Reflections

God Our Helper and Redeemer Hebrews 13:6-11 Mathew Lukose Epiphany MTC, NY 6 So we can say with confidence,“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” A few years ago we bought a suitcase with a lifetime guarantee. “We don’t care who breaks it,” the manufacturer said, “we will repair or replace it free, forever”. To its credit, the company honored its guarantee for a number of years, just as promised.  But a few months ago the company went out of business and so did the lifetime guarantee. In a world where we cannot always depend on guarantees, there is someone who we can trust; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible, we find the Lord’s promise to be with his people at all times. In this passage the writer of Hebrews is reminding us that God’s promises will last through all time and eternity.   As stated in James 4:14, “we do not know what will happen tomorrow”. But we do know that whatever happens Jesus Christ, the Immanuel,

God: Our Helper and Redeemer Luke 12:22-34 Rev. Aji Varghese Emmanuel MTC, Lubbock, TX 29  And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.  30  For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  31  Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. We are at the end of another year. Let us thank God for His care and protection throughout this year. It is a land the Lord your God cares for : the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.(Deut. 11:12) God is our Saviour and redeemer. Do not forget how kind he is.           This biblical portion (Luke 12: 29-31) tells about faith in God or trust in God. Jesus tells us not to be anxious about anything. Avoid worries in our day to day life. Life is much more valuable than food and clothes. Thank God for all the blessings we have rece

Joyful Expectation of Christ's Coming Malachi 3:13-4:2 Mathew Lukose Epiphany MTC, NY 17  They shall be mine, says the  Lord  of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them.  In today’s bible portion, we see reference to the first and second coming of Christ: God has fixed the day of both. Through Jesus Christ, the Son of Righteousness, believers are justified and sanctified. His sacrifice on the cross render the sinner holy, joyful and fruitful. In the book of Malachi we can follow two kinds of people: (a) Godly and (b) Ungodly (Mal 3:16). God will watch out for His own, and the faithful will be joined with Him. Now let us look at some of the characteristics of the Godly people. Fear the Lord: They hold God in awe and worship Him as Lord Almighty. They have a healthy respect for God, and fear to displease Him. Fellowship: (vs 16a) Godly people have fellowship with e

Joyful Expectations of Christ's Coming 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Robin Varughese John Ebenezer MTC, Dombivili, Mumbai India 16  For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. St. Paul writes the letter to Thessalonica to encourage the Church which he had established in Thessalonica, a prime center for the Macedonian province. It is believed that this letter is written under the authorship of Paul, Timothy and Silvanus. We get the historic background of this letter from the book of the Acts of the Apostles from chapter 15 through chapter 17, which is believed to have been written quite later compared to this Letter. Chapter 4 is divided into two sections. The first part relates to instructions about how to live a life pleasing in God’s sight, the second part which is the above passage gives Eschatological Hope. We must salute the wives of the

Joyful Expectation of Christ's Coming Mark 13:28-37 Rev. Shibi Abraham MTC of Oklahoma 33  Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come . God expects us to work because God is still working (But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working- John 5:17).  Many people view work as a curse, but it really is a blessing.  After God created Adam, he put him in the “garden of Eden to till and keep it” (Genesis 2:15).   God had entrusted Adam to perform work as part of his existence because work is part of life that God expects from people.   It was in Genesis 3, after sin entered the world that work also lost its true purpose and became distorted. Work was intended to be a blessing.   In fact in the Jewish word AVODAH is used in different parts of the Old Testament for work and for worship.  This denotes that work is a form of worship.  Work was intended to be a blessing to people, a way to help develop the individual and a means

The Birth of Our Lord Micah 5:1-9 Soumya Samuel Epiphany MTC, NY 4  And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord , in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; 5  and he shall be the one of peace.   This passage helps us remember several crucial points in the midst of our busy Christmas season. In this passage, we read of the great Shepherd who will provide strength for his flock. How many times have we found ourselves exhausted this season, in preparation for our celebrations of Christmas with family and friends? Have we remembered to find strength in our Shepherd? Next, we are promised to live securely because of God’s greatness. More often than not, we are struggling with doubts and insecurity- worried about family, our careers, finances, the future, etc. We are to live securely despite the worries of this world and life, knowing of the promise of eternal l

