Listen to the Voices of the meek by Biji M.Raju

Listen to the Voices of the meek

Text:  1 Samuel 9:1-14

This passage illustrates the story of a man who went in search of his father's lost donkeys and founds a kingdom instead. This is the preface for the first anointing of Saul a benjimate as king of Israel who was sent out by his father to search for his lost donkeys which had strayed. Saul and the servant searched for the donkeys in vain. As time goes Saul feared that his father might have been worried about them leaving the thought about the lost donkeys because they were far away. So when Saul  decided to return home then his servant said that there was a man of god in the town,  man of honour, whose words always come true. He also said that perhaps the prophet  will tell us about the journey on which they have set out. It was very absurd that the servant knew about Samuel and told  Saul of his presence in the city in the land of zuph. This may disturb us and sound very strange. We suppose that the name of Samuel could have been as  familiar to all the people of Israel as the name of Gandhi to the people of India. But for Saul it was something new. Doesn't this indicate that here was a family living entirely outside all religious connections, entirely immersed in secular things, hearing nothing about godly people, and hardly ever even mentioning their names? .

Verse 7 also says about  a custom in Israel that if a person want to a meet a seer, they should have a present  as a token of respect. When Saul thought of the present he should bring to the man of God, he found his hands empty. Here again the poor servant came with solution that he can present the money that he had to the man of god to tell about their way, a quarter shekel of silver. A quarter shekel of silver would have been equivalent of a week or so of wages for the ordinary working man. This would be appropriate considering the value of the donkeys that had been lost.  On other hand we can say that the poor unknown servant is the reason why Saul to get the kingship, the greater privilege for a Benjamin, a small tribe could never have aspired to dominate over other large tribes in Israel

                   In the bible also we see many people like this whose service and help enable others to get blessings in their life. For an instance in 2 kings 5 we can see Naaman getting healing on account of the initiative of an unknown young slave girl.

                 Dear friends, in our society and in our church we see many people like this who don't have any name or identity or any recognition. But in the fuss of the society we cannot see or hear their voices. We are not ready to recognise or honour them nor hear the voice or cry of the meek. When we hear the voices of the meek we consider it as silly, because we feel that we are more experienced, educated and sometimes far better in the social status . But these incidence of unknown servant and unknown slave girl shows that the voice of the meek may lead to change and blessings in our lives. There are many barriers  which restricts us from hearing their voice, the barriers of economic status and social statuses. We should overcome our barriers to build the Kingdom of God.  Jesus Christ who is the model for our mission and vision gives importance to the poor widow's offering   rather than all the other rich offerings.

          In our midst we also see such persons whose silent actions and works result in the greater achievement of society as well as our church. We neither recognise nor listen to their words or hear their cries. Don't we think that they were  only the stepping stones for our success. Don't we close our eyes and ears to the cries of the poor, low and downtrodden, who lose everything even life, in the name of development and modernization. We should also be sensitive to their voices. It is our responsibility to respond to their voices, some time the voice of cries. How much importance are we giving to their cries? their cry for their land, rights etc.  For instance the land acquisition for power projects in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, lot of people lost their land and their right to  live. What's our stand towards the victims of the so called developments. As a theological community, the follower of the Christ, the revolutionist for the poor, what's our stand?. In Matthew 25 last judgement is based on our attitude towards the poor and needy.

what is our response towards vulnerable.   Will we become an agent for a change ?

May the almighty strengthen us to become agents for a sea change. Amen

[Biji M.Raju, the preacher of this sermon, is a second year B.D student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai.]

Anger- a way to express our concern

Text: Mark 3:1-6

Dr. Kadheeja Mumtaz, a leading medical professor in the Department of Gynecology, shares one of her experience in the medical college. On her first day in medical college as the assistant professor, she met a fourteen year old pregnant girl who came for abortion along with her parents. After consultation the doctor advised her not to abort the fetus as she is suffering from chronic heart disease. Her father who was very calm and polite listened to the doctor’s advice very patiently. On the other hand her mother, she was very angry and cried to the doctor that in spite of her daughter’s heart disease she wanted her daughter to undergo abortion. Dr. Kadheeja stood spell bound to see such a mother who wants to uphold the reputation of her family costing her daughter’s life. However a deep conversation with the mother revealed the fact, that the pregnant girl’s father himself was responsible for the pregnancy. This mother out of her deep anguish asked the doctor how her daughter can take care of the child who was born from her own father. What does this mother’s anger reflect?

The passage we listened also portrays an angry Jesus who involved in one of the Sabbath controversies. The scene is set with three parties, which allows interpreting the scene from various perspectives. Here we can clearly see the fight between Jesus and the religious leaders on the issue of saving life and the keeping the Sabbath.

The Sabbath had served as a mark of self identity to the people of God that separated them from Gentiles and it also presented a constant testimony to their faith in one God. Sabbath was intended to be a day of joy, a day of rest and has also included an element of social justice.

But later the same day was transformed in to a day for being passive. According to Jewish interpretations there are about 39 actions that are forbidden on the day of Sabbath. In fact the observance of Sabbath has became a crushing burden, a symbol of religious bondage. Thus for the religious leaders to keep Sabbath is ‘ doing good’ where as healing the person is ‘doing evil’. Jesus deliberately uses this occasion to teach the dignity of life by placing himself on the side of human worth against a depersonalized legalism.

Jesus became very in making the man as a mere object in the whole plot to trap Jesus. The strong anger . Jesus’ anger against the narrow attitude of the religious leaders is a means to express his deep relationship and care for others, especially the less privileged. His anger was an invitation to look into the situation in the perspective of the victims. His power of anger resulted in the restoration of the man.

Usually anger is portrayed as the opposite of love. It is expressed as one of the deadly sins. But from this passage we can see that Jesus’ anger is a mode of taking others seriously and helping them to find a space. It shows an explicit relation to others and a clear form of caring. For Jesus, anger is a radical activity of love that expresses solidarity and reciprocity. In other words we can see the power of anger in the works of love.

Anger is a sign of the resistance in ourselves to the morality of the social relations in which we are placed. All serious human activity, especially action for change arises from the rising power of human anger. Can’t we see an angry Jesus in Jerusalem temple?

As a part of church and as a part of theological community, we often thinks that anger is not a part of the spirituality. We are often blind to see the angry feelings of the people. We often undermine the anger as uncultured or an undisciplined. We are trained to ‘hear’ the cries of the people, but are we equipped to see the anger of others? Do we realize that When ever a person confronts us in anger he or she is demanding an acknowledgement from us? And whenever anger is hidden or un-attended, the power of love, the power to act also dies.

