Canonical Insights.

Jesus heals the leper

2010-02-21T14:40:00.005+05:30

Mark 1:40-45 - Jesus heals the leper

v40a - And a leper came to Jesus

This is an incident of a leper who took the inititive and pains of coming to Jesus. In those days, being a leper was synonymous with an "outcast". They were not allowed to live in the city. They used to live in the outskirts of the city, mostly near the graves. One such man, comes to Jesus. He doesn't wait for Jesus to pass by his house or his road. He takes the step forward to come to Jesus to seek his help. He'd have had to face the scorn of many people to have been able to get near Jesus. But this shows his determination on seeking God's help to be healed.

v40b - "If You are willing, You can make me clean".

When he comes to Jesus, what a beautiful way he presents his request. He doesn't say "Master I want to be clean. Please make me clean". His request seems more on the lines of "Not my will, but Yours be done". Again, I'd say he was not only a determined man, but a man who knew the scriptures and wanted nothing but God's will to come alive in his life.

v41a - Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him,

Till now, what I saw of the leper was that of a man who knew the right way to approach things in life. But when I read this verse, it got me thinking, "Why did Jesus have to stretch out His hand?" This leper had withstood the glares and comments of the people around Jesus, knew that the best thing in his life is what is willed by God, but still inspite of coming all that distance, couldn't he have stood near enough for Jesus to touch him, without having to stretch out?

When I visualize this situation, I think of it this way. He knelt beside Jesus, and asked him to cleanse him if He is willing. Jesus was willing, so He lifted His hands to touch the leper. Seeing the hand motion, the reaction of the leper could have been to step back a step, to think that may be Jesus' hand was moving towards him by mistake. He might've thought, Jesus will say "Be clean", and presto, I'll be as good as new. Or may be He'll ask me to wash myself in the River Jordan. But inspite of submitting himself to God's will, his body was unrelenting when God did something his mind had not perceived.

Aren't we like that leper most times (or may be at all times).

We really want God to work in us.

We are willing to submit our lives to the will of God.

But!!!! When He does something in our lives as not perceived by us, we tend to move back. We tend to keep one step back, and look at Him and say, "Whoa there! Are you sure you really want to do that? This is not exactly how I expected you to answer my prayers. You sure you wanna be doing this to me?"

Breaking things

2009-12-07T15:00:00.001+05:30

Heard this message in one of Joyce Meyer's sermons. A reality we seem to take forever to fathom.

If you recollect the incident of Jesus feeding the 5000, it talks about Jesus taking and breaking the bread before He gave it. The word says, He

Took the bread
Blessed the bread
Broke the bread
Passed the bread to the multitudes.

You should remember that He does the same thing with us. "He takes us, He blesses us, He breaks us - so He can give us to the multitudes."

Will you trust God today, that your pain is going to be for the gain of His kingdom? He is going to mess with your weaknesses, to get you to be where you can be strong in them through Him.

The miracle maker.

2009-08-24T13:24:00.005+05:30

Summer has begun! No school any more. I can play all I want, all the day long, and ma is not going to shout at me to sit with my books. Yaay! This life is amazing. No homework, no classes, just play, play and play some more. Let me start this beautiful day, by just walking around my neighborhood. Let me explore this place for some bugs and insects I can take home and scare Daisy, my lil sister with.

Hey! What’s going on? Where does every one seem headed? I rush to my friend Sam, who also seems to be ready to go, to find out where’s he’s headed. “Haven’t you heard, this great teacher is here, near our town. Mom and dad said He can do miracles too. Come, join us. Am sure it’s going to be fun. I’ve heard He loves children, and will answer all our questions. Not like my parents who rush me out of the house when I ask where lil babies come from”, he tells me.

I am so happy. Finally some one who is going to answer all my questions. Mom these days is so busy with Daisy, she doesn’t sit down and tell me stories or sing me to sleep. I rush back home, and tell my mom all that Sam told me. I ask her if we could all go too. But she says Daisy is too small to be out in open sun for long. But I plead her to atleast let me go. I promise her to be a good boy and to stick with Sam’s family the whole time. Finally she relents, and agrees to allow me to go see this miracle man and teacher.

I change fast into my Sunday clothes (I want to be dressed to my best just incase the teacher calls me up to help during demostration of one of his stories, like our Sunday school teacher does sometimes). My mom hurriedly packs me my lunch. I peep in to see what it is. Yummy! It’s bread and fish. My favorite!! Mom knows all my needs so well. I love her so much.

With the packed lunch in one hand, and my playing stick in the other, I head out to meet Sam and his family. I hear footsteps, and turn back to find mom trying to catch up with me. (Oh no! Hope she didn’t change her mind). She rushes to ensure that I’m with Sam’s family. Both our moms talk a bit, and Sam’s mom reassures mine lovingly. Thank God all’s well now. Mom kisses me goodbye and asks me to be good and not wander away alone.

I can’t wait to see him. What if he can do some cool magic tricks? May be I’ll sneak up to him, and plead him to teach me some of those tricks too. Am sure he can’t resist my puppy dog eyes. I always get my way with dad with those eyes. But if he is cooler than that, I think I’ll follow him and become some one like him when I grow up. So that people will come from far and near to listen to me too. Man! That’s gonna be awesome.

We walk and walk to the end of our town. I can see a small group there. One of them sees us. They are talking among each other. Let me count how many of them are there. 1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9..10..11..12..13. Wait a minute, those 12 men seem to be trying to get the other one away from us. May be he is the teacher all these people are talking about. Oh please God, don’t let him leave without talking to us. We’ve walked so far just to see him and to hear him. I don’t want to go back empty handed.

What do I see? That man is looking at us and smiling. He seems to be inviting us to join him. Not just us, there are lot more people coming in from other towns too. Luckily, we are the first ones, and we get to sit right in front. I can see him very clearly now. I can listen to his every word too. I don’t have to worry about missing out on things he says and does. Today is a very lucky day for me.

All people who came in are now settled around the master. Those 12 people I saw initially are around too. They seem very preoccupied. Ah! How does that matter, atleast the teacher seems interested to see us all. He starts talking to us about this wonderful kingdom. A kingdom where the king is going to be just, and all the people are going to be happy. No one will go hungry in that kingdom. I can’t wait for that king to come. I don’t like it here. The shopkeepers don’t give us food, because we don’t have the kind of money they ask of us. My dad works night and day. He is able to provide us with enough food, but sometimes I see him and mom not having enough to eat.

Let me not worry about my family and this kingdom now. I want to be prepared for the new king to come. I look wonder-eyed at this teacher, everything he says makes sense to me. It’s like he’s talking only to me. I can see him looking into my eyes all the time. Am sure he loves me. (Mom always says I’m the most handsome boy and the best boy in this whole town).

Some people are rising up. Do they plan to leave? How can they leave when he is talking to all of us? Wait a minute, they are not leaving. They are carrying that man to the teacher. I know him. He’s the crippled man who begs at the temple gates. What are they doing? Why are they carrying him to the teacher? Is he a doctor too?

The teacher is looking at them with such love. I have never seen any one look at that crippled man like that. He’s reaching out and touching him. What do I see? The crippled man is standing up by himself. Unbelievable. He doesn’t seem to need his friends’ support anymore. How did he do that? Wow!! That’s so cool. I can see someone else standing next. I know that lady. People say she has some disease, and will die soon. May be she wants to tell the teacher her final good byes. What are they talking? He is closing his eyes. I think he is praying. She is smiling now. She seems so happy. Her face doesn’t look tired any more. Did he just cure her? He is a miracle maker indeed.

I see James walking to the teacher. He has his trademark guiding stick in his hand. He seems to miraculously reach the teacher, just like he finds his way around our town. The teacher touches his empty eyes. The next thing I hear is James shouting with joy, saying “I can see! I can see!” He is running around without his stick. He comes to me and says he’s finally happy to see everything around him.

It’s past noon. I’m hungry. I think I’ll eat my lunch now. But those 12 people seem to be telling the teacher something. I inch forward to listen to what they are saying. “This a remote place and it’s getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one here to have a bite!” But the teacher seems so calm. “Don’t fret. Have faith, and my Father can do miracles for us. Give all you have to Him, and He will grow it abundantly”, says the teacher. After saying these words, He looks around at me, and smiles.

Did he tell that to me? But how can these bread and fish be enough for all these people? This is a huge crowd. I overheard one of those men with the teacher say there could be 5000 men, along with women and children. But the teacher said give all we have to god, and He will grow it to abundance. I’ll give Him all I have. May be I can help him to do another miracle here.

I step up to the teacher. I hand him my lunch, 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish. I tell him, “This is all I have. I want you to use it to feed those who need it”. He looks lovingly at me and tells me “Clement,” (how did He know my name?) “you will be an example to people of all times. You will be spoken about for generations to come, because of what you did today. You gave the Lord all you had. God will use this offering of yours to feed all those gathered here. Come join me in giving thanks to the Lord”.

After saying these words, he looked up to the sky and gave thanks to the Lord for me and for the food he had in his hands. He gave the bread to one of those 12 men. He told them to pass it along. He asked them to give people as much as they want. “Don’t ration it”, He said. He did the same with the fish. He then made me sit beside him, and gave me bread and fish, saying, “Isn’t this your favorite food? Eat till you are full” (how does he know all about me? He knows my name, He knows my favorite food, He seems to know everything.)

I sit happily next to the teacher, and start eating the bread and fish. They taste better than always today. Everyone is enjoying the food, some of them are looking at me and smiling. Some of them come over and ruffle my hair, and tell me that I’m a very good boy. I can’t wait to go and tell mom all that happened here. What a miracle! The teacher used just those 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes to feed this multitude.

I see those 12 men collecting leftovers. They come to the teacher, and tell him that they’ve collect 12 baskets of bread leftover, after all of them had eaten their full. This miracle doesn’t seem to end. I can’t wait to get home and tell my mom and dad all about it. When Daisy grows up, I’ll tell her the stories the Teacher told me today. I will also tell her the miracles he performed. I’ll tell her how I was the only one among the multitude, who was ready to share all of my food, all my favorite food of bread and fish and how the miracle maker fed the 5000 men, and the women and all the children with just my 5 loaves of bread and 2 small fish.

When that day comes

2009-08-09T11:45:00.002+05:30

Spreading everywhere is the spirit of celebration
All things I hear are about eternal jubilation
Seems all hearts are submerged in this flood
The full-grown trees to every tiny bud

Who is it that’ll here cometh
That these people so runneth
Everywhere I go seeth only celebrations
Everyone I know seemth in jubilations

Suddenly I realize that knowth all around
But do know that this is not a place I’ve ere seen
Strangely still it feels just like home
Am surrounded by love and care all along

I look to the skies to see sight so familiar
But what I do see makes me feel stranger though
No sun, no moon, no stars do I see
But still in brightest of days I do live

I search for the temple to sit down and pray
I walk through the streets in search of my goal
Not a temple is here to worship my Lord
What a strange land I think traveling it whole

Suddenly I find myself in front of that man
He’s so lovely, he’s so kind
I’ll never forget that look in his eyes
As he looks into mine with such lot of love

I feel like I’ve known him for a long time now
But this radiance is something I’ve never seen before
I’m captivated by that look
And now to his sight I remain hooked

Now I realize am filled with his love
Happily now I’m running around
Dwelling in abounding moments of celebration
Sprinting around in the bliss of jubilation

This is the place I’ve wanted to be
Right from the day I’ve got to know Him
My longest of dreams has finally come true
As I stand face to face with the great I AM.

Decisions

2009-08-04T16:48:00.003+05:30

Decisions, decisions, decisions to make
Pondering on these things I should take
From the start of the day
Till back on the pillow I lay

Decisions, decisions, decisions to make
What do I wear, and what do I make
On this bright sunny morning
As I start another new day

Decisions, decisions, decisions to make
That links to my life and all those around me
Some of them small and rather insignificant
Some of them mighty and has all significance

Decisions, decisions, decisions to make
I wonder along if right decisions have taken
This is the time when I want to be alone
Sitting and checking on all decisions I’ve made

Decisions, decision, decisions to make
I’m proud to tell you what a wonder it’s been
Taking the right decisions at some major turns
I look back at all, and smile at my good sense

Decisions, decisions, decisions to make
The past is now gone, I need not bother
All I have to think, is bout the gift of today
And the decisions to make for a brighter tomorrow

Decisions, decisions, decisions to make
No I’m not alone I strongly believe
The master planner is part of me always
Helping me, in Him take decisions right

Decisions, decisions, decisions to make
I know that this is a reality always
No matter what comes, I surely do know
My god has plans to prosper alone

Decisions, decisions, decisions to make
One decision I’ve taken ere and today
To take all decisions in His mighty plans
Plans that’ll prosper and not harm me ever

Mom - God's gift

2009-07-28T15:44:00.001+05:30

Down I land, in an all new town
Slowly I take my first few steps
Like a baby walking for the very first time
A known face to find in the crowd all around

My searching eyes finally rest
At the beaming face out in the crowd
What joy it brings to see her face
Gleaming at me with her beautiful smile

She puts me at home in this new lil town
And shows me all places as we drive along
Where she works and where she ere lived
All she shows me with such lovely care

Days go by with me sitting at home
But not a day when she doesn’t call
To check about my health, and
Making me feel completely at home

I spend long hours talking to her
Sure doesn’t feel like I’ve not known her for long
It seems to me, that she’s always been there
Watching me grow and listening to my endless talks

My every desire, fulfill does she
Even before it reaches my tongue
She cares about my feelings more than I do
And always takes time out to make me feel home

Starting to work after quite a long time
I get back home from a long tiring first day
To find her standing right at the door
Waiting for me to come home

Can’t stop telling her about all things I do
She aint just another person in my life
She’s become one of the most important ones
She’s my Mom, chosen according to God’s perfect plan

Talk to me

2009-07-27T12:06:00.002+05:30

Am sitting alone at my lonely desk
Getting work done, all to my best
A friend wants to talk
And pops out of nowhere

We talk for sometime
Bout all things that’s fun
He seems to go, to where, not I know
Leaving me here waiting, for what, not I know

My mind now astray, tries to find other pals
From all over the world
With whom I can talk
For just a few minutes long

Sadly though find I no one here
Who seems to be free to talk to me now
I wonder how come none are free to me talk
All too busy at just the same time

Wild thoughts run along
As I try to find out
A way through my thoughts
All slimy and mire

They’re all o’er the place
Telling me aint no coincidence this
“All of them are avoiding, don’t you realize
Tells epics of how much love you they”

I wanna talk to some one
Find I though none
I’m ready to listen
But where are the people who’ll talk to me now

Have all deserted me
Have all said good bye
Leaving me here, all to myself
To live my life till eternity alone

Out there some where
Waits my patient One
Ready to listen all my lil talks
Ready to speak more than I can ever grasp

A fool I was, and a fool still am
To have found precious love
But chosen to walk on away
To my own stupid paths
To my own crooked ways

He’s always been there talking to me
Waiting as ever to listen to me
Oh what a fool I’ve always been
Blind did I turn to His gracious love

I turn to go back to my lover again
What do I see, that He’s running my way
I wanna fall to His feet and ask Him to flay
No words do I say cos of the love I behold in His eyes

I run to His arms to talk my heart out
Want to listen to every word that He says
And grasp all the meaning of His wisdom profound
Staying with Him till eternity doth last

