Reflections

Imitation to Christ's Hospitality Romans 12:9-13 Glory Chacko Epiphany MTC, NY. 9 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. vs.:9 Apostle Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, emphasizes how salvation comes by faith in Christ's redemptive work on the cross and not by works of the law. However, in chapter 12 he outlines how to live a victorious Christian life. To live a life which is pleasing to God, Christians have to go through a process. This means that we have to renew our mind daily, not according to the ways of this world but according to God's Word. Paul pictures the Church as the body of Christ with many members and each member has unique gifts. The Church functions properly when its members exercise different spiritual gifts in a way that honors Christ. But it starts with an attitude of humility and love. In today's Bible passage, Paul is gi...

Christ, Lord and God to us Isaiah 43:10-11                Beji Joseph St. John’s MTC, NY 10 “’You are my witness,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be on after me. I, even I, am the Lord and apart from me there is no savior” Many times we have heard that we are to worship no other God, and that God should be our number one priority. However, how many of us can truthfully say that this is 100% true in our lives? Often times we seem to have other priorities, whether it be our school, work, families or other activities. This isn’t to say that there is anything wrong with prioritizing these factors in our lives, but have we been able to notice how these things may be consuming our lives? One minute spent doing something personal is one minute spent away from praising God. When this happens, who is God to us?     ...

Christ Lord and God to us Revelation 1:1-8 Santhosh George St. Johns MTC, NY. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” v.8 Early Christians faced persecution and needed assurance that God was in control. The book of Revelation is a warning, circulated to seven cities in the Roman province of Asia Minor. The purpose of the book is to challenge and encourage the believers in the midst of their opposition and persecution. It reminds them to lead holy lives as they await their final participation in God’s kingdom. We may not experience a similar physical persecution in our times, but, alienation and ridicule exists today for Christian beliefs.   Worship leads to revelation: Early Christians had already changed their day of rest and worship from Saturday (the Sabbath) to Sunday. The revelation began “On the Lord’s Day” (v.10) while he was in the “Spirit”. Worship that John is experiencing here is not merely reciting ...

Christ Lord and God to us Colossians 1:15-23   Suby Mathew, St. Johns MTC, NY "He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” In the book of Colossians, Paul takes us back to the basics focusing on the pre-eminence of Christ. He refers to Jesus with words such as “supreme” indicating that He is “above” all others.” Paul proceeds with Jesus being one with God making Him the ultimate. Paul also states Jesus is the firstborn of all creation. It is important to note that “firstborn” is not in the sense of being born, but in having the claim of authority over all things. The claims of the Father are also the claims of the Son as they are one. Chances are that if you are reading this, Jesus being Supreme is a pretty obvious notion. However, knowing that Christ is supreme, how should we live? Very simply, we need to trust Him as our Savior. As God, He paid the price for our sins through His sacrifice and resurrection. We ought to worship Him...

Christ Lord and God to us Colossians 3:1-11                  Christine Thomas St. John’s MTC, NY “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." We live in a world where we face trials, temptations, and tribulations on a daily basis. At times, these obstacles don’t even feel as though they are overbearing because they are habits we have picked up from a young age, it is part of our daily routine, it has become part of our lifestyle. Christians as well as Non-Christians face the same obstacles but the only difference is that as followers of Christ, we have been given specific instructions to live a holy life.  Since Christ died for us, our former selves have died. In other words, Christ died so that the sins we have committed could be erased. Through His resurrection we have been reborn. His res...

Christ : Lord and God to Us Genesis 3:13-17 Jessica Ann George St John’s MTC, Queens, NY 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. Only God can take the hopeless circumstances we get ourselves into and use them to show us He is Lord and God over those situations as well. Today’s passage focuses on the fall of man, and more specifically on God’s response to Adam, Eve, and the serpent after Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit from the tree. After Adam and Eve saw how God reduced the serpent to a cursed creature that accepts the defeat of eating dust day after day, they were probably sure they had an equivalent punishment coming their way because God hates sin and God is displeased with anyone who causes others to sin.     Little did they know, through the serpent’s punishment, God was setting the precedent for y...

CHRIST, LORD AND GOD TO US PSALM 40 Mrs. Lincy Issac W/O of Rev. Issac Kurien St. John’s MTC, NY “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire”     Psalm 40 is a celebration of God’s great goodness to David and all his people. He praises God for delivering him out of deep distress. David here mentions that  to receive answer for ones prayers, we need to wait patiently. Through this Psalm, David recollects his experiences and witnesses that God was with him in all the dangers. He affirms that God, who was with him, will be with all who patiently wait for God’s intervention. From this Psalm, I would like to share three points that David experienced in his life from God. He introduces a God who Lifted Him, Located Him and Lead Him.     David was in deep distress and could not live without the help of someone else. In v.2 he explains that he was in a slimy pit condition. Being in the slimy pit is dangerous. If s...