Reflections

Accepting the Savior in our Lives Ephesians 3:14-19 Christin Mathew Epiphany MTC, NY 19  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. In today’s day and age, we often get busy going about our business. That may include commuting, attending classes, working long hours, or taking part in various activities. At any given moment, we have a lot running through our minds. Sometimes, it can feel quite overwhelming. As a result, it becomes easy to lose sight of the fact that our Savior watches over us during each and every second. In the early 17 th century, there was a group of individuals who were persecuted in Europe for their beliefs. This group was referred to as the Pilgrims. They desired to practice their faith openly and without criticism, and we learn that this was the reason they moved from England to North America. They eventually landed in Massachusetts and formed a colony there. It should be n...

Accepting the Savior in Our Life Isaiah 35:1-10 Saji George Epiphany MTC, NY 4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.” In life, we are presented with many choices and decisions.  We have a choice in the career path we choose, we have a choice in choosing our spouse, we have a choice in the university we attend, etc.  But the most important decision one will make is where he or she will spend eternity.  That depends on his or her choice to accept Jesus as Savior.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life and no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.” Jesus says He is the way signifying that He is the path to heaven.  He did not say He was “a” way but “the” way; He was clear in that message- “no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Accepting the Savior into your life means to give Hi...

Accepting the Savior in our Life Psalm 43 Willingson Shingnaisui  Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, Kottayam 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. When was the last time you conversed with someone? What was it about? Now, most of us must probably be thinking of a person with whom we live together in a house. But it is said that the person we talk with the most is ourselves! If so, then what have you been talking about with yourself and what’s been occupying your mind? The selected verse begins on a gloomy note. Here we find David conversing with himself. It shows us the picture of anguish, pain, discomfort and suffering in a person’s soul. When the inside is good, it is reflected in the outside appearance. He asks himself “why?” Have you lately asked yourself “why?” What possibly could make the soul of a child of God so gloomy with sorrow? The reasons may...

Accepting the Savior in our Life Romans 1:5-16 Shibu Mathew Epiphany MTC, NY 8  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world.  In my own life, the experiences that I remember the most are the ones I’ve had to struggle the most to get through.  A class or a project at work that really pushed me to the limits, where I constantly felt like I had to give 100%, but even then it’s barely hitting the mark, or meeting deadlines.  When I look back at those experiences, I not only remember them but I also know I learned a lot about the subject matter and a lot about myself.  Being a follower of Christ and Accepting Jesus Christ in our lives as our personal savior ends up being a  constant day to day struggle.  In verse Romans 2 vs. 7 interestingly t...

Accepting the Savior in our Life Zephaniah 3:14-20 Betsy Mathew Epiphany MTC, NY 17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing Zephaniah 3:9-20 is titled “Restoration of Israel’s Remnant” in many Bible translations.  When we look at the title, a lot can be understood. Restoration of an antique means something that is broken and worn would be made to look like it was originally intended.  Remnant means “small remaining quantity”. As believers we have a lot in common with the Remnant of Israel.  Looking around at the world and what it values today compared to what a follower of Christ should value we would feel like we are in the minority, essentially the remnant.  The Remnant of Israel was a small group set in an exiled community that continued to follow the law. As believers in Jesus Christ ...

Annunciation to Joseph Philippians 4:4-9 Dr. Thomas K. Jose MTC Staten Island, NY 6  Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Paul writes to the people in Philippi from prison where he was in chains and urges them to not worry about anything and never to be anxious. Whatever be the situations in life one is undergoing, Paul is instructing us to handle it with prayer and complete submission to His will. The antidote to worry is praying incessantly. We shall have the absolute faith in our Lord that He will guide us through all our life situations. He will not lead us into misery and trouble but instead will ultimately lead us to eternal happiness and joy. Paul was confident that no matter what happened to him, it was only happening with the knowledge of the Savior. We can easily get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or wrong turn of events in our liv...

Common Name, Uncommon Purpose Matthew 1:18-23 Rev. Alex Kolath MTC of Baltimore, MD 21b ... and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  Joseph was undoubtedly going through a tough time having heard that his soon-to-be wife is pregnant – and he isn't the dad.  While he was considering divorcing her, an angel comes to him and says to marry her.  The child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit.   I imagine Joseph’s headache just got bigger.  The angel goes on to say that she will give birth to a son, and Joseph will name him Jesus. Jesus wasn’t an uncommon name.  It is basically an English translation of the Greek translation of the Hebrew name Yeshua, which in English is translated Joshua (did you get that?).  It means “the Lord is salvation.”  To name a child Jesus isn’t that big a deal.  But the angel goes on to explain why Joseph should name him as such:  Jesu...