May our anger reflect our deepest concern to bring justice to our society...Amen

Conversion as a Transformed Vision of Power and Authority- by Rev. Jacob P.Thomas, Gurukul

Text: Acts 19:1-20

The narration of conversion of Paul is thrice repeated in the Acts of Apostles in chapters 9, 22 and 26. It means that it is an important model event of transformation that runs through the whole Lukan narration of the life and conversions of the early church and gives the reader a vantage point to see how a new power discourse rooted in the divine help the transformation of persons. The Conversion of Paul signifies very clearly a change of perception in the understanding of power. We read in the passage that Saul had secured power and authority to persecute the Christians living in the midst of diaspora Jews in Damascus. Power is an important theme that is substantially dealt within the Lukan writings on the history of early church. There are instances of misunderstanding the divine power in other writings of Luke in Acts. There is mention about a certain Simon the magician in Samaria in Acts 8: 18ff trying to bribe Peter and John to receive the power of God. This perception of commoditized and commercialized power stands against the biblical understanding of power as something coming from God and going back to God. Peter and John are seen rebuking Simeon for reducing God’s power of transformation as something transactional in monetary terms. For young Saul power and authority meant the official consent to destroy that which is different and hence threatening to the homogenized religiosity of Jews. His intention was therefore to manipulate the power entrusted to earthly institutions such as High Priest by God to torture the poor followers of Christ, which was originally meant to exercise its resources and power to the service of the poor and marginalised. The biblical revelation of divine always occurs in the context of persecution due to the hegemonic build up of power dictating the destiny for certain people by tampering with their future that God offers them. The divine revelation to Moses and therefore to the Hebrew people is an instance of a counter discourse of power rooted in the divine to that of the hegemonic power imposed on them by Pharaoh. God intervenes in such situations by blinding those who wield power to destroy people. This blinding is not simply to destroy them but to help them have self reflexive introspection to deconstruct the hegemonic notions of power. If somebody is not able to manage this blindness in creative ways that will lead them to total destruction as it had happened in the case of the Pharaoh. Here in this passage revelation of Jesus, whom Paul was trying to persecute, is the revelation of divine power that would counter the power that destroys the different expressions of faith other than Jewish, in God. The blindness that engulfs Paul is too symbolic that it primarily denotes a divine interference with the power discourses that unmindfully destroys the lives of innocent people. And it also signifies the veiling of common sense perceptions on power as something repressing the differences and the opportunity for self reflexivity and new insights for those who exercise power.

Paul’s conversion ultimately is a change in perception of power that he exercised. He could understand that it is not a license to manipulate situations to push through someone’s selfish agendas. But it is the resourcefulness God entrusts someone to fulfill the divine imperatives that is linked to the building up of lives of the poor and marginalised. Thus Paul a staunch practitioner of Pharisaic faith transforms to the apostle of Gentiles, a servant of God ready to sacrifice his very own life to extend God’s love to the people beyond the boundaries of Palestine to the ends of earth.

Our call as servants of God today involves this aspect of managing the power and authority in the respective responsibilities we undertake or going to undertake. What will be modality in which we are going to deal with such situations of exercising power and authority? Is it the modality of Jesus who had seen his authority as the freedom to cross the repressive boundaries that created and sustained by the hegemonic power discourses of his time and dared to be called the friend of the sinners? Is it the modality of Paul who saw power and authority as the freedom to reach out the people beyond the boundaries of the conventional salvation history in divine compassion and love and dared to be called the apostle of the gentiles? Power is bivalent in the sense that it is both repressive and creative. It is our perception of power that is going to decide how we are going to use power. Are we realizing divine interventions in our midst many a time blinding us so that we may respond with kind and constructive acts rooted in a transformed vision of power and authority that God entrusts us? May the triune God initiate such transformed visions of power and authority in us. Amen.

[Rev.Jacob P.Thomas, the leader of this meditation, is a final year MTh (Missiology) student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute.]

The fellowshi andFaith that make changes- Rajeev Daniel, Gurukul

Text: St. Mark.2:1-12.

The cover photo of one of the Malayalam journal published recently is able to catch the attention of any person. It portrays an accident scene from the city of Kochi. A young man was met with an accident and is crushed under a lorry and was brutally injured and is dying. The more painful fact in the picture was that a group of young people almost same age of the dying man was taking his photos in their mobile phones. It really shows how insensitive we are to the cries of our fellow beings.

We too live in a society which is comprised of people who are injured or paralyzed physically, mentally, and spiritually. But as the young people in the photo, it is a sad fact that we do not take any effort to hear their pain and sorrow and to help them. These people are looking forward for our care and love. A careful listening will help us to hear their pathetic helpless cries. They expect loving approach from people like us.
It is possible that we may not get time or we may not be able to see the needy and helpless in the midst of our busy scheduled life.

But do we ever think, what happens to these brothers and sisters because of our ignorance and apathy towards their situations.
These needy and helpless people may continue to suffer because of our reactions.
As a faith community gathered here in this Lenten season, What would be our response to such challenges?
Here in this passage, we see a different picture in the approaches of the four persons to the paralytic man.
According to biblical scholars, the Gospel according to St. Mark was written first. The whole Gospel of Mark talk about a Jesus, who is compassionate and kind hearted. He consoled the destitute, healed the sick and liberated the demoniac. Jesus’ optimistic vision and action have given a new meaning to the lives of the people. His life stimulated them to start a new beginning of a better lifestyle.
The paralytic whom Mark is talking about was dependent on others to get his things done. He had to seek others compassion for his daily needs. The fellowship and faith of the four friends have created a miracle in paralytic’s life.
Today I would like to share the quality of the fellowship and faith of the four persons in the given text, which has made a tremendous change in the paralytic’s life.

1. The fellowship and faith that empathizing
The helplessness of the paralytic moves the four friends with compassion. They bring him to the presence of Jesus. These four friends represent a healing community of God which enables people to approach the divine healer, Jesus.
The attitude of the four people is an ideal example to follow in this so called modern, developed, strange and busy society.
Bardev, a Russian theologian defines, a good Christian as follows, I quote, “A Christian is one who is concerned about the other human beings”
The concern of these four people towards the needy made them good Christians according Bardev.
These four people gathered together with compassion to lead someone to healing and a better life. The nature of their gathering was empathizing. This empathizing fellowship helped them to have the fullness in faith. This faith leads them to make unity in decision making.
We can see a see a similar gathering of people in Genesis.11. As we know that the people gathered there was to build a tower to bring glory to their name. As a result they lost their communication and became scattered to different places.
What would be the reasons behind our gathering?
Is it to glorify our own names or to glorify God’s name?
Are we gathering to destroy others or to help others?
Rt.Rev.Dr. Zacharias Mar Theophilos Suffragon Metropolitan’s   book ‘ulkazhchakal’ narrates an incident happened in Mother Theresa’s life.
Once, at midnight the sisters in the convent heard someone knocking at the door. Mother Theresa opened the door and saw a crying boy wearing ragged clothes. He was abandoned by his parents. He did not have any place to go. Mother went and asked him, why he cried. He replied, ’mother, everyone has left me. I do not have anyone. Will you accept me? ‘
Mother smiled, embraced and kissed him. That was the answer for all his worries.
Likewise the church has a responsibility to uplift the problems with paralyzing effect and encourage victims. Let our fellowship and faith be an empathetic and compassionate one.

