Reflections

  Comforted by God Nehemiah  2:11-18 v18 I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us start building!” So they committed themselves to the common good. Do you remember the last time you were in so much anguish and distress, that it affected your demeanor and even your sleep? Was it a personal issue you were struggling with or maybe stress from work or school? Nehemiah, which means comforted by God, was a Jewish descendant of Babylonian exiles. He had received the prestigious position of cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia. The book of Nehemiah begins with his brother Hanani, informing him that “survivors who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.” Nehemiah was so troubled that his reaction was similar to what we might have done; he wept, mourned, fasted and prayed. In all his time as cupbeare...

  Christian Participation in Nation Building – A Call to Repentance St. Luke 3:7-14 v8 Bear fruits worthy of repentance.   In St. Luke chapter 3, we read about the ministry of John the Baptizer, the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah. John is called to prepare the way for the arrival of Jesus Christ by proclaiming a message of repentance. Repentance literally means a “change of mind,” but Scripture indicates a broader meaning. In the Old Testament, repentance was a call to turn away from sin and to turn toward God (Ezekiel 18:21,30).   In Luke 3:8, John instructs the people to bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and in return, the crowds asked John what they needed to do in order to do so (Luke 3:10). John provides the answer in verses 11-14. Here John does not speak about social separation or the offering of more sacrifices. Instead, John’s answer is to look out and care for the needs of others, which is the same message that Jesus Himself proclaimed. The ideal tha...

  REPENTANCE - ROAD THAT LEADS TO REDEMPTION Luke 13: 1-5 V3 “BUT UNLESS YOU REPENT, YOU TOO WILL ALL PERISH”. Newspapers are never ever complete without the reporting of natural calamities, tragedies, death, etc. that rains on the just and unjust alike.  As humans, our approach towards such news items are, that we tend to categorise people. Our questions are based “did they do something to deserve such fate or guilty of worst sins?? We become judgemental forgetting self. But the word of God speaks of such happenings and its impact in a different way.  Hear the word as Jesus spoke in the Gospel of Luke 13:1-5. Here we read Jesus making it plain with emphatic clearance as he tells the crowd  that neither the  Galileans  nor the 18 people who died were worst sinners.  BUT UNLESS YOU REPENT YOU TOO WILL ALL PERISH a categorical statement. REPENT OR PERISH  – Two options given by Jesus to the crowd. Two options are given to us today. Repentance to put...

  FAST OF NINEVEH ENDS – CELEBRATION OF REDEMPTION JONAH 4: 1-11  V11 “And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”   The story of Jonah and the Whale is very much amusing especially to the little children in Sunday School Classes.  Jonah although considered a minor Prophet gives a number of lessons through the events happened in the book and is of much significance. The apostolic churches observe three days fast in remembrance of Jonah staying in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights just like the Son of Man stayed in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:40. The book of Jonah teach us about: (1) The seriousness of Sin in the sight of God (2) Need for repentance (3) Redemption of the whole creation and transformation brought out by the Gospel.  Jonah, the Son of Amittai, was from Gath Hepher, prophesied when Jeroboam was th...

  Fast of Nineveh: Redemption of all creation Jonah 3:1-10 V5“The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth”. This passage teaches us about God’s mercy and the right approach to repentance. God in His mercy reached out to the prophet Jonah to preach against the great city of Nineveh because its wickedness had come up before Him. Jonah refused to listen to God. During a series of events initiated by God, Jonah prayed to the Lord and the Lord delivered him (Jonah 1 & 2). When the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, he obeyed and went to Nineveh (Jonah 3:1). Here we see God’s hand at work and Jonah’s true repentance which led to his restoration. Jonah proclaimed the message from the Lord: “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown”(v4). The Ninevites believed the prophets proclamation and decided to act upon it. The king of Nineveh covered himself with sackcloth and issued a proclamation whereby ...

  STORY OF SALVATION Jonah 2: 1-10 V9  “But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.”   This chapter, Jonah's Psalm, is a poetic description of his deliverance from drowning. In chapter 1, we see Jonah’s rebellion. God gave a clear command and Jonah disobeyed; this is the rebellion stage. In chapter 2, we hear Jonah confess his sins and he turns toward God in obedience. This is called the repentance stage. In verse 10 of chapter 2, we find Jonah delivered from death via exit of the fish, this is deliverance. This is the redemption stage. Rebellion, repentance and redemption: these three together give a story of salvation.   Chapter 2 begins by reminding us that Jonah was in the belly of a giant fish when he prayed. He didn’t pray, however, when God gave him a command he didn’t want to obey. He didn’t pray when God sent a storm. He didn’t even pray when he was thrown off the boa...

  FAST OF NINAVEH BEGINS—REPENTANCE Jonah 1:1-17 V 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.”   One of my friends was addicted to drinking. One day we persuade him to attend a revival prayer meeting. Prayer meeting last 5 days and my friend came back with promise not to drink again. But his promise last only a few days. After few more days we see him the old way, he said he cannot control himself.  St. Luke 9:62 says true repentance does not regret in doing away with old life style, but false repentance does. Constant struggle is expected in the life of a believer (Gal:  5:17 ). Do not forget even Jesus was tempted (even after his fasting prayer for 40 days). God loves the company of repenting sinners who select righteousness, God’s ways, rejecting evil, non-godly ways. (Luke: 15:7) In this story two sets of people are repenting. First ...

