Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

Revelation for Liberation


Rev. Abraham Kuruvilla
Princeton Theological Seminary

19 "to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”


One of the prominent features of India is the presence of fortune tellers. We find people going to a parrot or to the stars or to some god-men to find about their future. Sadly we have a lot of parrots in the Christian world who confuse and deceive people with their so called revelations.


In Israel there were prophets who used to say what the king and the people wanted to hear and God detested such practices (Lev. 19:26, 31; 20:27; Deut. 18:9-14). They were the false prophets. It is so striking that today also there are people who say what our ears are itching to hear.

It is amidst the existence of such tendencies that we should understand today’s portion. Jesus points to God’s revelation that is shaped in the struggles of everyday life. It is a revelation that is wrought in pain. It is the pain of the poor, the captive, the blind and the oppressed (Luke 4: 18). It is a revelation that requires our participation and dedication to the cause of the underprivileged.

Today, do we see prophets who self-proclaim their anointment, and in it they revel and exult all their life? Then contrast it with the life of Jesus. When Jesus self-proclaimed His anointment, it was a conscious decision to be involved with the lost and the least. He did not say what people wanted to hear.  Yes there was the message of love, of peace, of healing but at times He was blunt and straight forward and rebuked in the power of the Spirit. The Spirit of God anoints us to confront the false and reveal the truth. Involvement in the revelation of God does not just mean to achieve a spiritual high and to see and utter things unintelligible to others. Rather, it also means to enter the reality and lives of others and give them the peace of the Lord.

When Jesus said “today this scripture has been fulfilled…” many could not grasp the thought of Jesus being the anointed one. In Christmas we see the King been born like a pauper. He was the son of a carpenter in a remote section of an oppressed nation. He was God’s eternal revelation enfleshed in the finitude of human life. Let us reveal this Jesus to others.

PRAYER

The hunger of the poor has in it the pangs of outrage, the darkness of the blind has in it the pangs of silence, and the chains of the captive have in it the pangs of slavery. O Lord, help me to understand these pangs, so that in it I will be able to reveal the love and peace of God.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
THE REVELATION OF GOD IS FOR THE FORMATION OF GOD’S NATURE IN US AND THROUGH US TO OUR SURROUNDINGS

Popular posts from this blog

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
  Constant, patient and welcoming love of God   St. Luke 15: 11-32  V.21: And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ The parable of the ‘Prodigal son’ is one of the most frequently quoted parables that Jesus told His disciples. The parable contains the rich mine of human virtues and emotions. This parable is lived and re-lived in progressing civilizations from time immemorial and continuing. It brings out in vivid detail the pathetic depth of human sinfulness and the glorious heights of God’s forgiveness.      As a story of human nature, fathers are generally merciful to their children in any circumstance. They are very protective and are eager to provide for and secure the lives of their offspring. Jesus is telling this parable to underscore the superlative love of God to His children. The nature of such love is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 7:11. Humankind who are evil by nature, give good gifts t
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
PRIESTHOOD: THE ANOINTED MINISTRY Exodus 40:12-16 Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting... wash them with water. Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest (Exodus 40: 12-13). Priesthood among the people of God was a divine command and initiation. God wanted some people to be separated for the special ministry among his people. God appointed Aaron and his descendants to take up this kind of ministry among the people of God. Priests are always separated and appointed as channels that connect God with his people. All throughout the history of Israel, priests played an important role in connecting people with God and to lead and guide them in the statutes of God. But there are incidents in the Bible where the priests failed in their duties and that led the people to go away from God. So the priests have a special and significant ministry to perform in this world among his people. Two important things
Read more

Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-
Revelation for Liberation Acts 27:18-26 Sherine Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 20  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. “After winter comes the summer.  After night comes the dawn.  And after every storm, there comes clear open skies” so said a Scottish clergyman from the 1600s. It’s been said, that hope can sometimes be the most dangerous weapon.  However, it’s sometimes the hardest weapon to carry when you’re living with the loss of a loved one, something that almost feels like a terrible nightmare that’ll never go away.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry when day in and day out no one seems to hear or see those tears that are shed or silent cries that are made during a heartfelt prayer. It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you see your loved one lying on that hospital bed.  It’s a weapon difficult to carry as you search and seek out answers to tell a child as to why they’ve been a
Read more