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.]