Birth of our Lord: Jesus our Liberator Galatians 4:1-7 Alex Abraham Epiphany MTC, NY 4  But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5  in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. The birth of our Lord is often seen a beacon of freedom, one that marks the epitome of human’s liberation from sin and damnation.  But does it have greater implications for our relationship with God?  If so, how can we characterize this new relationship to develop a more profound relationship with God? As stated in Galatians 4, before the birth of Jesus, humans were “no different from slave[s].”  They were merely children, “subject to guardians and trustees” until our father in heaven grants us deliverance from bondage.  The analogy of the relationship between children and father, in this section of Galatians, is used to describe our relationship with our God.  By doing so, Paul, the author of

Feast of Nativity: Birth of Our Lord Luke 2:1-14 Dr. Thomas Jose  MTC, Staten Island, NY 10  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:   11  to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  Christmas is a great event that changed the history of the world. It is advent of life, love, light, peace and hope of God into the world of darkness, sin, pain, and suffering The birth of our Lord who is Christ the Immanuel is the incarnation of God the creator in human flesh and body. Luke is the only gospel writer who related the events he recorded to world history. The Jews were waiting for a king to be born who can deliver them from the Roman Empire, their physical ailments and establish an earthly kingdom. Hence they expected the king to be born only in a palace. But when Christ was born, the humble shepherds were the first to be informed. He was born in a manger wrapp

Feast of Nativity: Birth of Our Lord Luke 2:1-14 Philip Manuel and Laila Anie Philip Carmel MTC, Boston 10  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:   11  to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.  Christmas is a great event that changed the history of the world. It is advent of life, love, light, peace and hope of God into the world of darkness, sin, pain, and suffering The birth of our Lord who is Christ the Immanuel is the incarnation of God the creator in human flesh and body. Luke is the only gospel writer who related the events he recorded to world history. The Jews were waiting for a king to be born who can deliver them from the Roman Empire, their physical ailments and establish an earthly kingdom. Hence they expected the king to be born only in a palace. But when Christ

Lighted to Lighten 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Noble Abraham Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, Kottayam 18  For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Nowhere in the other epistles does St. Paul use the imagery of the cross so vividly and bluntly as he does here in first chapter of the first epistle to the church of Corinth. Paul was greatly troubled by reports from Corinth of deepening divisions, increasing contentions and other problems (1: 10 – 12). This situation came to be more so because of the multifaceted cultural diversity of the city of Corinth (1: 22).  St. Paul uses a methodology of first revealing to them their identities (vv. 1 – 17) and later identifying them to whom they belong to (vv. 18 – 25) Paul called the believers at Corinth “saints” (v.2), who are “sanctified in Christ Jesus” (v.2), “baptized in the name of Christ” (v. 13) and “united in same mind, with no division” (v.

Lighted to Lighten Isaiah 22:20-24 Ani Kochamma MTC Staten Island, NY 22  I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. In this passage, we learn of God's promise to Eliakim, son of Hilkiah. The name Eliakim in Hebrew means "God raises up" or "God who establishes me".  In verses 20-24, Eliakim's advancement is described. Our Lord Jesus describes His own power as Mediator, in Rev. 3: 7, that He has the key of David. He is the Source of Light. Mar Thoma Church Day is celebrated on Dec. 21 which is St. Thomas martyrdom. The great vision of our Church is that we are " Lighted to Lighten " the world. The motto of our church is that every marthomite is a missionary . Observing this day reminds us about the call and mission of the church. St. Thomas is the one who gave his life for the gospel. As we hold the tradition of St. Thomas, let us accept Jes

The Preparation of Christmas Philippians 3:12-21 Rev. Abraham Kuruvilla Princeton Theological Seminary, NJ 15  Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you.  When ministering in Bethel Mar Thoma Church, Thannithode, Kerala, I witnessed a unique way of going for carol rounds. The people would go to the houses which were situated on the streets from one end to another and would sing songs. After this, as is customary, the people of all faith would offer money as their offering. But, to my utter surprise and also that of the members of the houses, the church members didn’t take it. They said god's gift is free and that’s Christmas. Utter foolishness some may think, for whom carols are a means to raise money. Virgin birth is inexplicable. It doesn’t have a drop of logic or a thread of rationality. The Incarnation, …..absurd? Jesus on a cross,......absurd?  The Resurrection,…..absur

Immanuel John 14:1-7 Rev. Jaisen Thomas Immanuel MTC, VA “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.  2  In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.  4  And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Once as Christmas was nearing, a Judge questioned the man who had been brought into his courtroom.  "Now then, please tell me, what is the charge against you?".  " I was caught doing my Christmas shopping very early." replied the man in the dock.  "That doesn't seem like an offense to me. What do you mean by 'very early?  "Well, your Honor." said the defendant, "It was before the shop was open."                                                     Sometimes the