Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Resurrection- Sharing your New Life with Others
Isaiah 60:1-11
 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”(V.1)
What is new life?
Most of us celebrate life when a child is born. In the Chinese tradition the birth of a newborn child is celebrated by colouring eggs. Why do we give such importance to birthdays? Or consider new life so precious? It is because we associate new life with new beginnings, fresh starts, and innocence. Jesus gave us the opportunity to experience the ultimate renewal of life in both the physical and spiritual sense through his resurrection.
What does Isaiah have to say about new life?
The book of Isaiah is known as the book of salvation as Isaiah means the Lord of salvation. The salvation that is referred to is the salvation Jesus brought to mankind through his resurrection. As you read through this passage it reads as a poem of awakening and realization of responsibilities of man, in the days to come. It starts off by pouring the Lords favour upon us through his glory “Arise, shine for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you” where Arise has the meaning of awakening or re-awakening one’s spirit. Shine, refers to being illuminated, such as the Mar Thoma Church’s slogan of ‘Lighted to Lighten’. In following verses the Church (Zion) is then given the responsibility to share their light with others who will come to the church from near and far.
What are our responsibilities?
We are given the responsibility to be illuminated and recognize the favour the Lord has shown the Church of Zion. We are to rise up and let others come to us, and when they come we must be ready. We are responsible to share the Light given by the Lord and shine. We must shine so other see the glory of the Lord. I like to call this conscientious shining. It is the same sort of conscientiousness we have when we put our house up for sale and we know people will be coming in and out at any point in time; we make a contentious effort to ensure the house is spotless every time we leave. This is the same sort of contentiousness we need with our faith and actions. Others are coming to us as declared in this passage and we must be ready to shine our lights for them.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving up your life for us so that we may receive new life through your resurrection. Lord we eagerly await your second coming and we pray our words, deeds and actions will speak to the wonders of your sacrifice. Help us rise up and be radiant with your Light......Amen
Thought of the Day: The question is not, why am I here on this Earth? But what am I going to do with this new life God has given me?
Lysa Samuel, St. Mathew’s MTC, Toronto


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