Still I wonder what a fool I’ve been
Why do I leave this lover of mine
To others who have not known me in love
Lord help me to be not a fool all eternity

Make me whole

2009-07-19T12:06:00.004+05:30

Walking along the way with my pals
I start to wonder why I’m falling apart
With all of them here to hold me and love
What is it that has torn me away

I pull myself up and walk on along
Only to find I no more am whole
There are many parts lost on the way
But sadly and truly not one does care

All are busy in their own little lives
And no one has time to help find me my life
Who do I look to for helping me out
Why doesn’t He atleast call out to me now

Out of the blue I heard a lil voice
Of my sweet lil pal who called out my name
I pushed her away in my quest to now pray
To the one Almighty who’ll show me the way

I pray on and on, to the one that know
Asking Him daily to lead me along
And I feel my lil pal nudging me now
Asking me to come and see the world that she knows

I push her away and warn her this time
To stop all her pranks to take me away
From the precious of times spent with my master alone
Waiting for Him to help find me my life

She didn’t go away but held me this time
Telling me how much she loved me always
No matter how I’m fallen to parts
I’ll forever remain her perfect lil one

Oh how could she say that when she’s known me so well
Wouldn’t all who I know laugh at her words insane
I push her away and ask her to leave
Deserve I no love and so not from her

She holds me again and kisses me now
And tells me again love me she how
Oh not again, don’t tell me those words
Deserve I not, not one of your touch

She hushes me now and kisses my tears
Asking to see me through her lil eyes
What do I see, I don’t believe
Perfect and whole looking right into me

He knows our thoughts and all of our deeds
But still does He say yes to our cry
Why don’t we give ear to His voice
And listen to Him answering our prayers galore

What love is it that maketh me whole!
What love is it that maketh perfect again!
My tears are now turned into songs of new life
That I’ll be singing all the days to come now

In search of my home

2009-07-16T16:08:00.007+05:30

On a cold winter night,
I leave from their sight
All weary, and now dawdling along
Hoping to find a sweet little home

A place that I will rear my firstborn
A place that will be, forever my own

Now out of the dark
Hear I the sound
Which tells me today
That am no more alone

From the instances past
I’ve begun to grasp
More than just comfort
Cometh from things of the dark

I sprint out of there
With energy unknown
But surprisingly though
That thing comes along

I finally decide to put all to a stop
And prepare alone to fight till I drop
Look I around, to find not a soul
Oh all that I feared, now seems like a sham

I move on along, in my search to find me a home
A place that I will rear my firstborn
A place that will be, forever my own

But as I go on, I hear it again
Following me wherever I go
It gets onto me and scares me to death
And wondrously now, His words come racing along

That He is with me,
With His rod and His staff,
Ready to comfort me in the dark

I fall on my knees
When I remember His love
His blood that was shed
For I am His love

I pray and repent
For all that I’ve done
And muster to fight
The first of my wars

This time I am so not alone
I’ve got an army with me
The army of the one that I love

I’ll fight the good fight,
And complete my race
To finally rest, in my father’s own home
A place that is forever, forever my own
And this is the place where I want to raise my dear firstborn

A way through the desert - Sanu's testimony.

2009-04-29T15:57:00.007+05:30

Testimony of Sanu Abraham (11-Mar-1979 to 27-Apr-2009) - one of the most blessed youths of Bangalore Centre Mar Thoma Yuvajana Sakhyam. It was a blessing to just be around him and to share in his enthusiasm towards life.

I met Sanu 4 years back when we held posts in the centre youth league. That year, our acquaintance grew into friendship and friendship slowly grew into fellowship with the Lord over the past few years. Words can't express the grace of God I've experienced through this chap. Infact I think I have a good understanding of my calling because of this guy. I'll forever treasure his memories.

For those of you who don't know Sanu, here is some information about him. He was an ever cheerful person, who would ensure that all around him were always happy and smiling. If you happen to just look at his face and talk to him, or talk to him on the phone, you'd think, "Man! This guy has it all. I wish I had a life like his."

Over to Sanu now.

The journey of life was going in its full zoom. It was an adventurous journey filled with all sorts of enjoyment until the route took a different turn.... a way through the desert - a desert named CANCER.

This journey started in the year 1998. I was doing my 2nd year nursing at a reputed institution in bangalore. Aged 19yrs - an age of dreams, wishes & youth in its full vigour. An age that I was busy shaping my body at gym. It was amidst all this shaping that I noticed an irregular shape at my upper left shoulder & upper left arm bone as well. When compared to my right shoulder, the left shoulder was a little bulgy. I thought it might be a mistake in me shaping my shoulders at gym. But the truth is that it was a swelling & there a small bony growth on my left upper arm bone which is called humerus.

The pain was immense a kind of squeezy & aching type of pain.The pain used to be at its peak in the night whereas in the day it went unnoticed. I used pain killers to drive off the pain. But as a faithful friend it always glued to me.

My 2nd year exams were nearing. By looking at my pain, my father decided to take me to take me to H.A.L Hospital. There I took an x-ray under the advise of the orthopedic. After looking at my X-ray, the doctor asked me and my father to wait till he met his other patients. He then came over and explained it, without saying that word cancer… 'not yet confirmed'... 'something related to'… 'may be'.

I still wonder what my father went through. I forget how exactly I felt but it was not a shock Nor did it shatter me. May be I was not being serious about it. But I believe God gave the grace to accept it. May be I did not realize it then.

I only waited to get home and yell 'Breaking News' to my friends & relatives. It spread like wild fire. My friends & relatives could not believe their ears.

Surgical biopsy at H.A.L hospital, Bangalore and a whole month's frustrating wait later, doctors could still not diagnose the problem. Numerous trips to other hospitals proved futile too. A family friend from our church suggested Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, five hours from Bangalore.

We headed to CMC, where a biopsy was fixed for August 2, 1998 – the day my final year exams would begin. Sigh! I consoled myself as it meant no exam worries.

I was not depressed about my future. It looked blank. God was helping me take everything as it came.

The biopsy result: Osteosarcoma of left Humerus or left upper arm bone - a quick spreading bone tumour. In its later stages, it spreads to the lungs.

During the surgery that followed, doctors removed three fourths of my left upper arm bone from the shoulder. They inserted a steel rod shaped exactly like that bone, into the remaining portion of the bone. They scraped out my shoulder muscles and triceps (that I was trying to build at the gym) which were affected by the tumour by now.

My family and I returned to Bangalore to so I could get my chemotherapy done at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology.

September 1998. My chemo started. Even when studying for nursing, I never met patients undergoing chemotherapy. The word sounded like another course of anti-biotics! I never imagined what its 'complications' would be like. The first 'cycle' was fine.

Before the second cycle, my family got news that my Appachan (grandfather) suffering from throat cancer, was dying. We rushed to Kerala. Appachan had lost speech. He was shrunk to bones and skin, not the man I met a year ago, and when i met him he said he had the thirst of drinking the whole water in the well. I returned to Bangalore with that haunting image of Appachan.

My hair woes began with the second chemo. I lost hair quickly – hair that my people liked and I was a bit proud of. My English teacher called it 'sheep hair' and would rub his fingers into it playfully. And lo! I lost such wonderful hair – so much in one night! Add to it nausea, severe projectile vomitting, loss of appetite.....etc and things only got worse.

I hoped lost hair would grow. To this day, it has not come back. The plus side: I no longer spend money on haircuts!

My world turned upside down with the third cycle. I would vomit so much that it felt my stomach and intestines would gush out of the mouth. Sticky saliva, oral and throat ulcers, urinary tract infections, low blood count… the troubles seemed endless. Every cycle burned me up. It continued till the sixth cycle. One day i remember I was not able to have anything. My father was helping me have my dinner. I tried somehow to have some of the food but vomitted the whole thing out. Upon that my father was insisting me to have again. I was really getting irritated and just out of that frustration I asked my dad, 'Does god have a heart?' My dad did not say anything. The next day morning our church priest visited me & my father spoke about the previous night incidents. He comforted me & said that whenever I go through any kind of pain just look at the cross and meditate upon what Christ suffered. But I had not grown spiritual enough to understand the true meaning of cross & Christ's suffering. My family was shattered. Its daily routine ruined. It hurt my sister's studies badly. Chemo cycles that last six months took me eight long months. Such a relief when they were over!

I did not want to waste time after this. I wrote my final year nursing exams with my college juniors, scored about 60 per cent, and continued my 3rd years with them. I chose psychiatry as an elective, and would travel by bus for about 20 kilometres from home to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) for my six months' training there.

One morning, when I was travelling to NIMHANS my bus hit a speed-breaker (a hump) suddenly. I was by the window, and my left shoulder hit a window rod as a result. The skin covering the steel rod inside was thin. A pin-hole injury occurred, probably because of some sharp object attached to the steel rod. I ignored the pain as it was not terrible.

As my final exams were nearing, I found puss oozing from my hurt arm one day. A family friend of mine who studied as my senior & was working as a nurse at a reputed hospital pitched in by & used to dressed up the wound every day. Thanks to her compassion, caring love, support & encouragement. Her presence at that time was very helpful not only to me but also to my family. She was like the elder daughter in my family. The day i finished my final year exam, I came home & removed the old dressing and got a shock.

The steel rod inside my arm had torn the skin and protruded through the wound hole, shining! I rushed to Vellore and got myself operated. A month later, a lump erupted on my upper arm just below the shoulder.

Cancer at it again! Another surgery. A week after surgery, the lump resurfaced at the same spot. 'Multiple recurrence', the doctor said.

Time for high dose chemotherapy! I told the doctor to go ahead. I believed in Jesus Christ, who controlled my life. Prayers by family and friends worked. My body tolerated the medicine well to the Doctor's amazement. It went without any side effects not even a hair fall or vomitting nothing........ Praise God that was a miracle.

When I was taking the follow up chemo of the previous high dose chemo, the lump came back! The previous high dose chemo controlled the tumour quite well. But unfortunately came back again. Three recurrences of the tumour! I was advised a chest x-ray and it had spread to my right lung, as my oncologist suspected.

'We need to amputate your right hand along with the lungs surgery', the doctors said. My father's eyes screamed in agony. He was crushed. For once, I got the God's grace to take that positively. God protected me in his arms. It was like He was taking the whole emotional blow upon himself. The significance of Christ's suffering was being revealed to slowly through circumstances like these........ The best part was that He was giving me the grace to discern the truth. My father asked the doctors to decide the way they would, it was for their own son. My parents were devastated. I asked them to trust God.

If He sent us to the earth, it is with a purpose. He loves us unconditionally. I used to think if God created us then He must be aware of each & every cells functioning in our body. If so then how is that a cancer cell can start growing in our body just like that without God's knowledge. And if it is with his knowledge then He must definitely have a purpose behind it. Since He created everything with a plan & purpose in His mind. If so will He not allow these things for our goodness? I signed the consent form as my mother cried. The night before operation was a funny one. I had a patient in my room from north India. We had become good friends. We used to play cards, crack jokes & all sorts of fun and we really laughed our hearts out that night before surgery.

The next morning, I experienced God and His amazing comfort & joy even as my family and relatives were sobbing by my bedside. Before I was wheeled into the operation theatre, the radiant Ms Mary, a retired chaplain at CMC came by. Her words were really powerful & encouraging. It had a soothing effect in it. She said, 'I can accompany you till the door of the operation theatre, but from there another person will accompany you till the operation table. I thought she would have spoken to some Doctor to take care of me specially...... But she said its none other than Jesus himself & I thanked Jesus Christ for the assurance He gave me through His joy & peace.

When I regained consciousness, I looked for my left arm. It was there! The doctor said they left the arm and removed only the tumour as it was far off from blood vessels and nerves. A fresh lease of life!

I even went through five whole cycles of chemotherapy with not much side effects this time. My doctor got me the best medicine possible from abroad! After that I was symptom-free for the next two years.

In 2003 the tumour came in the same place where it had recurred earlier. My doctors at Vellore decided to amputate my arm this time, after some brainstorming. My parents were dejected, and so were the nurses and hospital staff who knew me over there & were my friends by now. I went through it, with a feel good factor.... Again, t'was god's grace playing the same role again. When I woke up after the surgery, I felt for the hand and saw it was not there. But I felt like it was there!

Doctors asked me to stand in front of the mirror & make myself accept that my arm has been amputated. But I never felt the need to do that since I had already accepted it and I don't know there was never a feeling of loss at that time. I was again put on high dose chemotherapy. By this time I was well experienced to face chemo since I got used to it & also knew how to tackle it.

This time, the chemotherapy was done with a tube inserted into the body. It needed dressing in sterile surroundings. Else, it gets infected and unfortunately I got infected. Its first symptom – High Fever. I got admitted again. Infact I remember I got admitted in an afternoon & that day evening fever started to rise it went above 106 degree and as a result convulsions followed. And I became unconscious, for two days. Doctors lost hope.

My mother had even called the Chaplain of CMC Vellore over to give me my last Holy Communion at about 3.30 am. It is given to patients who are conscious. But I was unconscious! So my mother and chaplain only prayed through the night. The third day I could hear some voices.

Two weeks on, the antibiotics began working. I was told I was affected by septicaemia which means blood poisoning caused by pathogenic microorganisms and their toxic products in the bloodstream - a very fatal condition. Hardly any patients come back to life after this, they said. I returned to Vellore after another chemo cycle too with high fever. My lips,whole mouth & throat got infected. Couldn't eat anything & was on fluids for two weeks. Fever was not coming down since there was no improvement in my blood counts. Doctors lost hope again. Doctors asked my mother to inform my relatives (indicating what was to come – death). This time I was diagnosed as febrile neutropenia a condition marked by fever and decrease in the number of neutrophils in the blood. A neutrophil is a type of white blood cell that helps fight infection. Having too few neutrophils increases the risk of infection.

At that time one day my mom was sitting by my bedside & I was having severe chills & my whole body was shivering as a result of the high fever. Mom was helplessly looking into my eyes & I could read through her eyes that she too was losing the hope & the pain & agony through which she was going through. I looked into her eyes & told her, "Mummy, you don't cry. I can not die like this. Unless & until god finishes His purpose for which He's allowing me to go through this, He will not call me back. And I am pretty sure that God is still not finished with His work which He Himself has started in my life." Wow! I never thought I could say that. I don't know how but I definitely believe there was a divine inspiration from within to say that to my mother. I don't know how she felt after me telling her that but certainly I was being assured time & again by my Lord there are still pages left in the book of my life. Our god is the author of our life and our life is story of His love. And behind every chaotic & indiscriminate events of our lives a bigger story - a divine story is being written.

I told the doctors, 'You have done your best. Give God some time'. Call it a miracle, but everything returned to normalcy. I had tasted the sweetness of God. Such sheer joy! I rediscovered a new self after this, raring to go out to the world and share that experience.

I even got a birthday gift after this. I got appointed as a nurse at a government hospital. It is this God's love that has seen me through more surgeries after that.

Through the hundreds of sleepless nights, pain, my family's tears and friends' prayers, it is the joy of experiencing God that brought me out of death, not once but several times. Recently my doctors told me the tumour has spread to my lungs, but I continue living with the love of God. And enjoy living.

I meet many people, and speak about Him. Cancer patients, prayer groups, friends, families. He is helping me journey this desert. He is quenching my thirst.

- Sanu Abraham (18-Dec-2008)

Sanu's parents and sister need all our prayers to go through the tough times now. Please do continue to uphold his family in prayers.

