The Math of Generosity

 

In terms of finance, this verse is an absurd proposition. It seems highly unlikely that any finance expert or someone with average skill with numbers would admit that the more one gives, the more one will have. It is common sense that the numbers will be negative if the outflow exceeds the inflow.

However, the Bible teaches that the more a person gives, the richer he becomes. The converse of this theory is that the one who withholds will be the loser. In other words, generosity never makes a person a pauper, but the opposite happens.

Jesus affirmed this principle: “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). Paul quotes Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Human Generosity is rooted in God’s character. Apostle James describes God as someone who “gives generously to all those who ask him” (James 1:5).

Generosity is not giving away all that we have but meeting the needs of others in proportion to what we have. It is an attitude of not withholding and letting our resources be shared. The more we give, the more we are given to give. So, we become not big storehouses of resources but wider channels of God’s blessings to others.

The generous givers never run dry because they are like rivers of God, as the psalmist describes: “The river of God is full of water” (Psa 65:9).

Praying at the Face of Threats

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright” (Psa 20:7—8). Read Psalm 20:1—9.

Wishing the king success as he set out for military campaigns was a significant part of the life of nations in the ancient world. Only one party wins any battle. Defeat is the last chapter in the life of that nation. The king who leads the battle may lose his life, along with many army officers and soldiers. The survivors will end up in exile in faraway nations, never to see their homeland again. Psalms 20 and 21 are written against this historical background. The first one is the prayer offered while sending out the army led by the king, and the second one celebrates the victory. In this case, the king and the army returned victorious. In the first five verses of Psalm 20, the subjects wish that everything will go well with the king. As they wish the king success, the people do not praise the king or his army for their power or abilities. But they invoke the blessing of the Lord upon the soldiers stepping into a venture that would decide the destiny of their nation, praying, “May he (the Lord).” Every sentence begins with this phrase and seven times in five verses! The Lord determines the outcome of the battle. They reiterate this truth in the following verses. The enemy seems to be stronger and has advanced battle equipment like chariots and horses. Israel was always far behind other nations technologically. In the late bronze age, when the Canaanites had fortified cities, horses and chariots, they had none. Later in the Iron Age, when the Philistines knew iron technology and had swords and spears, Israel had only two swords in the entire nation—one for Saul and another for his son Jonathan. Later in the eighth century, when Assyrians threatened them, Hezekiah had to buy horses and chariots from Egypt to withstand the enemy. Though poor in the armoury, they had great confidence in the Lord. Their history has taught them to say: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright” (Psa 20:7—8). Knowing that no nation is a match for the Lord they serve, they prayed: “O LORD, save the king! May he answer us when we call” (Psa 20:9). Yes he did, that is the story the following Psalm tells. The Lord who collapsed the walls of Jericho without an arrow shot, who helped David to fell the gaint with just one sling shot, did it again. When we stare at formidable challenges, fear of failure, our confidence is in the Lord who repeats history for his faithful.

Crowd Encouragement

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Heb 12:1, NLT).

I am always inspired to go after a challenge when I realize others have gone before me. It need not be high-risk adventures like walking through a long, dark, narrow tunnel, bungee jumping in a remote location, or paragliding over a deep gorge. It could be any mundane aspects of life, where bold, confident action is involved.

Christian life is an adventure. It is a journey to the invisible, eternity or our life with God that we never been to through unfamiliar territories. In this journey every step is stimulated by faith in Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

But still, when tempted to give up hope and confidence comes from the realization that we are not alone but there are others who have already completed this race successfully. This verse is the climax of the long list of heroes of faith that begins in the previous chapter (Chapter 11). These superheroes of faith crossed the finish line, and they await our arrival as we are still on our way. This crowd of witnesses motivates us in our Christian race. If they could do it, then we can do it too.

“O, Lord, give me the same strength that you gave to those who went ahead of me to complete their race despite discouragement, weakness, and doubt. Let me run this race with the strength you give me."

It rains differently everywhere

Rain is a universal phenomenon. All over it rains, except maybe in deserts. The phenomenon of rain is a process of recycling water. Rain fills the waterbodies. Then, water in rivers, lakes, and oceans evaporates and it rains down again, repeating the cycle.  Despite how heavily it rains the total amount of water on earth remains always constant. 

However, it rains differently in different places and seasons.

It is almost time for monsoon in southern parts of India. During this season dark rain clouds travel from the southern tip of the country diagonally across past Myanmar. On its way it refreshes the land except the north-western fringes of the country.

The down pour is heavy at the center of its path and lighter on the edges. Though an exaggeration, the people in the south-western tip of India (Kerala) where the monsoon begins its cross-country travel say each drop is one bucketful. It is so heavy and loaded. It lashes the ground so harsh sometimes uprooting small plants. It cleans the ground as it washes the trash, twigs, and dry leaves down the hill.

I love the monsoon rain. It brings relief from the summer heat. The earth turns cool.

However, it rains differently in every place. The sound it makes in the city is different from the country. The sound of rain on concrete and tin sheets in the city and the sound of rain on the trees and the grass in the countryside are vastly different. The wind on the trees in the countryside and on the windowpanes in the urban skyscrapers are different. The urbanites hear the thunder but do not see the lightning since their vision of the horizon through the windows is limited.

