Republic day- by Rev. V.M.Mathew, Gurukul

Text :Genesis 49:22-26

Today we are celebrating our country’s 60th Republic day. This day is a day of remembrance to remember our countries great struggle to attain freedom and to become an independent Republic. I salute and remember our great leaders who led our country to be the biggest democratic country and also the struggle that they went through for this great achievement. Remember that day, When Great freedom fighters were igniting a true mission in our heart. Architectures of constitution were exploring a noble vision in our brains. Visionary leaders were casting a feeling of righteousness in our souls. Shapers of future were charging a spirit of discipline in our bodies.

Mrs. Prathibha Patil the president of our country addressed our nation yesterday and said “India has the privilege of being a great civilization; today, it is the world's largest democracy and its people have the commitment to fulfil the promise of it being a great nation.”

Let us meditate on the text.
The larger context of today’s assigned text is the final words of Jacob the patriarch. In the biblical material the patriarchal pronouncement generally concerns the destiny of their children with regard to fertility of the ground, fertility of the family and relationships between family members. Blessings or curses pronounced by the patriarch of the family were always taken seriously and considered binding, even though they were not presented as prophetic messages from God. Chapter 49 is the first long poem in the bible where Jacob addressing his twelve sons on his death bed. This is also popularly known as tribal saying mentioning the 12 tribes of Israel. It is also called the testament of Jacob. This includes blessings and curses and it also includes the dreams of this great patriarch about the future of the tribes of Israel. Ten out of the twenty five verses refer two of the tribes Judah and Joseph. The text assigned for today’s meditation contains the words of Jacob about the tribe of Joseph. The word Joseph is derived from the Hebrew word yasaf which means to increase. As the meaning denotes Jacob is dreaming about the tribe of Joseph to increase and flourish in the land. In His dream about the tribe of Joseph, he points towards three imageries. These imageries are well fit to any tribe or any nation

1. The tribe is a fruitful branch (bough).

Verse 22 says “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring, his branches run over the wall.” The image of a righteous man flourishing like a tree planted by a river is well known in Old Testament. The dream of the patriarch about this tribe is that it should be a fruitful branch. The repeated use of the Hebrew word ‘porat’ in verse 22, which means fruitful, is obviously for the sake of emphasis of this imagery. The branches are not only fruitful but also run over the wall. The fruitful branch that covers the wall signifies the inclusion of the entire creation. The branches that cover the entire wall cannot ignore or exclude anyone from its fruitfulness. The branches run over the wall can even extend its fruitfulness to those who are outside the wall. The centre and the periphery, the privileged and marginalised, the rich and the poor, the literate and illiterate, they all will come under this fruitful branch. The human and non human world and the nature will be included in this fruitfulness. A country like our country should be like a fruitful branch which serves its people and the non human world. We are boastful about our countries progress and economic growth but we need to ask who are benefitted out of these progress. Mukesh Ambani can build a house, the Antalya, spending 6000 crores, Vijay mallyas and shrukh khans can own an IPL team. Is this what is meant by a fruitful branch?

2. The tribe is a fearless bow

The second imagery that the patriarch dreams about this tribe is that it will be like a fearless bow. Verse 23 and 24 depicts the tribe as a bow which remained firm and his hands and arms were agile. The bow is used metaphorically as the symbol of strength and power. The "archers" denote the adversaries of Joseph and the arrows shot at him from his various opponents were envy, revenge, temptation, ingratitude etc. The archers fiercely attacked him but his bow remained like a fearless bow. Today as we celebrate our countries republic day our dream about our country is that it should remain like a fearless bow. The archers are very strong and arrows shot at our country are enormous. Can our country withstand the attack of these archers? The terrorist’s attacks, the mounting allegations about corruption, the increasing number of farmer’s suicides, the caste issues, the politicisation of religion; we can keep on listing the names of the archer’s. Can our country remain like a fearless bow?

