Reflections

  Saint Andrew  – The Apostle Day (John 1: 35-42) V.41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” which means Christ. The word ‘Apostle’ means “The one who is sent”.   It brings to our mind the names of the first 12 disciples of Jesus Christ; of whom St. Andrew was the first to be called,  and later came to be known as the patron saint of Scotland, Romania, Greece, and many other European countries. The Scottish church honors him with the name “Protokletos”, which means “the first called”.  In memory of Apostle Andrew, every year November 30th is celebrated as St. Andrew’s Day, which is a national holiday in Scotland and across Europe, and celebrate the day as  Apostle Day. The Gospel of St. John states that St. Andrew was first a disciple of John the Baptist,  whose testimony first led him, and another unnamed disciple of John the Baptist, to follow Jesus. Apostle Andrew recognized Jesus as the Messiah and introd...

  Inauguration of the Church of North India     John 17:17-26 Vs 21: I pray that they may be one. Father May, they are in us just you are in me and I am in you. The main purpose of our life is to seek God’s will and lead a life that is acceptable and pleasing to God. God has entrusted us a mission before He ascended to heaven that we see in  Mathew 28:20. “ Go then to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit and teach them to obey everything  I have commanded you. And I shall be with you always to the end of ages. “. It is our mission as a disciple of  Christ to evangelize the world. Service and witnessing are part of this great process. Churches in India came into existence after St.Thomas one of the twelve apostles of Jesus came to the Kerala coast and established the  Syrian churches in 52 AD. After the independence of India in 1947, the Church of South India was formed ...

  Sharing the Good News Psalms 146 V5” Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob. Whose hope is in the Lord his God”. Our Lord, who is gracious and full of mercy, adored us so much that he was willing to sacrifice his own son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation. Despite knowing that we would abandon and condemn him, he chose to sacrifice his son for us to receive and share the good news. Hence, we should worship the Lord for his kindness and grace that he bestowed upon all of us. Many of us might wonder what this good news is that Jesus Christ was sent to share with the world.  In Mark 1:14 – 15 talks about the good news as:  14. After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15."The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" Hence, the Good News is the revelation of God's Kingdom's impending arrival. In Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, the coming of the kingdom is d...

  Sharing the Good News Luke 1: 39 – 45 V41“When Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with Holy Spirit”. Having received the divine disclosure from the angel of the Lord regarding the birth of the son of God through her, Mary hastened to share this good news to Elizabeth, her elderly relative who lives in the far away hill country, a town in Judah. Mary and Elizabeth were facing similar but very distinct experience in their life. Mary being a virgin and Elizabeth being considered barren were not supposed to conceive. Nevertheless, God uses their womb to bring hope and redemption to the people in darkness and despair.  REASON FOR MARY'S VISIT  The reason of Mary’s visitation is not clearly specified here. We could simply speculate that Mary wanted to avoid the embarrassing situation from her neighborhood when they come to know about her pregnancy. More possibly, her journey was to witness the extraordinary sign that ...

  Sharing the Good News  Romans 10: 9-17 V15 "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news". 1.) Those who are saved and experience Christ can share the good news (vs9-13) Jesus Christ is the good news or the gospel. We have to ask ourselves and confess with our tongue, believe in our hearts that God raised us from death and we are saved. If we trust in the Lord, we will never be put to shame. When we call upon him, he will richly bless us. 2.) Spreading the good news (vs14-15) When we have believed firmly that we are saved our only duty is to preach. We are to preach the good news under the sky with no limits and no boundaries. Nothing on earth should stop us from becoming the disciple of Christ. We can become a witness in our places of work; our action must attract others to Christ. Sharing our testimony great or small will help us to spread the Gospel. "How beautiful are the feet of those who walk for the Lord". 3.) The God of Magnificent Miracles (vs1...

  Thanksgiving Day St. Luke  17: 11-19 Luke  17:15-16 “… When he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet…”                                       FROM KYRIE ELEISON TO HALLELUJAH Martin Luther when asked how he would describe the nature of true worship. His answer was the tenth leper turning back. This passage speaks of the healing of ten lepers by Jesus Christ on his way to Jerusalem. The ten lepers approach Jesus with a broken heart requesting him to be merciful in supplying a very pertinent need of theirs - To be healed of leprosy because of which they have become outcasts. Jesus responds with compassion that aids in their healing. However one of the leper, a Samaritan, returns in haste to the one who healed him. His response teaches us that experiencing God in our lives should lead to a faithful response....