"I-M-POSSIBLE"

2008-10-20T12:29:00.006+05:30

Message I had prepared for my message in the Christos Mar Thoma Church, Kenger, as part of the Youth Week Deputation program on the 19th of October, 2008.

Mark 10:17 - 31
(See also: Mathew 19:16-30, Luke 18:18-30)

This passage talks about a man who was

young
a ruler (see Luke)
law-abiding
humble (he got onto his knees when he met Jesus)
rich
on a quest

People today feel that money is the be-all and end-all to all things done on earth. But here was a young man, who knew that having all the money is not important. But being assured of eternal life was all that he wanted to know about.
This is infact the very sentiments that Paul talks about in his letter to the Philippians (see ch. 3)

He was a perfect man in the sense of the world

He had obeyed the commandments since his youth.Youth, in my opinion, is the time when children tend to go the wrong way. In their childhood, parents are their answer to all things. But as they grow, then tend to start hiding things from their parents, lying, stealing and even not honoring their parents. This tendency is more when a child is brought up in riches. But here was a man, who was probably born in riches who has kept the commandments.
His claim to obedience was not a sham. It was a reality. This is the reason Jesus loved him when he looked at him (v21). Jesus could see the heart of any person. So for Jesus to have loved him, indicates just how good this rich man actually was.

Jesus wanted him to come out his comfort zone

Some people may seem to be perfect in the eyes of the world. But God knows our weaknesses, and knows that those weaknesses make us imperfect.
Your imperfection is no reason for Jesus to not love you. He infact loves you inspite of your weaknesses. But He wants you to be ready to leave your comfort zones if you want to be perfect in His eyes.
This is one of the reasons why Jesus mentions that you can't enter the kingdom of God unless you enter it as a child. Children are very quick to leaving the comfort zones when they are with their parents. If you have ever played the game of tossing a baby in the air and catching it, you'd have seen the joy on the baby's face, when it is in mid-air. For a baby, the comfort is in the arms of it's parent. But when it's parent were to toss it in the air, it is not scared because it completely trusts that it's parent knows what to do. But as the baby grows up, it is easily scared.
God wants us to be like those babies. When He asks you to leave what you have for His sake, then you should be willing to leave all that you have. Because a God who has created you, also knows your needs, and will provide for the same.

When you give up something for God, He'll give you a 100 times more

This is probably the most wrongly quoted verse from the Bible. Here God is not talking about your money. He is talking about your attitude.
When you give up your house or family for the Lord, and go places, you are bound to meet a lot of people. God intends each one of these people we meet to be like an extension to our families. Their homes to be like our homes.
When Jesus asks the apostles to go out in 2s, He told them that when they enter a town, they were to stay in a house all the time they are in the town. When you are a guest in a house, you feel uncomfortable after a few days. By asking them to stay there for their entire time in a town, Jesus was telling them that that place is going to be their home away from home. (Luke 10)
Jesus on the cross was still thinking of his mother. He knew his mother was losing a son for the extension of God's kingdom. Hence he told her that John was her son, and told John that this was his mother. (John 19)
But not all people are called to leave homes and family for His kingdom. Some people are called to be hosts too. This requires a lot of sacrifices too. When you have guests staying over at your place, you will endure quite some inconveniences like loss of privacy, loss of comforts like watching TV when you want.

Impossible for man, possible through God

Sometimes giving up something is not every easy. Infact it seems like the toughest thing to do or even impossible. But when you put your trust in God and ask Him for help, He'll make all things possible. All He wants us to do is to put our complete trust that He will take it to completion.

We need to put in our efforts, but always remember that,
Even IMPOSSIBLE actually spells out as "I AM POSSIBLE", and our God is the great "I AM".

Ezekial - Chapters 14-15

2008-10-13T11:54:00.007+05:30

Dated: 10-Oct-2008

14:4 - Today we are worshippers of idols in our hearts too. Money and materials take precedence over God for us most times. If we are asked to let go of our possessions, will we do as asked?

14:14 - Noah, Daniel and Job were saved because of their righteousness. W personally can't boast of righteousness. But we are saved because of the righteousness we've received from the blood of the Lamb.

14:16 - Your righteousness is yours alone. God will not save an unjust person because of you. So does that mean, you live a just life and that is it? No, we are called to be shepherds for the Lord. Though we can't save some one else because of our righteousness, we can be a reason for them to find their righteousness through us. That's what we are called for.

14:23 - When you go through trials in your life, you might wonder what/why God is doing this. But the righteous will come out unscathed and unharmed. When you see this final result, you will know and understand God's purpose for you. God does nothing without reason or cause. He has everything planned out. But the best part is that He has contingency plans in place too.
When you sin, His plan to prosper you is no longer valid. The contingency plan to your destination becomes the primary plan, and His initial plan becomes the contingency option. To reverse these plans, all you need to do is to repent wholeheartedly. That's all it takes.

15 - The wood of the vine is of no use at all. But in John 15, Jesus says, "I'm the vine". What does this mean?
If you are in the vine, you are of use. The moment you fall out, you get rendered as just another piece of wood. This piece of wood from a vine is of no use at all. Your identity is there as long as you are part of the vine. The moment you leave the vine, you are just a piece of useless wood. As mentioned in John 15:6 , a withered wood/branch has no purpose but to be thrown into the fire.

Ezekial - Chapters 11 - 13

2008-10-13T11:42:00.003+05:30

Dated: 05-Oct-2008

11:16b - What a promise it was. That God will be with us wherever we are. All He wants us to do, is to love and worship Him. He is ready to go to the extent of coming to us. If we feel that we are away from home, and in a foreign land, there is nothing to worry. God is with us. He is keeping an eye out for us.

12:1-6 - God can make you do some crazy things. He asked Noah to build an ark when they had no rains. Here He asks Ezekial to go out of his house, like he is in exile. But there is method in His madness. Even incase of Noah, maybe if some one had stopped by to ask him what he was doing and why, they might've gotten saved.
Here again, though Ezekial does some crazy things, no one asks him what he is doing. But here God gives them a second chance, by sending Ezekial back among them.

? Is there a message to us too here? To take note of the seemingly eccentric people around us? Are there similar crazy people who are trying to tell us something? Do we have time or interest to interact with them?

12:21-28 - God is listening to every word we say. He keeps track of them. And when the time is right, we will hear His response to us. Hence it is very important that we guard what we say. Things we intend to be said in jest, may not be taken so by others.
The words that come out of our mouths make people determine a lot about us. Here God is just giving us an example by disproving the haughty statements made by men against Him. When God says things, He means it. There are no jest statements made by Him. So when we hear His word or promise, we can rest assured that He will bring it to completion. We can rest assured of His support in claiming His promise.

13:17-23 - The description of women wearing charms and scarves matches the current day fortune tellers; infact I think most of them are women too. It's pretty clear that these people have evil powers. They are not just another set of people who are putting on an act. The devil is working through them. Nothing but God can fight those powers away. So it's best we stay away from these people. Not giving them a chance to find a weak link within us, and enter into us.

Ezekial - Chapters 8-11

2008-10-03T11:08:00.003+05:30

Dated: 26-Sep-2008

9:11 - The man sent to mark the foreheads of people comes back at the end of the conversation between God and Ezekial. What does that mean? There were so little people that he could finish his work before the conversation ended?

10 - Glory of the Lord leaves the temple. A temple is God's home. If He has to decide to leave home, things must've been so terrible in the Jerusalem temple. If our houses get pest infected, we will do our best to remove the pest. We will get the best terminators in business and spend all that we have to ensure our house is clean again. But if nothing helps, our only resort would be to shift to a new place, and perhaps bring down the old house. This is similar to what God planned for too.

? What is the significance of coal being scattered in Jerusalem? Is this supposed to indicate the wrath of God on all of them?

9:4-6 - God asks the man in linen to go around and place a mark on the foreheads of people who are still children of God.

Revelation 14 talks of 144,000 people along with Him, who had the mark of the Father.
Revelation 13 talks of the mark of the devil.

? Does everything have a mark? When do we get to see our marks?
Everyone might have a mark, but do we have the mark of the Father?

8:12 - God never forsakes us. He is always aware of our thoughts and intentions at all times. We might be very big sinners, we might not even walk with the Lord. But inspite of all this, God is still looking out for us. He is seeing our every move. The things we do, thinking we are not God's children afterall, still does hurt him.

Ezekial - Chapters 4-7

2008-10-03T10:40:00.004+05:30

Dated: 12-Sep-2008, 19-Sep-2008

7:20 - "The things that you use to disgrace the Lord will be destroyed".
When we misuse the talents given to us, God will destroy those talents. People who know you because of your talents will find no use for you. Our God is a selfish God. He wants all the glory and love to be His alone. God has given you the talents you have. When you use these talents in ways that don't please God, then He'll take it away as your punishment.

4:14 - Even in the midst of His fury, God listens to prayers. When Ezekial said he didn't want to defile himself, God heard it. He was ready to go soft on him. God loves to talk to us and listen to us and to give us what we need. He is always all ears to all our woes and cries. He wants to give us nothing but the best. So, when you cry out to the Lord, He does listen. But how He chooses to answer our prayer varies. Sometimes what we ask for may seem like the best for us. But God knows everything about us. And He knows what will be the best for us and also remain the best for us, in our complete lifetime.

3:14 - Annoyed and angry (Refer the question I felt here)
God had taken complete control of Ezekial. Imagine being under complete control of another person. How would you feel? Would you be able to be happy? So, the human side of Ezekial just comes out, when he says this.

4:4-5 - Ezekial was called to be a prophet for the Lord. But this required sacrifices from him too. He had to lie down for 390+40 days. He had food restrictions too. So when God calls us to be His workers, we need to be ready to make sacrifices He asks for.

7:21-27 - There is a code of conduct when you are God's people. When you break this, God is angry. People of Jerusalem did that. They worshipped other Gods and built altars for them. This is why God chose to punish them. In the same time, there were wicked people around them. God was not planning on destroying them though. For the sole reason that they didn't belong to His family.
If you see a boy smoking on the road, the most you'd do is advise him to not smoke. But if it is your own son, then you'd belt him then and there. It's a similar situation with God too. When you decided to be sons of God, you are giving Him full authority over your life. When you start to do things not pleasing to Him, He will punish you.
If you sin without knowing the Lord, He is going to be sad about you. But when you sin after getting to know Him, He is also gonna get angry with you. You need to remember that.

Ezekial - Chapters 1-3

2008-09-18T14:32:00.005+05:30

I've started the study of Ezekial in my personal time. I wanted to make note of the thoughts and feelings I felt as I read through the book.

Dated: 05-Sep-2008

Ezekial [593BC - 570BC]

Some background about Ezekial and his times.
. 586BC - Fall of Jerusalem
. Ezekial saw the glory of the Lord and he heard the Almighty speak to him.

3:1-3 - God gave him a scroll to eat - "Eat this and fill up on it". Ezekial found that it tasted like honey.

What a privilege we have. We have the word of God with us. He wants each one of us to eat and be full of what His word says to us. When we are full of His word, we will experience His love. And His love is going to taste sweeter than honey.

2:2 - The spirit on Ezekial was not a common thing. But again we are privileged that God has promised His spirit on each of us. Each of us are called to be prophets for God today.

3:15 - "I was both annoyed and angry"

?? Why does he feel that?

3 - Being stubborn or hard is not only the devils doing. God expects us to be stubborn and hard too. But where you choose to be stubborn and hard, depends on who is talking to you.

God wants us to be stubborn and hard in our faith in Him, and in our trust in Him. No matter what happens around us, He wants us to stick onto Him.

God knows the people very well. He knows they are going to be arrogant and are not going to listen to His prophets.
How does God retaliate? He makes His prophets even more stubborn.
But how do we react to these situations in our life? When we see a loved on who is stubborn over something, do we just let them be? Instead, we should look to the Lord for strength to be stubborn ourselves. To hold back our fort, and also to build it further, encompassing our loved ones too.

3:15 - 7 days

3:22-27 - There is a right time for everything. Just because you know something or are asked to do something, doesn't mean you jump into it. The Lord will decide when the time is going to be right for you. Till then He will bind you. So if you feel like you are meant to do a lot of things for the Lord, but feel like you are bound, then it's just God telling you to wait till the time is right.

But can't the devil be you too? - I don't think so. When God has a plan or purpose for you, and you are willing to be allowed to be used for His plan, then He will ensure that it comes to pass. He will give you a lot of reasons to realise what He wants of you.
He will never abandon you.

3:16-21 - Ezekial was responsible for the people he didn't warn. He was freed of this responsibility when he warned the people. If God were to say the same thing to us today, most of us will be punishable. When it is so easy to discuss movies with others, why can't we share His love with others?

Refiner and purifier of silver

2008-07-04T14:16:00.003+05:30

Once a woman was puzzled and wondered what the Bible verse - "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. (Malachi 3:3)" - meant about the character and nature of God.

She decided to find out the process of refining silver and called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you and, no matter whatever you are going through now, you will be a better person in the end!

False display

2008-06-17T15:13:00.001+05:30

[Rev. Mathew K Muthalaly]

Mark 11:11-18 (and Luke)

Some of the doubts that crop up when you read this passage are

Jesus is a loving God, blessing God. Such a God cursed. How was this possible?
It wasn’t a season for figs. This being the case, why did God have a problem with this? Isn’t this equivalent to punishing an innocent person?

v11-14 – The instance of Jesus and the fig tree.
v15-18 – Jesus driving traders out of the temple.
v20 onwards – You see that the fig tree was dried up. This reminded Peter of Jesus’ curse. Jesus replied, “Have faith in God”.

The first two instances show Jesus’ anger. All 3 instances seem completely disconnected. If we were to try moving a mountain, we do it because we thing Jesus said yes. But there is a doubt in actually it happening. Even a tiny bit of doubt can result in no results.

A fig tree full of leaves is an indication of it having fruit. If it doesn’t have fruit, it won’t have leaves. Mark says, “He was hungry”. This shows the human side of the Lord. He was fully divine and He was fully human. He was just like us, except that He was sinless.
In His hunger, Jesus saw the leaves on the fig tree and came close to eat something. The problem here was not that the fig tree was fruitless. The problem was with the pretention of having fruit.

God’s wish for us is to be fruitful. Everyone might appear good. God expects us to actually be good too. We pretend to be good and God doesn’t approve of this. Not being good is not God’s problem. It’s being bad and pretending to be good, that is, hypocrisy that God has a problem with. He expects total submission, not a false display.

Being useless causes only destruction. We are co-creators of God. You are the salt of the world. You are the light of the world. You are called to be of use to the world. God has called us to be useful to the world. Someone who does no good or no harm, is not the best of the people.

God reacted to the use of His temple as a trading place. So it means you need to react when you should. You shouldn’t keep quiet when you should actually be speaking up.

Example of faith – A mountaineer was lost and separated from his group, on a slow clad mountain. It was nightfall and he was yet to find his way back. In the darkness, he lost his footing and slipped down a gorge. But he hung on because of his harness. Hanging by his harness, he prayed to God asking to be saved. Then out of the darkness, he heard a voice asking him to cut the harness rope. He cursed God for not taking care of him and being so inconsiderate, because He asked him to cut the only reason why he was alive. The rescue team found him in the morning. He was found dead hanging 2 feet from the land surface.

We are born with a reason. It is God’s desire for us to fulfil this reason. Don’t be a useless person and spoil the reason for your birth in this world.

