizabeth. The gospel writer finds, it is important to present this news, as an integral part of the annunciation to Mary. It was essential for Mary, to find somebody in her own social space who is equally blessed; to take in the things happened to her as blessedness, and not as a curse. A blessing cannot be a blessing, as long as the blessed stands alone. The blessed one needs to find a community of blessed around oneself, to make the blessing a meaningful one. Here Elizabeth becomes her blessed companion, who helped her to ponder upon her blessedness.

 It has become quite common in the Christian circle that, we often become indifferent to the blessedness of others. Often we couldn’t find meaning in the blessedness of others. We use to comfort ourselves, by pointing to the sorrows, and distress of others, which would be greater than ours, but never rejoice in the blessedness of others. This is the reason why, our blessedness and joy do not get converted, into the blessedness and joy for the world.

Pregnancy of Elizabeth became integral to the good news to Mary, because she longed to hear that. When Mary finds the extension of blessing between herself and Elizabeth, she realises that her blessedness and joy, is really going to be the joy to the world.

Today we need to ask the question, why our blessedness and joy are not becoming the joy to the world. Definitely the answer would be, our indifference to the blessedness and joy of others. But this advent season calls for a counter practice.

Dearly beloved in Christ, the advent is not just about waiting for a day, which is of historical significance. It is about experiencing the joy, that the advent brings. 1. It becomes possible through our response to the presence of God. 2. It becomes possible by ensuring, that the expectation of the heaven, is being fulfilled in the life of our children. 3. It becomes possible, when we find meaning in the blessedness of others. 

May the God through His Son and His Holy Spirit, bring us the joy of the advent... Amen

[Ajay T.Oommen, the preacher of this sermon, is a final year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

"The Royalty of Service is Breaking the Hierarchy" by John Allwyn, Gurukul

The Royalty of Service is Breaking the Hierarchy

(In a missionary perspective)

Text: John: 13:1-17

There are many missionaries who planted a fame and name by their hard and solid efforts in means of propagating Gospel. But it is not the same in all cases. It is anomaly thought of a Christian missionary to think about the welfare and development of a believer. Consciously or unconsciously Christian missionaries have a pride and self identity in means of mission that is gaining the souls in Christ Jesus. There are missionaries really doing their ministry without any pride and self-centered. They renounced all their benefits and profits. Above all they are keeping on maintaining their blameless life before others which is really a tough task. Blameless life does not connote the isolation or the separation from the people or the world, but it is a collaboration with them and being one among people in order to save them through Christ. Especially, they are proving the equality that our Lord Jesus Christ showed. The mission work is not a static but it is dynamic, which flows and spreads ceaselessly. Therefore the missionaries should have such flow to reach people not just up to the level of conversion but the scope of betterments of their welfare.  The missionaries’ part is not ended or stopped at the level of introducing Christ to them, but it has a lot of responsibilities to equip them to live a better life in their struggles. The development of the respected place where a missionary posted is not based on the work of a particular missionary how superior he/she is, but on the outcome or the result of the missionary work how long it has reached the people. In fact, that work should equip the people to stand on their own legs. How long people should depend the missionaries for their betterments? How long they expect the missionaries to meet their needs? These questions came to my mind after my experience in the DMPB mission field.

I was posted as a missionary in the Kalvarayan Hills. The mission work started here before merely more than 50 years. Even though, DMPB have done many works, they have raised only few missionaries as local missionaries. The local missionaries are the original people of the particular land, and they are forbidden by the DMPB mission board not to take any post as leaders of the mission. Though a local missionary has a complete quality for leadership, it has been forbidden by the DMPB missionaries. This shows that, we are failing to follow the models of Jesus in the ministry.

1)         Humility: a tool to break the hierarchy

Here, in this pericope (Jn: 13:1- 17) Jesus exhibits the humility which is a model for all of us. Feet - washing would be understood as a traditional act of  love in one sense in the Old Testament, and also feet-washing will be done when one entered one’s house, not during the course of a  meal. The Passover ritual prescribed a washing of hands after the second cup, but there is no evidence that Jesus’ action was a variant upon that custom. Feet –washing is explained here as being a lesson in humility and Jesus illustrated, by his action this essential feature of his mission and he bids his disciples to follow his example.

The fourth Gospel writer John is very keen in chronology of every event. He pointed out that this feet- washing had taken place before the feast that is Nisan the Passover. John emphasizes his chronology, which differs from that suggested by the synoptists. Moreover, according to John this act of feet-washing had taken time after the meal, exactly at the end of eating. Jesus “got up from the table”. Therefore it is clear that this act is not a matter of purification, or a preparatory act for a meal. It is an act of practical or object-lesson to the Disciples to instruct the Humility. Further, Jesus girded Himself with a towel, as a slave would do, and poured water upon their feet. This act showed us how Jesus the Master served his disciples with humility. John tells us that He not only spoke, but acted what He said. As a rebuke to their worldly strivings, He, their Lord and Master, showed them what dignity is in the Kingdom of God by rendering to them the most menial service that could be asked of a slave. The divine humility shows itself in rendering service. He who is entitled to claim the service of all his creatures chooses first to give his service to them. “The son of man came not to receive service but to give it” (Mk: 10:45).  This kind of attitude should be there in a missionary. 