2.The fellowship and faith that generate creative action
The empathy and the compassion of these four friends were not limited in their words. But they were doing as much as they could. They did not rest until their friend was healed. They were extremely committed to their goal in helping their friend. They could overcome all the obstacles by their fellowship and commitment. Unless the society of righteous believers co-operate with each other, they won’t get a better result.

We should not make ourselves blind infront of the needy ones. So we need to remove all our obstacles, which may be the obstacle of impossibilities and selfishness. The better understanding and real faith in Christ will strengthen us to remove the obstacles. It will help us to make a better relationship with Christ and our fellow beings to have a better life.

The four persons in this text opened their eyes and were ready to take risk. So they brought the paralyzed man into the crowded house. But they could not approach Jesus due to this large crowd. They didn’t return to their way. They removed the roof and brought to Jesus.
If we run away or stand passively at the face of problems, we may not be able to have a creative engagement for the victims who are paralyzed in the society.
Christian ministry is being commercialized these days. We try to find solace in doing service and charity for our name sake. We should be willing to change this attitude and get ourselves into the reality of life. Let our life be filled with sincerity and selflessness.
Let our fellowship and faith is encouraging and helpful to others.

3.The fellowship and faith that initiate healing and transformation
Jesus Christ opens the door of his grace and healing infront of the small community of this four people. We, the believers of Christ must become the part of this healing community by leading others to Christ.
We also read in mark.7.31-37 that a deaf man is healed by Jesus, with the selfless attitude of others by bringing him to Jesus.
Some of us may hide ourselves from the problems. Some others find solutions in alcohol and other addictions. These may result in the destruction of their life.
But here these four peoples presented their needs infront of the real healer and real problem solver. The humble effort enlightens Jesus to heal the paralytic.
St. Augustine who lived before many years told about his transformations like this. ‘The power which prevented me from my filthy ways of life was my mother’s prayer and faith’
A real faith will help us to realize the possibilities of life in the midst of impossibilities. This may be beyond our understanding, but this will lead us to the real experience of healing. This healing touch of Jesus helped him to change his earlier state. The one who trusted his bed became able to carry that bed. One who served by others has become a person who serve others. His witness helped others to glorify the God. thus the faith and fellowship of the four people committed to the cause becomes the agents of transformation in the life of the objectified paralyzed man. 

Let me conclude this
This healing is the outcome of the meaningful fellowship and faith.
What would be our reaction when we see the suffering people?
Are we limiting our empathy only to our words or are we ready to find all possible ways to help the poor and the needy?
Are we able to lead these vulnerable and marginalized people to the real truth?
Doing good things for others are not an easy task. We may have faced so many problems. Many people might have criticized and misunderstood us. But we have to make an effort to be righteous.
Let us dedicate always our lives for leading a better life. Let us not be afraid of the obstacles we have to face in reaching that goal.
Let us explore our possibilities.
May the righteous God help us to lead life of compassion and empathy . Amen

[Rajeev Daniel, the Preacher of this sermon is a first year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

Messianic bliss in the new age- Prince John, Gurukul

Text: Isaiah 65:17-25

Here the passage explains the glories of the renewed age mean that the past is completely forgotten and left behind. It will be a time when God will minister through the people.
In today’s text the Lord describes the millennial kingdom and the eternal state (that is the new heavens and a new earth) together. The new genesis will fully display the power, wisdom and glory of its Creator. The new heavens and the new earth will be eternal and in them are safety, permanence, peace and plenty. It is a promise of a fundamental and complete change in the state of things. The former world will be forgotten. The new heavens and earth will be so wonderful that we won’t even remember what was before them. All the ways in which sin has infected this world will not only be wiped away from reality but even from memory. "In Revelation according to saint John, however, the new heavens and new earth (Rev. 21:1) follow the Millennium (Rev. 20:4). Most likely Isaiah did not distinguish between these two aspects of God’s rule; he saw them together as one. The Millennium, though 1,000 years in duration, will be a mere pinpoint of time compared with the eternal state.” God’s new world will be so wonderful that none of the problems of the past will be remembered! And none of the problems of the past will be repeated. In God’s of new world the dark and tragic aspects of our past lives will be transformed by the light of a glorious new reality, filled with gratitude and joy. In God’s new world, there will no more sluggish days, and no more sickness. In God’s new world, there will be no more guilt, no more greed or jealously. In God’s new world, there will be no more crime, no more violence and no more war.
Verse18 indicates that the very nature of life and existence also will be changed and become new. The new creation will share some features with the old. They seem to have both heavens and earth. Their center and capital is the holy city Jerusalem. The need for new heavens and a new earth was suggested in Isaiah 51:6. But the differences are wondrously vast and grand. Notice that God is creating Jerusalem as rejoicing and her people as gladness or joy. Joy will not be simply be an attitude or a characteristic, but part of our new life-purpose! Jerusalem is the place of worship and rule. Rejoicing will be the new purpose of all that happens in Jerusalem and in life; we should realize that we are the New Jerusalem. Verse 19 indicates how different the new creation will be from the old. What a blessed promise is that the Lord Himself also will rejoice over Jerusalem and in His people. Sin, sorrow, and sadness will be vanished. How long God has patiently waited for this day when His people will no longer be a source of disappointment but a cause for rejoicing. From Genesis chapter 3 onward God has been working to bring about this day. What a message of hope for the people of Jerusalem today, where there is so much weeping and crying that is seemingly without a solution or an end. But in the new heaven and the new earth, weeping and wailing will be replaced by joy and rejoicing. Verse 20 begins with some of the characteristics of the messianic age. From here on a change seems to occur. It is a description of the kingdom age when Christ will rule and reign for 1,000 years on earth. Though it is preliminary to the creation of new heavens and earth in (v. 17) for some reason it is presented second. The reason it is not thought to refer the eternal heavens is because sin and death have not yet been destroyed. As the prophets did not delineate precisely between Jesus’ first and second coming, Isaiah here combines the messianic and eternal ages. The protection and safety of infants is characteristic of the messianic age (11:6-9).Today the least safe place for an infant is in her mother’s womb. Violence toward infants will end only when Jesus returns to earth.
UNICEF reports that in the year 2006, 10 million kids worldwide died under the age of five. Four million of these kids died before they were 30 days old. God is saying "That’s not going to happen anymore."
God’s messianic kingdom also brings longevity. He will give folk the opportunity to live out their years. Though death will still be present, life spans will be extended. In the kingdom age, there will be health, peace, and rightness to such a degree that most people will live all the way through the Millennium. God also here promises His people will live as long as trees and they will be productive as trees planted by streams of water. What a great promise. They will have the ability and time to do something right and then the opportunity to enjoy it to the full. Any people who look to God will be blessed by Him, but the fullness of God’s blessings still await us.
The Prophet speaks, not only of long life, but of a peaceful condition of life. It is as if said, "You shall plant vineyards, and shall eat the fruit of them, not only by yourselves, but with your family and children and your children’s decedents. The people will peacefully enjoy both their houses and their productivity and will not be troubled by enemies or robbers that will be the God’s new world.
Once a local preacher picturesquely describe the creation in this way “it was no harder for God to create a world than it is for my son to blow soap bubbles into the air out of his clay pipe”. But we should understand God’s commitment and sacrifice to this creation. We are in the midst of ampleness. In the midst of this ampleness we might not know sacrifice or risk. But concerning God gave His only son Jesus Christ for sacrifice in the midst of ampleness or abundance. So we also ourselves ready to sacrifice for God and realize the identity of God. We as a community are also the participants in the new heaven and new earth. In order to keep the creation good, we should have a relation with God, if we fail in that we are losing to be a good steward. This day we are celebrating as the World Water Day – a day set aside all across the country for people to increase awareness of the crisis that faces our world and threatens the lives of millions of our brothers and sisters in developing countries. 71% of the earth is water which has abundant life in it. Of all the waters in the world including the oceans and seas only less than 0.01% of the world’s water is accessible pure water. Every 15 seconds, a child dies due to Water-related illnesses approach. In spite of this reality, today what we see in our world is the privatization of water resources for profit. It is depriving humanity the basic right to live. A few days before there was news in the paper that after 9 years India will become a water scarce country. In these contexts, can we envision a new heaven and new earth? This is the day to pray for guidance as we struggle to find solutions to the political and economic injustices that render people powerless to lay claim to the natural resources that God intends for them.
This is the day to commit ourselves to act as we are called to do on behalf of the least of this offering, clean water to a thirsty world.
May the Holy Spirit empower us to live with adoration of God’s will. Amen