The feast of the kingdom of God

2008-06-17T15:10:00.001+05:30

[Rev. Thomas George]

John 6:32-40

v35 – I am the bread that gives life.

Jesus’ teachings were based on things that were known to the people. This made it easy for them to understand His teachings. The people were very well versed with Manna. Hence Jesus equates Himself to this manna.

Manna was given to the Israelites. Anything collected in excess rotted. Jesus calls Himself the manna after He fed 5000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. People started coming to Jesus for food. Then Jesus sends the disciples to the other side of the shore. The boat was stuck in the storm, and there walks in Jesus on the water. He calmed the waters and comforts the disciples. These two incidents brought more people to Jesus.

Each church has its own understanding of the Holy Communion. Some churches don’t allow non-members to partake in the Holy Communion. This is the feast of the kingdom of God. The celebrant is the God. The priest is only serving it to us. We eat at a hotel not based on the servers there, but based on the food. So don’t hold the priest against taking the Holy Communion.

This is a blessed experience and we are all invited to partake in it by Jesus. We need to come in prepared for this.

The priest washes his hands to remember that he is a sinner too. God has given us sinners, right to be part of His kingdom’s feast.

The people were not satisfied with things Jesus did. So they said, it’s not enough and spoke of the manna their forefathers got in the desert. Jesus called Himself the manna in retaliation to this claim.

v30

v32

The Holy Communion is a rich experience. Each one of us has to come prepared for this experience. A qualitative improvement is the need of the Holy Communion. The people ask, “God give this bread always”. By this, they mean, it is not our mistake. But it has not been given to us. The communion is an investment to eternal life. Someone who partakes this shall not die, but have eternal life. It prepares us for the feast in the kingdom of God.

Do not worry

2008-06-17T15:05:00.002+05:30

Mathew 6:25-34
[Rev. Mathew K Muthalaly]

The idea conveyed is not to bother about tomorrow. There is more to this passage.

A man is carrying a bag of burden. He is stooping because of the weight. An angel appeared to him and asked what it was. He said, “You won’t understand.” On more prompting from the angel, he said, “It contains all my worries and apprehension.” The angel made him open the bag, but found it empty. The angel said, “Yesterday’s worries are long over. The worries of tomorrow are yet to come. Why are you carrying them around today, for no reason?”

Your life is bigger than the food, water or clothes you worry about. God gave us this life. He will also give things needed to live.

v33 – search for the Lord first, and rest will follow.

You were not born with the right to choose your parents. You were gifted as a child to your parents. We are here according to God’s plan. It’s not a matter of co-incidence.

God gave us life. If we believe this, then He will provide for us too.
To believe the above principle, you have an example – the birds that don’t earn or store or grow grains. God takes care of them. Some people say, “Eat, drink and enjoy today”. This is wrong. The birds don’t sit in their nest and God doesn’t drop food in their laps. But they rise early and work for their food. God doesn’t expect us to laze around. He wants us to work hard. We need to remember that even feeding a small bird falls within His concern. So how much more is His concern for you?
What is prohibited? It is not work, it is worry. We should work and not worry. Worrying about tomorrow is not needed.
You don’t achieve anything by worrying, Children are worried about exams. Parents are worried about the children’s future. Similarly, people are worried about everything. The ultimate gain of worrying is nothing. The rich are worried for their lives. There is no use of all the wealth he has. Philippians 4:6 – Don’t worry about anything. Place your needs to God.
God who makes beautiful a flower that lives for a day, doesn’t He care more for you?
The root of anxiety is nothing by unbelief. When you believe God can help you, you will not worry.
What is the way to remove anxiety?

Understanding God’s kingdom – It is no big deal to live in this world for the poor. But we store everything and worry about tomorrow.
- We have something to lose and so we are worried.
- We have money, so worry about losing it.
- We have a house, so we worry about it being destroyed.
“I want to do things better than my neighbour” – this is the root of all anxiety.

If God’s kingdom is God being king, then you need to understand that God is capable of taking from the rich and give it to the poor.

Once you start thinking of this, you’ll stop worrying because you realise all are equal. Some people are relieved that God’s kingdom is not here, because they are not going to carry anything there.
Give importance to God – If you seek His kingdom, and give Him first priority, all your basic needs will be given unto you. It doesn’t mean you will get all that you dream of. God will give you all your needs, not your wants.

Where does your compassion lie?

2008-06-17T15:03:00.001+05:30

Mathew 25:44-45 & 1 John 3:17
[Rev. Thomas George]

Our salvation is not decided on by the amount of donations we make, or the position we are in. It depends on our compassion for the less privileged. Be accountable. We need to present our accounts to the Lord.

Are you able to see the Lord, when you leave the church? – Do I want to become what the Lord wants of me, from what I am doing today? Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep and the goats are treated differently by us. Similarly, based on our acts, God will choose to treat us differently.

Are you able to see the Lord in others? – Mother Teresa saw the plight of the poor and diseased. She saw them as her own and spent her life for them. Do we give away only things that we have no need of? We should give from our abundance, not with our leftovers. When you are able to set aside your happiness for the joy of others, you will do something beautiful for God.

Are you prepared for your final journey? – If you’ve done nothing, then you have been a fool. We are losing a lot of people because of globalisation. We need to extend our hands to these people.

Repent. Be vigilant. Be accountable.

Romans 10:9

2008-06-17T15:00:00.001+05:30

Mouth is not the only means of communication, in modern world. But if you say, “Jesus is Lord” from your mouth, you will be saved.

Jesus is the one person who has risen from the dead. Confessing by your mouth is very important. But to confess, you should believe in the resurrection.

When you believe it in your heart, He becomes your priority. You don’t need to prioritize things. God will show you your priorities.

Give to God, and He will give back to you 100 fold (???)

2008-06-17T14:40:00.002+05:30

Luke 14:12-14

Common notion is “If you give to God, He will give back 100 fold”.

This is not what the Bible teaches. If we give with this idea in our mind, it is not a spiritual giving.

Jesus gave His life for us. He didn’t expect anything in return. He in turn got the cross instead.

Give without expecting!!!

World Sunday School Day - 05-Nov-2006

2008-06-17T14:39:00.002+05:30

Luke 2:41 – 52

Children were required to be taken to Jerusalem when they turned a certain age. Jesus was 12 when he went. He had reached youth hood and He knew well enough to talk to the elders about God.

Parents didn’t realize their son is missing. Does this prove them to be irresponsible? No, they went as a huge group of relatives. So they trusted the group to have taken care of their child.

They went with Jesus, but came back without him. We should remember to make sure that Jesus is with us at all times.

Quotes captured from sermons.

2008-06-17T13:29:00.002+05:30

Ego – Edging God Out
Distance is the greatest source of distortion.
Faith is a journey beyond the boundary of visible.
Splendid insights are born when we cross boundaries.
Revelation is God understanding man (God understand man and so reveals himself).
We have to become the change we want to see in others.
Clarity is next to godliness.
Christians go to the havens to convert them, but they get perverted in the process. - George Bernard Shaw.
Whatever you deny, will eventually overtake you.
Don’t try to change a man over 40. – CS Lewis
Earlier children thought of parents as a tree that gives shade. Now they consider them as ladders to climb up on.
Unless a grain of wheat falls down and dies, it remains alone.
Child is the father of man. – Wordsworth
We receive the body of Christ to become the body of Christ.
Life is a laptop but some people are using it as a paper weight.
Love is the light in which worth is seen.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. – Psalms
Sometimes when opportunity knocks, we mistake it for noise.
We grow old only when we forget our sense of mission.
Church is the only organization which exists for its non-members.
Evangelism – a compulsion from within and compassion from without.
“STRESSED” when read backwards becomes “DESSERTS”.
When wings to enable us soar high is arranged for you, are you just asking Him for a walking stick?
God can use crooked things to write a straight line.
Before cutting any string, make sure it's not one that's holding you up.
Courage is not the absence of fear — it is the mastery of it.
If you sense your faith is unraveling, go back to where you dropped the thread of obedience.
The Lamb who died to save us is the Shepherd who lives to lead us.
Just believing isn't enough. Remember the devil believes in God too!!
When times are hard and you can not see the light, remember what He said. Walk by faith, not by sight.
Christians aren't perfect; we're forgiven.
Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation.
Faith is not belief. Belief is passive. Faith is active.
Unthinking faith is a curious offering to be made to the creator of the human mind.
Without faith a man can do nothing; with it all things are possible.
No matter how steep the mountain - the Lord is going to climb it with you.
God is the light that shows me the way, for there is nothing that God cannot do.
"If you Believe, it will Happen."
Prayer releases the power and wisdom of God into a situation.
The Lord will either calm your storm . . . or allow it to rage while He calms you.
When God calls you to do something, he enables you to do it.
My job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible.
No God, No Peace. Know God, Know Peace.
If the only prayer you ever say in life is "Thank you". . . that is enough.
We are at peace with God and all mankind when we hear the silence and do not feel alone.
"How do u get to heaven?" "When u turn right, and keep straight."

Glorification of Christ

2008-06-16T22:33:00.001+05:30

[Rev. Mathew K Muthalaly]

John 20:11-18

Some points to note that can be seen only in John’s gospel are

Mary crying at His tomb.
The 2 angels at his hand and feet.

Jesus is a good leader. He calls everyone by name.

Mary doesn’t recognise Jesus and asks for His body. It is not explicitly mentioned as to why she asks for the body. But here is some background. The Jews followed some funeral rites to the body of the dead. But since the day following Jesus’ death was the Sabbath, Mary must’ve come to His tomb to perform these rites following the day of the Sabbath. Jesus doesn’t answer her question, but calls out her name. She recognises His as her teacher. This is just as John 10:14 says, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”

The glorification of Jesus Christ is exemplified by John.

In John 2, at the wedding at Cana, He says, “My time hasn’t come”. The time mentioned here is the time for his glorification. Many people put their faith in Him. It was not a general applauding of His work.

His glorification was in

Death
Resurrection
Ascension

Mary clung to Jesus Christ. This is because of her love for him. Even 3 days after his death, she was crying at His tomb. When Jesus says, “Don’t cling unto me”, He means His glorification is not complete. He is yet to ascend into His father’s home.

His ascension ensures His second coming - In John 14, (v1-3) keep your trust in the Lord. I’ll go to my father’s house and prepare the rooms there. I will come back.
The place for women in Jesus’ life – Our society is male dominated. We think he had only 12 disciples and all were men. But the bible does mention women among his disciples. There is no restriction to men alone in St. John’s gospel. The first person to see the resurrected God was a woman. Peter saw the empty tomb and went back.

Mary was the first person to witness resurrected God.
She was the first person to spread the good news of the resurrected God.

The grace of resurrection – She continues to weep. She turns around on hearing her name. Once she recognises Jesus, there were no more tears. She finds the Lord and all her sadness and sorrow has left her. When you meet Jesus, you’ll cease to be unhappy. You’ll start finding the joy in your lives. This is the grace of our Lord. He will speak to you in your sorrow. He will give us the hope.

John 16:20-22, Jesus says “You’ll cry. The world will rejoice. Your sorrow will cease and you’ll find happiness”. Jesus analogies this feeling to a woman’s labour pains. The labour pain of a woman is huge. But on seeing her baby, she forgets all her pain. Similarly, we will forget all our worries when we experience the joy when we meet Him face to face.

John 14:18-20 says, “I’ll not leave you alone...” There is another life at the end of this life. Because He lives, we will also live. This is the promise given to us. We are not living because of our capabilities. We live because He lived.

John 17 is called the high priestly prayer of Jesus Christ.

Message for Leaders

2008-06-16T22:32:00.000+05:30

[Susan chechi]

A leader is a person in authority appointed by God – Romans 13:1.
A leader has a covenant with the Lord – Nehemiah 10 (speaks of the Sabbath and laws).
A leader must’ve a wise and understanding heart – 1 Kings 3.
Prayer is a powerful tool in leadership.
When you are a leader, you are accountable to God – 1 Peter 5:2-4

Some of the other leaders are Moses, Abraham and Daniel. They stuck with God always.

Hold onto these points while going forward.

The foundation is Jesus Christ.
Be one. Do not be divided.
Glory is the Lord’s alone.
We are builders of the wise master.

Church and community

2008-06-16T22:30:00.001+05:30

[Rev. John Geevarghese (Bency achen)]

Luke 6:27-36

This talks about what is expected of us. Bible is the answer to all questions. It can be used as the positive or negative answer to all your questions.

What credit is it to you if you behave just like the sinner? If you love someone just because they love you, then you are just like the world. You should be able to love someone who hates you. Can you give the other cheek to someone who strikes you?

Leadership training

2008-06-16T22:25:00.002+05:30

[Mr. C D Mathew]

People face a lot of pressures.

Organisational pressures

Peers, sub-ordinates and superiors
Managerial ladder

External pressure

People, politicians and other influential people.

Nehemiah is one of the great leaders mentioned in the bible.

- He was aggrieved when he saw the state of the walls of Jerusalem.
- He consulted with God when he was confronted by the king.
- He prayed to God in each of his plans.
- He prepared to fight against anyone who prevented them from building the wall.
- He was accused of trying to build a kingdom and to threaten their king.
- He stuck with God and completed his mission.
- He was a governor but didn’t expect special treatment because of that.

All these qualities of his were got from his basic commitment to God.

A leader is one who is compassionate – Nehemiah took care of all the complaints that came from widows and poor people about being ill-treated by the Jewish officials.

His absence from Jerusalem caused his people to move away from God. When Nehemiah came back and found out the reason for the problem.

Can you stand the test of time? Do you have the courage to say NO when you are pressurised to compromise? It is not enough you do the right thing. But you need to sustain it.

What gives you the courage to stand for the truth? How do you stand the pressure from within and outside? Go through the character of Nehemiah.

You will be a success with your ideal, but are you ready to stand the test of time?

You may not be liked by all for your standing, but are you ready to sustain?

Nehemiah’s 5 problems and approaches

Balancing practical planning with trust in God.

What should I ask for to the king?
He took letters to people who he expected trouble from.

Undesired criticism

Can you stand when you are criticised bitterly?

Resolving personality conflicts and strained human relationships.
Financial crunch.
Take care of executive burnout.

Nehemiah was a servant leader – Without commitment and devotion, you cannot lead.

Jesus came down to serve us. Only if you make yourself low, you can serve others. The best way to influence others is by serving them, instead of bossing people around. You should be ready to sacrifice everything to the commitment.

Nehemiah was a leader who was a perfect example of how a leader should be.

Leadership training

2008-06-16T22:19:00.002+05:30

[Mr. Binod Maliel]

Experience is mistakes you are not going to repeat.

Ephesians 2:8,9

- Good work alone is not taking you anywhere
- Salvation is God’s gift for us.

Parable of the talents teaches us that the reward in heaven is based on the work done on earth. Everything we do is going to be refined by the testing fire of God. Only the good work that lasts this fire is going to be the basis for our rewards in heaven.

There are different types of leaderships

- Visible leaders
- Invisible leaders

God has chosen a path for each of us. No matter what path is decided of you, there are some common set of challenges that you will face as leaders

1. Motivation
2. Handling different situations
3. Thinking ahead
4. Keeping people together
5. People skills
6. Positive attitude
7. Open to ideas

Some of the words that can be used to define a leader are “Initiator and finisher”, “responsibilities” and “achiever”.