The self- identity of a missionary should be vanished through the projection of Christ Jesus. But, still missionaries are holding such dignity and status in order to explicit them as a leader for mission. The action of Jesus broke the hierarchy between master and disciples, the superior and inferior. Some of our Christian missionaries do not want such mentality to be humble and treat other as their equals. They want others to remain in the same state where they are, is that the fundamental level of their spiritual entity. Missionaries’ need should be there always to help them by the domination. People always remain dependents. As a famous saying “a good leader does not make any disciples, but rather leaders”, Jesus proved it by both words and deeds. This is not an event that Jesus demonstrated such humility, which limited with itself alone but, a solid teaching which condemns the pride and superior hearts. The Lukcan Gospel clearly records the dispute about the greatness, among the disciples, followed by the institution of the Lord’s supper. It gives the conclusion of that dispute as follows; Jesus told them, “in this world the kings and greater man order their slaves around, and the slaves have no choice but to like it”. But among you, the one severs you best will be your leader. Therefore, the greatness is not based on the sophisticated life of a person but it is on humility and in respecting others. The demonstration of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet is a centre core of mission, which is recalling us to partake in such service. Let us find out the way to reach people with humility and meekness. 

2)         Recognition: a tool to break the hierarchy

The great attitude of a person is to consider others with their qualities. Respecting others and their talents are needed in God’s mission. For most forms of ministry some understanding of people is necessary. There are people those with multiple talents and gifts which are still not recognized in this world. The Christian mission is a platform for this kind of persons, and the hidden persons should reveal out to the light, since our Lord and savior is metaphorically considered as Light of the world. The recognition is also one way to equality. Jesus in his object- lesson taught to disciples the equality by recognizing them even though the disciples did not know about themselves and their talents. For example:  while Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, Peter denied such act of his Lord, that master comes and doing the menial service is somehow humiliation to the master. But, Jesus’ intention is not like the way Peter thinks. It is more than that, Peter said “Lord are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand”. Here Jesus knew that Peter would go to do many things to the world after his ascension, but Peter did not know that at the movement. Jesus’ recognition is so revealed in this verse even though Peter did not know it. Further, Peter said again “you will never wash my feet”, Jesus answered, “But if I don’t you can’t be my partner”. This is a clear cut statement of Jesus that if Peter does not take part in washing then he will lose the equal partnership with his master.  What does the partnership denote here? This might be our question further dealing with this perecope. The partnership is an involvement in God’s mission that Jesus was doing along with his disciples. Jesus identified himself as a servant of God, by doing God’s mission and his open call to everyone to partake in it too. The “part” with Jesus is a sign of accomplishment of God’s mission and importantly the deeper meaning of it is “heritage with Jesus”. The word “heritage” in verse 8 is significant. The Greek expression echein meros can mean simply “to share with; be a partner with”, and this is mean the “more than fellowship”, the word Meros is used in LXX to translate Hebrew Heleq, the word that describes the God-given heritage of Israel. Peter did not understand that at the time but, as per Jesus said he became a great leader later after, Jesus’ ascension. This is what really needed to a Christian missionary, in order to recognize people and respect them with their qualities and uniqueness. 

It is a major question to us that “why there is no recognition given to deserving persons by the Christian missionaries?” it is a sensitive question because people are really not achieving their destination according to their abilities. The reason behind that disregard is if a person is given such privilege then he might perhaps become stronger and superior to a missionary or a Christian leader. In order not to equip the lay people, missionaries do not encourage them up to such leadership levels. In fact those particular missionaries who think like that are not right in sense, but, they are deceiving themselves, moreover they do still know not the self recognition that they are chosen for God’s mission. Nevertheless, the missionaries those who have such mentality, do not recognize their own efforts and motivations that they put in to people’s lives. If the equipped person comes forward up to the leadership state, the inferiority complex of the particular missionary pulls him/her down.  Jesus did not have such thought in his mission, but he gave the recognition and authority to his disciples to go to the world and make all people as disciple of him. 

Dear partners, as so far we have seen the lack which is existing in the mission field and has to be restored with good qualities that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ had done. Our great mission is not to project our own Identity where we are doing ministry but we should follow the steps that Jesus demonstrated at the upper room. The mission of Jesus not ended by His resurrection and ascension but it is been continuing still through us.  He sent us the Holy Spirit to strengthen us to accomplish the mission with humility and equality. There is a good deal ahead of us to succeed that, therefore, my partners let us take part in God’s mission without our Ego and selfishness and let’s start recognizing others who are also partners of God’s mission. Why Because, Jesus had given us an example to follow: “Do as I have done to you” let us do the same. Amen.

[Mr John Allwyn J., the preacher of this sermon, is a final year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and ResearchInstitute, Chennai, India.]

‘Advent: the Mission of Hope’ - by Arnela S.

Text: Isaiah 4:2-6

The advent inaugurates the preparation for the coming of Messiah. It is a time when people plan best in order to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. With a hope to have the best times of merry making and feasting. The well decorated streets and echoes of children singing carol, exchanging gifts both young and old...it is not surprising that people keep themselves busy welcoming the festive season.