[Prince John, the leader of this meditation is a final year BD student of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

Faith of our Mothers- by Lijo Johnson, Gurukul

Text: 2 Tim 1:3-7

Paul had written his second letter to timothy while he was in Rome. The apostle’s main aim was to instruct timothy with regard to the heresies that were multiplying around and within the church, and to encourage him in the midst of all the trials which would come up on him as a Christian and as an official of the church. Our text (2 Tim 1:3-7) is the opening statement of what is entitled Paul's second letter to Timothy. These verses begin with an expression of gratitude for Timothy's faith. This is the kind of greeting with which most Pauline letters open. 

The theme of remembering is strong in these verses, as Paul remembers Timothy's faith and urges him to both remember it and teach it. This is not a casual recall of past information, but the recollection of meaningful stories that have shaped personal and communal identity. The past is made alive and powerful for the present so that it can shape the future. There is intense emotion connected to this act of remembering. Paul prays for Timothy constantly, remembering his tears and longing to see him. Memory and prayer are connected. As Paul remembers Timothy's tears, praying for him constantly, he stands with him, sharing in his suffering before God. He is also described as having a stable faith that goes back to his ancestors. Elsewhere in the Pauline letters, the disconnect between Paul's Jewish past and his Christian faith is emphasized (Gal 2:15-21; Phil 3:4-9). Here the author stresses the stability and the antiquity of Paul's faith and the importance of the Christian household in assuring the transmission of the truth faith.

Paul in vs. 3 reminds timothy about the sincere and unqualified faith of his mother, Eunice and grandmother, Lois that laid the base for Timothy’s faith. In fact Paul reminds timothy that he recognizes the gift of God that timothy had was not just because of the laying of hands during his ordination but also due to the faith that laid the foundation by his mother and grand mother. 

The life of a mother is considered as a high level of spirituality. It is entirely different from the spirituality that men experience. Her body itself is a source for experiencing her spirituality. Dr. Rosy Thampy, a writer and a college professor in kerala , explains the experience of a women in training a child as the most creative effort of a women. Her task is similar to an artist that shapes a sculpture. She has to do the task of transforming a child into a person by giving constant care and love.

Every person has a similar memory to recall about the faith of one’s mother in their life. The transformation of the church father Augustine was influenced by the faith and prayer of his mother Monica. Geevarghese Mar Osthatios, a profound orthodox theologian gratefully remembers poor women with simple faith, who gave money to do his theological studies. In my own personal experience the life of my mother influenced and challenged me. 

But as part of the patriarchal society, we too are reluctant to recognize the role, encouragement of women. Influenced by the dualistic pattern, our theology too is intoxicated with patriarchal nuances. We often remember the church fathers who participated in formulating the theological doctrines in the church councils but we forget or hesitant to remember the contribution of many women in our lives. 

The pidiyari is a practice of voluntary giving in Kerala, where one handful of rice is set apart everyday by the women in a Christian family before the rice is being cooked. These women who consistently reserved one handful of the rice served as the practical theologians who tried to reduce the poverty in Kerala through their simple means. 

From the biblical passage we saw the great transformation caused by women in the life of a God’s minister. Though women are traditionally branded as weak and vulnerable, here their faith, as Paul mentioned, is sincere and strong. It had resulted in the formation of a great leader and a bishop. Does our faith make any change in others? Does our faith cause any transformation in our society? The faith and vision of a simple woman named Agnes who was later fondly called by others as Mother had resulted in the formation of Nirmal Hriday and later the whole order of Missionaries of Charity. 

For many of us Faith has become mere museum pieces impotent to make any fruitful result in our society. Let the signs of our times enable us to transform our faith so that it may became relevant and effective. Amen

[Lijo Johnson, the leader of this meditation is a final year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

Jesus, the High Priest- by Liju, Gurukul

Text: Hebrews 5:1-5

Only in the book of Hebrews the term "high priest" is applied to Jesus. The author may intend to convey that Jesus as superior to all other priests, Or he may be using the term because he sees Jesus' saving work as fulfilling all that is signified by the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement.

Within the religion of the Jews, the high priest hold an highly exalted position. And the most important task of the high priest took place on the Day of Atonement.

