Reflections

  SUFFERING  - ROAD TO SALVATION  Isaiah  53: 1-12 Postures of Faith  Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.[e] When you make his life an offering for sin,[f]     he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him, the will of the Lord shall prosper. Out of his anguish, he shall see light;[g] he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.     The righteous one,[h] my servant, shall make many righteous,     and he shall bear their iniquities.    ( Isaiah 53: 10-11) It has been said that Deutero-Isaiah wrote the Chapters of Isaiah 40-55. Moreover, today’s bible portion is taken from the Deutero-Isaiah part. It talks about the suffering servant of God who is in pain due to the sins of humankind.  Who is the servant? At the beginning of this chapter, in Isa 53:2a, two-word pictures are described to portray the Servant. It portrays the Servant as a “young plant” and “a root out of the d...

  Lead Me on the Level Path Psalms 143 “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.”  (Psalms 143:10) Apostle Paul speaks of God’s feelings about King David in the Acts of Apostles: “After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do’” (Acts  13:22 ).  David’s absolute faith is evident throughout his life, especially in Psalms 143. This prayer teaches us a few important values that we should remember when we are in the presence of God. 1. Accept that God is the righteous one and we are at His mercy. “Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.” (Psalms 143 1:2) David did not approach God as the ruler of Israel, but instead understood his inequities and ...

  Joseph - a righteous person  St. Mathew  1: 18-23 Vs. 19, Joseph was a man who always did what was right, but he did not want to disgrace Mary publicly; so, he made plans to break the engagement privately. The text is focused on Joseph’s righteousness and his response towards God’s economy on human salvation. Mary’s miraculous conception is announced by Angel of God as a fact without any explanation. “She found out that she was going to have a baby by the Holy Spirit” (vs.18) Betrothal was equivalent to marriage; dishonesty counted as adultery. To Joseph, the pregnancy is a violation of social convention and ethics for an unmarried woman. He decides to divorce Mary secretly.   Perhaps out of kindness, or regret, he will do this quietly in order not to shame her. Angel of God had appeared to Joseph in a dream while he was sleeping. Angle said “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife.  For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceiv...

  Annunciation to Joseph Romans 4:3-22 Who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations.” -Romans 4:18 Today’s scripture passage focuses on the faith of Abraham. The Patriarch Abraham is known with several titles The father of many nations Father of faith A friend of God In Genesis 12:2 God made a promise with Abram “I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great.”  Abraham was 75 years of age and scripture tells us his wife Sarai was barren; they had no children.  God makes this promise to Abram that He will make a great nation from Abram.  The only problem is Abram and Sarai have no children at this age.  Abram was 75 years of age and Sarai was 65 years of age.   Twenty-four years have passed and in Genesis chapter 17:5 God says to Abraham “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations”.   In the following chapter ...

     Annunciation to Joseph Acts 3:19-26 Acts  3:22  For Moses said, ‘The Lord our God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people, you must listen to everything he tells you.’ Joseph, an ordinary Jewish carpenter, lived in the ending period of the Old Testament. He was chosen by God for an epoch-making mission. He had to brace himself for the monumental task of bringing up and caring for the ‘Messiah’ who was promised to the Jewish people from their very inception as a race. The promise that God made to Abraham contains the latent prophecy of the future Messiah (Genesis 12:3). Joseph obeyed God wholeheartedly and followed God’s directions regarding the birth of Jesus and life thereafter with his wife, Mary.     The Jewish people who lived in that period generally held the belief that God will intervene in their life marred by Roman oppression. They thought that God will send them a Messiah to save and comfort them as was pr...

     Annunciation to Joseph Isaiah  7: 10-17 “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.” – Isaiah 7:14 Today’s scripture portion focuses on the “Immanuel Prophecy”. At the time of the Lord’s revelation of this prophecy through Isaiah, King Ahaz of Judah is facing an imminent threat of attack from the nations of Israel and Aram (Syria).  If we look at the earlier part of this chapter, we read that “the heart of Ahaz and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in the wind” (v. 2) in response to this threat.  The Lord then instructs Isaiah to tell Ahaz to “calm down and be quiet” (v. 4) and not to be afraid.  The Lord was reassuring Ahaz and His people that despite overwhelming circumstances, He was still to be trusted to provide deliverance from this threat.   The Lord even invites Ahaz to ask for any sign from the Lord to demonstrate His faithfulness ...

  Annunciation to Joseph Hebrew 9: 11-28 “So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭ 9:28 God created a perfect universe by His word for mankind to enjoy. The fall of man-caused by disobedience to God made him lose everything. God had made a plan to redeem the world even before the creation of the world. Angel Gabriel came to Joseph in his dream and told him not to hesitate to take Mary as his wife for her conception is by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the prophesy that a virgin will conceive and give birth to a child who will redeem the world from their sins. God unfolded His plan of redemption to Joseph in a dream. Joseph’s obedience was very important for the prophecies to be fulfilled. Joseph is an unsung hero, who raised the Son of God. That was his call, and he fulfilled it well, going through inconveniences and risks. Joseph was a faithful ...