Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Advice to Christians

 Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Advice to Christians of India, Which They Have Ignored

Speaking to Christians at Sholapur in January 1938, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar declared that he could say from his study of comparative religion that only two personalities had been able to captivate him – the Buddha and Christ. Here are some parts of the Dr. Ambedkar’s speech.

Excerpt from the speech delivered to Indian Christians of Sholapur and published in ‘Janata’ on 05.02.1938, reproduced from ‘Dnyanodaya’ –

From the available religions and personalities in the world, I consider only two- Buddha and Christ for conversion. We want a religion for me and my followers which will teach equality freedom among men, and how man must behave with men and God, how a child should behave with father etc.

Missionaries feel they have done their duty when they convert an untouchable to Christianity. They do not look after their political rights. I find this is a big fault in Christians because they have not entered into politics until now. It is difficult for any institution to survive without political support. We, Untouchables, though are ignorant and illiterate, we are in movement. That is why we have 15 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Students are getting scholarships, there are government hostels. Such is not the case of Christian students. If an untouchable student getting scholarship gets converted, his scholarship is stopped though his financial status remains same. If you were in politics, things would have been opposed.

“Your society is educated. Hundreds of boys and girls are matriculated. These people have not agitated against this injustice, unlike the uneducated Untouchables. If any girl becomes a nurse or any boy becomes a teacher they are involved in their own affairs, they do not get involved in public affairs. Even clerks and officers are busy in their work, he ignores the social injustice. Your society is so much educated, how many are District judges or magistrates? I tell you, this is because of your neglect towards politics because there is nobody to talk of the fight for your rights. … ” [Ganjare vol. III. p.142]

Source: https://velivada.com/2017/08/26/dr-babasaheb-ambedkars-advice-christians-india-ignored/

Useful thoughts for corona Virus !!!

 கோவிட் மூன்று நிலைகள்:

1. மூக்கில் மட்டுமே கோவிட் - மீட்பு நேரம் அரை நாள். (நீராவி உள்ளிழுத்தல்), வைட்டமின் சி பொதுவாக காய்ச்சல் இல்லை. அறிகுறி.

2. தொண்டையில் கோவிட் - தொண்டை புண், மீட்பு நேரம் 1 நாள் (சூடான நீர் கவசம், குடிக்க வெதுவெதுப்பான நீர், தற்காலிகமாக இருந்தால் பாராசிட்டமால். வைட்டமின் சி, பி.காம்ப்ளெக்ஸ்.

3. நுரையீரலில் கோவிட்- இருமல் மற்றும் மூச்சுத் திணறல் 4 முதல் 5 நாட்கள். .

மருத்துவமனையை அணுக வேண்டிய நிலை:

ஆக்ஸிஜன் அளவைக் கண்காணிக்கவும். இது 43 (சாதாரண 98-100) க்கு அருகில் சென்றால் உங்களுக்கு ஆக்ஸிஜன் சிலிண்டர் தேவை. வீட்டில் கிடைத்தால், வேறு எந்த மருத்துவமனையும் அனுமதிக்காது.

ஆரோக்கியமாக இருங்கள், பாதுகாப்பாக இருங்கள்!

டாடா குழுமம் நல்ல முயற்சியைத் தொடங்கியுள்ளது, அவர்கள் செய்திகள் மூலம் ஆன்லைனில் இலவச மருத்துவர்கள் ஆலோசனையை வழங்குகிறார்கள். இந்த வசதி உங்களுக்காகத் தொடங்கப்பட்டுள்ளது, இதனால் நீங்கள் மருத்துவர்களுக்காக வெளியே செல்ல வேண்டியதில்லை, நீங்கள் வீட்டில் பாதுகாப்பாக இருப்பீர்கள்.

கீழே உள்ள இணைப்பு, இந்த வசதியின் பயனைப் பெற அனைவரையும் நான் கேட்டுக்கொள்கிறேன்.

தனிமைப்படுத்தப்பட்ட மருத்துவமனைகளுக்குள் இருந்து ஆலோசனை, நாங்கள் வீட்டிலேயே செய்யலாம்

தனிமைப்படுத்தப்பட்ட மருத்துவமனைகளில் எடுக்கப்படும் மருந்துகள்

1. வைட்டமின் சி -1000

2. வைட்டமின் ஈ

3. 15-20 நிமிடங்கள் சூரிய ஒளியில் உட்கார்ந்து.

4. முட்டை உணவு ஒரு முறை ..

5. குறைந்தபட்சம் 7-8 மணி நேரம் ஓய்வு / தூக்கம்

6. தினமும் 1.5 லிட்டர் தண்ணீர் குடிக்க வேண்டும்

7. அனைத்து உணவுகளும் சூடாக இருக்க வேண்டும் (குளிர்ச்சியாக இல்லை).

நோயெதிர்ப்பு சக்தியை வலுப்படுத்த மருத்துவமனையில் நாங்கள் செய்வது அவ்வளவுதான்

கொரோனா வைரஸின் pH 5.5 முதல் 8.5 வரை மாறுபடும் என்பதை நினைவில் கொள்க

எனவே, வைரஸை அகற்ற நாம் செய்ய வேண்டியது, வைரஸின் அமிலத்தன்மை அளவை விட அதிகமான கார உணவுகளை உட்கொள்வதுதான்.

போன்றவை:

வாழைப்பழங்கள்

பச்சை எலுமிச்சை - 9.9 பி.எச்

மஞ்சள் எலுமிச்சை - 8.2 பி.எச்

வெண்ணெய் - 15.6 பி.எச்

* பூண்டு - 13.2 பி.எச்

* மா - 8.7 பி.எச்

* டேன்ஜரின் - 8.5 பி.எச்

* அன்னாசிப்பழம் - 12.7 பி.எச்

* வாட்டர்கெஸ் - 22.7 பி.எச்

* ஆரஞ்சு - 9.2 பி.எச்

நீங்கள் கொரோனா வைரஸால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளீர்கள் என்பதை எப்படி அறிவது?