Isaiah 4:2-6 is the book-ends to the collection of materials in chaps.2 - 4, surrounding the section full of disaster but with the definite explicit language of Hope. This text is a response to the immediately preceding announcement of judgement on daughter Zion. The content of this unit moves a few steps from a prophetic to an apocalyptic understanding of the future, but formally it resembles prophecies of salvation. This description of future salvation affirms that the prophecies have been effective and that the goal was the purification of the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants. The section has a remarkable concentration of theologically significant expressions. It begins with a temporal phrase “on that day” which many scholars have taken to be eschatological. The context, in which the “branch” parallels the “fruit of the land” strongly suggest a hope for the fertility and fruitfulness of the land.

Christ is described by his names as the branch of the Lord and the fruit of the earth, and by proper epithets of him, as beautiful, glorious, excellent and comely. Christ is called ‘the branch’ but not as God, as human but not as a son, as a servant but not as mediator. A branch being tender denotes Christ’s state of humiliation on earth, he who grew up as a tender plant before God and was contemptible in the eyes of men: yet this branch became beautiful, being laden with the fruits of the divine grace such as righteousness, reconciliation, peace, pardon, sanctification and eternal life. These ‘divine grace’ are given freely to us in grace if the ‘branch’ grows in us. Thus, the advent season of waiting the Messiah is indeed a season of promised hope and blessings. In the text, the Messiah appeared to be excellent in his person as the Son of God and particularly in the fruits and blessings of grace, which grew upon him and come from him. The ‘survivor of Israel’ is the idea of a ‘remnant leftover from judgement’. It is possible that these escapees were thought to have survived because they were more righteous than those who were destroyed. They are accounted as ‘holy’ called with a ‘holy calling’ unto holiness.

Although destruction has been predicted against the filth of Israel, yet the writer had the confidence in God’s will to save. With this hope they persevere in godliness and holiness, we may call them ‘living and persevering Christians in Jerusalem’ whom shall be admitted to the new Jerusalem.

Likewise friends, as we welcome and anticipate for the birth of Christ in our hearts, it is imperative that we are reminded as to how we prepare ourselves to welcome the messiah? The season of Advent, as we see in today’s text, is a season of hope and anticipation for blessings. A blessing under one canopy of God’s love in Jesus Christ, all people will be drawn underneath it. A universal mission of God indeed! A season and arrival of peace where Jesus Christ will be our arbitrator and an era of peace where people will molten their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks (cf. Isaiah 2:4). In today’s context where tension, hatred, conflict and war exist within and outside the community and between nations, the message of Advent gives us hope of the arrival of love, peace and life. It calls us to engage joyfully in the mission of hope and peace. It reminds us to be agents of peace and reconciliation. The more important question is: how can we be the image of peace and hope? OR, how can we be the witness of peace and hope? In contrary and unfortunately, we Christians engage in some of the unfitting and demeaning activities to our calling. Unless we ourselves are filled with peace and hope, it is clear that we cannot participate in the God’s mission of hope, love and life. For that reason, Advent season prepares us to welcome the blessing of God in Jesus Christ, in our hearts. It is the mission of God that calls us to participate in that universal love as persevere of godliness and holiness.

May God humbles us and gives us hearts to welcome this overwhelming love so that we can be channel and befitting to participate in the God’s mission of hope, peace, love and life.

[The preacher, Arenla S., is a first year MTh Student in the Department of Missiology in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute,Chennai, India.]

How HIV Virus Infects?

[This short video, The  Destroyer, was shown during the community worship service during World AIDS day, 2010.]

