Reflections

Proclamation of Good News Hebrews 5:1-10 Dr. Anil Chacko Long Island MTC, NY 7  In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Proclaiming the Good News is an honor and a challenge. Proclamation is a public announcement of something that is of great importance. In this sense, proclamation is seen as an outward event—believers tell of the Good News to others. However, proclaiming the Good News requires us to also consider how Jesus lived his life in service to the Lord. Hebrews 5: 1-10 offers the believer a glimpse into different aspects of what it means to proclaim the Good News. We learn here about God calling Christ and Christ leading a life of prayer and petition, submission, and obedience. Often we feel the pull toward ...

Be Encouraged Ephesians 1:3-10 Rekha Daniel Colorado Horeb MTC 4  just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. Greetings to the churches founded by St. Thomas who was called to be an apostle by Jesus Christ and God the Father. This is similar to how Paul starts each of his letters in the Bible. Paul states in Ephesians 1:4 “Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him.” Shout it from the mountain tops! I was freed from my sins and made free! Who is Paul referring to when he says “us” and “we”? Could I be considered the same type of Christian as those whose families were born and brought up here for generations and generations? Makes me wonder when folks ask me what kind of Christian I am and how our church in India was founded. In the Good News translation of Ephesians 2:11-13 we read: 11...

The Lord's Justice Isaiah 42:1-4 Sunitha Abraham St. Johns MTC, NY 3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching. This portion is significant because it foretells Jesus’ coming to bring Justice, but not as a king with pomp and circumstance, instead as a Servant of the Lord.   In the above verses we read that the Servant of Lord has a forgiving, compassionate and a healing attitude.   When we are faced with situations where we are wronged and hurt, our justice is to quickly judge and punish.  This may be done with harsh words, silent treatment or even by gossip.  Even in other people’s ...

Proclamation of the Good News Psalm 145 Shannon Thomas Long Island MTC, NY 11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, 12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Bill Hybels, the founding pastor of Willow Creek Community Church as well as acclaimed author once said, “the local church is the hope of the world because it stewards the only message that can impact a person’s eternal destiny.” In his book “Courageous Leadership,” Hybels discusses the power behind the local church and the capability the church has to change the world around us. As believers, we are the church, and our God-given responsibility extends far beyond the local parish we attend. In Psalm 145, David exalts God as King and praises Him for who He is and His mighty works. David writes to show that God is not indifferent or callous to the things that happen on this earth; rather He is faithful, compassionate, so...

Annunciation to Zechariah Luke 1:5-23 Rev. Dr. Philip Varghese Sinai Mar Thoma Center, NY 13  But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. In Kerala, every year, we read about the selection of Hajj pilgrims to Mecca. Since the quota is far below the number of applicants, selection is made by lot. The result brings joy for some and disappointment for many. It may be that some may never get a chance to go on pilgrimage Zechariah had two unfulfilled ambitions in life; (1) To serve in the Temple of God and (2) To receive a child from God. After a long wait, the first one was accomplished. Since there were 24 divisions of the descendants of Aaron as priests (1 Chronicles 24:1-19), and each division had about 900  priests in Zechariah's time, it was not possible for all the priests to serve in the Temple at least once in their ...

Promise and Patience Jeremiah 29: 1-9 Julie Jacob Long Island MTC, NY  " 7  But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the  Lord  on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare." The backdrop of this passage falls after the ransacking of Jerusalem. The people of Israel have been taken into captivity and left with the prospect of being held in exile for 70 years. And as God spoke to His people, His words to them were not ones of quick resolution, instead they were told to settle in for the long haul. At first glance, it would be easy to wonder how God would be willing to let his people be removed from their land, and then keep generations from returning to it. A quick reflexive reaction does not allow us any further clarity or thought beyond the immediate confined existence that lay ...

Proclamation of the Good News 2 Corinthians 2:2-17 Dr. Anila Thomas Epiphany MTC, NY 14  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. What images come to one’s mind when given the task of proclaiming the Good News of the gospel?  As a child, I would think of Billy Graham and the crowds of people at his feet savoring each morsel of truth and hope that he revealed through God’s promises in His Word.  As I got older, that image changed.  I began to experience that same proclamation in day to day encounters with my parents, family and spiritual mentors.  In these encounters, there were no large crowds.  God revealed the “aroma of the knowledge of Him[self]” over dinnertime and family prayer, through my Sunday school teachers, and over cups of coffee with friends sharing their testimonies of God’s faithfulness.    The s...