1. தொண்டை அரிப்பு

2. உலர் தொண்டை

3. உலர் இருமல்

4. அதிக வெப்பநிலை

5. மூச்சுத் திணறல்

6. வாசனை இழப்பு ....

வெதுவெதுப்பான நீரில் எலுமிச்சை சேர்ப்பது நுரையீரலை அடைவதற்கு முன்பு ஆரம்பத்தில் வைரஸை நீக்குகிறது ...

Be safe and Take Care

These information was given by Dr. R. Leo Praveen

Christmas Message | Today, the Savior is born in the city of David, Bethlehem

 

Today, the Savior is born in the city of  David, Bethlehem

 

The story of Christmas is a story of God’s supernatural act. Both Matthew and Luke narrate the birth of Jesus Christ; they accentuate the fact that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived by the Holy Spirit. This act makes the birth of Jesus Christ very unique and significant in the human history. God’s encounter with the human history in the incarnation of Jesus Christ is ‘the greatest love- revolution.’ Today, the event of Christmas is being celebrated with pomp and festivity. What God did in the life of Mary seems to have been forgotten in the world in which we live. What happened in the life of Mary was God’s encounter which brought life- changing experience. In Rome, Christianity received the status of religion which legitimated Christianity as one of the religions in the world. To some, the event of Christmas is meant to be a mere philosophy. God’s encounter with the sinful humanity, thus, is being reduced to mere religion, culture, philosophy, tradition and festival. Hence, it is important for us to capture the true sense of Christmas as found in the birth narrative of Jesus Christ as found in Luke (1-2). This will provide some insights for us to perceive the meaning of Christmas and to emulate the core values entailed in the birth of Jesus Christ. 

I. Solidarity with the Peopleon Margins and Borders

First of all, we find God’s solidarity embedded in the birth narratives of Jesus Christ. In order for God to bring the only begotten son, he had to confine himself to the human world. This veracity of God’s coming into this world is notably seen in his adaptability to embrace the vulnerable human lives, culture, place, language, etc. God, being the power of all powers, the creator of the cosmos, and the splendor of all glory condescended to be born in a small town, Bethlehem. The birth of Jesus did not take place in the city of Jerusalem which was the seat of Judaism and the centre of religious activity. The city of Bethlehem, except being the town of David’s father, was small as far as the status and honour of the land was concerned. This makes the point clear that the city was of no attention and attraction. In addition, The Jewish religious class did not have set any spotlight on this city. Jesus did not born in great cities such as Rome and Athens, etc. Rather, he was in born in a tiny town (2:7). It is certainly preposterous to human conventions and wisdom that the saviour of the world was to be born in a place of littleness. Another facet of the Christmas story is that his parents did not find any space in the inns, though the inns were considered to be the resting places for the tedious pilgrims and travelers. In those times, the inns were served as the place for the common people; it provided hospitality to the pilgrims who were tedious. Nevertheless, the parents of Jesus could not find place for the baby to be born even in such places. Since there was no place in the inns, Jesus was born in a manger on the roadside where cows and cattle lived. It was not clean and sanitized for the baby to be born.

 The circumstances that shrouded the birth of Jesus Christ lacked hospitality and respectability. 
In addition, Luke accentuates the fact that the message of Christmas was given to the shepherds who lived on the periphery. The shepherds, who were found in the birth narratives of Jesus Christ, belonged to a marginalized community; they were labelled as dishonest, unclean, landless and poor. Since they did not own any land, they were mostly hired to keep watch over the flock at night. This indicates the status of the shepherds as despised and despicable. Luke’s depiction of the shepherds in line with the story of Jesus’s birth highlights

God’s solidarity with the powerless, the poor, the vulnerable, the oppressed and the marginalized. This loving act of God’s solidarity as enacted in the birth of Jesus unfolds God’s loving solidarity with the lowly circumstances and the humble people. In the eyes of Luke, the hope for world renewal emerges not from the centre of Rome and the Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar, but from the manger, the arena of God’s revelation. This illuminates the fact that God brings renewal from the periphery of the society, borders and margins not from the centers of the world order. Hence, the birth of Jesus Christ lends powerful vision, passion and mission for those lives that live on the periphery. The birth of Jesus Christ is good news to those who live on the periphery of the society. Those who emulate the solidarity of Jesus Christ as found in the incarnation of Jesus can derive strength from the life of Jesus Christ for the renewal of life. All those who express their loving solidarity with the poor and the vulnerable can be agents of change and renewal which God intended to bring about in the event of the first Christmas.  

II. Salvation as Reversal 

God’s purpose behind the story of Christmas was to bring and to affirm salvation to all persons in all its fullness. This is very clear in the birth narrative of Luke 1-2. Luke reiterates this truth of salvation in many instances (Lk. 1. 31, 47; 2. 11, 30). In particular, the angelic message to the shepherds, “Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ, the Lord.” (2.11). The baby that was born to Mary is called as the savior of the world. This message of Christmas needs to be understood in the backdrop of the Roman Empire. The hegemony of the Roman Empire justified class stratification, thereby causing social disparity between the rich and the poor. In the Roman Empire, the issues of privilege and power determined the status of the people. Since power and wealth fully remained with the ruler and the ruling class, the people on the periphery eked out to sustain their lives.

The people in the Roman world encountered violence, injustices and slavery and poverty. 
The land of Palestine (called at that time) which was under the Roman Empire, was undergoing pessimism, hopelessness turmoil and confusion caused by the political and religious class. Nevertheless, the faithful ones always looked forward to the arrival of the Messiah; the eschatological anticipation was rampant in the land. It was in this context that Lucan story of Christmas ought to be perceived. With the arrival of the savior, God makes the story of Christmas authentic and relevant to the contexts of the people. The salvation of the world comes through Jesus Christ, who was born in Bethlehem. At this juncture, one needs to understand the meaning of salvation. The simple meaning of salvation is expressed in the name of Jesus: Jesus will save the people from sins. However, salvation for Luke implies ‘status reversal’ which entails the raising up the status of the lowly, the poor and the simple who were placed at the bottom list of the society. The reversal constitutes the fact that God does not work according to one’s status gained by the privileges of power and wealth and social convention.