  Sharing the Good News Genesis 18: 1-15 V: 10” Then the Lord said,” I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son”. In this Old Testament passage, Lord is sharing the good news with Abraham. St. Paul in Romans 9:9 emphasizes this divine promise of the Lord - For this is what the promise stated: "At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son."  Abraham had two sons one out of his servant Hagar, but that is of flesh and the son of Sarah, Isaac, is by divine promise (Galatians 4:23). In Matthew 1:1–17, we see that Jesus Christ son of God was born as a descendant of Isaac. Thus we see Isaac and Jesus Christ are by the intervention of Lord the God. Devine blessings are always with the chosen, nothing is impossible for the Lord (Genesis 18: 13)    Parallel to Genesis 18: 10, in the new testament the Risen Lord Jesus give a message, the great commission, to his disciples “ (Mark 16:15) And He said to them, “Go i...

  Understanding the Law to Appreciate the Promise Galatians  3:15-22 10 “Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord.  Today’s passage may initially feel challenging to understand because references to the law and distinctions between singular and plural forms of a word are not our usual topics of conversation. However, Paul also repeats the word “promise” throughout the passage, so it seems like he is trying to drive home a message. Promises can be either conditional, based on upholding an agreement, or unconditional. I remember making many conditional promises to God when I was younger, which often happened during times of trouble. My condition was usually to read my Bible more regularly or pray more fervently in exchange for God providing a good test score. Unfortunately, I would inevitably revert to my old habits despite all my best intentions to fulfill my promise. As an adult, I am more cautious of making promises...

  Prophecy or Prediction Zechariah  2:10-13 10 “Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord.  Harold Camping was a Christian radio broadcaster who served as president of Family Radio. Camping is infamous for issuing a series of failed predictions for the second coming of Christ. Camping first predicted that the judgment day would occur on September 6, 1994. When it didn’t occur, he changed the date to September 29 and then to October 2. In 2005, Camping once again made his fourth prediction with a date of May 21, 2011, and that "there would follow five months of fire, brimstone, and plagues on Earth, with millions of people dying each day, culminating on October 21, 2011, with the final destruction of the world." It is now November 2021 and we are still here. Five incorrect predictions of the second coming of Christ is the legacy of Harold Camping.  Today’s passage is about the vision of the prophet Zechariah, one ...

  Annunciation to Virgin Mary Luke 1:26-38 The Key verse: But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.”(Luke 1:30 - NIV) In the devotional book Voices of the Faithful, an exciting and thoughtful incident is depicted from the life of a missionary named Gerri who was working in an African town. One day exciting news came to her that the Lozi king was coming to attend the church services and to eat at her house. Finally, the day arrived and the king is at her house. She explained her missionary activities. In the Lozi language, the name Gerri sounded like “jelly” because the I sound is hard for people to pronounce. Without knowing the protocol etiquette, she boldly asked for a Lozi name.  As he was preparing to leave, the king said, “My wife and I have decided upon a name for you. It will be Liseli. It means ‘light.’ I want God’s Word to be light and life to the people of Western Province.” The scripture portion for our meditation is all abou...

  What’s in a Label? Ephesians 1:3-10   Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[a]predestined us for adoption to sonship[b] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[c] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.   When we are born, we receive a label as girl or boy.  The label grows and ...

  Coming of age Galatians 4: 1-7 V4-5: “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship” In his letter to the Galatians, Paul fervently opposes efforts by a party of Christ’s believers who are convincing gentile members of the church that true believers must follow the Jewish law in its entirety. When read in the context of its time, it’s easy to judge the people of Galatia. How could they have misconstrued the good news of the gospel so quickly? And yet we have painfully repeated their mistakes. We too are divided by parties often touting our own practices and traditions as true over others. This makes Paul’s admonition and encouragement to the people of Galatia deeply relevant today. In Galatians 4 Paul specifically deals with the use of the Law of Moses as competition against the gospel. Paul clarifies that their attempt to elevate Jewish law above the gospel was...

  Annunciation to Virgin Mary 1 Samuel 2:1-11 v1 “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord, my horn[a] is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.” If you did not know how to swim, would you jump into the deep end of a pool? Probably not unless you had some sort of flotation device or some other way of guaranteeing that you wouldn’t drown. Yet, if a young child sees their father with open arms in the pool, inviting them to jump in, the child will jump in without a second thought. The child knows that their dad will catch them. Trusting in God is not always an easy process. Sometimes our prayers take a while to get answered and it may feel like we’re drowning, but we must have faith that God is there to “catch us.” In today’s passage we read about Hannah, a woman who longed for a child for years but was barren. After years of praying, God answered her prayer and blessed her with a baby boy, Samuel.  It’s hard to imagine how difficult it...

  Lydia: Woman of Initiative, Influence, and Confidence Acts  16:11-15 V.14 “One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” Growing up, I was always fascinated by my dad’s skill to deal with all sorts people, from family and friends to complete strangers. Fear is not a word in his dictionary. He is blessed with the gift to read people well and deal with them accordingly. Being the father of two daughters and a son, my father was adamant that we have no reason to fear anyone or anything and to be bold when we have to face situations head on as they come. It’s a lesson I’m still really struggling with. Re-reading about Lydia, I was challenged by her boldness to take initiative as a woman of God, how to be a positive influence for people through actions and words, and how to exude confidence through it all.  From these five verses, Lydia i...

  It's A Team Effort Acts  18: 18-23 "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'" -Genesis 2:18 Why do we like to watch team sports? The thrill of watching a group of people coordinates their efforts to a common goal of victory? Watching a superstar being supported by a team to perform the very best? Looking back over a season to see what's been accomplished and appreciate the growth and camaraderie that came as a result? I think it's all of the above. As the saying goes, "Teamwork makes the dream work!" The apostle Paul was a "superstar" missionary, traveling thousands of kilometers to various cities and towns to share his story, spread the Gospel, and strengthen the disciples. He was just one man, however. Many eager listeners were attentive to his every word and wished for him to stay longer with them, but God called Paul to move to other places to deliver the message, with Pau...

  Festival of Unity of the Communion of Churches in India Revelation 8:1-5 v. 4   the smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of saints  went up before God  from the angel's hand. As we are trying to understand the book of Revelation as a whole, for that matter to the present context, it is important that we read and understand the all relevant chapters which decribes God's plan to the end of  the ages. Chapter 8, first 5 verses can be divided into three smaller parts. V1and2 focus on”silence and Seal” V3and 4 focus on offering and outcry, and 5 focuses on fire and fury. Based on the clues from previous chapters this seventh scroll represents the decree/plan of God to bring ultimate justice to the earth unleashing his wrath on unrepentant sinners, and pouring blessings on His saints.                     It is important to understand that as we le...

  Annunciation to Zechariah St. Luke 1: 5-23 v. 13   “But the angel said to him: ‘do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.  Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.” It has come to the time, where we as the Church prepare ourselves for the feast of the Nativity, otherwise known as Christmas.  Although the advent season  begins on December 1 , we as a Church prepare for Christmas from the Sunday following the Hudos Eetho or Sunday of Dedication of the Church. On  this Sunday  we commemorate the annunciation to Zechariah of the birth of John the Baptist by the angel Gabriel.   This struck as a surprise to Zechariah who question how this can be possible as he and his wife were old.  Through human understanding, we can understand their surprise and doubt.  It seemed to be humanly impossible, but one thing is for certain as we all always hear the words “for God, nothing is...

  FESTIVAL OF UNITY OF THE COMMUNION OF CHURCHES IN India 2 Cori 4:7-15 Verse 15: All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.  Here Apostle Paul is trying to depict human fragility and unworthiness. The idea that the absolute inefficiency of human beings reveals that the total sufficiency of God is,  what matters. We always carry around in our bodies the death of Jesus.   The frailty of the clay jar is revealed through the life of Paul, in his instant hardships, and persecutions he endured for the sake of the Gospel. Through our endurance, Christ's resurrection and power are revealed in our bodies. Human weakness provides the occasion for the triumph of divine power. Paul wants to make it clear the infinite value of salvation and is a treasure from God.                 In our suffering, God reveals Jesus and his saving work to the ...