On this day, he would be arrayed in a white linen robe over which he wore a blue robe, a breastplate with 12 stones, and a golden frontlet. On this day, he would enter into the innermost part of the temple and make a sacrifice for the sins of the nation. On this day, he was the official representative of the people before their God.

The passage is very clear in stating the qualifications as a high priest.

The writer closed the chapter 4 with the statement that we have a high priest in the person of Jesus. The high priest has the quality of A Godly Calling. For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God.

The main function of a priest was not to teach or preach. His main function was to act as a mediator between human beings and God.

Now, the fact that human need a mediator to approach God implies that there is not anything wrong with human. After all, human were originally created in the image of God. Jesus is also a mediating priest. He has crossed the gap between God and human. He has provided reconciliation between God and human.

Jesus is not only a mediating priest; He is also a GENTLE priest. The reason that He is gentle is because He knows what it is like to be vulnerable. The best kind of comforter is one who has gone through the pain and anguish and who can empathize with us. He understands because He has been there.

We have seen that Jesus is a mediating priest, a gentle priest and an appointed priest. He is also a SUFFERING priest. When we think of the suffering of Jesus, are drawn to the pain of His beatings during the trials, the crown of thorns and the scourging and later the torture of the crucifixion with the nails in His hands and feet.

But the suffering which is viewed in this verse is different. It is not the suffering upon the cross. It is the suffering that preceded the cross. It is the way of his life and ministry which voluntarily took suffering for the noble cause. Although He was a Son; He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

We have seen that Jesus is a mediating, a gentle, an appointed and a suffering priest. He is also an OBEDIENT priest. A lot of people have a problem being under authority. Jesus has been characterized as a rebel and a revolutionary. But that misses the point that He was one who was obedient to authority. The only question was which authority.

As we all are being the ministers of this high priest in our different realms of life are we ready to mediate between the needy and the god can we became gentile enough to do so. Are we ready to take up the suffering for the cause of justice and peace in a way obedient and disobedient to the authority for the cause of vulnerable human beings. Amen.

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

Repentance - by Iswar Dutta, Gurukul

TEXT: JONAH 3:1-10

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in this scripture we can see that, Jonah would obey the second commission with renewed strength and divine authority. He would appear in Nineveh as a sign, an outward proof of a divine purpose in his life and work. Jonah lived in the reign of Jeroboam II. In his youth he was probably contemporary with Elisha and afterward with Hosea and Amos prophets of the kingdom of the ten tribes. He prophesied when Israel was oppressed by Syria. “The word of Jonah to Jeroboam appears as the sun-gleam with which Jehovah’s countenance had beamed on Israel”. Living among the revolted tribes testifying to their iniquity and the patience of God, he never thought of exercising his ministry among the heathen. The commission to Nineveh was a special and extra ordinary event. In love with his own country and prejudiced against others, he naturally shrunk from it. In his sentiments he is an image of the people to whom he belonged. Like him they declined to fulfill their commission to the Gentiles, but had to obey and set forth the mercy of God to the heathen world. The events of his life were not myths, but realities and typical of the saviors death resurrection, the great facts of our redemption.
Who knows? The poignant question asked in the decree and echoed in Joel 2:14, expresses the theological issue around which the chapter revolves contingency and sovereignty. Jonah is not certain what will result from his finally preaching in Nineveh the words God has given him. Jonah can hope for the destruction of the city, but cannot surly expect it (cf-4:5). God alone will decide its fate. The citizens of Nineveh can believe and repent, but sincerity alone cannot control what God is free to do for them or against them. They can hope for deliverance, cannot surely expect it (v.9). The hearer/reader does not know what will happen either. Then in v.10 comes the answer to the suspense generated already in 1:2. Nineveh’s repentance was acceptable to God. He spared the city and none, after all perished, God alone knew the answer to the question “Who knows?”
A message of the book of Jonah is that God does not exercise his power arbitrarily and discriminatorily, Jonah the nationalist wants God to bless Israel and harm all its enemies. His own actions, showing respect and concern for the sailors in chap.1 and the plant in chap.4, are of course, evidence of the inconsistency of his own position. But God is patient, “not wanting any one to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peters-3:9), and, “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim-2:4). He manifests his sovereignty not in stubbornness but in grace, not in narrow particularism but in a willingness to forgive any people. There is however a contingency. The book of Jonah does not teach a naïve, lowest common-denominator universalism. Only general repentance can result in forgiveness. God’s threat is not to be taken lightly; His warning is as severe as the Ninevites took it to be.
Eventually, Nineveh became again a nation famous for its evil. It is clear that the city-wide repentance need not have been permanent in order for God to forgive the city. What the people showed was genuine contribution at one point, which was enough for God to unleash his waiting grace and bind his waiting wrath. Biblical descriptions of the effects of repentance seem to presume that an act of general repentance in relevant to a single generation (cf.e.g.Deo-4:9-compared to 4:25). Later generations will be responsible for their own repentance. A later generation of unrepentant Ninevites was destroyed (in 611 B.C.).
The only answer to this question is found in the sovereign will of God. God does as he pleases with whomever he pleases. When God decided to do a work in the city of Nineveh, he chose to use Jonah in spite of his imperfections. God did not need a sinless prophet to accomplish his purpose. He used Jonah just as he was, imperfect, rebellious, and bitter. He can certainly do the same with us. We must be careful to realize, though, that just because we are being used by God doesn’t mean that we are right with God. The story of Jonah is a clear example of this. The secret to success in ministry doesn’t depend on our character, personality, or method; it depends on God.
It is true that our sin is often removes the blessing of God from our lives and ministries. The fact of the matter, however, is that we can be living in a right relationship with God and still, like the prophets of the old, see no fruit in our ministry. On the contrary, we cannot say: “I must be living right, look at how God is blessing my ministry.” As a sovereign God, he can accomplish his will through a sinner like Jonah or through a great Saint Paul.
Ultimately the advancement of the kingdom of God depends more on God than on human. If God’s work depended upon our goodness and spirituality, there would not be much hope for this world. A quick look at the shape of the church in our day ought to prove the validity of this statement. God works despite our imperfections and shortcomings. Dear brothers and sisters let us make a vow that we walk in the right path. God is so gracious with us despite of our shortcomings. This is the day that the God has made for us. Come to him, he is ready to forgive our sins ever. May God shower his grace upon us. Amen

[Iswar Dutta, the leader of this meditation is a final year BD student of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

The Ethical Glory of God - John Haide,Gurukul

Scripture: Exodus 33:18-23

The passage which was commencing from vs. 18-23, is a conversation between YHWH and his trustworthy servant Moses. Having obtained the full restoration of the people to God’s favor, Moses felt emboldened to ask God a benefit for himself. He had already been admitted to closer communion with God than anyone of the race of humans since Adam. Moses makes a request of God “Show me your glory” (v18). Glory for Moses refers to the face or presence of God no longer enveloped by the cloud or fire. Since God appears to his people in cloud and fire, Moses wants to see the unveiled glory of God. This is a request for a sign that God himself will dwell among them without judgment.