3. The tribe is with a comprehensive blessing

Verse 24 -26 talks about the blessing the tribe is going to experience. Blessing is a powerful theme in the theology of the Old Testament. Claus Westermann is one of the chief proponents if this theme. He says God's blessing is universal, for all living beings. In these verses we understand that the nature of the blessing which is pronounced by the patriarch is a comprehensive one. The Blessings of heaven ‘shamaim’ - i.e., ample descents of rain and dew, which are so necessary for promoting the growth of vegetation. The Blessings of the deep ‘tehom’ - i.e., springs and rivers in the earth, which contribute to moisten and fertilize the soil. The Blessings of the breasts and of the womb, ‘Sadayim’ and ‘rehem’- i.e., a numerous and healthy progeny of descendants of male and female, as well as of cattle. The dream about a tribe, which enjoys the comprehensive nature of the blessing. These blessings are the gift of the almighty, El shadai and it was a free gift. Our great country was blessed comprehensively by the almighty. But in order to satisfy the greed of the few, these blessings are being plundered and exploited. Our natural resources are depleted in the name of development and progress. The multinational companies like Vedantha Aluminium in Niyamgiri, Orissa and Coco cola in plachimada are the examples of this dangerous looting of our natural resources. One of the village girl in Niyam giri asked the officer of Vedantha aluminium “This land is my mother. She has given me food, water and clean air. When I die, she will take me back into her womb. Tell me, would you be willing to sell this mother? And if so, then at what price?” Can our country experience the comprehensive blessing of the almighty?

As we celebrate our country’s republic day today let us reflect upon the current situation of our country on the basis of this message from the Bible. Is our country a fruitful branch, is our country a fearless bow and are we able to experience the comprehensive blessing from the almighty. If not we all have to take decision to contribute to our great country. Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam in one of his republic day speeches said “India can become a developed nation only if everyone contributes to the best of his or her ability and capacity”.
We all have something to do to our country. May God bless us through these words
Jai Hind
[Rev.V.M.Mathew, the leader of this meditation is a first year MTh student (Old Testament ) in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

"Dreams"-Abraham Sudeep Oommen, Gurukul

Text: Judges 7:9-14

 “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where the words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake…..” These words are from the poem of Rabindranath Tagore which clearly depicts his dream about a nation that fosters human values and upholds the dignity of its citizens.

The book of Judges is one of the most exciting, colourful, and disturbing books of the Bible. It combines stories of political conspiracy and assassination, rape and murder, courage and fear, power and greed and so on. The story of Gideon, the fifth judge of Israel, is the story of a leader who fought for Israel against the Midianite oppression.

 Bible presents Gideon as a cowardly, hesitant man who is often doubtful of God’s ability to accomplish what God has promised. We can see Gideon often asking signs to confirm whether YHWH is present in his assignments. As we read in the passage, this dream is also one of the elements that God used to convince Gideon about God’s presence and providence.

 Dreams were considered as one of the ways that God could communicate to people. Early in Israel's theological tradition dreams were a vehicle for God’s revelation. The dream report was the literary form which was used to describe such a religious experience. In other words here the dream format is a literary tool in the hands of this biblical author for affirming theological beliefs about a transcendent God who faithfully directs the history of the people.

 Though till today the content and purpose of dreams are not fully understood, they have been a topic of speculation and interest throughout recorded history. Ferenczi, a Hungarian psychoanalyst proposed that the dream, may communicate something that is not being said outright. Recent researches on dreams also suggest that dreams refer to past memories saturated with powerful feelings. It may be also an outcome of one’s earnest ambitions or aspirations that are kept in their mind. Dreams may be also related to one’s experience.

 Thus from this point of view we can see that the dream and its interpretation in this passage as a longing ambition of two persons who are in the Midianite military camp who were anticipating a freedom from it. Through their dreams we can have an entry into their experiences of sufferings and also a hope of liberation. These two men were expecting the divine intervention that their lives may get transformed. When they discuss the supernatural narratives of the dream, their wish of divine intervention they believe to have come true.

 This passage reminds us about many people who are suffering because of the extensive militarisation in different parts of our country. The continuing stay of military forces in many schools and tribal hostels in Chattisgarh to fight the Maoists are creating similar dreams in the minds of children who are the promise of the future. Can’t we think that Irom Chanu Sharmila who fought against Armed Forces Special Power Acts envisioned a similar dream when the Assam Rifiles Force brutally muruded the civilians. We should also critically evaluate whether our country is crushing the life Dr. Binayak Sen and Arundhati Roy who shared thier dreams against the parochial interpretation of nation.