"Human Sexuality as a Garden of Celebrations" by Georvin Joseph, Gurukul

Text: Song of Solomon 2: 8-17

Natasha Walter   in her recently published book titled, The Living Dolls: The return of Sexism   paints a frightening picture of an erroneous sexual culture. Walter, a Briton, predominantly speaks about the western society, but she cautions that it is spreading globally too. This culture, what she calls as ‘’Hypersexualisation”, tells young women that the best they can aspire is to  become a pole-dancing glamour model, and their gender preferences are biologically determined   rather than socially constructed. This culture turns women into the primped and hollow dolls   that are given to play with as children. Walter contends that   though feminism has made determinative influences in the social order, a male chauvinism   with antagonism towards women is fostering this culture to objectify female bodies as locales of exploitation. Let us go back to the text   and search in it how Hebrew poetry views human sexuality.
For many of us   it may be awkward to hear these words from the pew; it is even more uncomfortable to speak them   from the pulpit. Love poetry describing the erotic body   and the description of sexuality   within the confines of worship is beyond taboo. Yet we hear these words   from within the canon, from the holy book that we claim as guide for our lives. Tucked in neatly between Ecclesiastes and Isaiah, the church has historically   tiptoed gingerly over it.
The Song of Solomon has been interpreted as an allegory, a collection of pagan fertility cult liturgies   and an anthology of disconnected songs extolling human love.  The allegorical interpreters   include the Jewish tradition which viewed the book   as an allegorical picture of the love of God, for Israel. Church leaders, including Hippolytus, Origen, Jerome, Athanasius, Augustine, and Bernard of Clairvaux, have viewed the book   as an allegory of Christ's love for His bride, the church. However, the Song nowhere gives an interpreter   the suggestion that it should be understood as an allegory. I reserve the position that   the purpose of this book is to extol the human love   and any attempt to view it as an allegory   is our shyness or incapacity to speak of sensual love and affection in the context of a church. This song is the beautiful portrayal of a priceless gift of God   to enjoy and celebrate. Before going any further I feel I must honestly admit that   I am not speaking coherently to my differently sexual oriented brothers and sisters   as the further treatment is focusing on a heterosexual audience.
Sexuality is the gift of God to enjoy and celebrate
The poetic form employed in the songs is called in Arabic as wasf, a love poem in which   the lovers describe one another's bodies   using images from nature and architecture. That is why we see lot of imageries   from the nature in this passage and about the buildings in 4:4-5. The passage contains many words that are peculiar only to these passages and not seen elsewhere in the Jewish Bible   and it suits the spirit of the book as a whole   as there is no other book as Song of Solomon in the Canon. The preceding sections of the song   seem to have a royal setting though outdoor scenes also were mentioned   for example in, 1:14; 2:1-3. But the setting for 2:8-3:5   is the country side, where the lovers meet each other.
The influence of ancient west Asian art   makes the portrayal yet more imaginative and rich in drawing the score   for the song. Lover, asks his darling to go for a walk in the countryside. The elaborate description of spring   probably meant to do more than simply emphasizing the beauty of the setting. It is likely that he was also describing their relationship. In a sense when one falls in love, the feeling is like spring and everything seems fresh and new. The world is seen from a different perspective, which is how the lover felt   when he was with his beloved. Several statements refer to the beauty of the spring.  Flowers appear in the spring, adding delightful colours to the landscape, inducing people to sing for joy. Doves sing, announcing spring's arrival. Fig trees put forth their early fruit. Grape vines blossom, giving off their fragrance just before the grapes appear. In total, spring stimulates the senses of sight, sound, taste, and smell.
These verses call upon to enjoy the sensual pleasures promised by the nature   as nature gets ready to affirm the continuance of life. What a spectacular portrayal of nature’s joys intertwined with sexual union? The sexual union completes the sensual pleasures through the sense of touch. The culmination of their sensual pleasures   marks the beginning of an authentic spirituality, where one gives oneself for the other. These verses bring to us   the celebration of humankind's return to the Garden of Eden. In the garden, humanity was "naked and was not ashamed"; humanity was free to eat of the goodness of the garden, to live in harmony with the animals, and to walk and talk with God. Upon the expulsion from the garden, humanity found itself in a world of hard work and difficult life. The Song offers a glimpse of a return to Eden, to the innocent state   that the world was created to be, a return to nakedness and no shame, to the utter joy of creation and being in the presence of God. Born to mutuality and harmony, a man and a woman live in a garden   where nature unites with them to celebrate the one flesh of sexuality. Their love is truly the celebration of themselves being the very bone and flesh of the other.
We have to scrupulously evaluate whether the marriages   in our families celebrate sexuality as portrayed in the Song. We often tend to adhere to the gender constructions of men with six packed muscular structure and with an attitude “I’m from Mars”, while women as pacifists, enduring all kinds of circuses by these machismos   through internalising. We need a redeemed masculinity and femininity which consider both as complementing partners   which stimulate mutual celebration of sexuality. Now why did this desirous celebration of sexuality become undesirous? Why is it for us difficult to talk and teach   such a beautiful state of our lives in the context of a church? As v.15 says we have to catch those foxes   that destroy this beautiful vineyard of our lives.
Sexuality is precious and should be guarded against all vices
Foxes were noted for their destructive tendencies in crop fields, so the reference to those animals   probably suggested metaphorically some problems   in the relationship of the couple. Craig Glickman in his book, ‘A Song for Lovers’ comments that, I quote   “the foxes represent the obstacles or temptations   that have plagued lovers throughout the centuries. Perhaps it is the fox of uncontrolled desire   which drives a wedge of guilt between a couple. Perhaps it is the fox of mistrust and jealousy   which breaks the bond of love. Or it may be the fox of selfishness and pride   which refuses to let one acknowledge his fault to another. Or it may be an unforgiving spirit   which will not accept the apology of the other.” End quote   Their willingness to solve the problems together   is an evidence of their maturity.
In the Egyptian love poetry foxes represent   sexually aggressive men, who tamper the mutual intimacy   expected in the conjugal relationship portrayed in the songs. 15th verse has a feminist intonation   that sees male domination as the root cause   for the vices in sexual relationships. As we read Matthew 5: 28   Jesus in his teachings about adultery, identifies men as the primary agents of adultery. His rebuke is addressing men who look at a woman lustfully. Natasha Walter in her book argues that   the men in the hypersexualised society are encouraged to view female bodies as a mere object of pleasure. At the same time women are asked to make their bodies   more sexually appealing to present themselves   as attractive products for bargain rather than devote on intimacy, imagination and love. This reduces sexual intimacy to mere acts of performance   where they are appraised completely based on their performance quotient. Our sisters, brothers and children who were pulled to the flesh trade   making them commercial sex workers by this culture   are indeed the sinned against. Their precious sexuality is stolen from them   asking for compromises to be compensated with filthy money.
In the pretext of hypersexualisation there is a wider outcry that the younger generation is taking marital life lightly   and engage in premarital and extramarital, uncommitted sex. Predominantly our response is a blatant ‘NO’. A Christian ethical response to this will be to educate that   these casual uncommitted sex sells us short as relational beings, capable of inter personal love. It just involves two persons   using each other’s bodies for individual pleasure   without interest in and concern for the person, who each of them is.
The couple in the song   is very much contrary to what is described   about man-woman relationship in the hypersexualised societies. The relationship between the woman and the man   is one of mutual desire and enjoyment. Neither one of the lovers   nor the couple itself fits a gender-determined stereotype. They are fiercely committed to each other. Both of them use much of the same colourful and provocative imagery   to describe each other and the love they share. These imageries are not used as means to bargain on their bodies   rather to express their joy of self giving and love making.
The song certainly applauds the glories of lovemaking   and more importantly, it celebrates the depth of the commitment shared by the woman and man. Chapter 8:6-7 has been described as the zenith of expressions of the entire Song. The woman maintains that   their love possesses a force that can easily rival the power of death and Sheol   the place of death. It can even withstand the chaotic primal and flood waters. Neither death nor chaos is a match for the love   that joins these two. No power from the netherworld   and no treasure from this world  can compare with the strength and the value of love. This realisation about one’s sexuality   and the mutual love they share   enables the couple to engage in the sexual talk   as a mark of protest.
Sexual talk as a voice of protest
The final verses of the passage   figuratively express the sexual union of the couple. Some translators consider the lilies mentioned here   to be lotus flowers, which were symbols of sensuality and fertility in Egypt   and Canaan. They were committed to each other   and the woman knew that her beloved belonged to her   and she belonged to him. Her thoughts of their mutual possession of each other   naturally led to her desire for physical intimacy. So in her mind she invited him   to turn to her like a gazelle. Gazelles are often portrayed as the companions of the goddess of love   in ancient west Asian art. The original text refers to a mount of Bather   in Hebrew al harē bather in v.17. The original site of this mount is not yet found. It seems preferable to take the mentioning of mountains   as a subtle reference to the woman’s breasts. In an implicit way   the woman wants that intimacy to last during the night till the day breaks at dawn   and the night shadows vanish.
This language expressing the longing of the woman   towards sexual intercourse is a clever interpolation of the writer   to voice the sexual preferences of the women   in a predominantly androcentric world, where a woman who speaks of her sexual desires   is bringing shame to the honour of her man. The Song of Songs is telling to its readers of all times   that the preferential passages that they would normally deem to be 'religious'   or expressing God's will for them, is not the only way to talk about   the manifold experiences of life. Even if the Song of Songs is interpreted as a metaphor,   the reality of the language and its immediate 'real life' references imply   how important are they to human life. All we need indeed, is a radical readjustment of our concepts  on what should be deemed 'holy' and what should be ‘profane’. The song does not present a negative protest   but a positive celebration that protests by implication.
There is no doubt that   the Song of Songs was written within the circumstances of a patriarchal society   dominated by the preferences of men, in the realm of sex as elsewhere. Though there are not much supporters   to the argument of female authorship of songs   scholars like S.D. Goitein asserts that   the framework and the plot of the Song of Songs   is authored by a woman. Another suggestion is that a woman was the author of Song of Songs   perhaps one of Solomon's wives or a female sage from a later period of ancient Israel. The woman's voice dominates the chapters and verses of the book,   fifty six of its verses are the voice of the female character,   while thirty six are the voices of the male. In addition,   the feminine voice opens and closes the dialogue of the book. Altogether   the spirit breathed in the songs   suggests a female authorship. This indeed registers the fact that   women even in that patriarchal society were capable and imaginative to acknowledge their protest.
Tissy Mariam Thomas is a lecturer of Psychology, teaching in Christ College, Bangalaru,   who authored a book in Malayalam titled ‘iranginadappu’   which means ‘walking outside’. She prophetically dared to write   about the irritating and painful experience of a woman  going out on the streets of Kerala. She says, I quote   “each time when I sat down to write my column,   scores of bitter experiences and a number of scars came rushing into my mind   and it was deeply disturbing. But I was happy, overwhelmed, and proud   and even felt a little more empowered   as I could see people were irritated, shocked, hostile and surprised   with the incidents narrated.” These are the voices of protests of bold women   from our patriarchal society. What is our message today?
Our message for this day is that, we should be cautious   when we too often stigmatise people   who speak of their sexuality, about their preferences   or their experiences by branding them as ‘immoral’. Immorality is a dubious term   which does not have a definite meaning unchangeable over the time. Morality calls us for an adherence   to the expected norms of the society. So to envision a change   where everyone gets an opportunity to celebrate their sexuality responsibly   in their words and deeds,   beckon us to be ‘immoral’. It is risking us for the sake of authentic celebration of our sexuality.

