Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
REFORMATION WITNESS AND HERITAGE


Deuteronomy 11:1-28
Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.

(Deuteronomy 11:1)

This is part of an address by Moses to Israelites. Initially, I had difficultyin connecting the text to the given theme; it became relevant when I changed the word sequence into heritage, witness and reformation. Heritage is passed on from generation to generation; witness is the authentic expression of heritage; reformation is a means of making witness effectual at a particular time.
Heritage, here, is based on God’s covenant with Israel; their election and liberation history are part of their
heritage. Living out this heritage is their witness. ‘Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God (Deut. 11.2). God’s covenants with them included divine promises, as well as their obligations. They were a ‘covenant community;’ it was God’s own covenants and based on God’s gracious initiatives. The Abrahamic covenant is an unconditional promissory covenant, but the Mosaic covenant on mount Horeb is a covenant of obligations, subject to blessings and curses, in case of obedience or disobedience. This second type of covenant and the laws, which were given to help people, were renewed or reformed on the basis of God’s forgiving grace. When we move from mount Horeb to Calvary hill we see a new covenant signed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Witness: Both the old Israelites and Christians are heirs to these covenants; we are witnesses to this heritage and have a responsibility to pass it on to others by living out or doing the Gospel. Our whole way of life should be a testimony to the grace and mercy, the justice and righteousness, of God; we are supposed to be mirrors reflecting the image of God.

Reformation: We see three unifying factors in Deuteronomy, which are of ‘one people,’ one God, and worship in the sanctuary. To make sense of their long history and their covenant relationship with God, an on-going reformation was necessary and it so now in our continued existence as the new Israel through the new covenant. Reformations over the centuries of the Mosaic laws, instructions, and rituals were primarily for preserving the purity of worship. Reformations of the 15th and 16th century under the leadership of Luther and Calvin and in our own Church in 1836, under Abraham Malpan, were also for preserving the purity of worship through liturgical revision and scripture-based living. Reformation is not a static once for all event; it is an on-going sacred movement under the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the God-given mission and witness of the Church.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to live out our lives in an intimate covenant relationship with thee, in the name of Lord Jesus we pray. Amen!

Dr. Zac Varghese, London, UK

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind wh...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tel...
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things...
Read more