Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

ALL SAINTS DAY
Hebrews 13: 7-17
"Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their ways of life and imitate their faith."
This closing chapter of Hebrews contains exhortations. Here the principles of Christian living are emphasized. All Saints' Day is the time when we honor and remember all Christian saints, known and unknown. The epistles emphasize the fact that all believers are saints. John Wesley said that the Feast of All Saints was his favorite festival in the Church. It was one time more than any other, when the life and sacrifice of the great chain of witnesses from the earliest worshippers of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was emphasized and brought into the present through remembrance. In our communion service we sing, "Now as we come to your table we recall those gone before us. Grant their lives be an example. May we use their teaching as our guide." While everybody speaks during his/her time, some speak beyond it. People come and go. We are empowered by them while they are here and after they are gone.
Remember. The first exhortation in this portion is to remember. One of the paradoxes in life is that we often forget what we ought to remember and we remember what we ought to forget and forgive. We are asked to remember the outcome of the life of the saints. In this era of prosperity gospel, terms like suffering, sacrifice, pain, loss have no place in the vocabulary. But in real Christian life there are pain, problems and crises.
Imitate. Remembrance should lead to action. Jesus Christ is our supreme model. Christ and His cross are at the center of Christianity. He is the same always and that fact is emphasized at the beginning (1:12) and at the end (13:9) of this epistle. We have to imitate Christ and the saints (teachers) in our faith and also in our giving.
Be on the Watch. There were tensions between leaders and the people over the questions of food, rituals, clean and unclean, etc. So here is a warning against false doctrines and a reminder not to forget the people who were influential in their spiritual upbringing. Do not be carried away by the new trends in preaching and stick on to the faith of the fathers.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the lives of those who were instrumental in the formation and the growth of my Christian life. Help me to carry that torch and to be a model for the coming generation. Amen
Rev. Dr. Philip Varghese, Denver

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