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.]