It rains differently in each place. It is the same rain but where it falls makes the difference. Grace is something like that. It is the same grace, but who receive it what they do with it makes the difference. Apostle Paul was keen that all the grace that God lavished on him was used well. So, he proclaims: “But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results” (1 Cor 15:10, NLT).

The ground may reject rain drops falling on it. The raindrops may splash, and scatter. But the good ground absorbs it, holds it for the dry season. It flourishes new life. The difference the rain makes depends on how it is received. So is the favour of God.

(Photo courtesy: Sid Ali on Pexels.com)

Amaranth Wisdom

 

Buddha discovered the mysteries of human suffering while meditating under a banyan tree. The falling apple triggered thoughts of gravity in Isaac Newton’s head. I got some trace of wisdom when I bought a packet of rajgira (seeds of Amaranth).

Rajgira is the seed of the Amaranth plants. These tiny seeds are used for food as raw seeds or flour. It is also called the Indian Quinoa. The leaves and stem are also used as vegetables. They could be pink or green.

My experience of the rajgira seeds in my porridge was horrible. It seems that the packet of seeds that I bought from Amazon had fine grains of sand. At every spoon, I bit something hard making me throw the whole bowl of porridge away.

I was angry that I was duped. I had no idea about what I can do with two large packets of it that I was left with.

Like Buddha, and Newton I started thinking deep. I took the packet of seeds and threw it on the wet ground. It rained the following two days as well. Then lo and behold on the third day, the seeds have sprouted. The little plants rose up from the grains of sand it was mixed with.

The seeds had life packed in each of them which the sand lacked. The particles of rock turned to the soil from which it came–dust to dust. The patch of land where the seeds fell are decked with little pink rajgira plants. They will grow, bloom and produce seeds. I can harvest them fresh and make porridge that won’t hurt my teeth any more.

This is an allegory. Only what has life force in them will grow. The chickens lay eggs. Usually farm chicken lay unfertilized eggs that cannot be hatched. They can be boiled, fried and eaten raw. But free-ranger country chicken lay fertilized eggs that can be hatched to adorable chicks. Anyone who want to raise a chicken farm has to choose fertilized eggs for the incubator.

All are not fit to be the citizens of the kingdom of God. Jesus told that kingdom of God is like the net that catches all sort of fish. But all fish are not good for food. So, the fisherman discards the bad catch and keep only the good ones in his basket (Matt 13:47–50). The Kingdom of God is also like sown field where the weeds grow with grain. But when the plants are big enough to tell the weed from the wheat, the farmer picks the weeds and burns it (Matt 13:24–30). Otherwise it will choke the good plants.

Sow and nourish. That is how to have a good harvest. Seeds may be adulterated, but good seeds will certainly grow while the lifeless grains of sand sink into the mud they belong to. That is secret of the confidence and joy of the sower.

Good soil and wild mushrooms

 Last week I spoke at the 100^th death anniversary of Volbrecht Nagel, a German missionary to the South Indian state of Kerala. Though he was in Kerala only for two decades, the songs he composed are still sung in the churches. They also have made into cinematic music. Some are translated into 21 plus Indian languages. He is still remembered, and his contributions are extolled by Muslim, Hindu, and Christian Orthodox academics though he was a Christian Brethren missionary.

Also last week was the first anniversary of the death of a famous apologist of our time. During his lifetime, he faced many allegations against his character. A few months after his death, an investigation by his own organization revealed serious character flaws and sex scandals in his life. The organization that he founded published apologies to the victims of his un-Christian behavior on their website. Now, the organization that he founded has removed all references about him from their website, his books are withdrawn from the market. The reputation that he built by making himself a brand and his ministry a commodity is now being trampled underfoot. All this within an year of his death.

The reputation of the Nagel, the man who wanted to be more like Jesus continues to inspire us. There must be something to learn from the stories of these two people. These are two allegories of two types of Christian lives. The right and wrong beginnings which naturally led to wrong courses and then the wrong end.

Christian discipleship could be imagined using the metaphor of the seed sown, grows, fruits and is harvested.

To live a Christian life, our hearts must be sown with the gospel of God's kingdom.

In Luke 8, Jesus illustrates this with a parable. The story is about a farmer who went out to sow. While many seeds perished and did not yield anything, he was able to harvest a good harvest. Some seeds fell on the rocks, and they dried up. Some fell on the path and were trampled. What fell among thorns were choked. Several of them were eaten by birds before sprouting.

The soil was the problem, not the seed. All seeds came from the same basket, by the same person, but the place where they landed made all the difference. As with the soils, not all hearts were ready to receive the Word. Some denied it right then without allowing to take roots. A few were choked by hearts preoccupied with worry and anxiety. A word could not grow there because they did not have enough space.

Christian life begins as the Word of God is planted in our hearts. James refers to the seed that begins the Christian's life as "the implanted Word". “Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).