Though the Roman emperor was thought to be the patron of all the citizens, he undertook the policy of stratification to benefit the status of the ruling class. Under this system, the less fortunate and the poor were victimized. In this context of social disparity and violence, the message of the savior announced by the angels to the shepherds seeks to counter the pseudo status and decadent values promoted by the Roman Empire. 
The message of salvation characterized by love, peace, and joy seeks to bring the good news of the gospel which is inclusive. Then, there is a new order emerging from the baby born in manger which includes the lowly, humble and the shepherds. This new order hinges on the good news of salvation which is inclusive in nature. This message of inclusion as embedded in the Christmas story comes as a counter to the principle of exclusion. Hence, salvation is reversal which counters the culture of snobbery, hubris and eliticism based on the privileges of wealth and power. In beholding the new born baby in the manger, one is invited to internalize the core values of the kingdom of God which includes love, joy, peace and hope. One’s perception of values ought to be seen from the vision of the baby born in a manger.

Our life should characterize the core values of salvation as articulated in the birth narratives of 1-2. (2: 10, 11, 13, 14) These core values include: i) Joy (1.14, 28, 44, 47, 58, 64, 68; 2.10, 13, 20, 28-29, 38).: there was an exuberant joy experienced in the context of Jesus’ birth, Joy was a key theme in Luke’s Gospel. On the one hand, Joy is experienced in the birth of the saviour, Jesus Christ. On the other hand, the experience of the joy is also experienced in the context of one’s response to the saving work of Christ (5.26; 7.16; 13.13; 18.43) In other words, the response to the message of salvation results in exuberant joy. How can we have joy in the season of Christmas? Three letters of the word ‘joy’ constitute a message for us to emulate: J stands for Jesus; O refers to others and y stands for you. This implies that we need to place Jesus at the centre of life. A true sense of joy will set in his or her heart when Christ is placed at the centre of one’ life. In the second place, joy is secured when one emulates the mind of Christ which was set for others. In other words, emulating the other -mindedness of Christ in one’s solidarity with others, one can have an abundant joy. Then, the placement of oneself in the last place makes one exuberantly joyful. This is a new order of joy that the birth of Christ brings into our lives. 

ii) Peace: Peace is the resultant state of salvation. Peace is theological because it emanates from God; this makes God as the author of peace. In perception of peace, there is a threefold understanding of peace:1) peace with God; 2) peace of mind; and 3) peace with others in the society. Peace with God is realized as one responds to the message of salvation. Since peace involves the mind, the peace of mind is attained when one experiences the presence of God. The notion of peace has also a social implication. It evokes a whole a social order which includes prosperity, security and harmony. When peace is related to society it promotes the wellbeing of the society. But the truth is that peace on earth could be only realized through the sovereignty of the baby born in Bethlehem. 

iii) Hope: The angelic message also augurs hope for the shepherds. A degree of certainty was promised to the shepherds for them to find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes( 2. 12).Their hope was indeed, realized when they saw the mother and the baby( 2.20). The finding of the baby by the shepherds in the manger is an evident fact that there is hope for the people to find the meaning of their life in God. The baby born in the manger signals hope to the hopeless. It is imperative to perceive that hope emerges from a crisis of hope. It is the experience of hopelessness that injects hope into lives. Let us embrace hope for lives!

III. Songs of Christmas as Community Celebration 

What will happen to us as we respond to the message of salvation? There emerges a host of angels started praising God for the birth of the saviour, Jesus Christ. They glorified God in the highest and declared peace to man on earth. Peace and goodwill are the precious commodities given to mankind. In this song of Christmas, their praise was directed to God, not to Caesar. It is the song that integrates heaven and earth. The symphony sung in the heaven provided connectivity between the family of Jesus and the shepherds. Later on, we read in the story of Christmas, the shepherds glorified and praised God. In 1- 2 chapters, one can find songs of joy celebrating the joy of salvation: the song of Mary (1:46-52); the song of Zachariah (1: 68-79); and, the song of Simeon (2:29-32). These songs portray God as the Centre of action. These songs bring to the fore that God makes the promises and brings them into fulfilment.  Thesingers werethus inspired by the spirit of God to sing songs that could change their life- destiny.

 
Hence, there is a need to magnify and glorify God through singing. It is through singing that we worship God. Let us, therefore sing songs of Christmas that will transform the marginality of our existence. The meaningful worship can thus transcend the mind-set of the worshipper. Let us celebrate the joy of Christmas by singing the songs that would make the name of God known to the people. Let our singing on this day make an impingement over others. The baby in the manger invites us to experience life-change and to be agents of change in the new order he creates. Christ’ coming to the world provides genesis to the new humanity, In this construct, God uses the vulnenarvle, despicable , the disreputable and the marginalized  to build up a new humanity which is inclusive in nature. . The song of Mary is a powerful indicator of drastic transformation that God wrought over the community. The song of angels focus on God;s solidarity for the earth. There is a collective concern for the entire humanity.  In other words, the Christmas’s songs underscord God’s inclusive concern for all. Hence, it is rightly called as “ Joy to the world…’We live at a time in which the community –life is threatened and dismantled by life negating forces such as individualism, isolationism and consumerism.  The songs of Christmas as sung by various individuals invite us to attach importance to the community. It is the celebration in the community that makes a great difference. My prayer for you is that you will encounter Jesus and be changed by Jesus’s loving solidarity. Let us sing songs of celebration that will exalt God and inspire others in the community. Let our music bring healing to the disgruntled, the disinherited and disintegrated in our community and society.

 

Wish you a happy and merry Christmas to you!!!

 

 

 

 

Mountan Top !

For the disciples, it is a moment of utter clearness.

 

They have been travelling with this man Jesus. They have been fishing and cooking with him. They have rested and eaten and joked with him. They have seen Jesus make the blind see, they have seen the paralyzed walk. At least one of the disciples has said to Jesus’ face that he believes that he is the messiah. But he’s still just another person. A rabbi. Their rabbi and teacher. He’s pretty special, but he’s still just a person.

 

Until that moment on the mountaintop. A moment of utter clearness. A moment they get to see the whole picture. And who Jesus also is stands shining right there in front of them.

 

We rarely see the whole picture on things. How could we?

With people, we know them in certain roles or situations. We know what they tell us about themselves or what society tells us about them. Even those people we know the best usually still have some piece of their life or heart unrevealed to us.

 

Stories we see on the news usually miss someone’s perspective or critical piece of information.

 

We rarely get to see the whole picture on things.

 

But we make decisions all of the time based on what we do see. That’s what we have to do. It’s what the disciples did.

 

They had heard Jesus teach. They had seen him heal. They had watched him with powerful people and people who had no power. The disciples were with him more than anyone else.

They knew he had authority, and they knew he was from God. As confusing as that could be it was still somewhat easy to understand.

 

But Holiness isn’t easy to understand.

 

Seeing the full shining presence of God surrounding  Elijah and Moses and Jesus isn’t easy to understand.

 

Clouds and voices from the clouds are not all easy to understand.

 

The full picture of Jesus is overwhelming for them.

 

Peter doesn’t know what to say. The others don’t speak at all. Terror is mentioned in every gospel account of this moment.

 

Because suddenly this guy, the rabbi, the one they’ve spent all of this time with is someone more. They see that there really is more to his story. Sure they had thought about it, but then suddenly here they are, simple fishermen seeing something more, something that had overwhelmed greater people then them in the past.

They are now completely aware that their day to day experiences of reality are not the whole picture.

Jesus is more than they realized. God is doing more than they thought possible.

They wonder if even, these simple disciples, are more than they realize, more than they suspect. They are part of a sacred story, a holy event.

 

When they shake their heads and look around after a few moments, they see “only Jesus.”

Only him. Only their rabbi, their guy, their teacher.

Things seem back to the normal of everyday.

But they have seen the bigger picture now – and “only Jesus” means a whole lot more to them than it did before they headed up that mountain.

 

And maybe they understand themselves a bit differently too.

 

We rarely get to see the whole picture on things. Especially with people. Particularly with one another.

 

You can look around this sanctuary this morning and see people you’ve known for a few weeks or for decades. You know pieces of their story, but rarely do you know the bigger picture.

This morning, though, in this gospel, this is one of those days when God pushes us to see more.

 

God pushes us beyond our day to day experiences, and tries to shake us up enough to realize that God is doing than we think possible. 

 

God pushes us to understand that perhaps even everyday people and their everyday stories around us are more holy than we suspected.

 

Because the bigger picture, when you look around, is that this place is filled with holy people.

 

The bigger picture, when you look around, is that there are no simple life stories here – there are only sacred ones. 

 

The bigger picture here begins not on a mountain or in clouds – but at a baptismal font. In the community of believers. God gathers us together into a place and a community where if we listen, we can hear God calling each of us God’s own child. Where we can hear each of us called beloved. Jesus steps into our day to day experiences and reminds us that God is up to something more in our lives than others know.

 

The bigger picture here is that you, each of you, are a precious child of God. You are part of God’s sacred work in the world. There will always be something more to your story – more hope, more blessing, more love - even if you can’t see it. 

 

Part of why we are visiting here, is so that you and I, can learn more about one another. So that our churches can have a more complete understanding of one another. So that I can see the holy things God is doing in your life and your church and your community.

 

And when you look at one another, no matter what pieces of everyone’s story you think you know, look and see the bigger picture about that person across from you – they, too, are a precious child of God.

 

They are never “only” that person. God is at work, even in ways we do not always see. God is at work among people here, people in this city. And places where God is at work are never just day to day events with everyday people – they are holy places.  Even when we cannot see the whole picture. God does.

 

 

 

 

Influence Positive | Ephesians 6 :1-4

Let us pray,

Open our ears, o Lord, to hear your word and know your voice, speak to our ears and strengthen our wills that we may serve you today/now and always. Amen.

Let us hear the word of God as it is recorded in the epistle of Paul to the Ephesians chapter 6:verses1 to 4.

song

Greetings to you all in the matchless name of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

I would like to begin my sermon with an illustration which inspired me a lot, there was a person named Benjamin, later who became a Great painter.  Benjamin tells how he became a painter.  One day his mother went out, leaving him in charge of his little sister sally.  In his mother’s absence he discovered some bottles of colored ink and began to paint sally’s portrait.  In doing so, he made a considerable mess of things with ink bolts all over.  His mother came back.  She saw the mess but said nothing.  She picked up the piece of paper and saw the drawing.  “Why”, she said “its sally!” and she stopped and kissed him. Even after Benjamin west used to say: “My mother’s kiss made me a painter.” Encouragement did more than rebuke could ever do.

The context

Here, Paul uses the term teknon (which means a child) instead of paidia (the rearing of a child, training, discipline). Paul’s advice in Ephesians remains general, but is more elaborate, more positive, and more distinctive that the authority structure of the ancient household is maintained.

In Judaism, children’s attitude to their parents was often set alongside and seen as part of their relationship to God.

In a Greco- Roman context children always ran the risk of being rejected and exposed.  In the time of Paul that risk was even greater.  We have seen how the marriage bond had collapsed and how men and women changed their partners with confusing rapidity. There, they became the property of anyone who cared to pick them up. They were collected at night by people who nourished them in order to sell them as slaves or to stock the brothels of Rome.

Likewise in today’s context we are living in a modern world and technology, as a parent of child we are unable to see their perspectives rather we discriminate by imposing our thoughts and ideas.

There is no freedom to select or choose their career but we ourselves determine their career what they wanted to be in the future. On the other hand parents are really motivating and tapping their children to grow and choose their career according to their wish. There are two sides but as a theological/Christian community what is our concern towards this. Every child is important but it relies on their parents because parents are important ones to guide, discipline and influence and then be a role model for the children.

Let us discuss with three divisions,

Firstly, 

Parental love as guidance

        First, Paul had already addressed the subordinate group, women. So, here again he follows a similar pattern, appealing first to the children to obey their parents. They have to obey, as it is part of their commitment to the Lord, because such behavior is generally held to be right, and honoring father and mother is enjoined on children by the fifth commandment. Additionally this commandment is the first and foremost in the law that has a promise attached to it.

Understanding child’s temperament is an essential part of creating a strong parent-child bond. It is also a key indicator of how children will respond to parent’s guidance and the types of discipline that will be most effective for him/her that parent observes their child’s behaviors, such as level of activity, emotional intensity, social habits, adaptability, and persistence. Then we can begin to expect which situations may be easy or more difficult.

So that we can guide our child in many ways. We can model good behavior, encourage them through love and set consistent limits. As a parent, your model should be appropriate in the way that you talk and walk and also showing love.  So their relationship between parent and children is strongly bonded with love. It’s really wonderful to love and to be loved.

Secondly,

Parental authority as discipline

Discipline is probably one of the most misunderstood words in the parenting vocabulary. When parents talk of discipline they often think of punishments like beating children. But children are not seen as subject to the power of their parents. Therefore they are treated as objects. It is significant that Paul treats them as responsible moral agents to who appeal needs to be made to their parents in obedience.

            There was the custom of child exposure. When a child was born it was placed before its father’s feet.  And if the father stopped and lifted the child that meant that he acknowledged it and wished it to be kept.  If he turned and walked away.  It meant that he refused to acknowledge it and the child could quite literally be thrown out. Paul’s exhortation to parents mentioned in andro-centric perspective, since it is not addressed to both parents but to fathers only, and reminds them not of their authority but of their responsibility.

This responsibility is expressed both negatively and positively. They are not to abuse their authority by making their children angry. Instead, their rearing of their children should be marked by the sort of training and warning that is determined by their relationship to their Lord and that educates their children in the tradition about this Lord. Teaching and correcting of children through practical.

Thirdly,

Parental instruction as influence

We as parents and future parents often forget the duty of encouragement instead we discourage them not to make their decision.

I know a boy nearby my home, who was an excellent and efficient student. Due to his health problems he failed in his higher secondary exams. Perhaps he has chance to clear those arrears but their parents made him to take wrong decision to lose his life.  After results came his parents were scolded and beaten him, which made him to choose wrong way. In today’s context most of us are excel in studies rather we fail to achieve in our real life. If Thomas alwa Edison had thought when he started his new invention of his light surely he would have not succeeded but he has taken every failure as stepping stone for his life so he achieved. So be positive and motivate our children also in positive manner.

I would like say real incident which has happened in Martin Luther’s life that is, Martin Luther’s father was very strict to the point of cruelty.  Luther used to say “spare the rod and spoil the child – that is true; but beside the rod keep an apple to give him when he has done well.” we should appreciate our children when they obey and follow our instructions. This makes a positive influence of companionship with the children.

Conclusion

            Let me conclude one of the sayings in Tamil from Indian philosophy that is matha pitha guru theivam which means father and mother come first before teacher and God. So parents are the real role model to our children to choose their career. It lies in the hands of parents if child to go right or wrong path. I would suggest all the parents, guide their children to go positive manner. As a theological community what is our concern and response to this. As per my concern we dependant on focused on only limited circle but we should extend ourselves to wider perspective to think every child as my child and we need to nourish them in right way to get the fruit of success.

Greatest Power lies in the Powerlessness | 1 Samuel 17: 1-51.

 

Greatest Power lies in the Powerlessness

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 17: 1-51.

Introduction:

            The book of Samuel was divided into two portions because of the length of the book as a whole. The name Samuel is not altogether appropriate for the material of 1 and 2^nd Samuel because the prophet dies is Chapter 25, leaving the rest of 1^st Samuel and 2^nd Samuel to go on without him. Samuel’s prominent role in the early chapters may have led to the association of his name with the book. Samuel was also considered to be an author especially of those preceding his death. Subsequent chapters were attributed to Nathan and Gad. This Scripture portion is one the favourite scripture portions that are taught to the children both by the teachers of Sunday school and the parents. To be more precise this scripture portion plays an important life in the faith role of a person.   The story of David’s battle with the Philistine giant forms a coherent unit all by itself.

            The account opens with Saul’s army lined up against the Phillistines at Socoh. Socoh is identified with Khirbet Shuweika, 14mileswest of Bethlehem. McCarter a theologian, as argued that Goliath is an authentic Philistine name. Goliath was 6ft 9inches tall that is enough to frighten off any Israelite who would come to take off the challenge.    In the Israel’s army only the king (ie) Saul was wearing the battle equipment’s like armour, helmet etc. and this is clear from the portion. The passage also explains that the Philistinian representative fighter’s armour and weapons are more advanced than that of the Israelite’s. This clearly shows that the Philistinian were more advanced to wars whereas the Israelite’s are new to war fields. Goliath came forward to challenge the Israelites and David came forward accepting that challenge. David came forward with the help of Yahweh’s courage and he has also cited this to the Goliath stating that I am coming to you in the name of Yahweh. Goliath is mentioned as “The Philistine” 27 times in the passage and he is called as Goliath only twice.

 

1) Worldly way of constructing the Kingdom:

            In the local language the Kingdom of God is generally referred to the church where we go and worship the true living God. The church that I refer here is the one that is constructed with stones and sand and can also be called as the Materialistic kingdom/ church. Many denominations work hard , plan much to build up these materialistic buildings to keep up their tradition of Main Line churches. I would not say that building up of these is sin or wrong, but whom do the leaders of the church go to for help for constructing this buildings. They do not go to an ordinary poor or middle class family people, rather they go to the rich and those who attain power and authority in the society. And these powerful are the ones who also dedicate the house of God for the glory of God.  These powerful and the rich determine the size and the structure of constructing the church, and in a later period the church of God, turns into a place of Commercial activities and a place of nurturing communal and caste sentiments. The construction of churches or assemblies is not a new idea rather, we can find such gatherings both in the Old and the New Testament. In the Old Testament we find that the people in the temples / synagogues were treated equally without discrimination of the Rich and the Poor, the high and the low caste etc. As the churches started nourishing the demons of caste, money and authority started entering into the churches and this we can see at a later period in the NewTestament, where there was discrimination between the Jew and the Gentile. In the early churches also we find that the Ekklesia was a sharing community and the people shared equally what they had with them. The present day churches are not mostly built for the Glory of God rather for the Glory of the supreme authorities and this we can at randomly see and witness from the court cases that the church leaders face. The Bishops and other authorities who are meant to guide and administer the people are absconded from the eyes of co-believers and the media. Even in the Theological community we students, whom do we prefer to have friendship with. We like to have friendship only with the Supreme authorities like the Principal, Deans and few more whereas a good number are missed from our favourite lists. The Service staff who serve to guard our health and provide food for us are not in the list of our favourites. Coming to the student community friendship, we also restrict ourselves with the friendship of a Bishop’s son, those who are rich, those who belong to our region and our caste, whereas a few who are silent and poor are missed out. The help that we do to our fellow humans are also prejudiced and restricted because we would like to offer a simple help only to those whom we think that they will help us in-return. Voluntary help without any expectations are very limited in the society that we live in.

            Coming to our contemporary day churches they are not build with the motive of equality of worship rather they are built to exhibit  power,money and wealth that we have than other denominations and other religions. Many of the mission organizations that were started by young people on their knees in secret places have now become a den of robbers and a place of politics. The problem doesn’t lie only with these kind of people rather but each and every individual is  responsible for it, because a worshipper of God, first looks at the infrastructure of the materialistic church, then the popularity, status and the prosperity gospel  that the servant of God preaches.

 

2) God works in Powerlessness:

            In the story of David and Goliath, the Phillistine was a mighty warrior who was armed with many kinds of protective clothes that weighed many hundreds of kilograms to protect him from the enemies and the list of those protective shields that he was using are listed from verse 5 to 8. A warrior’s scale armour had to meet three criteria: protection, lightness and freedom of movement. The shepherd who comes to give food to his brothers, sees the injustice that is prevailing at Socoh and thus he wants to be the voice of the voiceless because Yahweh’s spirit was within him. He then goes to Saul and said that he will fight for the Israelites and the response from Saul was a shame to David, because Saul says that ”You are  just a Boy”which means you are a powerless person in front  of a mighty  person and David explains that he is a shepherd and he as several lots of lions and bears with the help  of his hands, when those wild animals tried to attack his sheep. David also explains that only with the help of the Power of Yahweh, he was able to defeat the wild animals and  continues to say that the spirit of Yahweh is still within me and that spirit would help him to defeat the Philistine. Having trust in Yahweh, Saul tries to gear up David with the safety equipment’s that Saul was wearing. Only the King of Israel was used to wear those safety stuff and the militants had no access to those safety gears and this could be one of the reasons for those people to hesitate to attack  the Philistine. Then after Saul gave the safely gears to David, the shepherd was uncomfortable wearing those as he had no experience in wearing them. Thus without the armours David was powerless against the Giant. This is an example from the Scripture to show that God chooses the powerless for his mighty works. There are many more examples. For Instance the story of Moses. He was an ordinary man, who was slow to speech and had a stammering mouth. Yahweh chose such a person to liberate a huge crowd of people from the bondage of sin. Gideon, Deborah are few other persons who were powerless whom the God choose for his ministry. Coming to the prophets, God choses young boys, shepherds, people with sinful tongues for God’s prophetic ministry.Even in the story of Naaman the chief commander in the army of King Aram, brings lots of Wealth and treasures and recommendation letters to the prophet Elisha for curing his leprosy. Here God uses powerless water, which we waste in our daily life to cure his sickness that he was suffering with for many years. Many thousands of money and many doctors couldn’t cure his sickness but God’s word through which the waters were created cured his leprosy.

In the New Testament too, Christ choses the powerless like uneducated, fishermen etc for establishing god’s kingdom on earth. Paul who was powerless after his authorities were stripped off played a major role in the establishment of churches in different parts of the world. Coming to the life of Jesus Christ only through the powerless of Christ, the earth has received salvation. The powerlessness of Jesus is the incident of Jesus on the cross. His hands were nailed, his legs were nailed, his head was thorned and Jesus body was completely under the control of powerful weapons. But God used that powerlessness to redeem the whole world. Likewise in the story of David and Goliath the powerless David was chosen by Yahweh to redeem the people of Saul. The person whom they thought powerless was later the king of such a huge nation and through his generation was a Saviour born for us. God chooses the powerless to be a voice for the voiceless. God chooses the powerless to defeat the powerful. God uses to powerless to redeem the earth. So power, authority, wealth are not important in the sight of God. What God needs from us is a heart to obey his word and carry on with God’s though and protect the creations that God has gifted us to live a comfortable life with him. We need to go carry out God’s plan in the name of the lord so that God will shower upon God’s strength on us.

Conclusion:   

            The story of  David and Goliath is a classic and perfect example of what can be accomplished by God through the person of faith and powerlessness. David made clear that Yahweh was the real source of Victory. God never shames any people who have a true dependence on God.   

 

PARADIGM FOR LEADERSHIP: A CALL TO RENEWAL

 

PARADIGM FOR LEADERSHIP: A CALL TO RENEWAL

Prayer: Lord, Speak to us for we are listening, and prepare our hearts to hear your voice, in Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Introduction:

          What is it about the Church that people look up to? What is the image that is being portrayed of people serving as pastors, priests being considered to be called by God? How much of such expectations do people really find in each and every one of the so-called people of God? And what is the image we depict being created in the image of God? In the world that we live and thrive with, corruption and injustice is to be found everywhere, even within the church itself. Whether it is priests being caught in adulterous acts, taking bribes, or misusing the property of the church to make a living and leading a luxurious life for themselves, the people can see the church as a threat to themselves rather than it being an answer to the sufferings in their lives. I have heard about a person who came to work at the mission field that I have had worked during my internship. He was said to be a mission worker from another church. It so happened that the village thrives on spirit worship and a girl was said to be possessed by an evil spirit. The mission worker was asked to pray for the girl but the situation came to be misused as the girl was exploited and she bore a child to the person. Sadly, the man never settled with her and neither did her child survive. Such ironies as leaders and exploiters of the people are not something new but which existed since times immemorial. The incident reflects upon the passage read to us and how Jesus identifies himself in one of the great sayings “I am the Good shepherd”.  In such a country as ours where the majority of the populations are poor people, the church stands to represent Christ. As to whether or not the church stands on the side of the poor, the marginalized and the destitute can be understood from how Jesus looked at the religious leaders of his time. Jesus Christ, in the passage, provides for all who chooses to follow his footsteps and see your Paradigm for Leadership: A call to renewal.