Philippians 4:13 – Christ strengthens you to be able to do all things. God uses “FAT” people – Faithful, Available and Talented.
All in all, leadership is an influence. Nothing more and nothing less!!

Leaders should

Be able to evaluate ideas, not people.
Influence people and should be ready to be influenced by others.
Be self motivated.
Be able to influence results. They should be activity oriented, not result oriented.

Level 5 leaders is the name given to the leaders of 11 companies with sustained results of 3 times above average, for 15 years. Two of the qualities of these level 5 leaders are

Humility
Willing to take tough decisions for positive results.

Leaders need to be windows when good things happen and mirrors to failures. Dissatisfaction is good as long as it is managed well. It brings out new ideas.

There are two types of handling people.

Directing behavior
Supporting behaviour

People usually belong to one of the following 4 quadrants. A leader needs to cater to the support and direct a person according to the quadrant they belong to.

The Cross – A suffering?

2008-06-16T22:13:00.003+05:30

[Rev. Sajan Varghese]

The chieftain who had no belief in God, said “He was the son of God”, when he saw the events on Friday. If we are able to say the same thing after being part of the service, then there is use of being a part of this service.

Cross – It isn’t seasonal. It is a daily affair. It’s like the food and air for a human being. It is the spiritual necessity for a Christian.

Cross is the key to a Christian life. If you don’t have a key, you can’t enter through a locked door.

What is cross? - It means suffering. This is the common notion. But it is not mentioned anywhere in the bible.

A mentally retarded child might seem to be a suffering for his parents. But for his parents, it is a joyful experience. To see the Cross as a suffering is to see the wrong side of it. Cross is the happiness in life. Not having a child is not suffering. It is the way you look at it. There are no problems in your life if you don’t have a child. You can say having a child is suffering because of the care needed for its upbringing.

For a moment, Jesus saw the Cross as a suffering. That is why he says, “Take this suffering from me.” This is the human concept of the Cross.

But God says, “If my son doesn’t die on the cross, then all the humans made in my image will die”. Jesus realizes His Father’s view when He says, “Not my will, but Yours be done”.

Where is Cross? - It is not in the most holy places.

Jesus’ cross was outside the city. It was between two thieves, i.e., among the world, not in the church.
People gambled in front of the cross. If you want to see the cross, you can’t turn away from the world.
People who passed by Him, shook their head. This means He was crucified next to a road. The road is outside and not in the church.
Jesus was betrayed by a kiss of a loved one. He said, “If you come in search of me, leave the others alone”. This is the love of forgetting.
If you’ve the vision of the cross, you should be capable to forget and love. Even in the midst of His pain, Jesus said, “Woman, here is your son. John here is your mother”.

A person, who is ready to forgive and care for others in His pain, is our God. It is not all about forgetting; it is about forgiving. Only those who can forget can forgive.

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing”. Are we capable of saying this?

Cross is the love of forgiveness, the love of forgetting and the love of reconciliation.

What is Good Friday?

2008-06-16T22:13:00.001+05:30

[Baby John]

Isaiah 52:9-10

God spoke through the prophets about the savior who is to come and rescue us. After the floods, God promised Noah, there won’t be any more floods or any other disaster that will wipe out the entire world.

Luke 1 – The angel says, “The savior for all people.” Jesus didn’t come down for only a select few. He came for all of us.

Isaiah 53:3-5 – speaks of the suffering Jesus is to endure in His time here.

The rescue in our lives is only through Jesus, There is no other way.

Matthew 16:21 - Jesus knew He is going to be crucified months ahead of it actually happening.

Matthew 20:20-28 – Mother of James and John requested Jesus to let one of her sons sit at His left and right. Jesus replies saying, “Are they ready to bear the pains He went through?” Are we ready to be crucified like Him?

This is the question God has for us. We are today only bothered about being with Him during His second coming. But we don’t realize that this is possible only if we suffer for Him.

“Luke 9:23 – You must take your cross each day and follow me.” Are we ready to follow God every day? Are we ready to bear the cross every day?

2 Timothy 3:12 – Anyone who wants to live with Jesus will have troubles from others.

Matthew 10 – We may feel like going away from God when we face troubles. The one who stays with God even in all his troubles is the one who will meet Him during His second coming.

Galatians 2:19-20 – Death is only to the body. If you are with Christ, you will live eternally with Him.

Matthew 16:26 – What have you gained, if you’ve destroyed yourself?

John 15:13 – The greatest thing is to die for a friend.

John 13:1-6 – Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. He made Himself low. We need to be low if we want to grow.

John 14:28 – Good Friday is not a day of bereavement. It is a day of joy because Jesus is going back to His father.

How do we identify the King?

2008-06-16T22:10:00.002+05:30

[Rev. Paul Jacob]

Mathew 21:1-11

Martin Luther King fought for the rights of the blacks in Americas. He spoke about his dream for freedom in the Lincoln Memorial. People were all ears to hear their leader. 2000 years ago, people of Jerusalem got together to receive another King. The spread their clothes on the road, waved the branches to receive the King. This gathering was not put together in a jiffy. It was planned ages ago by our God. It marked the beginning of the last days of Jesus on this earth.

The whole town got together to say “Please save us”. Though they got together to welcome Him, there was a question, “Who is He?” This man was a King in all respects. He is the one who taught every one to love, without any expectations. Kingdom of God is very different from all that we see here.

He fed 5000 people with 5 loves and 2 fishes. After this, the people wanted to make Him King. The basic necessity of life is food. When Jesus satisfied this need, they decided to make Him King. Zechariah 9:9 talks about the King. But Jesus was called King only during his last days.

a. John 19:1-2 – A taunt of King by the soldiers.
b. Mathew 27:11 – Pilate asks him, are you the King of Jews?

The kings of this world are ready to kill for a piece of land. But when the king came to the earth, He didn’t have place to be even born. He didn’t own anything. He had to be buried in another’s tomb. When He forgives the woman people wanted to stone, He was showing her the way. He showed Zachhaeus the way by showing right from wrong. He cured the sick who followed Him. He didn’t make any one in debt for the things He did for them.

God didn’t use a horse because the slowest walk of a horse still can’t be with the pace of the people. Then why not a camel? Because it is too high and he may not hear the people. So the best thing is the donkey, It walks at the pace of even the slowest man. Jesus also walks with all, even the slowest of all of us. He doesn’t desert us.

How do we identify the King and His kingdom? The people who recognized Him are

The 3 kings who followed the star, and saw a King in the infant. We may have knowledge but do we have the insight? Insight comes only with the Lord.
The children who sang Hosanna when He came to town. Only when you have the innocence of a child, can you recognise Him.
The thief who was crucified with Him. He had a deep transformation in the last days of His life.

If you have to recognize the kingdom, you need to be learned or have innocence or undergo a complete transformation.

Called by God – called, commissioned and empowered

2008-06-16T22:10:00.001+05:30

Who is the person who has called us? Who is a called person?
God has called us; and He has called each one of us.

There was a crowd following Jesus always. This doesn’t necessarily mean they all believed in Him. Some might have come for the stories He said. Some for the food served and some for the healing He did. But Jesus made it clear what it means to follow Him.

Mark 8:34

Jesus called the crowd to Him along with the disciples. He gives them an agenda to follow Him. The world is looking for only the best exterior. But God says any one who is willing can follow Him, provided they have the heart to follow Him. Out of the 12, 1 was a betrayer and the rest were traitors in some way or the other. But God used them to build His kingdom here. They seemed most disqualified, but with Jesus they turned into the most qualified ones.

With God, it is not your ability, but your availability which matters. Any one who has a heart and is willing is CALLED.

Jesus said, if you want to follow me, you should deny yourself. What is denying yourself? Saying no to worldly things; being ready to say yes to be at the end of the queue.

Galatians 2:20

Mercy is not getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve. Love the Lord your God with all your heart (emotionally), with all your soul (psychologically), with all your strength (physically) and with all your might (completely). God is very clear of what He needs from us. He wants us to love Him. He is desperate for love. If someone writes an “I LOVE YOU” for you in blood, you get all touchy about that person. But we don’t see the blood Jesus has shed for us.

Jesus didn’t say take up my cross. He said take up your own cross. He means we need to be ready to face hardships in His name. Cross is a symbol of pain and suffering. There is no such thing as a secret believer or a secret Christian. If God has empowered you, how can you let it be a secret? The current day Gurus are promising you a lie with all comforts and benefits. Bur our Guru told us the truth of suffering and pain in our lives. Life is not temporal, it is eternal.

A person who has the right priorities in life is the CALLED one. Are we going to be ok with losing a necklace and not losing the velvet cover? NO!! Then why are we not bothered about losing our souls? If any one is ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us.

Nehemiah’s concern

2008-06-16T22:09:00.000+05:30

[Rev. Philip]

Nehemiah 2:8

When Nehemiah heard about the state of the temple of Jerusalem, he wept out. He was so concerned about others. This is the reason he asked and enquired about others and cried out when he heard of this state.

If you hide your sins, it will grow and will become visible one day. You should confess your sins.

Nehemiah could’ve shut his eyes and ignored the state of Jerusalem, because he was away from Jerusalem and wouldn’t be able to do it. But he decided to act.

After the sermon on the mount, Jesus didn’t want to send them back empty stomach.. The 5 loaves and 2 fishes were enough to satisfy all their needs.

When wings to enable us soar high is arranged for you, are you just asking Him for a walking stick? This is the truth in our lives. God has kept a lot ready for us and we ask Him for petty things.

Nehemiah believed that God was with him. God is with each of us, but do we realize this? When he had finished inspecting the walls, some people came to threaten him. When you start God’s work, there will be a lot of obstacles. This is true in our lives. Satan is running around like a hungry lion, waiting to eat the hapless.

A kite builds its nest right on top of a big tree. Once the chicks are ready to fly, the mother removes twigs from the nest. When the chicks fall and don’t fly till they reach the ground, the mother takes them back.

A man on top of a 5-storey building wanted some things from the ground floor. He tried calling out to people walking on the street to help him, but they couldn’t hear him. He had 2 coins, so he decided to use them to get attention. He threw the first coin; a man walking below found it and pocketed it without looking up. The same thing happened with the next coin too. Then he learnt a lesson. He threw a stone on the next man; and he looked up. Similarly, hardships in our lives are for us to look up to our God. We don’t tend to see Him when He gives us only blessings.

When you know a person personally, you will read a book written by him with full interest. Similarly, only when we have fellowship with our God, we will read the Bible properly.

A mother goes to the person who saved her son’s life and says “Why didn’t you save his cap too?” This is how we react to God too. He gave His son to rescue us and we ask Him why he didn’t give us the luxury we want.

A fish seller wanted a board saying “Fresh fish sold here”. The painter said,

Why do you need “Fresh”? Will some one buy stale fish?
Why do you need “here”? Where else will they buy?
Why do you need “sold”? Will you give it for free?
Why do you need “fish”? From one mile away, every one will get to know that fish are sold here.

Similarly, as Christians, we shouldn’t need boards to declare ourselves. Our lives should be living boards for people around us.

Season of Lent

2008-06-16T22:07:00.000+05:30

[Rev. Thomas Kurien]

Isaiah 58:5-8

Lent means “Looking into Jesus”. The season of Lent is 50 days long to indicate the 40 days Jesus spent in prayer and the Passion Week. What is fasting in our lives? Is it bound with the Bible or is it just abstinence from food?

What is expected from us during Lent?

Time of repentance – Are we able to change the world around us with inner healing? Physically and externally we may seem good to others, but are we healed internally?
Time of reconciliation – We enter the Holy Qurbana with the Kiss of Peace. Mathew 5:23-24. You may be at peace with others, but if there is some one who is angry with you, it may be because of something about you. So you need to ensure that all is fine in your relationship with that person. If you love the God and hate your brother, then you are a thief or a cheat. Our prayers for healing are become a show-off of our faith. The Lord who does the healing is getting sidelined.
Time of renunciation – You let go of your favorite things and spend that time and energy in our Lord. By fasting, what good is happening? The money you save should go to the needy, instead of just your bank balance.
Time of renewal – Die with Christ and live with Christ. The things followed in church are a symbolic representation of things Christ did. If you don’t understand this meaning, everything will appear like a drama to you.

Jesus turns water into wine

2008-06-16T22:05:00.001+05:30

John 2:1-11

v4 – How does it concern you and me?
v4b – My hour has not yet come
v5 – Do as he says
v7 – Fill water in the wine jars
v10b – You’ve kept the best until the last.

Jesus had been to the wedding at Cana. It must’ve been a family and disciples wouldn’t have been there. Knowingly or unknowingly, we tend to crush others dreams without realizing their pain, because it doesn’t matter to us.
In Mathew 26:18, Jesus says “My time has come!” If he does a miracle there, then it will reveal His greatness to all. It would also be the first step towards the cross. Knowing all this, Jesus willingly takes this first step. Cross is the consequence of obeying the Lord in this godless world.
Mother knows her son will not go away from doing good.
Jesus was a God of small things. A God who encourages the small things to grow and proclaim His glory. The ordinary is transformed into something extraordinary.
If God’s grace touches you, people will see the new special things in you. When God touches you, you will be transformed into a new creation. (Romans 12:1-8).

The three things season of Lent stands on are fasting, prayer and alms giving. The season of Lent is the remembrance of the suffering Jesus went through in His journey to the cross. We don’t have any right to take this suffering lightly. We need to join with our Lord in prayer.

Faith saves all

2008-06-16T22:03:00.000+05:30

[Rev. Dr. George Varghese]

Luke 8:49-50

Jesus went around preaching the gospel. He not only preached, but he healed the sick.

Luke 8:26-39 – Jesus listened to the prayer of the demons. He let them go into the pigs as they wanted. When the people saw this, they saw two things.

The man is now cured.
They’ve lost their animal stock.

Instead of being happy for their fellow being, they asked Jesus to leave them. When the people didn’t want Him, He didn’t push Himself on them. On the contrary to all people asking Him to leave, there was this one man, who wanted Him to come to his house.

On the way to Jesus’ house, there was a block, that of the woman with bleeding problem for 12 years. In the Hebrew society such a woman was not allowed in public places. When Jesus asks who touched Him, she must’ve been scared of being punished. Jesus’ destination was Jairus’ house. The woman was a blockage. Jairus must’ve felt why this woman didn’t come at some other time. Why is she here when He is on His way to my house? Then he must’ve consoled himself saying Jesus will take care. It was in this state that he gets the news of his daughter’s death.

The most important point here is that he was with Jesus when he heard the sad news. If he was with any one else but Jesus, they wouldn’t have been able to help him. If you are with Jesus, He can save you from anything you face. Jairus felt they were late, but Jesus says “Don’t worry. Have faith”.

Faith is to believe when everything is dead. The God who can do everything you feel is impossible.

When Jesus reached Jairus’ house, he saw people crying. In our houses, children are spiritually dead. To bring them back to life, Jesus needs to come in.

Are you with Jesus today? Don’t run to God when you are in trouble. Instead be with Jesus always and God will save you from the dangers.

Are you a born again Christian? Are you under the covering of the covenant? Are you under the control of the Holy Spirit?

Venturing into the unknown

2008-06-16T21:58:00.001+05:30

[Rev. VM Mathew]

Is there anything unknown in this world? We are able to get all kinds of information on the Net. So what is it that is unknown?

We don’t know the person next to us and our neighbors.
We don’t know the pain that some of our friends go through.