  One Church: Transcending the Boundaries Num 11:23-30 V29”I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord will put His Spirit on them.” With all its statistics, population counts, and figures, the book of Numbers records the long wandering of Israel in the desert.  In today’s reading, we see Moses gathering 70 elders in a tent and God taking some of the spirit from Moses to bestow on the elders. The elders who were in the tent, prophesied at that time. Eldad and Medad, who were supposed to go to the tent, but remained in the camp, also prophesied along with those who were in the tent. When it was reported,  Joshua , who was in the tent, demanded to stop them. For him, the working of the spirit of the Lord should be confined to the tent. Those who were in the tent obeyed Moses and hence gathered. But, Eldad and Medad, remained in the camp, breaking the norms set by Moses. Joshua could not accept the fact that God gave His spirit to those who we...

  The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church (Ecumenical Sunday) John 17:18-26  Today's theme of meditation is an expression of the mission and identity of the Church. As we celebrate the Ecumenical Sunday, we must comprehend the character and integrity of the faith community all around the world.  The real meaning of ecumenism is far away from many of the present ecumenical agendas. The stage programs and ecumenical conventions are not the final objectives of ecumenism.  “The word ecumenism is derived from the Greek words  oikoumene which means the ‘inhabited world'. It emphasizes not only the unity of the churches but unity of the entire world. When we study the High-Priestly Prayer of Jesus in John Chapter 17 we understand that it can unite the whole humanity into one family in Christ. Verses 18-19 indicate that Church is a Holy Catholic and Apostolic community. Nicene Creed affirms this faith. As a called-out community, Church should be away f...

  Church : The body of Christ Matthew  18:15-20 V 19  Again I say to you, if two  of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.              Pauline  epistles  use the phrase Body of Christ  to refer to all individuals   who heard the  good news  of salvation, believed in him,  and were sealed by the holy baptism, thus receiving the  promise of the Holy Spirit. In today’s passage from the Gospel according to Matthew, we see Jesus giving some practical instructions on handling  conflicts within the community of believers.               However, looking at today’s conflicts between churches, it is sad to note that the Church nowadays  does not look significantly different from the rest of the   secular  world. It leads...

  Church – The body of Christ Colossians 4:2-6 v6  Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought  to answer each person.             The apostle Paul closes the book of Colossians  with an appeal to continue in prayer and thanksgiving.  Paul lays down three important principles for spreading and sharing the gospel.   a. We should talk to God  for his providence and blessing  or order that different avenues will be opened  in  continuing  His ministry.       b. Paul explicitly  wanted to make it clear  that  he is in chains, just because of  his commitment   to  talk about the mystery of the gospel.   Scripture  is clear that all are born spiritually lost, poor and without hope; but through Christ  we have been given new life. c.   Live ...

  CHURCH - THE BODY OF CHRIST 1 Corinthians  1:10-17 V10  I appeal to you...by the  name of our Lord Jesus Christ  that all of you agree, and that there will be no divisions among you but that you be united in the same mind and judgement.                 Can  we pursue Christ-centered unity ? When we study the gospel portions, we  see that  unity  in the Church was one of Jesus'  prayers. In John 21, Jesus prayed “…that  they may all be one, just as you Father, are in me and I in you, that  they also be in us ,so that the world may believe that you sent me”.  Do we have the mind of Christ regarding the unity  among the believers?                Apostle Paul in this text is giving a call to put aside selfish pride in order to pursue unity among brethren.  Body of Chr...

  Church -The body of Christ 1Chronicles 22:6-13 V10 He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.             King David  saw that the Lord God had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there at the tabernacle of the Lord. For fear of the sword of the angel of the Lord David could not go near and inquire God. However he made all the plans to build a temple which was exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory  throughout all the lands.  He decided to make all the preparations  in order to complete the project before his death.              But the word of the God came to him saying, he may not build the temple, but his son Solomon will do the completion of the project. The reason being he fought many wars and shed bloo...

  Church – The body of Christ Ephesians  4:11-16 V.15  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way  into him who is the head into Christ …...           The Epistle of Paul to Ephesians is considered  the queen of epistles.  Paul wrote this epistle while he was in prison at Rome and sent to the church of Ephesus through Tychicus.  This passage is one most powerful  portion in the Bible after the cross. We have to understand clearly what  God had done for the church – the body of Christ by  saving her, but also the purpose for which he did it so.           God is equipping a group of people  to  work for his ministry and to build up the body of Christ – the Church.  We have a calling to build the body of Christ ,which should be free from all  heresies, and false doctrine   caused by  men of deceit a...

  Church: The Body of Christ Ezekiel 37:15-28 v23b    But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they  have sinned, and  will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. Let's ask ourselves a question: Have people ever been united in history, except for categorizing and hating people of a different religion, race or class? We looked down upon others who are different from us. Even Adam and Eve were two people in a perfect environment, walking with God. But when they did sinned, they turned against each other and there have been problems between men and women ever since. God brought  Israel  out of slavery from Egypt to the promised land. But they sinned. After King Solomon's reign, the nation divided into two. Prophet Ezekiel wrote this prophetic book in around 580 B.C while nation was still in exile. In short, they were separated from God and from each other. It is our problem too. We are separated f...

  Church – The Body of Christ Matthew  16: 13-19 v17-18 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Who is Jesus to you and me?  is a very important question we need to answer. Right from our child hood, we learned and believed that the supreme God of the universe took on human flesh, lived among us, and then, in His immense love, died on the cross that we might be forgiven. We need to personally understand and experience who Jesus is to you and me especially in the context of Covid -19. All of us are called to grow in our faith. There is always more to know of Christ. Just because attending a Christian church, a person cannot be a Christian. A person becomes a Christian when we respond to the will of Christ obediently. If we claim Jesus as our Lord and submit ours...