Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

-

 Holy Qurbana – Commemoration and Experience of the Salvic Event:

Scripture Portion: Revelation 19:1-10

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready”. Rev 19:7

In this passage we find four Hallelujahs. This is the only passage in all the New Testament we find this word, which means praise the Lord. In verse 1 we find the first Hallelujah where we see that salvation, glory, power and honor all belong to the Lord God. In verse 3, we find the second Hallelujah and the reason for it; evil has been judged and sentenced. The harlot Babylon is pictured as an everlasting ruin. One day, wicked humans, wicked world systems and wicked spirits all will go to eternal destruction. In verses 4 we see the third Hallelujah. Here we see the proclamation that God alone is worthy of all worship. In verse 6, we see the final Hallelujah. This time the praise crescendos to a defining level as all the citizens of heaven cries out together “Hallelujah! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns. 
This passage is a call to celebrate: All believers will receive the invitation to the wedding feast of Jesus Christ the Lamb. Dear friends, God has invited us to that glorious feast which celebrates the destruction of his enemies, the final vindication of his grace and his judgments. We are invited to become Christ’s own glorious bride, radiant without stain and wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In verse 9 we see “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.”  No one deserve the invitation except for the grace of Jesus Christ and the Love of God. In Ephesians chapter one verse 4, we see, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  God chose us, the believers, before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him” to be a part of His Church, the bride. In Jesus Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (Eph 1:7). 
The same way Holy Qurbana is a celebration. Jesus established the Holy Qurbana at the Passover meal or last supper. Holy Qurbana is a sacrament that Jesus Christ commanded us to participate in remembrance of him until his second coming.  Just as Passover celebrated deliverance from slavery in Egypt, the Lord’s supper celebrates deliverance from sin by Christ’s death. In the partaking of the Holy Qurbana we experience the past, present and future. We go back in faith through the centuries to the cross, as if we were present at the crucifixion. In the present, every time we partake in the Holy Qurbana, we are having an intimate communion with the living Christ. As we partake in the Holy Qurbana, we get a foretaste of the future celebration in Heaven. The bread and wine symbolize Christ’s body and blood. We (the believers) look forward to that day in eternal hope for the perfection and consummation of our relationship with the living Christ, our Savior.   Holy Qurbana is a proclamation, remembrance, assurance, sacrifice, fellowship and the second coming of Jesus Christ. 
The Lord’s Supper is a unique, holy occasion for believers to sense participation with Jesus in his death. On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took the bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, he took the cup, saying “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me”. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1st Cor 11:23-26). Jesus became the Passover Lamb for us. (1 Cor 5:7). Jesus Christ submitted his life to God the Father so that it could be taken in to divine hands to be blessed, broken and shared to all. At each Holy Qurbana we partake, we commemorate the suffering, death, resurrection, ascension and second coming of Jesus Christ. Whenever we participate in the Holy Qurbana, let us remember the salvation that Jesus Christ brought to us, by establishing a new relationship to experience the foretaste of future celebration. Let us partake in the Holy Qurbana with a contrite heart, humility and preparation.

Prayer

Lord, help us to understand the true meaning of Holy Qurbana and to partake in it with a new vision. Amen

Thought for the Day
 “The Eucharist is the sacrament of love; it signifies love, it produces love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole Spiritual life.” St. Thomas Aquinas

Mathew K. Lukose, Sehion MTC, Dallas

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

-
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

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