Jesus is one person who always went to the unknown, be it the Samaritan or the leper.

To go to an unknown area we need to go beyond boundaries. Like Christ who went beyond boundaries. We need to go out of our comfort zone. There are some boundaries that we should not cross. We end up crossing these, rather than the ones we need to cross.
We need to travel through the less traveled road. In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd went in search of one sheep, though he had 99 of them. This is the less traveled road.
We need to take some risk. Jesus took the risk to reach out to the unknown. We don’t take risks in our lives. Jesus’ mission was to venture into the unknown. We tend to remain in the known.

Agrarian Parable

2008-06-16T21:57:00.000+05:30

[Rev. Johnson Unnithan]

John 12:24-26

Agrarian parable is one of the many used by Jesus. He used this to connect to the common man. In these parables, there is a lot of emphasis on fruit.

The loss of identity of a grain of wheat is necessary to product more wheat.

Matthew 13:31-32

The kingdom of God compared to the mustard seed. It grows into a tree that grows and provides shelter to birds. Though useful to birds, this is of no use to the person who plants it. This is called the “Economy of the Kingdom”. In all that we do, we expect good results out of it and results that favor us. In God’s Kingdom, the result is in favor of everyone, and not just the person who does the deed. Like, Jesus gave himself to get us our salvation.

What use has it been to Jesus by us being Christians? We tend to pray and love God for our own selfish reasons. We need to give ourselves completely to God. John the Baptist says about Jesus, “I should go down and He should rise”. Are we ready to let go a little in our lives and use that for God’s glory? Things like time, money and words.

Be firm and courageous

2008-06-16T21:55:00.001+05:30

[Rev. Samuel M Samuel]

Joshua 1:1-9

The point mentioned by God to Joshua in this passage is “Be firm and courageous”. He says this after Moses dies. Joshua was a man who was in the background. God calls him to lead his people.

Joshua has seen the reactions of the people when Moses led them. He knew this was not an easy feat. Hence God tells him to be strong and brave repeatedly. He says this just before the people entered the Promised Land.

They were going to experience something new. If Moses led them to the Promised Land, Joshua had to lead them during successful times. It is during our prosperity that we lose track of our God. Hence God asks him to be firm and brave. Only if he does this, he can follow the word of God in his life (v7).

We usually challenge our enemies or the people whom we confront. Here God challenges Joshua to walk in His path and to follow His Law and Word. When we decide to walk with God is when we face the most problems. Because that’s when the devil feels threatened.

Are we ready to vow to follow Jesus this New Year? As we grow stronger, we forget that God has got us there (like King Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26).

v7: Don’t turn left or right to be able to take the Promised Land. If a door closes on us, God will open many more for us if we follow Him.

v8: We need to think about the word of God day and night. We need to be brave and strong for this. Psalms 32 says “Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven”. Psalms 1 says “Blessed is he who reads the word of God day and night”.

The first thing we leave when we are busy is prayer! If there is no time, then we cut down our time for prayer. If can’t spend hours to pray, we should atleast spend half and hours for this

v9: God will be with you wherever you go. Are you ready to take God with you WHEREVER you go?• v5: I’ll be with you like I was with Moses. No one will defeat you. There can be nothing better than this for a man called to be a leader. We should pray to God for His presence in all that we do.

God confronts you

2008-06-16T21:54:00.001+05:30

[Rev. Shibi Varghese]

John 21

Peter walked with Jesus for 3 years. But after the crucifixion of Jesus, he didn’t know what to do. All that he thought he will gain were lost. In this passage, he stands on the shore of Lake Tiberias.

He though was the rock, lost hope. The disciples also followed his actions. Man by default wants to go back. There is a lot of effort needed to go forward, but returning is the easier thing to do. But when Peter went back, he was fishing to live. But earlier, he lived to fish. This is similar to our live. We are doing things to live.

Some of our blessings are causing us to turn away from God. When God gives us a house and children, we turn away from Him saying, “I need to take care of these things given to me”.

When Peter put his nets into the sea, he didn’t get anything. He was fishing since his childhood. He was capable of knowing where to find the fish. But on turning away from God, all his knowledge deserted him.

God will comfort us when we are nothing. There are many times in our lives when we are nothing. We need to respond to His call. When Peter failed in his work, Jesus told him what to do. This time Peter listened to Him. Jesus didn’t ask him to stop fishing. He taught him how to fish. The attitude of a believer should show in what you do.

On doing as Jesus said, he caught much more than he dreamed of. When Jesus confronts us, our lives are reordered. Peter was happy on seeing Jesus. He wasn’t happy because he caught 153 fishes. It was the confrontation with Jesus was what made him happy.

When Peter was so happy, Jesus asked him a small question. “Do you love me?” When He asked Peter this question for the third time, he said “You know everything”. He laid himself bare in front of Jesus. After this there was no looking back in his life. He transformed the lives of 1000s of people.

God doesn’t want to know your past. He wants to know if you are ready to lead your future with Him. We are called to be battle horses in this world, to fight the battle for our Lord.

The decision we take in Christ should be for the betterment of this society. Zaccheaus was ready to return all that he had taken as bribe. He didn’t promise to return just what he got; he instead agreed to return four times. We instead say things about walking with God. But we don’t agree to pay back for our past sins.

We are like the rich man who wanted eternal life. He had a lot. So why not eternal life also? ;-) But he was not ready to leave his things. If you run behind the good things, we can get a lot. Instead we tend to run behind petty things and miss Jesus while doing so.

Christmas

2008-06-16T21:52:00.002+05:30

Luke 2:7-10

The God who is Almighty came down as a common man on this day of Christmas.

v7: There was no room in the inn. This is just a symbolic representation of His life in this world. He came to this world, but people didn’t give Him the respect due to Him. The only place given to Him in this world was the cross.

Story: There was a mentally disabled man who didn’t get a job any where. Finally he was employed by a drama troupe, into a play called “The Christmas”. His role was that of the inn keeper. In the play, Mary and Joseph came to him. The man was told to say, “No room” and keep quiet. But he instead said, “Please wait. We have a room in our house”. He forgot about the play in a moment. He was ready to give his house to the needy.
The play was spoilt but a mentally disabled man turned out to be much better than the mentally abled us? At the time of His birth, there was no room on the inn. How about in our lives today?

v10: The shepherds were the first to know about Jesus. Shepherds were despised by the society. They were not allowed into any of the celebrations. The wise men went to the palace in search of the King born unto us. But the shepherds, who were unaware of the King’s birth, were the first ones to know about Him.

What is the gospel for this world, for the so called sinners of the society and for the unjust people of this society? We have been able to get this good news into our lives. Only then can we share the good news with others.

Let our prayer this season be
“Lord, let me know the good news of Christmas and let me spread this to others”.

God’s plan

2008-06-16T21:52:00.001+05:30

Mathew 1:19

In the autobiography of Kiran Bedi – ‘I dare’, her reaction to being appointed as superintendent of Tihar Jail was, “I am misplaced in this place”. We think on similar lines in our lives. Joseph felt the same way about marrying a pregnant Mary.

But by the end of her stay in Tihar Jail, Kiran Bedi had brought across reformation there and says, “It was God’s plan to put me here”.

At an age when men were considered superior and people saw themselves as God’s messengers, we have a man with a pregnant fiancée. He was a righteous main because he didn’t choose to put Mary to shame. He knew the history of God’s work in the world, but he was scared of the people of the law and hence he decided to leave Mary.

This is when the angel of God appeared to him in his dreams. The dreams of a betrothed person are all rosy. But here is a man who had a different one. It might have been a disturbing one which he could have thrown away as just a dream.

In the eyes of the law, both of them are criminals as they’d think of Mary as an adulteress and Joseph of having committed the sin of marrying an adulteress. But Joseph decided to take it up. He understood the purpose of God through the dream.

Let us be like the star that shone on His birth, to show the way for the shepherds and wise men.

Two women

2008-06-16T21:50:00.001+05:30

Luke 1:39-56

v42-45:

1. a young woman who is destined to be an unwed mother
2. an old woman, past the age of child bearing, becoming a mother

This passage is the meeting of these two women.

We should be a support to people. When people visit us, our question is “Is your return ticket booked?” It is a picture of inconvenience. But Elizabeth accommodates and supports Mary and gives her strength. Similarly, if not for Ananias, Saul would not have become the Paul that we know.

Both these women understood the wonders God was gonna bring in their lives. We are great powers to God. If we give ourselves to God, He can create wonders. We may show compassion to others, but we don’t spend time to show them the right way to choose.

v52,53: There is no place of murmuring to the lips giving praise. This can be seen as a doctrine.

A social revolution – puts humble people in places of power.
An economic revolution – sends rich away with nothing.
gives food to the hungry.

This reminds us to look back into our lives and see if we will be subjected to these revolutions. Cinema paints the truth in an untrue manner and people are ready to take it. But the Bible makes people see the truth that is going to come. But people fail to see it. Mary praises God even before what God promised comes true. This shows her faith in her God.

Divine Presence

2008-06-16T21:49:00.000+05:30

Luke 1:26-38
[Bency achen]

This passage is not given much importance in any of the other gospels. We live in the age were this event is unbelievable. The big problem here is that of an unwed mother. Our point of thought is not how it was made possible.

The appearance of Gabrielle denotes the presence of God. In the Old Testament, the divine presence was seen as the wall of cloud and as the wall of fire. Doopakutti is used to denote this presence. Gabrielle is believed to be the best angel. He was sent with a special purpose.

Whenever there is a divine presence in our lives, there is a divine commission. If you’ve accepted Jesus as your savior, then whenever and wherever you talk to God, there is a commission there. Mary had a lot of questions when she heard Gabrielle. E used the example of Elizabeth. We also use examples from others lives while talking to people. Mary’s reply to this is “I am the Lord’s servant”.
Divine presence offers a degree. The degree Mary got was “You are truly blessed”. This was even before she could do anything for God. Just because she was eligible to bear the son of God. Mary conceived Jesus Christ first in her heart, even before she conceived Him in her womb. We should conceive Him in our hearts first. Only then can we feel Him in your work. That is why it is said schooling begins at home. So why not start teaching of God at home too? That is cos we don’t have Jesus in our hearts. If you have Him in your heart, you can talk about Him everywhere and in front of any one.

We forget that this life is a gift of God. If you throw away a gift you get, then you hurt the person who gave it to you. This is what happens when you throw away your life. How sad is God gonna be?

Unless you have God in your heart, you can’t have the graduation with God. When we buy things, we see the “Made in …” tag. We put similar tags in our hearts. If your tag says “Made in Christ”, God will accept you. If it is a different tag, then you know where you will end up.

Parents are responsible for their kids. Unless you prioritize your life, your child will not prioritize God in his life.

Transformation

2008-06-16T21:45:00.001+05:30

Acts 9:1-19
[Rev. VM Mathew]

Transformation is a 2-way process.

God’s help
Our desire to change or our response.

God’s grace is not all. So if we haven’t transformed, it’s because we haven’t responded to God.

This passage talks of the transformation of Saul to Paul.

First a confrontation happens. He was a enthusiast about his beliefs. The transformations that happened.

Change in understanding – He realized what he was doing was not for God. Each person has a different understanding of God. But God says, “I am what I am”. This means you can’t understand Him. He is beyond comprehension. But our understanding is very partial about God. We try to limit God in our own wisdom. When we say something about him, it is our understanding of Him, not actually what He is. We make judgments about people that we think God has made. It is left to God to judge.
Change in his attitude – He came to Damascus with an attitude of hatred towards Christians. It changed to a feeling of brotherhood towards all. Jesus’ attitude to all was good.
- He loved His parents and worked with them.
- He loved His heavenly father and answered His call.
- His attitude towards women at a time when women were oppressed.
- He loved even the lepers and other downtrodden people.
Jesus’ attitude can be summed up in one word – GIVE.
Change in dependency – He came to Damascus with dependency on his own wisdom and knowledge. A self-dependent person becomes a child. He was led by other people. He was dependent on those people. We should allow God to lead us.
Change in direction – He came with a specific purpose and direction. But he took a U-turn. We claim to have transformed, but still continue on the same road.
Change in content – He was carrying letters to persecute when he set out to Damascus. He entered Damascus carrying Jesus (v15). We claim to be believers, but we don’t carry Jesus with us.

Attitude determines altitude

2008-06-16T21:44:00.000+05:30

[Bency achen]

When we find a stone in our shoe, we have a lot of discomfort. Similarly, when working for God, we can find a small pebble or a thorn in our path, we pull back.

Let’s look at Peter (Matthew 14:24-31) and Judas (Matthew 26:6).

Jesus calls Peter “Satan”. He rebukes him for small things. But incase of Judas, though He knew of what he is going to do, Jesus still didn’t tell him anything.

While Judas hung himself, Peter wept. If Judas had expressed his depression, then he may not have ended up in the way he did. Peter repented and cried. Crying is a feeling that comes of a hurt heart, whereas weeping is just a reaction of pain. Both of these people were leaders in their own right.

Widow’s offering

2008-06-16T21:42:00.000+05:30

Luke 21:1-4

In the previous passage, Jesus denounces the scribes and teachers of the Law of Moses. In the next passage, He talks about the destruction of the temple.

It’d be good to understand these three stories. Understanding the widow’s offering in this context throws more light on Jesus’ story.

When taken by itself, He commends the widow and not the disciples. He talks about helping the poor. Charity is to rehabilitate the needy. But the entire religion is about helping the poor. It is not only what we give to the poor, but also how we give out of abundance or out of nothing. Do we give with a willing mind?

When He criticizes the scribes He points that they do good things to receive honor in return. We crave for the best, immaterial of what others get. The widow gave all she had because of her belief. She knew God would provide.

Do we give out of compulsion or compassion? This is one of the questions asked to churches. What is the money collected by churches used for? Does it go for the poor and needy? What is important is our attitude towards giving.

Do we give to get back something in return? How is our reaction towards people who give less? Do we consider them as equals? Who are we like – the widow who gives out of nothing, or like the rich who give with expectance of something?

How did Jesus commend the widow?

By giving the two pennies, she gave everything she had. In Jerusalem temples, there were 13 trumpet shaped collection boxes. There are people watching as to how much each person puts. The widow must’ve been aware of all the eyes on her. The reaction of the scribes is something we can all imagine. One of the customs (according to commentators), is that you should give a minimum of two coins.
In Jewish society, women were exploited. A widow was doubly exploited. The scribes owned everything the women had. They abused their hospitality. Jesus’ response towards the prostitute was, “Let the sinless among you stone her”. He changed focus from the women to the men. The scribes took charge of the widow’s property in exchange of some money they needed.

In this context, by commending the widow, Jesus brings this to light. In a situation, where exploitation is rampant, future is bleak. Destruction is always the end result.

What does God expect out of us? How do we use our resources? How is our attitude towards poor and needy?

Church is not to live in comfort but to generate life for the poor. Nobody is exempted. Everyone is accountable. Message is the primary motive of religion. We have a mission towards helping the poor and needy.

The resources we have is not make life easier for us. Church is not there to identify with the rich. It is there to identify with all. Mission is to generate life to the poor. Our task is to provide life to people who have list their life to the wants and greed of others.

The prodigal son

2008-06-16T21:40:00.001+05:30

A. Luke 15:32

This chapter has three parables about the lost one. We haven’t actually faced the situations in the parable. But when we look into it, do we find any character which is similar to us.