 Like Tagore, many of the Christians too had a dream about our country. They considered it was their duty to dream and work for an independent India where there are no inequalities. The struggle for the temple entry for the outcastes in Kerala, led and supported by many prominent Christian leaders was also an example of the all encompassing nature of their dreams. The mission activities of Christians in the field of health and education can also be considered as a part of the nation building process.

 Friends, as we are going to celebrate another republic day, do we have a place for our country in our dreams? Do we give space for other’s dream? Do we dream a country which is committed to the primary education of all the children, which gives equal priority to rural development as it is given to urban growth, which gives the essential services like food, health and education for all. Let us dream for honest and principled leaders who could bring about a radical change in our country by bringing down the rate of corruption. Into that land, O God let our country awake..Amen.

 [Abraham Sudeep Oommen, the leader of this meditation is a final year student of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

"God has a special plan for Everyone" by Ruban, Gurukul

Text: Jeremiah 1: 4-10

Today’s scripture portion is the gripping account of the Lord’s call of Jeremiah the prophet.  The call begins with the revelation or reception of the Divine word. The call of Jeremiah is one of the clearest and most explicit biblical formulations of the experience of election. God called Jeremiah to fulfill a mission to Israel, Jeremiah wants the children of Israel to behave in a manner worthy of their special call by God. The Passage is the form of a dialogue between the Lord and Jeremiah. It is the divine-human encounter. As we read through the Book of Jeremiah there are times when Jeremiah is very angry with God for appointing him a prophet because he suffers much hardship at the hands of his own people. However, there is a compulsion and a drive to do what God asks after accepting the inevitability of the call.

First we will see the character of Jeremiah... 
Jeremiah, whose name means “God hurls”, is called the weeping prophet. He was a young man heartbroken over the condition of his land. Jeremiah was born in a day where politics were corrupt, the pulpit was compromised and the prophet was concerned. It was a time when the nation, as a whole, was in rank rebellion toward God. The prophet came with severe rebukes and a call to repentance. Verse 1 says He grew up in a priestly family.  God, himself, created, conditioned and positioned Jeremiah. He is a man walking and talking with the Lord. When God says, “I know You”, two things are implied; knowing in the sense of choosing and knowing in the sense of watching over and carrying for. Even before he was born, God was watching over and protecting him. Though he is faithful prophet, he is thinking of reason that he cannot serve as we see in verse 6 "I do not know how to  speak, for I am only a boy". When God calls the person is given what they need for that service. Note what God said to Jeremiah, "You shall speak whatever I command you" and "I am with you" (1:7). Jeremiah need not work alone. God equips and stands beside those whom God calls.

If we think of his character.. Are we, like Jeremiah, thinking of reasons that we cannot serve? Or do we think that God enable us to serve him.

Secondly God brings New life through his call

Jeremiah received the call not like other prophets in the Old Testament. Verse 4 says "Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you". The prophet's words begin, not with the prophet having something inside him that needs to be expressed but rather with God's word coming to him. For Jeremiah central point of his encounter was the Word of the Lord. This is what Martin Luther referred to as "the external word," a word that is not self-derived, a word that comes as an intrusion, a gift from the outside, from a God who will not leave us in silence. The direction of Jeremiah's life is God's idea before it is Jeremiah's. The word of the Lord that comes to Jeremiah is not only a gift but also a vocation. Even before he was born Jeremiah had been set aside, commandeered, consecrated for service to the Lord.