 

 

The paradox of the Unjust Christian Leaders:

The present day context sets a stage of confusion as we live in a country with many religious groups and interdenominational clashes. There is much contention among the leaders as to who is really the shepherd and to which group of people, thus causing much scattering amongst the people. One-third of the poor people in the world are known to belong to India according to the Times of India. Such people fall victim to oppressions of many sorts and the oppression that takes place is not only from political or the social structures but also the religious structures with which Jesus also had many encounters. It can be seen that the passage points to Jesus having a conversation with the Jews after his healing of the blind man as is found in Chapter 9 of John’s Gospel. The healing of the blind man had brought about a heated discourse between Jesus and the Jews who contended the blind man’s proclamation of Jesus as Kurios, or Lord and further along they were themselves to be declared as being blind because of their self-righteousness. The ensuing conversation eventually led Jesus to speak of the parable of the Good Shepherd and the door to the sheep. This identification in John’s gospels sets the stage for Jesus to identify Himself as the Shepherd that Yahweh had spoken of in Ezekiel 34 that He would come look for the lost sheep that the religious leaders have neglected and manipulatively used for their own benefit. While the Old Testament portrays the shepherd to be the ones feeding themselves, who eat of the fat and clothed themselves with the wool of the sheep, neglected the sheep and cared only for themselves, it also gives a promise of Yahweh Himself being a shepherd to the lost, broken, and abused sheep viz., the people of Israel and to all the nations altogether. These shepherds never strengthened the weak, or healed the sick, or bound up the injured, or brought back the strayed and many such qualities that are not supposed to be seen among the religious leaders during the time of Ezekiel. Such an imagery of Jesus as the shepherd was not something new to John’s writing but it is found in the other parts of the synoptic gospels (Mark 14: 27,28; Acts 20: 28-30; 1Peter 5:2- 4) and in the Psalms. Also those who did not believe in Jesus were regarded as lost sheep (Matt 18:10 – 14; Luke 15: 3 – 7).

Like the Jews, it can be seen within the Churches today how leaders have become so distant from the sheep, who are considered the members of the Church or anyone who have gone astray, for that matter. Thus we are unable to address the real needs of the people. The pastoral perspective of the parable can hardly be missed particularly in view of the Christian ministry as tending the sheep, as is also found in the thrice-repeated command to Peter, to feed Jesus’ Lambs/ sheep. There is a great burden to do so as there are those who unlawfully claim to have control over the sheep resulting in the destruction of the flock. There are Christian leaders who represent Jesus but do not follow his example and yet proclaim to be the shepherds. Many pastors today claim that they do not have authority over the sheep, or to address to the very needs of the people for fear of the authorities of the church and thus causing the people to be in confusion. It is a pertinent problem everywhere when leaders chose to use the scriptures for their own benefit just as the Jews did and to use their position to oppress other people or to shy away from the oppressions that the people face. Thus in such a context, Jesus offers Himself to be the Leader of the people, the long awaited shepherd of Yahweh.

Counter Approach of Jesus towards Leadership:

The contention between Jesus and the Jews brought about an identification of Jesus as the “I AM” or Σγώ Σίμί. What is it about Jesus that sets him apart from the existing order? What will Jesus accomplish which others have failed? Ezekiel 34 clearly shows where the leaders have failed and Jesus gives the counter approach to the religious leaders and showing them a clear example of who they were to be like, thus pointing to Himself as the prime example. Verse 19 shows a problem that had created division among the Jews themselves, while some accused him to be out of his mind and demon possessed, others were convinced with his words and believed him. The Jews who had not understood the words of Jesus only proved themselves neither to be part of the flock nor to be His followers for they do not hear His voice or follow Him. The Festival of the Dedication or Hanukkah was a Festival of Light which was celebrated annually from the 25^th of the Ninth month Kisleu until the 2^nd of the tenth month Tebeth. It brings out the importance of Jesus as the Light of the world and His healing of the Blind man clearly shows that people were created to be in the Light depicting the major theme in the Johanine literature. The fact that Jesus stayed in Jerusalem from the Feast of Tabernacles to the Feast of Dedication and the Passover prepares us to culminate into the highest degree of hostility between Jesus and the Jews eventually leading to the crucifixion. Jesus walked the portico of Solomon which was a colonnade in the outermost court on the eastern side of the Temple and outside the Temple proper and was a meeting place of the early Christians.