Prodigal Son (v12-13) – In the Jewish law, a father with two sons gives two parts to elder son and one part to the younger one. A distant country need not be a geographical distance, but a place away from his father’s love. He repents for his mistake. He wholeheartedly seeked forgiveness. This begins a new phase in his life.
Elder son – 1John 2  A person who hates his brother lives in darkness. When his younger brother comes home, the elder brother is angry and upset with his dad. This character is pretty similar to our traits. He was not able to forgive his brother. This causes a negation to all his good qualities.
The father – The specialty of gospel of Luke is that it is not specific to Jews. It was about sinners and publicans. Father welcomes his younger son when he comes back. Though his son expected the least in his house, the father treats him like a king. He finds no difference between his younger son and his elder son. He loves them both equally. This is how God is. He will accept you if you repent. We want God to accept us when we repent. But we don’t like it when God accepts our neighbors who repent. This is a big drawback. If we are not able to love our neighbors, then it shows the smallness of our faith.

B. Luke 15:25

The focus here is the reaction of elder son.

You get to see two different attitudes in this parable. One is that of the father and the other is of the son. When the family is going through happiness, there is one person in the family who is unhappy and is staying outside the house.

Problem of communication – The elder son asks a boy what is happening in the house. He chose the wrong person to ask. He should’ve instead asked his father. This could be cos of the communication gap between him and his father. This is a common problem in our families. There is no communication between people living in the same house.
Problem of comparison – He compares himself with his younger brother. He tells his father you gave him everything and when he comes back, you give him more. But what did you give me? This is a common ideology in the people today. People expect to receive things.
Lack of acceptance – He was not able to accept the joy of others. We may share the sorrow with others, but are we able to share their joy? Instead we try to find out what he did to receive this joy.
Lack of identity – He couldn’t understand what he has. His father says, “whatever I have is yours”. He thought he lost everything when the younger son comes.

Our problem is

- What am I not?
- When compared to others, what don’t I have?

We should understand the duty of a father/mother/son/daughter. When we understand this, we will be happier.

Hakuna Matata – Don’t worry

2008-06-16T21:37:00.001+05:30

Matthew 6:25-34
[Bobby]

Youth is bubbling with energy. If God has touched you in this time, then you will be living examples to people around us.

v25: When in crisis we worry a lot. For example, Martha and Mary in Luke 10:41. Martha was worried about arranging things for Jesus. But Mary chose to sit with Him. Luke 12:11-12 – It is a revelation. It promises the Spirit of God.
v26: Worrying about your future hampers your today. Birds never worry about their food. Things like, what if I don’t get a worm? What if the worm is not good? Since they don’t worry, they are happy. Even the number of hair on our head is numbered. So why worry?
v27: No one can add anything to their lives by worrying. We infact reduce it. “Worry is pulling tomorrow’s clouds on today’s sunshine”. God has a purpose in making you wait. Because when he brings you something, it will be the best.
v28-30: God doesn’t ignore those who depend on Him. Queen of Sheba was amazed at the splendor of Solomon. But God says the lilies are much more splendorous than Solomon. If you worry, it is cos you are of little faith. When you have faith, you don’t worry. When you confess with your mouth, and repent from your heart, God will help you. Even the disciples showed little faith. When they were caught on a boat in the storm, they panicked (Mark 4:27-40 and 8:26). When you feel panic, cling to Him.
v33: Seek ye first the kingdom of God. Worry keeps us from challenges that God wants us to face. We become spiritually proud by being part of the activities of the church. But it doesn’t make God our first priority. People spend their time watching television. The prayer time is crunched by the schedule on the TV. Youth of today are obsessed with mobiles. It may not be sinful, but you cross the line, when you exalt them. If you neglect God because of them, then you sin. Only when God is in the driver’s seat does your life run smoothly. Colossian 3:2 says “Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things”.We should not seek God’s presents, but His presence.
v34: Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus”. Jesus referred to Himself as “I AM”. He was thinking only about the present. He didn’t say, “I was” or “I will be”. He gives us grace for today. Like the manna He gave the Israelites.

The three Fs we need to focus on are

v30: Faith
v32: Father
v33: First

Laymen, the evangelist

2008-06-16T21:32:00.002+05:30

[Rev. Sajan Varghese]

Laymen are the vehicles for evangelism.

Diaspora The disciples were scattered and they ended up in different places. This is the way they became vehicles of evangelism.

The priest speaks to people in the church. But it is the laymen who go to places where the common men are present. Hence it is the duty of these laymen to take forward the evangelism.

Our church seems to be stuck with the past glory. It is said that each Mar Thomite is an evangelist. But other than saying this again and again, we don’t do anything about it.

We have highly educated laymen in the church. But there is no lay leadership. The people responsible for this are “each and every one of us”. Even in the cottage prayers, people are not interested if achen doesn’t lead. This attitude is wrong. We need to get back the lay leadership this church once enjoyed. We need to tread and re-tread the lay leadership path.

Jesus taught us through parables. When we preach today, we are not able to connect to the people. We are not able to illustrate from our lives. Instead we try to pick up illustrations from other places of the world. But people are not connected to these things.
Each parable has a life setting to it. God used salt and mustard seed to link to our faith. Jesus said you are the salt of the earth. The importance of salt can be seen in the preparation of sambar. You use very little salt in the curry. This little amount of salt can either enhance or spoil the taste of the curry.
In the Indian setting, Christians can enhance the entire country. Instead of just standing for rights, we can help in the healthy growth of the country.
There are a lot of people in the majority who are down-trodden. We shouldn’t stamp them down by misusing our rights as a minority.
Before, we used stony salt. But now we use powdered salt. Once you use salt in a dish, it dissolves. You can’t see it. Are we, the minority, ready to dissolve in the country? Are we ready to lose our identity to enhance our surroundings?

When we are not ready to lose our titles, like Reverend, Doctor, Professor, can we lose our identity?

Angels’ worship

2008-06-16T21:29:00.002+05:30

Isaiah 6:1-5

The book of Isaiah is believed to be written by 3 people.

1 – 39 => Before journey (exilic)
40 – 55 => during journey
56 – 66 => after journey

This is a picture of Isaiah being called and the vision seen in the temple.

v1: says the time this happened (42BC). We should be able to feel the presence in our daily prayers.

To know Jesus more clearly
To love Jesus more dearly
To follow Jesus more closely.

Some years of our lives are important for us, like the year of a child’s birth or some grief or happiness. The year of the death of Uzzaiah is also an important date.

[In John 4, we see that the Samarian woman, who sees Jesus, gets the entire village to Him.]

God touched Isaiah and he came closer to God. God should be in the centre of our worship. The centre of all the glory of worship should be God.

The angels’ worship was a stimulating worship: Some people don’t find our Sunday worship “stimulating” enough. This is not because of the achen or the person next to you. To make worship stimulating, you need to work on it. You need to take part in it whole heartedly. There are a lot of worship centres in our current world. There are free worship services coming up everywhere. Amidst all this, the feeling of wanting to worship God is important.
It was a shaking worship (v4): Today people move about without any change to their hearts. People are getting sensitive to religion, but there is no religious life.
It was a convicting worship (v5): It made a person to realize his sins. Does our worship make us realize this? We all have a secret life. Are we able to talk to God about it and ask for forgiveness? We should be able to tell God our shortcomings and God will help us overcome those. Isaiah told God hi shortcomings (v5) and God help him out (v6).
It was a cleansing worship (v7)
It was a commissioning worship (v8-9): People shouldn’t say, “Jesus, save me from your followers”. To make sure this doesn’t happen, we need to be true followers. Not superficial followers of God.

Outlook to things is everything. Here is a story to depict it. Two shoe salesmen go to a village. One says, “No one wears shoes there. No hope for our market.” The other says, “No one wears shoes there. Hence we have a huge scope for our market.”

Kingdom of God

2008-06-16T21:24:00.002+05:30

Matthew 13: 31-43 (v33, 43)
[Rev. Sajan Varghese]

'Kingdom of God' is compared to the yeast and the light. What is the concept of the kingdom of God? You can’t understand it’s attribute without understanding its meaning.

Definition: The Lord’s Prayer says, “Thy Kingdom come”. It indicates that the kingdom of God is there, where the will of God replaces the will of man. The world should be transformed to obey the will of God, to actually feel the kingdom of God.

How do you achieve this? God’s will, should become the will of the earth.
Where does God work? He doesn’t work just among Christians. He works among everyone in the world.

The earlier theology was “God -> church -> world”. This is wrong. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the WORLD … “. So the right idea is “God -> world -> church”.

Church has the great responsibility of understanding the work of God. This is no other privileges for the church.

God’s work in this world is like these two things.

The yeast: People use the same raw materials for making bread. To make good bread, you need to put in the proper amount of yeast. This is the role of the church. It doesn’t act just like a taste maker. It should reform the entire world.
The light: Light is one which removes darkness. This is known to all. When you hit light into a dark room, you see the dust in the way of the light. The dust has always been there, but you see it only when there is light.

You can identify the power of darkness in light. Until you identify the enemy, you can’t overcome it. You need to ask God to help you identify the dust in this world.

Once we are able to do these things, you can feel the kingdom of God in this world.

Planning the roadmap to success

2008-06-16T21:20:00.003+05:30

[Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph]

A foreigner traveling usually carries a roadmap. He doesn’t ask the local for directions. You need a personal roadmap to reach a destination too.

Have a clear sense of purpose and focus – Jonah had a specific roadmap. He was asked to go to Nineveh. He instead changed his path and went to Tarshish. If you want to bloom, you should have a sense of your purpose.
Have sufficient changes in your life – Move from your comfort zone and take up challenges. Jonah was asked to move out of his comfort zone and go to Nineveh and preach their destruction.
Commitment – Anything you don’t enjoy doing, will not help you.
Transcendence – transcend previous performance levels.
Control
Balance in life – Balance between friends, family, work and interest.
Otherness in one’s life – Focus in my life is not only to excel in my life. It also is important that there are others who are benefited out of it. Like a rose that helps insects and also spreads fragrance. At the end of it, it grows by pollination done by the insects it helped. God asked Jonah to bring hope to Nineveh. He instead wanted to bring doom.

The Gift of Fathers

2008-06-16T11:45:00.003+05:30

Homily on the Fathers Day on Mark 8:1-10 (Barton Hill, 15th June 2008)

It is Fathers Day yet again. As we pause for a moment amidst the mad rush of life to thank the Lord for the gift of Fathers, some of us still have the privilege to literally go to them, touch them, hug them and say- thank you for who you are. For some of us, fathers are a sweet memory, we will take this time to travel back in memory lane to really take stock and see how much we ought to thank God for who they were. I am particularly cautious of the presence of a few here who have never seen their fathers and for some of us fathers are a haunting thought too. Despite all these realities we celebrate today the gift of fatherhood.

God had entrusted to fathers (perhaps with the guidance of the mothers) the responsibility to build a heritage having a strategic plan for the generation next entrusted to their loving care, guidance and blessed protection.

Mark 8:1-10 is familiar story of the feeding of the four thousand. I would like to draw eight characteristics very important for fathers that we find in Jesus in the text.

Jesus had compassion - The masses were with him for three days and they were all tired. The disciples would have preferred to send them away. But the Scripture points out that Jesus had compassion on them. The Greek word used here is splagcni,zomai splagchnizomai {splangkh-nid'-zom-ahee} which means to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity) . To release love from the inner core of ones being and reassuring the recipient of this love is a typical paternal trait.

Jesus had a deep sense of concern and responsibility - He was very categorical in saying that he could not send them away hungry. Their hunger and their need is surely my concern, he asserts and it would be my responsibility to address the same. Jesus says that if they are left alone they would be tired. evklu,w ekluo {ek-loo'-o} is the Greek word used here to mean tired. It could also mean to have one's strength relaxed, to be enfeebled through exhaustion, to grow weak, grow weary, be tired out, to despond, or to become faint hearted . A father cannot allow this to happen. Exhaustion be it physical, spiritual or emotional has to be addressed and a good father knows how.

Jesus transcended the wilderness limitations in resolving to help a people in need - The question of the disciples was very clear, 'Where could anyone get these people enough bread to eat in a deserted place?' But evidently this was not Jesus’ limitation. Similar wilderness experiences are part of every home. evrhmi,a eremia {er-ay-mee'-ah} literally mean a solitude, an uninhabited region, a waste-land. It could be a physical reality or a somber existential reality. Some people easily give up saying this is physically impossible. One great trait of fathers we celebrate in the form of our being today is the fact that they never gave up on us and never gave up because of us. At every wilderness they encountered they had resolve the chart a way through and a way out. We must remember that had they chosen to give up we would have withered in the parching heat of the wilderness then and there.

Jesus was more concerned about what they had and not what they did not have - His question was how many loaves have you? Mobilizing the available resources and managing it for the entire need is a specific skill indeed. Many a life fails because they fail to plan to make both ends meet with what is in fact available for them. Many do not recognize the vast resources that are possibly available and many fail to manage the available resources. Our fathers were different and perhaps they took a cue out of the life of Jesus as we see here.

Jesus then engaged in a genuine spiritual Eucharistic experience - He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them to share in community. The word euvcariste,w eucharisteo {yoo-khar-is-teh'-o} gives a sacramental sanctity to this event. There was an experience of thanksgiving in every act of life. And this thanksgiving created a total trust and dependence on God. This helped in having the courage to break what was available so that everyone could be benefited. The lack of moral strength to break the available resources to be shared among all is the basic reason of injustice being able to thrive. We learned lessons of just distribution and the essence of fairness in our homes, did’nt we?

Jesus did not allow the small fish to miss his attention - He blesses the small fish so that it could be a blessing to all those who were present. The word ivcqu,dion ichthudion {ikh-thoo'-dee-on} has a very special connotation of smallness associated with it. Yet he saw it and he blessed it. Blessing the small was clear trait of the Father we have all experienced. The small never found itself as unworthy but always as worthy of blessing. It was made useful to all who were present.

Jesus saw to it that everyone ate and that they were satisfied - corta,zw chortazo {khor-tad'-zo} has an element not only of filling but also being of satisfied. Not all our needs and wants can be satisfied, but all the four thousand men who were present were satisfied with what was available. Distribution of resources justly so that all are satisfied is a very important characteristic typical of fathers. The lessons learned from the multi colored coat of Joseph in creating disharmony among the brothers must be read alongside this fair intervention of Jesus.

Jesus did not allow the leftovers to go waste -The fragments kla,sma klasma {klas'-mah} which is the remnants of food were gathered up. He was careful about wasting, “waste” and waste management. The remnants that were gathered up in seven baskets cannot even be called waste, they could be resources useful and helpful for others. Even when all present were fed is not Jesus being concerned about those absent?

Conclusion

These eight traits could help us in three ways.

Primarily it could help us look back at our fathers, thank the Lord for them and be reminded of our responsibilities towards them

To all of us who are fathers now, this could help us re-evaluate our fatherhood and help us resolve to be better fathers.
To all of us who are yet to be fathers this could help us plan to be good fathers and prepare a mission statement of fatherhood. I remember reading somewhere, “Like a CEO without a strategic plan, a dad without a mission-plan is unlikely to succeed”.
To all mothers this could help refocus our expectations of fatherhood. After all, All men are not fathers and all fathers are not men!!!!! Amen.

Rev. Vinod Victor
Presbyter-in-Charge

Bloom where you are planted (Talk 2).