Friends, in this morning I would like to call your attention to the “Glory of God” which Moses wants to see. Glory is characteristically used by P source for the theophanies of the exodus period (Ex. 16:7,10 and 24:16,17). The present verse 18 is however earlier than P.

Verses 18-23 disclose the request of Moses to see God’s glory and the reply to it. A good human being thirsts forever fuller manifestations of the divine glory. The more he/she knows of God, the more he/she would know. God’s glory is twofold. 1. Essential glory. 2. Ethical glory. Let me briefly explain what they mean for.

The Essential glory of God

The essential glory of God pertains to his existence. It is compared in scripture to the white dazzling light. This glory is well described in Paul’s first letter to Timothy 6:16 says that the light which no one can approach unto and no one has ever seen. Human in his present state of existence can receive the vision of God’s essential glory under great limitations. The full discovery of it would slay him as it is in v20. Moses partially saw its reflection. Even thus to perceive it implied an exaltation of the consciousness and an opening of the spiritual eyes.

The Ethical glory of God

This is the most perspicuous and precious character of God. This is the glory of his character. It was revealed when God proclaimed God’s name to Moses. (v.19, 34:5-8) God grants Moses’ request only in part, for the reason that no one can see God and live but if we carefully observe God redirects the question of Moses. Instead of speaking glory, God speaks of “goodness” (v19). The most genuine sign to Moses is not simply the direct view of God but a specific indication of the “good” character. A direct view of God will not say much at all about God’s character. It is more important to know what kind of God this is than to see that God. The ethical glory of God is nothing but the God’s goodness.

There is a visible appearance of God in the center of the text that cannot be argued away. The anthropomorphic language for God is consistent with the human form of other theophanies, but it is unique. God’s own hand is used to prevent Moses from seeing the divine face. When God has passed by, God will take the hand away and Moses will be able to see God’s back but not God’s face. The significance of God’s back may well relate to what one would see of a God leading the people from the front on their journeys. God as a fore runner leads his people while the people follow God. 

God expresses no displeasure with Moses’ request. In fact God positively moves with Moses throughout. God allows Moses a vision at all is a demonstration of God’s mercy and graciousness. Other dimension of this theme may be implicit here. It refers to the epistemic distance between God and human beings, structured into the created order for the purpose of preserving human freedom and hence life.

YHWH’s response to Moses’ request of seeing God’s glory consists in 4 powerful affirmations (19-23).

I will make all my goodness pass before you (v19). The term goodness can be used as a synonym for shalom and thus refers to the material blessings of creation. This is a manifestation of God’s good gifts. It parallels the concerns of Ex. 3:14.

I will proclaim before you, my name YHWH (19b). It concerns God’s name and embodies the full disclosure of YHWH’s sovereign character. It makes allusion to Ex. 3: 14 and 6:2.

I’ll be gracious to whom I’ll be gracious.

I’ll show mercy on whom I’ll show mercy (v.19c). These last two affirmations concern God’s capacity to be unconditionally generous but more specifically refer to YHWH’s resolve to be generous to Moses. Both are parallel in structure and content. Jack Lundbom has shown that the literary structure of the last two promises is a rhetorical device used to terminate a conversation abruptly.

These 4 affirmations do not explicitly concern Israel, but they seem to reassure Moses on the future attentiveness of YHWH toward Israel in its hazardous journey. 

Moses had enjoyed much intercourse with YHWH and often he had heard the voice that gave commandment and guidance. He had asked much for his people and it was fitting that he should ask something for himself. And he asked something worthy, something pleasing to God, something of highest profit to himself. But his request could not be granted fully, yet the glory is manifested in God’s goodness, righteousness, love and care for his people.

The meaning of glory to God is not omnipotence, nor ubiquity, nor dazzling light. It is the goodness and love shown by God to humankind through his son Jesus. The manifestation of ethical glory of God is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. As John 1:14 interprets, the divine son is the perfect embodiment of God’s ethical or moral glory. 

God has made his goodness pass before us that is his son Jesus Christ. God has kept nothing back and has revealed his name. If we want to experience the glory of God, we have to show the same goodness to our fellow beings that God had shown to Moses and his people. Let’s be bold enough to pray with Moses, “Lord, teach me your ways so that I may know you and continue to find favor with you… show me your glory.” Amen.

[John M.Haide, the leader of this meditation, is a final year BD student of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

'God and Darkness'- by Paul Davis, Gurukul

Scripture: Exodus 19:9-16.

Once a Japanese man was invited for a conference in one of the European countries. He arrived on the particular day and was received by an European. This European friend was behaving very differently towards the Japanese visitor. The European took him to a Restaurant and he introduced the meal like this to the Japanese Friend. This is platee , this is spoony, this is forkee, and now you can eatee. This Japanese friend felt a bit bad about the attitude of the European host but he kept himself cool and calm. On that evening the Japanese person had to speak in a public meeting and the European friend was also sitting along with him on the dais.

When the time came for the Japanese person to speak, this European friend again pulled him by saying Now go and Speechee. But the Japanese person stood before the great crowd and spoke in very good English for half an hour and came back and seated near the European who was already put to shame and then whispered in his ears “how was my speechee?”

Similarly most us have different opinion about other people and when it comes to God we have a whole lot of ideas and many of them would sound funny also.

I am going to ask you ask you a question, where is God, though it may sound silly, what will be your answer? You may respond by saying, God is in heaven or above or everywhere and so on. Or you may shoot another question back like this if I truly know where God is why I would have come to study theology at all. And if I am going to further ask you as to how God lives? Many of us I am sure would reply that God is seated on a big throne and reigns the whole universe. The New Testament gives us a portrait of how God is, it says that God resides in an unapproachable light and in a marvelous light. Today I have a surprise for you. Do you know that God likes darkness and even lives in utmost darkness? Does it sound unbelievable? Yes, it is true, this is not my invention, but a discovery of many biblical writers themselves.

For people of Israel, the law or the torah is the bible and in it the 10 commandments are very very important. Today’s reading explains the context of such a law that was given for the first time.

Chapter 19 of Exodus, verse 9 says that the Lord said to Moses, I am going to come to you in dense cloud for giving those laws for the first time. The reason stated is that the people may hear when God speaks with Moses and people can trust Moses forever. And there was thick darkness present as God desended according to Exo 20:21.