Then verse 10 says "Today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms". Though "only a boy," Jeremiah is put in charge of the downfall and rising of kingdoms, over the task of destroying and creating world. That is some power to place in the hands of a young person! What God wants Jeremiah to do is not small. The beginning of the book of Jeremiah implies that God acts and God moves in to make a new future, a new world, by speaking, by giving a word to the world through the prophet. God's standard way of making a new world is through speech just like the story of creation in Genesis

I conclude with a story which I was read in an article. Ravikumar a journalist had an interview with an elementary school child. The young man was only infant found alive after the bomb blast in a building. He had burns all over his body, and the heat had damaged his breathing system so that there were no natural filters for the lungs, the lungs had no defense against diseases. He had to undergo lots of surgery. He has been confined to his home for nine years. But slowly medical achievements have repaired and restored him. Now he is going to public school. Ravikumar asked to that boy why you thought that you had been so blessed by all these miracles like to have survived the bombing, to have been found alive, to have been saved in ICU, to have overcome every health challenge.His simple answer is God must have a special job for me. He believes himself called by God to a place and a work. In the same way We are all called by God to a place and a work. God calls every one as his servant to fulfill a mission. In this New year just examine our call... for what purpose we are here? God has a special plan for everyone. As we reflect upon this call of Jeremiah by the Lord, How does this dialogue between God and Jeremiah speak to our life today? As such his life exemplifies the stability and constancy which every individual ought to exhibit.  

[Ruban Mani Raj S., the preacher of this sermon is a third year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute, Chennai, India.]

"Reception of Holy Spirt" by Gorder Wise, Gurukul

Text: Acts 10: 44 ff

The reading from Acts relates the Gentiles’ reception of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues after Peter’s preaching in the home of the Roman centurion Cornelius. It illustrates not only the action of the Holy Spirit in spreading the Christian mission to “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8) but also the theme of equal footing for all who receive baptism. The Gentiles, baptized by the Holy Spirit as were the Jewish Christians at Pentecost, are in no way eminent from those initial believers who were sharing secret knowledge to God’s revelation to Israel.

The significance of the event is not exhausted on the Jewish believers who went with Peter. They were "surprised", because the Spirit came on the Gentiles in exactly the same way as He had come on the apostles at Pentecost; they "heard them speaking in tongues and praising God", (2:11). The phrase "praising God" literally means "magnifying God", which probably support with the description given on the day of Pentecost, "speaking.... the mighty acts of God." The Spirit's coming on the Gentiles in exactly the same way as on the apostles, removes any doubt that the doors of the kingdom are now open for Gentiles as well as Jews. In fact, this sign further proof the presence of the kingdom.  Again, we are unsure what "speaking in tongues" was like. Clearly there is language content to the experience, in that the onlookers heard them "glorifying God". In fact, the experience probably paralleled Pentecost where "each one heard them speaking in their own language."

Now, the Holy Spirit comes, as a “gift” on all present, “even on the Gentiles”: to the surprise of the Jewish Christians “who had come with Peter”. “Speaking in tongues” is a sign of the presence of the Spirit. The pouring out of the Spirit and baptism are closely associated in Acts; here baptism follows the coming of the Spirit. Peter’s question amounts to: we Jewish Christians received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2: 14; now these Gentiles have received it, so surely they can be baptized. During his stay, Peter presumably ate with these non-Jews. God has given the Gentiles “the same gift that he gave us when we believed” so who was I to stand in God’s way? As we see in Jesus’ discourse with Nicodemus, Jesus tells him that ‘… the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit”. The Holy Spirit is poured on whom God wishes. It is not a human effort to receive Holy Spirit. It is a free gift of God for to bring glory to God. Jesus explained that we cannot control the work of the Holy Spirit. He works in ways we cannot predict or understand.

What makes this biblical account noteworthy in the studies of Baptism and Salvation is that neither Cornelius, nor his household have been baptized; yet, they are guaranteed their heavenly inheritance by, and have received gifts of, the Holy Spirit. We know they have not been baptized from Acts 10:47-48,

- - " Can anyone forbid water that these, who have received the Holy Ghost as well as we, should not be baptized? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord."

Acts 10, Cornelius & his household, and Luke 23, the crucified thief, disprove the assertions, and teachings, of some Churches & Denominations, that to be saved you must be baptized.

Although salvation is not obtained through baptism, the Bible clearly teaches, that in the normal course of events, if you are saved, you are required to be baptized as a matter of obedience to Our Lord & Savior Jesus, Christ. Amen.

  [ W.Gorder Wise, the preacher of this sermon is a third year BD student in Gurukul Lutheran Theological College ans Research Institute, Chennai, India.]