2007-09-26T00:08:00.001+05:30

[Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph]

Once you know the crisis, how are you going to bloom?
Let us take the example of Abraham. He is the man who had an internal clarity with an external action.

Two things in Abraham, that will help us bloom conscience independent will God gave him. (independent will is the ability to respond, rather than to react).
Church is the only organization that exists for it’s non-members.

Abraham and Sarah form the ideal couple.

Abraham comes home one day and tells Sarah to pack her bags. She follows him without knowing where.
Abraham and Sarah are promised a son. But Sarah laughs.
The promise is made when Abraham was 75 years old, and he has a son when is 100 years old.
Sarah didn’t understand what God intended. So she had her husband have a son with her servant maid.

Abraham gets a son after 25 years of being promised. But still when he is asked to sacrifice his son, he responds. He didn’t react by asking God questions.
When you respond, rather than react, you are proactive.

Can you envisage a future with God?
Always remember and follow "There is nothing that I and God cannot accomplish together."

Purpose of Growth

2007-09-25T23:47:00.001+05:30

[Rev. Johnson Unnithan]

Matthew 13: 31 - 32

Growth is desired. It is good when it is in the proper way. A plant which grows when a farmer plants it, is a good growth. A weed also grows, but is not desired by the farmer.

Today, agriculture/farming uses all kinds of harmones to produce BIG harvests. But these are not healthy. Similarly, we tend to grow. But what nurtures our growth determines if it good or bad.

Gen 39:21 – The Lord was with Joseph … Joseph doesn’t see the harm done in his life from his own perspective. He seeks the will of God in all the sad events in his life.

The mustard seed is used when size is considered to show the insignificance of size. It blooms and grows into a tree. It doesn’t stop there. The birds come and make the tree their home. This was the purpose of the seed / tree.

In the other gospels, a lot of emphasis is given to the fruits of the tree. Here the emphasis is on the birds which make the tree their home. The mustard tree doesn’t grow huge. It can house only small birds. These birds can’t fly into lofty heights needed to house on larger trees.

This is to exemplify that the mustard seed as the purpose of providing shelter to the smaller of creatures too. The tree has no selfish interests from the birds. But it allows them to use it.

People, who give way for others in their own growth, actually grow better and stronger. People who grow for themselves get stunted at some point.

He alone lives, who lives for others. – Swami Vivekanada

Bloom where you are planted. (Talk 1)

2006-12-27T19:41:00.001+05:30

[Rev. Joe Joseph]

There are 3 people in the bible who bloomed where they were planted.

We can bloom and grow in our lives by using the following 3 'p's.

Personality: The part and parcel of a person (his talent and his capability). Each one of us is created in the image of God. Hence we should love our personality.
Purpose: The objective of ones life on Earth. Pray for understanding this purpose, and not misinterpret it.
Potentials: God has given each one of us potential to bloom and to grow. Every person is given a unique potential. We should not ape the person next to us.

To bloom to our full capacity, we should dissect our past, to direct our future. Some of the emotional turmoils that we face are:

lack of confidence.
unsatisfying relationship.
chaos and turmoil.
sob stories.
unwilling to take risks.

We need to overcome the negative messages that have prevented getting the best out of our lives. For example, a drunkard's son can

deconstruct his childhood by deciding not to drink.
reconstruct his life by doing the same thing as his father.

Joseph was victimised by his brothers. But when he meets them he reassures them that he is not going to hurt them, cos all that had happened, was God's purpose. (Genesis 50). He could've reconstructed his childhood agony by crying over all the things that happened to him. Instead he chose to deconstruct and understand God's purpose in his life.

A couple of women.

2006-11-12T23:21:00.000+05:30

Hannah [1 Samuel 1:1-28]: (A woman who believed in prayer)

She opened her heart to God in prayer, because she believed that only God can understand her pain.

Sometimes a person is tested to the very roots of his being. It is like some power which is trying to extinguish his very life. This is exactly what Hannah must've gone through. Her reaction to this was to turn to God for help. She believed that God is capable of miracles.

She was the first person to address God as "O Lord Almighty". Her prayer wasn't a general prayer of kindness to me and all around me. It was definite prayer. She promised to use her wish (a son) for glorifying God (she agreed to give him back to God for His work).

Her grief was to the extent that her tongue failed to move. Eli who saw her move her mouth without hearing anything, called her a drunk. But when he gets to know what she was going on through, he blesses her.

The result of her prayers is "Samuel" (heard of God). He grew up as a man of prayer too and got back a lot of people to God.

Four highlights from the life of Hannah are
1. She realised the greatness of her God.
2. She wanted to glorify God.
3. She understood she was nothing in front of God.
4. She put forth her needs completely in the presence of God.

Mary Magdalene:

Jesus meets her in the place of Magdalene and frees her of the demons that possessed her. She follows Him with gratitude.

In Mark and Luke, we see that she followed Jesus from the time she met him, till the time of his resurrection. She sat by his tomb. She left the tomb only to come back with perfumes to adorn Him. As a result of her following Jesus closely, He appeared to her first, over Peter or John.

She gave herself to Jesus with complete gratitude. Jesus gave back the blessing of being the first person to see Him after ressurection.

The second coming.

2006-11-12T20:26:00.000+05:30

Revelation 21: 1-7 and Matthew 24:13

In the nicene creed, there are two instances that talk about the future.

We believe in Jesus, the God who is going to come back.
We believe in eternal life when God comes back.

Who is the person who is coming again? The Lord, the Messiah and the Son of Man.The old testament talks about the Messiah. We believe that Jesus is the Messiah, butthe Jews didn't believe in the same. Hence it lead to the crucification of Jesus.
Romans 11:26 talks about the Messiah.Mark 13 talks about the second coming.Matthew 24 says that the time when God comes again is unexpected. He is asking us tobe prepared.

The second coming will have the follow results.

Releasing the bounded: Earth is a bounded place and the sky is a boundlessplace. When He comes again, the earth and sky will cease to exist. This means thatthe bounded and the boundless will unite. This could also mean that our boundedthoughts will be unbound and we will all be freed from temptations.
No pain: It will be a time when tears will cease to exist. Tears aremostly associated with pain. No tears implies no pain.
Eternal life: Life and death will cease to exist. Only eternal lifewill exists. Time wont be held back, i.e., there will be no days and nights.

We will see the full glory of God. Since the creation of the world, people have moved away from God. Jesus came downto prevent the people from destroying themselves.

The fight today should not be against fellow people. It should be against the evilforces.
We should not step down on a man already in the well of sin. Instead we should standrooted on the ground and provide a hand to pull the man out of the well of sin.
It is not the time when suffering ceases to exist. Instead, it is the time whensuffering will be transformed into joy.

A person who prays continuously for the second coming of Jesus, but doesn't follow His wish,will be punished. Our duty is to fulfil the work given to us. Instead we go into thefantasy world of tomorrow.
Always remember, our resurrected God was surely capable of coming back without the nailmarks. But He came to make us understand the reality and pain of the crucification.

Boundaries Jesus crossed.

2006-09-16T22:30:00.001+05:30

[Rev. Sham P Thomas]

Jesus is an eternal boundary breaker. First by his incarnation and then by his ministry of preference for sinners rather than for the righteous.The boundaries that Jesus broken are (in John 4)

Geographical: (John 4:3-4) He always used to the less traveled path. Samaria was not a short cut. But he just had to go. (This is mentioned in the following verses from John: 3:14, 9:4, 10:16, 12:34, 20:9 and 4:20,24.) He came not only for the people of Israel but also to the people marginalised and despised. (Mark 7:24-30)
Racial: (John 4:4-6) Jews didn't come in contact with Samaritans, whereas Jesus came to a Samaritan woman for water.
Social: Jesus gave alternative narrations. He crossed boundaries through stories. He gave a story about Samaritans as models of faith and carriers of faith. Jesus brought out alternative actions. He touched and ate with the untouchables. Finally Jesus made himself vulnerable in front of an untouchable by allowing an untouchable to touch him. He lived with the untouchables for two days.
Gender: (John 4:27) The disciples were surprised to see Jesus talking to an woman. She was an exploited woman. She was married 5 times (may be divorced each time) and a man is now imposing himself on her without a named relationship. This Samaritan woman became a successful apostle. She brought the entire village to Jesus. She is placed above the Jew (Nicodemus) who came to Jesus in the dark.
Religious: (John 4:20-26) The Samaritan woman wanted to know the right place for worship. Jesus tells her that there is no such place. (In Rev 21-22, we see that there is no temple in Heaven.)

Jesus was not a rebel, He was a revolutionary. Our society tolerates a rebel, but not a revolutionary. His revolution was to move from religion to spirituality.

There were risk involved for Jesus by crossing these boundaries. He was called a Samaritan (John 8:48). The irony being "The one who crossed the boundaries was crucified outside the boundary".

Crossing boundaries.

2006-09-16T22:13:00.001+05:30

[Rev. Valsan Tambu]

Rootedness is a pre-requisite for crossing boundaries. This is a lot different from the drifting of wood. Crossing boundaries doesn't mean geographical displacement. A mustard seed takes root and grows. It then throws its seeds to all four corners of the world. *This* is crossing boundaries. This is possible only because it maintains its roots.
Our personality matters to God. He knows each one of us by name. The fundamental need for knowing a person is Love. This is the reason why God knows us. Since God wants to know us, he is ready to cross all boundaries.
Jesus came into this world to help us know God and to love Him. Knowledge is love (not power). Power says "understanding others in my terms, even if it means misunderstanding them". Crossing boundaries because of love results in understanding and knowing others. This doesn't occur without love.
Crossing boundaries is not recklessness, rebelliousness or non-conformity.

Boundaries can prevent us from being with people or things. Jesus crossed a lot of boundaries in His life in this world.

One of them is when He touches the leper to heal him. The leper was able to cross the boundary because Jesus decided to cross it first.
Just before Jesus is arrested, He takes his disciples to Caesarea Phillipi to ask them a couple of questions. He took them outside the boundary of their comfort zone. As long as a person is in his comfort zone, he wont seek. As long as you stay put, you wont find answers.
Jesus cross from one side of the river to another during a storm. We need to cross over to others in a similar way. The others may be known or unknown.
In both cases we will face turbulences.

In the parable of the prodigal son, the prodigal son crosses boundary twice.

He leaves home and goes out into the country (journey of rebelliousness).
He leaves the country and gets back home (journey of reconcile).

One of the earliest examples of crossing the boundaries is by the eating of the forbidden fruit. Eve gave up the whole to get a part.

The hardest boundary to cross is hard-heartedness. The pharaoh in the book of Exodus can be considered as both a person and a symbol. In the physical sense, the Israelites are the slaves. But in the spiritual sense, pharaoh is the slave. A slave of his hard-heartedness and is a slave of himself.

Some points mentioned by achen during the message

You can touch nothing without changing it. Even if you touch a glass, you will leave behind a fingerprint.
Stereotypes are the most formidable barriers we have to overcome.
Misunderstanding may not always be created out of wickedness. It can rise out of very good intentions. These misunderstanding are the problem.
Everything is life is a complete, there is no half. There is no such thing as a half breath. It can be a shallow or deep breath. There is no such thing as a half leap. All leaps are full. They are either short or long. Spiritual blindness makes you consider the part as a whole. Jesus says healing is a state of fullness. This implies that disease is an entrapment of partness.
By saying "I am the way", Jesus implied that spirituality is a journey that needs to be traveled.
God says "Behold I send you as sheep among wolves". Here "sheep" indicates sacrificial love while "wolves" indicate power.
"If I had lived 2000 years ago, I'd have washed the feet of the Nazareth, not with tears, but with the blood of my heart". - Swami Vivekananda
There are two kinds of people in this world. One who work for peace and second who destroy peace. The only two people who worked for peace are Jesus and Buddha. The only difference between them being that Buddha didn't have to pay for his work for peace.
When you fail to understand the worth of others, it indicates that you suffer from low self worth. This is the worst epidemic in this world.
If any one uses you, you should understand that they don't know your worth.
Any one who uses fear as his weapon, has no other intention but to exploit you.

The prophet Jonah.

2006-08-22T13:03:00.001+05:30

I am not a very spiritual person. I believe in my God Lord Jesus Christ, pray to Him and talk (:)) to Him constantly. That's where my spirituality ends. I've been pushed into the church's youth league related activities lately. This has taken me to a lot of camps :) and I've met quite a few spiritual people and youngsters who know the Bible much better than me.

In one of the camps (SouthZone held in ECC during May 2006), the speakers (Rev. Dr. Sham P Thomas and Rev. Dr. Valsan Thambu) spoke about the prophet Jonah and I felt, here is one man in the Bible I can relate to as a person. :)

I'd like to make a record of what I took home from those two talks. So here goes.

******

The specialty of the book of Jonah is that, it is not an account of the prophecies of Jonah. Instead it is his story.

Some of his characters that stand out are

Disobedience: God asked him to go to Nineveh. He instead buys a ticket on a ship to Spain, which lies in the exactly opposite direction of Nineveh.
Insensitive: A man who is running away from God, ends up on a ship in turbulent weather. Instead of praying to his God (or all possible gods), he sleeps. While the sailors are praying to their respective Gods.
Stone-hearted: When Jonah asks the sailors to throw him into the sea, they think of reasons to not do such a thing to a fellow human. But, when God decides to not destroy Nineveh, Jonah is angry with God for going back on His decision to punish Nineveh.
No confession: He prays and thanks God from inside the whale's belly, but he doesn't once say "I'm sorry for not obeying you.". Come to think of it, I don't know if he ever repented.
Attitude: God gets him safely out of the storm and the whale. He finally agrees to go and warn Nineveh. But the message he gives them is "You'll perish in 40 days". Why is this going to happen? What do they have to do to prevent this from happening? He mentions nothing in this regard. Also, it'd require atleast a couple of days to traverse the city of Nineveh, but Jonah completes it in just 1 day.
Anger: Jonah is furious because God forgave the people of Nineveh when they repented. The only explanation for this behavior of his is EGO. He prophesised their destruction which was rendered false.
Suicidal: His one solution to all problems. Caught in the storm - Throw me overboard. God forgives Nineveh - he is upset and wants to die. God tries to teach him a lesson using a vine - he is angry enough to die when the vine withers.

A couple of positive characters in Jonah are

Conviction: Jonah is swallowed by the whale. He prays to God from the whale's belly and thanks God for saving him, much before God shows any signs of delivering him.
Knows his God: He knows that his God is a merciful God. The very reason why he refused to go to Nineveh when God first asks him to go, is because he knows that God will forgive them if they repent.

God's characters that are highlighted are

Omnipotent: He controls the wind, sea, whale and plants.
Forgiving: He forgave Jonah and Nineveh. He gave both of them a second chance.
Answers prayers: He answered the prayers of the sailors, Jonah and the people of Nineveh.

Jonah can be compared to the elder son in the prodigal son.

Elder son resents the party thrown by the father for his brother who returns. Similarly, Jonah is resentful of the fact that God forgave Nineveh.
Story of Prodigal son does not tell us what the elder son did. Did he join the feast? Did he choose to stay out? Similarly, the book of Jonah leaves the story open. Did Jonah repent? Did he continue to run away from God?

Irony: The prophet who was sent out to preach repentance, refuses to repent.

Bottom Line: God forgave the people of Nineveh inspite of the prophet, not because him.