Darkness or absence of light is mostly understood in terms of evil, satanic, dangerous and even death. But quiet interestingly Yahweh God, who is the creator of Light in this Universe, at the right and precious moment of making a covenant with His chosen people of Israel on Mount Sinai, to give law for the first time surrounded Himself with a dense cloud or in otherwords darkness.

When I tried to study about the association of God with darkness, I was astonished to the core, that there are number of passages supporting this idea. But usually we are carried away by the Greek philosophy of dualism in which light is attributed to goodness and darkness to evil. Let me offer you a glimpse of what I learnt from the scriptures.

1. At the time of creation, God created light according to Gen1:3 but the preceding verse says that darkness was covering the face of the deep even before light was created. So which came first and what was given preference by God is a question. And God did not separate Darkeness from Light and throw darkness away as we do with the grains or the weeds. Instead God separated Light from darkness. More or less we have each day both light and darkness naturally equal. Can we imagine a day without darkness in which we take enough rest?

2. God spoke to Abraham according to Gen 15:12 and made a covenant with him and that time a terrible darkness descended upon Abraham.

3. King David in II Samuel 22:10 &12 sings his song of thanksgiving in that he says there was thick darkness under the feet of God and God made darkness around him a canopy.

4. King Solomon also called wisest of all, testifies as recorded in I Chro 6:1 and I kings 8:12 that the Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. For many of us darkness is scary and terrifying.

5. Job too acknowledges in Job 22:12 in which He says that Thick clouds enwrap him, so that he does not see, and he walks on the dome of heaven.

6. In the New Testament we have many incidents in which Jesus was associated with darkness. The first ever goodnews about the birth of Jesus was announced to shepherds in darkness. Jesus was found praying even when it was still dark in the morning.-Mk.1:35. Jesus choose to walk on the waters to reach his disciples in the darkness. –John 6:16.

Jesus introduced the practice of euchrist during the dark night`s last supper. He suffered more than on the cross in the garden of Gethsemane during the night when he was betrayed. There was Darkness surrounding everywhere when Jesus died on the cross.Jesus` Resurrection was also witnessed by a woman very early in the morning while it was still dark.

Book of Psalms, Isaiah, Genesis, Joshua, Amos too contains many relevant resources to this understanding. I can keep quoting many passages and incidents in the bible where many important moments were associated with darkness and God is also part of it. I am not here to compel or discard your imagination of God. We have the freedom to think in our own way. But I would like to motivate, inspire and convince you that God is not only a God of limited imaginations as we think. God is beyond all human imaginations. He is a God of Light as well as God of darkness and He is a God of all Colours. There is no partiality with God. He loves each one of us and everything without any bias and let us enlarge our understanding about God as our Good Lord leads us.

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

"The Difference It Makes"-Daiju K. Joseph,Gurukul

Scripture Text: 1 PETER 3: 8-12.

What difference does it make? This is a common question. Sometimes it is heard as a challenge and as a defence at other times. When someone might insist on 'just so', they are challenged with, "What difference does it make?" When someone is being held accountable for failing to do something, or for doing the wrong thing, we often hear, "What difference does it make?"

Sometimes, the answer to this question is that it makes no difference. More clearly what it really means is, "I don't want to," or "I don't agree." And sometimes when it is against criticism of some sort, it means "I don't care." Our today’s text addresses the difference it makes when one becomes truly Christian and in the world's attitude toward them. Our theme, looking at Peter's words in today’s text, is "The Difference It Makes."

Peter is giving instructions in this portion of the Epistle. He is speaking about how a Christian should be: He says, Finally, all of you have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse, but on the contrary, repay with a blessing. This is the difference it makes. The people of God are harmonious, sympathetic, kind-hearted and humble. 

f the victim needs retaliation, the option before the victim would be another evil. This is the logic that is working out in every society. Here the question arises, “What difference does it make?” Peter in this passage has something else to suggest. He exhorts, “Do not repay evil for evil and abuse for abuse.” It seems illogical to our discernments. Evil things happen in a society, which continues to permeate more evil practices. When we are about to repay evil by an evil, we are going further to create a greater evil. The efforts for a virtuous act for s

Our popular understanding is that a society becomes a just society, only when everything is remunerated justly. The state, law and constitution ensure that, not only services and virtuous actions are to be paid, but also each and every evil should be repaid. It is one of the primary functions of the state and judiciary, to make sure that, the evildoer is repaid with a punishment, which is equally evil. In this structure, 

iome may be an evil act for others and vice versa. The only creative and positive reaction to such evil practices is to lead a life of blessing as referred in the text. What else could be a blessed life, other than the one which transforms the evil into blessing? 

fe of these men and women who took this deliberate deviation from the existing notions of goodness and blessing became blessed, and a blessing to the society and to the nation. Mary, mother of Jesus was one such bold woman who took the stance to accept God’s decisions over her life, though it appeared as an evil before her. And later she believes herself as “blessed among all the generations,” and it is true that the whole Christendom believed and believes it so. These days we are meditating upon Christian responses to nation building. The father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi’s life engagements often lead us to such Christian responses in nation building. When the Independent India was on joyous mood, on the threshold of fThere are some characters in the bible who have foreseen that, their life journey eventually may lead them to immeasurable evil. They made a critical stance before this knowledge, and critically viewed the prevailing notions of good and evil. Over long years the l

ireedom on 16 August, 1947, the hero of Indian Independence movement was far away from these celebrations. Sabarmati, the ashram of Mahatma Gandhi was in a joyous mood of celebration. But the guru of the ashram, Gandhiji was at NavKhali, fasting unto death at the house of brother Issa, trying to bring the peace and joy of Sabarmati to NavKhali. NavKhali was on communal riot on those days following the Indo-Pak partition. Gandhiji chose the path to death to bring new life to the community at NavKhali. This was a deliberate step not to do evil and in turn do good. The path of thorns which he took might be viewed as painstaking but it brought forth flowers of peace and harmony. Well, now we say it did make a difference. Won’t we? As we move past 61 years of being republic we must evaluate where are our preferences lying? Are we in the celebrations of today’s Sabarmathis or are we in today’s NavKhalis? 

So friends, we have the scope to transform evil into goodness. At the same time, it should be our longing, to keep the innate goodness, without being stained. 

May God help us to have these earnest commitments to lead a blessed life and to be a blessing to all. Amen. 

[Daiju K.Joseph, the leader of this sermon, is a final year BD student of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.] 

