Reflections

Perfect Hatred Psalms 97 You who love the Lord, hate evil!(Psalms 97:10) Tell me what you hate and I can tell you a great deal about yourself. Hatred can be the strong side of righteousness, but it needs a sign written on it with large red letters: Handle With Care. Olive Moore, the 19th-century English writer, put words to this warning: “Be careful with hatred. . . . Hatred is a passion requiring one hundred times the energy of love. Keep it for a cause, not an individual. Keep it for intolerance, injustice, stupidity. For hatred is the strength of the sensitive. Its power and its greatness depend on the selflessness of its use.” We tend to waste our hatred on insignificant slights and differences. Comments made by a political opponent may draw our venom. Angry letters written to the editor often raise trivia to the level of significance because of the path...

View this email in your browser CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FORUM Word for the Day " Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". Psalm 119:105 Family Sunday: Relationships Redefined in Jesus Mark 3:31-35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother (Mark 3:35). We live at a very dangerous time when practically everything is defined by and through religion. In this predicament, human life is in a precari...

Do Good Galatians 6:6-10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers (Gal 6:10).   In this passage, Paul exhorts to do good to all people. Because goodness is the essence of Jesus Christ and that should be the face of his followers too. He further reminds them to be vigilant in doing good. The salvific plan of God encompasses the 'other'. The 'way of Christ' was the 'way of the periphery' which include the last, the least and the lost. It was a life for the voiceless, exploited and marginalized. Hence our calling is to walk in the way of Christ. It is in the midst of the current materialistic and culturally sophisticated situations, the forces of the world entangle us to pursue instant gratification which hinder us from doing good. The 'cul...

New Heaven and New Earth Revelations 21:1-7 Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth,for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea (Rev 21:1).   Our passage for meditation is about John's vision of a new world. The book of Revelation is written in the context of persecution. Hence the images and languages are apocalyptic in nature. Let us meditate upon the significance of new heaven and new earth. Firstly, there is no sea (v.1): John sees a whole new human environment where everything is made new and the sea is no more. For John, the sea is a realm of death. In 11:7 and 13:1, John was told of a beast coming of the sea. Now here, all the chaotic presence is annihilated. Moreover, he was imprisoned in a lonely island surrounded by waters which separates him from his companions or fellow Christians. Hence the sea is no more means the barrier is no more. Therefore fellowship and communication is reinstated. Secondly, the vision p...

Cosmic Music Psalms 19:1-14 To the leader. A Psalm of David. "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork "(Psalms 19:1) Meditating with his harp or lyre in the open court of the temple as night gave way to day, he draws on familiar words from within to express his experience of God in the wonders of heavens and that salvation comes with his word. Cosmic Music: Testimony to Mighty work of Creator: Psalms 19:1-14 is a hymn praising God for God's glory in marvelous creation. The psalmist becomes aware of the functions of Creator and gives testimony to his mighty work, a testimony of praise and thanksgiving. The music of the creation fills the world, indeed the cosmos, but we do not hear its melody or understand its story. The comparisons with a bridegroom and an athlete almost merge. The p...

God who Laments over Creation Genesis 6:1-7 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was, only evil all the time (Gen 6:5).   In verse 1, the language of sex and reproduction is used in ordinary fashion, which stands in contrast with the extraordinary sex and reproduction between gods and humans in v.2. When humankind began to multiply on the earth's face (v.1), along with them multiplied their evil deeds. It provided Yahweh the motive for sending the flood. The other key-word that occurs in v.2 and v.5 is 'saw': the sons of god saw the beauty of daughters of humankind whereas Yahweh saw the evil of humankind. The sons of god seeing the goodness (i.e. Beauty and sexual desirability) of human women- provides a foil to Yahweh seeing the evil of human heart. The major concern is that there is no sign of shame or guilt in their deeds. But it makes Yahweh feel guilty and h...

Human who Grows Thorns Genesis 3:12-19 God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that is was good (Gen 3:17,18). The short cuts which destroy the normalcy of nature would sabotage the serene and pleasant experiences of life. The use of excessive freedom which overlooks the natural expressions as imagined by the creator grows thorns and thistles. By eating the forbidden fruit human succumbed to the temptation to become life God. Calamities are caused by the urge to cross the boundaries set by God. In the midst of unlimited growth and spread of science and technology in the book of Genesis, human life struggles for survival. Under the pretext of helping to make human life easy and enjoyable humaneness and life itself is being destroye...

Youth Sunday: Search for Meaningful  Life John 1:43-51 "The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me" (John 1:43). This passage narrates Jesus' call of the first disciples. We can see the response of different disciples when they encountered Jesus. The disciples of John said:  "Look, the Lamb of God!"  Andrew told his brother Simon that Jesus was  "Messiah." The response of Nathaniel demonstrates his willingness to learn more from Jesus Christ. Nathaniel was young, and was willing to learn from and his intention was genuine, and his response was quick. This week, the church is commemorating the youth ministry of the church. One of the many challenges the youth, (along with the faithful) struggle with is the purpose and meaning of life. Many questions are asked; doubts exist. As a church, we need to provide adequate spiritual guidance and nourishment for them to experience the truth, as revealed th...

Are You Ready for the Fight? 1 Timothy  6: 11-14 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many  witnesses (1 Tim  6:12 ). To start with, Paul calls Timothy: 'man of God.' In the Old Testament, this term depicts the men commissioned by God to function as his spokesperson. But, the usage of the term in this portion shows a man who belongs to God and finds his true position in God, rather than in riches. This is a clear contrast to the greedy preachers mentioned in 1 Tim. 6:3-10. The apostle suggests to Timothy that, he is called out to do a very important business, than to care for the things of the world. Being the man of God, Timothy is to seek Righteousness, Godliness, Faith, Love, Patience and Meekness. Therefore, as a true believer of Christ, his life was in the state of warfare. He had his fight against Satan and his powers, Sin, Lust of the flesh, the World...

Courtesy in Conversation John 4:5-19 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her,'Give me a drink' (John 4 : 7). Our courteous conversations can win more hearts than our mighty speeches. 1. Jesus Dared:  When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in Sychar (vs 5-6), He started a polite and casual conversation with her. He knew that His people didn't engage with the Samaritans. He also knew that it wasn't common or approved of to be seen talking to a woman, especially one who led a sinful life. However, he still dared to speak to her and was careful to speak graciously. The manner of his conversation is what resulted in the story's outcome. His words were wise, his intent genuine and his statements non-judgmental, while at the same time being honest. 2. Jesus Cared:  Although the interaction seemed casual at first, the real purpose of Jesus' conversation with the woman unfolds slowly. In the most captivating way Jesus makes the...

Children to be Honored Mark 10:13-16 And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them and blessed them (Mark 10:16). When we meditate on the sub theme "Attitude to the Weak", one of the important areas to be noted is the role of children in the kingdom of God. Ancient societies lacked the romantic notions of childhood such as innocence and dependence. 1. Value-system of the World: Here in this passage a child was highlighted as an example of the values of the kingdom. S/he became the main character of his teaching. Instead of considering children as learners, there are lessons to be learned from them. Jesus made the example of a child to overturn the disciples' argument regarding the greatest among them. The value system disciples' promulgated were all together opposite to Jesus' teaching. They were not ready to practice t...

View this email in your browser CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FORUM Word for the Day " Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path". Psalm 119:105 Rights of Women who are Protected Numbers 36:1-13 This is what the Lord commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad,'Let them marry whom they think best, only they shall marry within the clan of the tribe of their father (Num 36:6) Till the narrative of the daughters of Zelophehad, th...