Indeed the Song of Solomon removes the envelope, challenges the status quo, and empowers that our bodies are spaces   for the divine to reveal   in our frail attempts to love one another. While the theme of sexual relationships   does appear in Proverbs and in Hosea, they are often associated with negative connotations of adultery,   which is condemned. Hence we never find a celebration of the pleasures   of physical love or an admiration elsewhere. Today we ourselves are puzzled   in the mesh of finding out   where we stand in understanding our sexual bodies   under a huge span of extremes. We see that there is a growing fear in the church   and society that the younger generations are getting hypersexualised. But at the same time there is a conscientious silence   towards the discussions relating to sexuality. Many simple behavioural changes in adolescents are considered as severe mental ailments   and called upon counsellors for a cure,   while society itself needs more clear guidance   on understanding such changes. This is a matter of grave injustice,   which we are doing to the generations to come.
The male and female protagonists of the passage   affirm to us that their sexuality and love is indeed divine,    nurtured by nature and gifted by God. They realise in their intimate life   that there can be obstacles they needed to overcome   and to consider sexuality as precious and worthy   and never allow it to get vitiated. Their bold talk on enjoying their bodies and sexuality   reminds us to take our sexuality seriously,   to be bold enough to address our desires   and all the more to reject the Greek dualism that still rules us   which puts Spirit as good and body as evil. If we trust on the biblical passage through which we went through this day,  we have to stand our ground and say with boldness that   these, our sexual bodies are indeed good,   the gardens of authentic celebrations of life. May the divine love   constantly challenge us to take this bold step   and fight all forces that distort authentic celebration of our sexuality. Amen.

