The Journey 311
Read: Acts 16: 25-34
At around 11.20 pm CNN news agencies made the projection “Barack Obama Re-elected”. There was jubilation all over the Obama campaign headquarters at Chicago. The Romney camp still held on, hoping against hope but finally after midnight, Governor Romney conceded defeat. Thus President Barack Obama becomes the President of United States for a second term. This presidential election was one of the fiercely fought elections. When President faltered and was at a very low key in the first presidential debate, many felt that, to get a second term for Obama would be very tough. But at the end of the battle the Obama has come out victorious. He sets his place in history as the nations first black president who gets a second term. As he addressed his supporters in the early hours of today he reminded people about how they all have fought back, picked up the loose strands, and has clawed inch by inch in the Presidential election. It has been one of the most toughest challenge for the President. But his real battles have only begun. In a governing body where republicans retains majority in the house, and democrats have retained their control of the senate, the president will have to do something drastic and daring and dramatic with regards to the sagging economy, the loss of jobs, his vision about health care reforms, but more than that change the political climate that exists in Washington. Even though Governor Romney was defeated, he was gracious to accept defeat. In his parting message conceding defeat, he urged the everyone to rise about partisan politics and work together for the strengthening of the nation. All said and done, victory is victory whether it is winning by a small margin or huge margin. While looking back at the way Obama ran his presidential campaign, it is awesome to see how he fought with courage and perseverance, even when some of his ardent supporters felt a little gloomy at times. I think the Obama represent those type of people, silent but strong, cool but determined to face all odds and come out victoriously whether it is battle for the president or even different life battle. The way the president has fought this presidential election teaches us the quality of perseverance and carrying on with hope and determination even the going gets tough. There is famous saying that “when going gets tough, the tough gets going”. Can this be true in our Christian life too?
We are meditating on the theme “ Transformed Living” and the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Acts 16: 25-34. This is a an incident from the early church where we find two apostles Paul and Silas finds going tough in their witness to the gospel but when faced with all odds they come out tough and gets going. Paul and Silas have been imprisoned because the charge that was leveled against them was that “they were disturbing the city, and were advocating customs that were not lawful for the roman citizens to adopt or to observe”[ Acts 16: 21]. For this they are flogged and thrown into the jail. But even in the midst of these tough going, you find two attitudes that needs to be highlighted. As they are imprisoned and endure the severity of the punishment, the response that they both do is that they pray and sing hymns to the Lord. Here are two apostles going through tough times, yet their hope in the Lord is intact and they hold on to their faith even in the midst of adversities. And as they hold on to their faith and hope even in the midst of hopeless situation , they get a chance to escape as a violent earthquake rips the foundation of the prison apart. Thinking that Paul and Silas would have escaped, the jailor tries to kill himself. But Paul and Silas tells him not to harm himself and assuages his fear that they will not run away, because they don't fear for their life and more than the well being of their life, what matters to them is to live for the gospel. Jailor meets for the first time people whose vision for their life is a cause larger than their life– the cause of the gospel, which is the second quality that could be highlighted. Thus the jailor is convicted and transformed. He raises the question as to what he must do to be saved and Paul replies that “believe on the Lord and you and your household will be saved”[ Acts 16: 31]. The jailor comes into the salvation experience and his whole family is baptized and there is a great rejoicing in his family. The transformation in the jailor takes place because both Paul and Silas stood firm in their faith and in their calling, even when life was tough and unjust, they were steadfast in their faith, hope and witness. It is this attitude that helped the early church to take gospel to the unreached areas and people. I think as this nation move forward, with President Barack Obama leading for the second term, let us reaffirm that we need leaders and people who are not cowed down by challenges of times, but on the contrary lead the nation to greater glory and witness. This could happen only when we face life and its challenges with trust, perseverance and hope in the Lord.
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla
At around 11.20 pm CNN news agencies made the projection “Barack Obama Re-elected”. There was jubilation all over the Obama campaign headquarters at Chicago. The Romney camp still held on, hoping against hope but finally after midnight, Governor Romney conceded defeat. Thus President Barack Obama becomes the President of United States for a second term. This presidential election was one of the fiercely fought elections. When President faltered and was at a very low key in the first presidential debate, many felt that, to get a second term for Obama would be very tough. But at the end of the battle the Obama has come out victorious. He sets his place in history as the nations first black president who gets a second term. As he addressed his supporters in the early hours of today he reminded people about how they all have fought back, picked up the loose strands, and has clawed inch by inch in the Presidential election. It has been one of the most toughest challenge for the President. But his real battles have only begun. In a governing body where republicans retains majority in the house, and democrats have retained their control of the senate, the president will have to do something drastic and daring and dramatic with regards to the sagging economy, the loss of jobs, his vision about health care reforms, but more than that change the political climate that exists in Washington. Even though Governor Romney was defeated, he was gracious to accept defeat. In his parting message conceding defeat, he urged the everyone to rise about partisan politics and work together for the strengthening of the nation. All said and done, victory is victory whether it is winning by a small margin or huge margin. While looking back at the way Obama ran his presidential campaign, it is awesome to see how he fought with courage and perseverance, even when some of his ardent supporters felt a little gloomy at times. I think the Obama represent those type of people, silent but strong, cool but determined to face all odds and come out victoriously whether it is battle for the president or even different life battle. The way the president has fought this presidential election teaches us the quality of perseverance and carrying on with hope and determination even the going gets tough. There is famous saying that “when going gets tough, the tough gets going”. Can this be true in our Christian life too?
We are meditating on the theme “ Transformed Living” and the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from Acts 16: 25-34. This is a an incident from the early church where we find two apostles Paul and Silas finds going tough in their witness to the gospel but when faced with all odds they come out tough and gets going. Paul and Silas have been imprisoned because the charge that was leveled against them was that “they were disturbing the city, and were advocating customs that were not lawful for the roman citizens to adopt or to observe”[ Acts 16: 21]. For this they are flogged and thrown into the jail. But even in the midst of these tough going, you find two attitudes that needs to be highlighted. As they are imprisoned and endure the severity of the punishment, the response that they both do is that they pray and sing hymns to the Lord. Here are two apostles going through tough times, yet their hope in the Lord is intact and they hold on to their faith even in the midst of adversities. And as they hold on to their faith and hope even in the midst of hopeless situation , they get a chance to escape as a violent earthquake rips the foundation of the prison apart. Thinking that Paul and Silas would have escaped, the jailor tries to kill himself. But Paul and Silas tells him not to harm himself and assuages his fear that they will not run away, because they don't fear for their life and more than the well being of their life, what matters to them is to live for the gospel. Jailor meets for the first time people whose vision for their life is a cause larger than their life– the cause of the gospel, which is the second quality that could be highlighted. Thus the jailor is convicted and transformed. He raises the question as to what he must do to be saved and Paul replies that “believe on the Lord and you and your household will be saved”[ Acts 16: 31]. The jailor comes into the salvation experience and his whole family is baptized and there is a great rejoicing in his family. The transformation in the jailor takes place because both Paul and Silas stood firm in their faith and in their calling, even when life was tough and unjust, they were steadfast in their faith, hope and witness. It is this attitude that helped the early church to take gospel to the unreached areas and people. I think as this nation move forward, with President Barack Obama leading for the second term, let us reaffirm that we need leaders and people who are not cowed down by challenges of times, but on the contrary lead the nation to greater glory and witness. This could happen only when we face life and its challenges with trust, perseverance and hope in the Lord.
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla