Reflections

Lent: Time of Transformation. Ezekiel 18:25-32 Rev. Dr. Paul Rajan Inter Christian Initiatives Princeton, NJ “Rid yourselves of all the offences you have committed, and get a new heart and new spirit”. 31 While it is a privilege for us to have another Lent in our lives, we are invited to “Give careful thought to your ways”. Haggai 1:5. The invitation is to “Repent and Live” as per our passage in Ezekiel 18:32. Lent is a time to Reflect, Regret, Rid, Reborn and Relive We read in the Scripture that Israelites often found fault with God for all their life situations. This passage talks of one such typical blame. They were also finding fault with God's chosen leaders who were Prophets, Kings and Priests. However, God did not give up on them but continued to work on their salvation. God was gentle in communicating the message of salvation. Is it not true with our own life situation as well? We do not hesitate to be angry at God or blame God for our failures, life...

Lent: Time of Transformation 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Sofi George, St. Thomas MTC, New York 15 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. 16 But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life In this passage, Paul recalls the sinful life he led prior to his transformation in Christ.  Paul, formerly known as Saul, persecuted the followers of Jesus. When Jesus called him on the road to Damascus, he fell to the ground, was blinded and spent three days reflecting on his past and how his actions hurt God.   He knew he didn’t deserve forgiveness and God could have easily condemned him. Paul knew he was unworthy and undeserving of God’s mercy. But God was patient with Paul and brought him to a transformational experience to...

Return, Repent and Rejoice Isaiah 44:21-28 Rev. Vinoy Daniel St. Thomas MTC, Pattoor, Trivandrum “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (44:22) In the second part of prophecy in the book of Isaiah, the prophet faces a serious question, how could people believe in a God who lost the latest war? And the people of God are in the Babylonian exile. They have a serious doubt about the deliverance from the exile. They are in severe hopelessness. But God has His own plan. In Chapter 44: 21 – 28 God asked his people: 1. To remember. V.21 begins with a reminder to remember and ends with an assurance that I will not forget you. God asked His people to recall past events in their history especially the deliverance from Egypt. God reiterates that 'you' are in my memory. You are remembered because you are my Servant. Here servant is not a slave but the one who was formed and created ...

Lent: Time of Transformation Romans 11:13-24 Sherly Thomas St. Thomas MTC, NY “Do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: you do not support the root, but the root supports you.” v. 18 The major theme of Romans is the basic Gospel, God’s plan of salvation and righteousness for all mankind, Jew and Gentile alike. The problem of rejection of Israel can be seen in this chapter. Verses 1-10 we read that the rejection was not total, 11-24 the rejection is not final and in 25-36 God’s ultimate purpose is mercy. In John chapter 1:11-12 says Jesus came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God. Paul says that God used the salvation of the Gentiles to provoke the Jews. Salvation is preached to the Gentiles and many are coming to know God through the Gospel of Grace. Since the natural branch (Israel) is broken off, the wild branch (...

Fall as the violation of the purpose creation Psalm 32 Ashley Ajay St. James MTC, Suffern, NY "Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the Lord."       In life there are three perspectives of how we live our lives-- us, the world, and I. What makes each of these perspectives have a different impact is how we keep God in our lives. Us. God made each and everyone of us, but do we still have unity? Do we still trust one another? Do we love each other anymore? God has given us the tools to use, it is up to us to use them and make sure we do it with pride knowing that we are the disciples of God. Jesus sacrificed himself  to make our lives better. We are the ones who persecuted him, yet He still rose to inspire each and every one of us. Everything that the Lord does is through His grace. We often l...

Fall as the Violation of the Purpose Creation Genesis 3: 1-13 Christine Tom St. James MTC, Hillburn, NY 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” How easy is it for us to fall into temptation? How often do we deviate from God’s calling for us? In our daily lives, we need to stand firm in our faith and promote Christian morals in our thoughts and actions, regardless of the pressures we are faced with. As Charles Stanley says, “Too many Christians have a commitment of convenience. They'll stay faithful as long as it's safe and doesn't involve risk, rejection, or criticism. Instead of standing alone in the face of challenge or temptation, they check to see which way their friends are going.” God wants us to be leaders and share His word with others. Therefore, it is our responsibility to avoid worldly temptations and desires and focus on storing up treasures in heaven by guid...

Fall as the violation of the purpose of creation Luke 6:39-45 Mrs. Bindu L. Abraham St. James MTC, NY 45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. Today, we often say things and act without thinking. Sometimes these words or actions give us joy but other times sadness as we regret what we said or did. It is very important for us to realize what is truly important. The proceeding verses says "each tree is known by its own fruit". So, what we focus our thoughts, attention, and concerns on, is the type of person that we will prove to be. Either we will prove to be bad or good. The fruit that we produce can only be revealed by our words and actions, and deeds. If inside we are a hateful person, a schemer, a slanderer we will be inclined to lie, cheat, steal, and murder, and will prove to be a bad person. I...

Fall as the Violation of the Purpose Creation Romans 5:12-21            Steven Tom St. James MTC, Hillburn, NY 21 "so that, just as sin exercised dominion in death, so grace might also exercise dominion through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." As Christians living in a sinful world, we are challenged to uphold Christian morals and ethics in our everyday lives. At one point, we may fall into temptation and commit a sin before God. Although we may not pass God’s test, we justify our sins by saying. “Nobody is perfect” and “We’re only human”. Then, after repenting our sins before God, we allow ourselves to claim that we are still righteous and holy. However, as Joseph Prince says, “We are not forgiven because we are good. We are forgiven because Christ bore our sins”. Though we strive to do good during our time in this world, we must remember that our actions are not of our own doing, but o...

Fall as the violation of the purpose creation Genesis 6:1-13 Merry Jacob St. James MTC, NY 5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. For Christmas, my sons got a pottery wheel kit which includes the clay and wheel to make a pot of their design. They were so excited opening up the box, adding the water, feeling the clay and then molding the clay on the spinning wheel to make a pot. As time went by, I could hear sounds of disappointment and frustration. Guess what? The pot did not turn the way they liked. Let’s leave the aftermath to ones imagination. Through this incident, I was able to point a spiritual truth out to my sons, that God has created the Wonderful ‘YOU’ with a purpose, and when you don’t align your lives to His plan, God gets sad. This message speaks strongly to each one of us, too. When God created us, He already has a DIVINE PL...

Fall as the violation of the purpose  of creation Romans 7:14-25 Rev. Dr . Philip Yohannan Christ Church Danbury , CT and  St. Simon's Episcopal Church ,  Staten Island,  NY "So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin." The purpose of creation was distorted because of man's fall and they were created to demonstrate God's representative in acting mercifully . On account of their sin, Adam and Eve, lost sanctifying grace, the right to heaven, and their special gifts. They became subject to death, to suffering and to a strong inclination to evil and were driven  out from the garden of paradise and lost fellowship with God. Thus the nature of inherited sin entered into all human beings. In verse 20 says; Now If I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. For the sinful nature desire what is contrary to the spirit, and the sp...

Fall - violation of the purpose of creation. Matthew 7:15-23 Rev. Manoj Idiculla Carmel MTC, Boston “ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”. Vs.21 Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount discourses at length on the subject of true faith vs. false professions, using the technique of contrast and comparison. Verses 13-14 describe two paths on which people walk through life, the broad road that leads to eternal destruction and the narrow path that leads to eternal life. In verses 15-18, Jesus again contrasts the two types of people by using imagery well known to those in an agrarian culture—sheep and wolves, grapes/figs and thorn bushes/thistles, good trees and bad trees, good fruit and bad fruit. Having established the idea of dichotomy in the minds of His hearers, He goes on to apply these truths to the spiritual state of all within His hearing.   Sin is defined a...

Sabbath: Leading to the Perfection of Creation Exodus 20:8-11 Shyla Mammen Bahrain Mar Thoma Church 8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, ... The Lord reveals the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments, and the books of law that follow, are meant to form a sacred community, a community rooted in right worship of God and living in justice and peace with one another. The foundation of which is knowing the God to whom we belong. Four commandments regarding our conduct before God and six commandments regarding our conduct before God and people. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: It is a commandment regarding our conduct before God, specifically helps define a proper relationship with God, how we are to love, worship and relate to Him. It explains why and when we need to take speci...

Leading to the Perfection of Creation Proverbs 8:22-31 Roshin Thomas Long Island MTC, NY then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race. When God was creating man, God chose to set him apart from the rest of His works. Man is the only work of God with God's own perfect breath and image embodied into one. Why then do we view ourselves as less than God's own perfect creation? In Proverbs 8:22-31, the object of inspection is not mankind, rather the virtue of "wisdom." Wisdom is personified in Proverbs as it speaks of itself as a beloved creation of God. "I was formed long ages ago, at the very beginning, when the world came to be." If God had created such things as wisdom and prudence at the very beginning, as he created man, we should ask ourselves then if God intended for us to also have dominion and possession of wisdom...

Sabbath: Leading to the Perfection of Creation Hebrews 4:1-13 Blessy Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 9 So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God; 10 for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs. This scripture passage describes the wonders, wisdom, and the work of God’s Word. The scripture tells us of what the Bible is: the word of God is living, active, sharp, but most importantly it is everlasting. It tells what the Bible does: it penetrates, divides soul and spirit, joints and marrows. It tells us why the Bible is unlike any book that has ever been written: everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Are we committed to God’s Word? To those who respond yes, do we live it and do we obey it? The Word of God is inerrant, changeless, timeless, ...