[Georvin Joseph, the preacher of this sermon, is a final year B.D student of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

" Inviting the poor from Gates of poverty into the wealth " by Jaya Jesudas Pudi, Gurukul

Text: Luke 16: 19 -31

            In August 08, 2006 a small story was printed in ‘India Today’ magazine. Once there was a rich man, who was living a luxurious life with all kinds of bliss and rich accommodations. He became rich without any experience of pains and strivings and struggling. He had only one son about 10 yrs of age, whom he loved so much. Once he took his son to his native village and showed him the poverty of the villagers. After the trip got over and returned back to his city, that rich man asked his son about the poverty. His son replied, “Dad, we have only one dog, they have four. We have a small swimming pool, they have a Long River. We have lights, they have stars. We have small piece of land, they have large fields. We have servants to serve us, they serve others. We buy food, they grow theirs. The boy’s father was speechless. Then boy said, “Thanks dad, for showing me how poor we are”. Later his father realized what was lacking in his life, even though he was blessed with so many riches. He gets to realize the pains of the poor who were really struggling for their livelihood.

            Friends, we are gifted with so many riches of life with what we are enjoying the pleasure of it ourselves, but not bothering about the needs of others especially poor, who are not able to meet their daily needs. Being selfish, we are neglecting and despising them. We are keeping them outside the gate and not inviting them to share our riches with them. They always remain in poverty. The following passage gives us a good example to the so called people who are lovers of money and not caring the poor.

In this passage, preceding verses and chapters, The Lord Jesus has been speaking to the crowds, among who are money-loving Pharisees. They are not at all pleased with what they have seen and heard from Jesus. They grumbled against Jesus for receiving sinners and even eating with them (Luke 15:2). In response to this, Jesus told three parables, all of which dealt with the finding of something lost in chapter 15. In chapter 16, we can see the grumbling of the Pharisees turned sour—to scoffing.

Jesus’ teaching in verses 14-18 is in response to the scoffing of the money-loving Pharisees. The Pharisees considered wealth to be a proof of righteousness (Deut 28: 11-13). The savior himself and most of his followers are poor, and rich men are very apt to despise what they consider the cheap Quixotism of the views of pious human concerning, the best use of riches, when those men are themselves are poor. Jesus startled them with this story in which a diseased beggar is rewarded and the Dives (rich man) is punished. He taught them to act in spirit and have the quality of neighborliness, and need to help others with their money and things.

“Having Neighborliness” as a Barometer of soul (19-26)

            Jesus Christ introduced the rich man without any details respecting his age, place of residence and nameless too. He lived a life of royal magnificence and boundless luxury. His apparel seems to be purple and fine linen a royal precious thing scarcely used by princes and nobles of very high degree. Everything with him that could make life splendid and joyous was in profusion. In striking contrast to the life of dives paints the life of a beggar Lazarus, derived from Hebrew word “El-ezer” (meaning= god help) (should not be confused with the Lazarus whom Jesus raised from dead in john 11. This giving of name to person in this parable nowhere else recorded in any gospel records of parable teachings of Jesus. He is represented as utterly unable to win his bread. He was a constant sufferer, covered with sores, wasting under the dominion of incurable disease. The crumbs of bread from dives he ate signify the broken fragments which the servants of the dives toss to the poor beggar man as he lay by the gate (greek ‘pulon’). These dogs adds additional color to the picture of the utter helplessness of the diseased sufferer, there he lay, and as he lay, the rough homeless dogs would lick his un bandaged wounds as they passed on the forage.

            At last kind death came and relieved Lazarus of his sufferings. His dismissal, as might have been expected because of deadly disease. He was carried by the angels by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. Some scholars interpret the words that body as well as soul was carried by angels into paradise. The term “Abraham’s bosom” (Gk- kolpos) was used by Jews indifferently with ‘Garden of Eden’ or ‘under the throne of glory’ for the home of happy. The idea of suffering does not live in those first words regarding Lazarus but, in ‘being in torments’. The very fact of the man’s being unhappy is gently represented. The home of the, loving, where Abraham was, would be no home for that selfish man who had never really loved or cared or considered as his neighbor. He saw for himself. Torments might or might not be the material flame. It is rather the burning never to be satisfied. In the case of dives, his delight on earth seems to have been society, pleasant jovial company, the being surrounded by a crowd of admiring friends, the daily banquet, the gorgoreous apparels and the stately house. But in the other world his soul seems to have been quite alone. Lazarus had sweet companion ship of Abraham. Some see this in relationship of child to parent (john 1: 18). 

            The rich man’s attitude to the great patriarch (Abraham) is deferential, for he addresses him as ‘father’ and words his request humbly enough. Unconscious arrogance in his attitude to Lazarus can be seen in asking to send a drop of water with finger of Lazarus. He assumes that he can have the poor man(Lazarus) sent across to him a service (unless his words mean no more than that he was ready to accept the alienation. He has not realized that earth’s values no longer apply. Abraham gives a reasonable refusal to the request his addressing dives as ‘child’ is tender. In life the rich man had had his good things. He could have spent time with the things of God and delighted in the word of God. He could have engaged in alms giving (Lazarus had been close enough). For him good things had been purple linen, daily merriment and feastings. Here the balance is redressed. Justice is done.

Friends, what’s the point here is….

Jesus is saying that riches don't count for anything after we die and our souls depart, but that isn't the thrust of this parable. According to me, he is making two points.

   1. Wealth without active mercy for the poor is great wickedness.

   2. If we close our eyes to the truth we are given, then we are doomed.

In the context, Jesus is condemning the Pharisees not only for their love of money but lack of mercy for the poor and not having the sense of neighborliness. Once he has already commented about their scrupulous tithing? "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rues and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone" (Luke 11:42). It isn't their piety that he is condemning, but what they aren’t doing i.e., showing mercy to the poor, seeking justice for the downtrodden. It is ironic that the Pharisees who prided themselves on being such Bible scholars largely missed the spirit of the Old Testament i.e., mercy and justice. As the teachers of the scriptures they need to have neighborliness towards poor. Thus, they can be called as spiritual preceptors but not so. We are also in the same situations. As bible toting Christians we need to recognize the lord and his love in the poor

“Recognizing the lord in poor” as the scriptural perception (27-31)

For the first time in the story the rich man (Dives) shows some interest in others (though still not of the poor, he sticks to his own). He asks that his 5 brothers may be warned. In his deep seated sense of superiority remains. In contrast is Lazarus impressive silence throughout the parable. He does not speak at all. He neither complains of his hard lot on earth, nor grudges over the dives after death, nor is expresses resentment at the latter endeavors to have to have him sent on errands. Throughout he accepts what god sends him. Abraham points to the scriptures Moses (writers of law) and prophets (16v). The scriptures give the brothers all they need. There is an implication that the rich man’s unpleasant situation was due not to his riches, but to his neglect of scripture and its teaching. But the rich man does not agree. He knows how he had reacted to the possession of the bible. So he says that if someone goes to them from the dead things will be different. That will bring them to repentance. Such is the fallacy of the natural man.

The parable concludes with Abraham’s solemn affirmation that the appearance of one risen from the dead will bring no conviction to those who refuse to accept scripture. If a man (Jesus) cannot be humane with the Old Testament in his hand and Lazarus on his doorstep, nothing or neither a visitant from the other world nor the revelation of the horrors of hell will teach him otherwise.

At the end of the gospel, we are told of two, whose hearts were “strangely warned” when the scriptures were interpreted to them. They were walking on the road to Emmaus. A stranger joined them and began to explain the law and prophets. When evening came, the two insisted that the weary stranger share their table with them. Then, as they shared their bread with the stranger, they recognized their lord in the stranger. Perhaps if the rich man had tended Lazarus needs and invited from the gates into his home and share a meal with him, he too would have recognized lord in the poor Lazarus who had always been a stranger to him.

Did the 5 brothers ever get the message? We are not told; for that is the question the parable leaves us to answer. Each of us needs to write our own ending to the story.

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats teaches similar lessons.

    "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

    They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

    He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:41-46)

Friends.... Wealth is not bad. After all, Abraham was wealthy. But wealth brings with it certain responsibilities, a certain stewardship. We will give an accounting for how we handle the wealth God has given us. We have relative wealth. Perhaps not relative to our own culture, but relative to the global village that we can affect with our giving. We will give an accounting.

We are Scripture-toting Christians who have the benefit of the scriptures. If we don’t notice and minister to the poor, what excuse will we have? In the final analysis, the rich man's punishment is not for riches, but for neglect of the scriptures and what they teach. That doesn't mean we should give out of guilt or give unwisely or give to whoever cries the loudest. Instead, we are to give out of the love of God within us. Not selfishly to assuage our guilt, but selflessly to care for someone else's needed.

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is about Money, wealth and self-centeredness. At the same instance, it is especially a parable about mercy -- mercy now!

I go back to the story what I told in my introduction. The son of the rich man who made his father speechless, become the inheritor of his father’s property after his death. Immediately, he spent half of his income for the upliftment of his native village. Just imagine if each and every one of us have the same motto.