What did the religious leaders lack that had caught so much anxiety? The paradoxical lifestyle of the religious leaders paved a way to Jesus offering his alternate way. The good shepherd who knows them by name indicates the intimate relationship between the Jesus and his followers as is seen in the Palestinian practice of calling their sheep by name. Jesus denounced all those who came before him which could be regarded as the pretended revealers and pretended saviors of the Hellenistic Gnostic religions. The Pharisees and Jewish leaders were also among those who misinterpreted the law for their own advantage which is not uncommon among church leaders or the governing bodies of today or any other group of people whose concern was only for themselves. It can be seen that there were the external factors that resulted in the scattering of the flock. It can be seen here and the parallel of this chapter in Ezekiel 34 that internal factors were more important that had brought destruction to the flock to which Jesus identifies himself as the door to which one enters into the flock. It is by following the Shepherd that one gains access to the sheep. A true pastor must have such a relation with Jesus and with his/her people that he/she follows Jesus and they follow Him. Jesus identifies Himself to be the door denoting the point that he was the way to having the abundance of life. His “knowing” the sheep and this is understood clearly in the OT context indicating an intimate relationship with the flock and He declared them to be all His just as Yahweh did so in the Exodus. His ‘going before’ the sheep implies that he knew where food was available with the courage to handle any possible danger. This draws a parallel to the Psalmist’ shepherd in Psalm 23 who leads him through the valley of death without the fear of any danger. The shepherd speaks to them to encourage them, discipline them, and exhort and instructing them along the way. Such traits are not likely to be found in the hired shepherd or the gatekeepers, who are known to be hired to do their work in the Palestinian context and are to be accountable for any lost or harmed sheep. A contrasting difference between the hired workers and the Jesus was that while they work for the sake of themselves, Jesus was totally committed to the flock, the ‘fold’ includes not just the Jews or the Jewish Christians but also the entire human race and the cosmos. The idea of one flock and one shepherd can be found in Ezekiel 37: 15- 24 where the terms One king/ one nation is found. One flock denotes the unity between all races- Jew and Gentiles under one shepherd, Jesus (Eph 2:11- 22; 3:6; 4:3 – 6). This is the new community that Jesus envisaged. Christian unity is not something that happens automatically but it requires work, and surrendering the principles that cause the flock to divide such as caste, color, creeds, and socio-economic distinctions not only at the congregational level but also at the denominational level and the national level altogether. The most important characteristic about Jesus being the shepherd that is found in the Johanine writings is that while the Jews threatened to stone Him, He reveals the reality about His leadership which was that no one was to take His life but that He gives it up for the flock. John reveals that God’s eternal love for the Son converges on the salvation of the world by means of Jesus’ death and his resurrection. If Jesus is to give life to others then He must rise again, and the resurrection being the completion of His death and implying that the cross will not be the end of His Life as his opponents thought. Unlike any other leader, he gives an alternate way to those who would flee from fighting for the flock. His death and resurrection paves the way for the Church to carry out His prophetic mission. It was to stand for all that Jesus stood for and knowing they are to give their lives fighting for it. Thus the role of the church is a continuation of what the good shepherd has left behind.

Embodiment of Jesus, the Good shepherd:

The death and resurrection paves the way for the church to carry out the mission of Yahweh as it represents the body of Christ (Romans 12). The leader of the flock reaches out for the lost, the least and the last and so should the Church. No longer must thieves and robbers be allowed to harm the flock but it is the shepherds who follow Christ to take up the burden and fight for the cause of all people. In a world where there is much division among the religious groups, can be encouraging to see the Ecumenical movement bringing unity among the different denominations. The motto of the Church of South India formed in 1947 says, “That they may all be One” and the motto of Church of North India formed in 1970 says “Unity, Witness, Service” all point to the fulfillment of the vision of ‘One flock, One shepherd.’ Christian unity is not a one time achievement but an ongoing process. Denominations are coming together and accepting the Scriptures, the Creed, the baptism, Eucharist and ministry. It can be encouraging to hear of Muslims who were able to worship at Sikh gurudwaras. Religious differences have further divided the country such that we are incapable to address the more pertinent questions that we face every day. The development of the country rests not only in the politico- economic and social spheres but must penetrate into the many religious groups that have further fragmented and divided the nation. The identification of Jesus as the good shepherd penetrates deep into the Indian soil. A country rampant with corruption calls out for leaders who would not seek out for their own benefit but to live and die for whom they represent, be it Church leaders or the political leaders. The death and resurrection of Christ points to selfless leaders who would seek out the lost, the weak, the marginalized, and oppressed fighting for their cause even to the point of death. It is in such selfless acts that the salvation of the country can be realized. The Churches have become highly hierarchical and it seems difficult to get anything done unless it has been initiated from the authorities. Yet we so easily miss out the significance of the Death and resurrection of Jesus showing that death itself is not the end of the problem but that God shall raise us for what we stood for. As it is seen when Jesus stood before those who wanted to stone Him, He makes them realize that they were not in control by stoning Him but that He gave it up himself for the truth. He stood for it knowing that no one can destroy the truth, not death itself.

Jesus’ words had caused so much anxiety and frustration amongst the Jews and they did not want to move further from the fact as to whether He was the Messiah or it was a plan to get Jesus to say something so that they could catch Him. This further establishes that they were never able to understand His words as the truth is concealed from the unbelieving but are revealed to His sheep. It was not just the words of Jesus but also his works that bear witness that God had sent Him. The ‘good works’ extend to beyond Jesus’ miracles to include His acceptance of sinners. Jesus was not to be condemned for his miracles but for blasphemy where he was charged of claiming to be God even though he was just a man. Jesus affirmation that I and the Father are one can be difficult to understand but forms the crux of John’s theology. It is here that John identifies Him as the preexisting Logos and the One who promises the Israelites that I will be your shepherd. This unity is not merely moral unity or in works and speech but is seen to be the union in essence. The Church, thus, which represents the body of Christ, takes upon itself the responsibility to care and protect whole-heartedly the cause of the sheep.

We may think that while God has taken upon Himself the responsibility of being the shepherd, what then can be the role of the sheep? The parable only gives us the imagery of God’s care for the sheep, but we are people capable of caring and taking up the cause for the downtrodden and the oppressed. The Church that takes up the role of the shepherd is nothing but all individuals sharing in the community to uplift the cause of each other and the natural world with which we have been entrusted with.

Conclusion:       

It is Jesus’ vision that the shepherd takes up the cause for the sheep just as He did so. By doing so, it will change the image that people have of the Church. They would know their leaders would not lead them anywhere that would bring harm to them or would abandon them to the point of death. The church leadership would be filled with people who would not live for themselves or for their own luxury but ones who seeks the lost, heals the sick and ties the wounds, bring salvation to each member who hears their voice and follows them rather than slaughter them, who looks out for ones who have lost their place, their identity and social status. We fight for the cause of God denying ourselves knowing we will be brought up if we were struck down just as Jesus did.

Where are the sheep? Or have we gone on to fall asleep?

Who hears their cries? Or do we just ignore until they die.

Who knows their pain? Unless we go and feel the same,

Who feels their need? For all have gone to fill their greed,

Jesus gave up life for the Sheep, What have we to give?