"Lent: seeking new perspectives"- Prasad Abraham, Gurukul

Scripture: Mathew 9:14-17

This particular passage starts with a crucial question and a complaint to Jesus by the disciples of John the Baptist. Their accusation is very serious that is, the disciple of Jesus did not fast like them and the disciples of Pharisees. This same incident we can also see in gospels of Mark. 2:18-22 and Luke. 5:33-39. So the synoptic gospels give much importance in this particular question that was raised by people. But Mathean narrative only tells us that the disciples of John came to Jesus with complaints. Marken and Luken narratives says that some people came to Jesus and reported that both the disciples of pharasies and john the Baptist ware fasting and why your disciple deny the very importent Jewish rituals like fasting?. Instead of fasting they are always feasting and resting with you. 

Let me tell a story.          

There was a pujari in a village temple. He used to do all the activities of the temple. He had pet cat with him. The cat accompanied him wherever he goes and whatever he does, including   pooja’s time. The little cat used to sit silently with him when he conducted the Pooja  in the temple. This became a normal practice and people thought that a cat is necessary to conduct the Pooja . After the death of this pujari and the little cat pujari’s son took charge of the temple. He believed that the cat is an essential part of the Pooja. So he tried to bring a street cat with him for the daily Puja . But the innocent cat tried to escape from him and destroyed all the elements of the pooja. He thought that the  Pooja will be incomplete without the cat. Finally he tiedup the cat in a basket and kept the basket in the pooja room and continued his ritual.      

 Dear friends, in our Christian life we do a lot of actions and activities without knowing the meaning and the essence of it. 

So, I would like to begin this devotion with 3 questions?

1) Is Jesus a law breaker or anti-fasting propagator?

2) What was the intention behind the people’s blaming?

3) For Jesus, What was the theological base for fasting?

There for I entitled my first point as : 

 FASTING: A RITUAL OR RIGHTS.

This pericope is a controversy passage which has two parts. First part is that, the disciple of john raised question about non-fasting. Second part is that the threefold answer of Jesus with two analogies. Jesus’s response was an invitation to the idea of Messianic Jubilation expressed specifically in the imagery of the bridegroom and his attendants. 

The bride groom imagery in the O.T refers to God the father.(Isai 54: 5-6 and 62:5). In N.T, this bridegroom imagery is applied to Christ Jesus,(11cori.11:2 and Rev.19:7). So the answer through the imagery is that, only fasting will be justifiable when ‘the days are coming, the bridegroom will be taken away from them’, ie., after the earthly ministry and death of Jesus.

Mathew thus, advice the Church about the need of Jewish practice of fasting, but in a new perception and perspective. He instructed in new regulations for fasting and prayer, that is entirely different from their old ritualistic understanding. In Mat.6:5 &7, Jesus teaches about the attitude of prayer. Before he taught the model prayer to his disciple, he taught them about the hazardous of artificial and fake prayer. Prayer is nothing but thanksgiving, submission and supplication before God from the depth of our heart. In Mat.6:16, he taught about the rules of Fasting with new vision.  Pharisees were a ritual oriented Jewish sect who was often took fasting as a ritual. But Jesus publically called them as hypocrites because of their self-boasting and self-righteousness. Their fasting and practices are for self –justification and not for a praxis oriented nature. (Lk.18:11-12). So Jesus vigorously answer that he is not the law breaker but fulfiller and re-establishes of Laws.

Fasting is not something new that brought by Jesus but it is a custom of Jewish tradition and the commands of O.T and it was only re-introduced by Jesus. But at the same time he strongly condemns and discourages the hypocritical attitude of fasting. Our lord Jesus is the foremost and the best example and the role-model of our fasting and prayer. His earthly ministry was started with 40 days and nights of fasting. He realised the dynamic power of fasting. The supreme secret of the victory of his earthly ministry was nothing but the vibrant authority and passion that was received through the fasting. Jesus instructed his disciple that, only by the paranormal power of fasting and prayer that satanic power and all the manifestation of evil spirit will cast out (Mt.17:21).

 The Biblical notion of fasting is not the absents of feasting but seating the presence of God, and if we boasting about your fasting that did not be lasting but losteing the values and wasting the time and if we tasting the power of fasting that will be arrest our lust and correct the rest of life. The Church as the bride and the body of Christ have the bounded obligation and rights that we should obey our bridegroom’s commands. 

 Newness of Gospel must be experienced with in new perspective.

Vrs. 16 -17.    Jesus replied to the disciple of John with two analogies vividly that the new things cannot simply be superimposed upon within the frame work of the old. The new wine is the newness of the gospel and the old wineskins are the established pattern of righteousness and conduct of the Torah. Both analogies pointed out that no one combine new with old. If they do, certain undesirable consequence will follow. Here Jesus proposes not to combine the two and preserve the two good patterns. But the new reality of the gospel requires new skins. That is the new patterns of conduct based on the ethical teaching of Jesus Christ.

 Here the view point of Mathew is crystal clear that both are preserved, that is new wine and old wineskin. In other words, the newness of the gospel and the Jesus’ new interpretation of the Torah. For Mathew, gospel and law are held together in the church but the standard of the interpretation of the law and traditional ritual should be seen only through the frame work of the teaching of Jesus. But from the Marken narrative it could be understood that both new wine and new skins should preserve and not like Mathean intention. Through the answer, Jesus attacked the attitude of wearing any kinds of traditional spiritual masks. The external practices and appearance without internal spiritual formation was condemned by him.

  Dear beloved, this is the exact time for our self-examination. We Christians are called by God as an instrument for fulfilling his mission in the world. This is our training episode and formation era for the entire realm of our life. Many times we proudly boast and highlight our bold theological vision and traditions but unfortunately and unknowingly deny and disobey the very fundamental teachings which are taught by our Lord. Fasting is not something an utopian teaching by the church but it is very profound biblical and theological oriented doctrine. Are we put on the spiritual masks like Pharisees, and then the Bible will brand us as hypocrites. We nourished and cherished by the traditions and theologies but if we perished ourselves in the basic doctrinal matters, what is the use of our Christian ministry and life.?

This is the high time to evaluate our life.  According to the church calendar the lent is coming soon. So this is the right time to prepare our mind and thoughts according to the word of God. The biblical understanding of fasting aims that not for the perishing material prosperities but a spiritual and physical nearness with God and accumulates the everlasting power that equip us for facing tomorrow. In short, “fasting is not a vacant belly but an unblemished abundant heart, it’s an experience of Breaking, melting, mourning, and moulding”. Not only for this lent season but each of the days and throughout our life we must experience the newness of the Gospel,that is new wine in new wineskin. Serve the Lord and to witness in our society with this newness. For me, “Christianity is not a religion with bundle of rituals like others but it is a precious culture and a ‘uncomplicated simple way of life’ that was taught by Jesus Christ”.   Amen

[Prasad V Abraham, Valanjavattom, the preacher of this sermon, is a first year MTh. Student (Missiology) in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute. Chennai, India.]