Friends............... What are we doing for the Poor?

As disciples we are asking: What should we learn from this? Jesus, what are you saying to us today?

In a sense, the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus teaches a similar lesson to that of the Unjust Steward (16:1-9). We can use our money in a way that secures for us secure eternal damnation, or in a way that secures us friends in eternal habitations who will welcome us. But there's more. William Barclay titles this passage, "The Punishment of the Man Who Never Noticed."  Lazarus was at his door and the rich man didn't notice or invite.

Who is at our door that we as a Christians and as a church don't invite?

    * Needy illegal aliens who avoid the social welfare system for fear of being deported?

    * Divorced moms with kids who are living below the poverty level but are too proud to ask for help?

    * Families where the breadwinner is sick or shiftless or missing?

    * The poor in third world countries who are out of sight and out of mind?

Don’t forget that we are living in an unexplained world, where the poor walks miles and miles to gain food. And the rich walks miles and miles to digest the food. Let us act and invite poor from the gates of poverty to wealth. Let the doors be shut with no one remaining outside. Amen   

[Jaya Jesudas Pudi, the preacher of this sermon, is a final year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Instiute, Chennai, India.]

Open Door - by Rev.Fr.Zerah Paul, Gurukul

Text: Rev. 3: 7-13

The Author of the book introduces himself in the opening sentence of the book as “God’s servant John”. He frequently refers to himself in the work most commonly as a prophet, but never as an apostle. In this respect he differs markedly from Paul.

In the book of Revelation written by John, the second and third chapters deal with the letter to seven churches. The portion assigned for today’s meditation is Ch: 3.7-13. This text deals with the letter to the church at Philadelphia. Philadelphia was located 28 miles southeast of Sardis. Both Sardis and Philadelphia suffered extensive damage in a great earthquake in AD 17. The message to the church at Philadelphia is most probably an assurance of the entrance into a new age. Philadelphia gained a position of certain commercial importance in the politico-economic context of the Roman Empire. Yet it had many contradictions as some of the typical Greco-Roman cities. The actual town had few inhabitants but the majority lived as farmers in the countryside. Because of the rich volcanic soil available, the farmers of the place heavily depended on viticulture. Their lives were in fact a life of great endurance, for which they are highly commented in the letter. The whole letter is dominated by the sure and certain prospect of life in the Kingdom of God.

In this passage I focus only on one verse i.e. verse 8 “I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut”. This statement which describes how the exalted Christ has used his power of opening and shutting on behalf of the Philadelphian community may be an allusion to the introduction to the oracle about Cyrus in Isa: 45.1, signifying God’s ultimate dominance over the course of history in creating hopes for the broken and repressed people. This reflection is going to be focused on the question of the meaning of this “open door” metaphor?

 There are essentially 2 possible meanings.

1. Opportunities for effective evangelization, especially the conversion of Jews
2. Guaranteed access to eschatological salvation i.e. entrance into the messianic kingdom.

The metaphor of the open door is found twice in the undisputed letters of Paul (1 cor. 16:9, 2 cor.2:12) and also occurs in col.4:3 and Acts.14:27.In all these contexts it means that opportunities to proclaim the gospel have been made possible. It is therefore probable that the metaphor has a fixed meaning among the Christians and refers to opportunities for evangelization. However, the fact that missionary activity is never mentioned elsewhere in revelation and hence such an emphasis does not allow us to take this meaning as granted.

It is an open door that will introduce a new dimension of John’s vision. That privilege afforded John to enter, to see, and to enjoy the glory of God is now accorded to the least promising of the churches. It is a promise from Christ to a church which is weak. Christ is an open door to all people mainly for the weak, oppressed and marginalized. As disciples of Jesus we should imitate him in being an open door to help people have entry into God’s glory. When we examine the history of our communities we can see several men and women of God who have acted as open doors inviting people to come and share in the glory of God. Francis Assisi, Ambedkar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Mother Teresa etc...Etc…They helped the poor people by uplifting them from the marginal existence to a life with restored human dignity. Because of their willingness to offer themselves as a medium, revealing God’s will through their lives the poor could break all sorts of bondages. They in turn became open doors for others to reveal messianic kingdom experiences in our world today.

Let me conclude with an incident that happened in the life of the renowned saint by name Francis Assisi. One day he went to visit some leprosy patients. There he could see people who could not sleep, walk or even eat because of the severity of their diseases and rotting ulcers on their body. So he started going there every day and helped these patients by giving them food and cleansing their wounds. After some days of his visit many of the patients were getting cured. One cured person came to him and asked “Are you really the risen Christ”? Because he felt God’s healing and comforting presence in St.Francis Assissi. Do anyone, ever ask us a similar question? If the answer is no, why is it so?

So this passage challenges us to become open doors to other people who are weak oppressed and marginalised. We had such a person in our midst, who lived out his life as an open door showing people way to God’s liberating glory. It was none other than our former Director emeritus Dr. K. Rajaratnam, who as we all know was a champion of Dalit liberation. Let us all decide to follow Jesus as being open doors to guide people to realization of God’s kingdom in our midst.

 [Rev.Fr. Zerah Paul, the leader of this meditation, is a third year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]