When James speaks of "salvation," he refers to the judgment of God. The Word implanted in us will grow to save us on the day of judgment. The Christian life is successful when one has planted a seed in his heart and nurtures it so that it grows and bears fruit. In Hebrews, the writer makes a similar observation about the generation of Israelites who perished along the way. “For this good news—that God has prepared this rest—has been announced to us just as it was to them. But it did them no good because they did not share the faith of those who listened to God” (Heb 4:2, NLT). The hearing of the Word did not profit them for their salvation.

It is sad that many people follow Christ without their hearts being sown by the word. Their journey begins with some miracles in their life, or some needs met in answer to prayer. Their hearts are devoid of the Word and then the wither away when miracles do not happen again when they expect.

People who begin their Christian life without the Word implanted in their hearts are like wild mushrooms. The wild mushrooms are aplenty in the farms though they are seasonal. The people in the countryside gather them on the morning after a night of thunderstorm. They believe that it is the lightning the previous night that caused them to sprout. They are usually found on decaying vegetation. You must pick them immediately before another torrent wash them away, or before the worms begins to feast on them. Not all mushrooms are edible, and some are poisonous. Many Christian journey begins with the splashing display of miracles, answered prayers, or the compelling oratory skills of celebrity preachers. Their hearts are barren, but their appearances are alluring. Though they are beautiful in shape and colour they do not have deep roots. Most of them cannot stand the heat of the sun or the hunger of the worms.

For the sown seed to grow, the soil symbolizing our hearts should be pure. James urges us to remove all filthiness, wickedness and all that turns the soil sterile. We must accept the Word in meekness. Meekness is that quality of our character that makes us low down under the weight of the Word of God. Unless we are humble, we cannot carry the Word in our hearts, and keep it until it sprouts to become a plant yields fruit. Word of God sown in the hearts that are unclean and arrogant cannot grow into plants that productive. They may grow on decaying vegetation, instead of the living Word of God and perish as wild mushroom when the show is over.

(Photo by Dominika Roseclay from Pexels)

Pandemic, panic and boredom

 Aside from claiming many lives, the Covid-19 pandemic also affects the mind. People panic and dive deep into boredom.

Cambridge dictionary defines panic as "a sudden, strong feeling of anxiety or fear that prevents reasonable thought and action and may spread to influence many people."

Anxiety can be caused by real or imaginary perceptions of threat and harm. Panic is also a type of fear triggered by our perceptions. Perceptions that trigger panic may be present or absent.

In addition, panic is especially undesirable because it prevents people from thinking or acting rationally. Panic impairs their ability to rationally think and act.

Panic drives many people to explore tips about healthy living, avoiding, or managing Covid that are available all over the internet out of panic.

There are many factors that cause panic during the pandemic. First, we are isolated by lockdowns, social distancing, fear of death, the loss of friends, etc. Suddenly, our support systems have disappeared, and we are forced to live in our own cocoons.

Related to this is the lack of access to whatever gave us meaning, enjoyment, and purpose in life. Imagine driving down to the favorite coffee place after a busy day only to be greeted by the closed sign. Or the seats are limited. You return dejected. Coffee made at home is never good as the one at the coffee house, moreover, we miss the crowd and the ambience of the place as well.

As the Cambridge Dictionary states, panic "may spread to influence many people". You might have guessed the reason people who panic turn to social media such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram. They cannot control their fear without spreading it to others.

Initially, work from home (WFH) was welcomed with enthusiasm. But boredom developed due to WFH's social isolation. The result of boredom is to engage in useless activities that only provide us with wrong pleasure. We often use social media as a way of escaping boredom by forwarding things even before we open them. This is fun for people. Some people beat boredom by posting or sharing on social media like Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. Watching the growing number of likes and shares gives an adrenaline rush much greater than that of a large Cappuccino.

There is a flipside as well. Everyone is so busy posting (like you do) that they don't have time to read or like your post. The lack of likes and shares may also cause you to dip into depression. The dwindling number of likes and shares may be perceived as rejection, so you give the world a reason to remind you that you are not as popular as you thought. It hurts when ego is deflated as a punctured balloon.

How can we avoid panic and boredom? We must first recognize that we are not in control of our own lives. In fact, we cannot prevent many things from happening. For instance, the Corona Virus. There is no point panicking over things beyond our control. It is not to accept it as fate that we will suffer. Instead, it is to realize that God is in charge.

Second, we must recognize the reason for our existence. We do not exist for mere pleasure. Heaven is our goal, and we don't seek earthly pleasure to sustain our lives. "Joy of the Lord" means we draw pleasure from God's presence in our lives and looking forward to what is waiting for us in heaven. A worldview such as this provides an immunity to boredom caused by an absence of earthly pleasures.

Additionally, the advice is to stay calm, don't panic! Make sure you are not spreading your panic to others through your social media accounts. That would be a great service to humanity. Give yourself some time to make rational decisions before reacting.

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(Photo courtesy: Glyn Nelson licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Such love!

We have never experienced love that is comparable to God's. Human love is conditional. 

Unattractive people are hard to love. Even though it was my first visit, the lady at the post office counter greeted me with a very friendly smile. I visited that town after 30 long years. She acted as if she is meeting a friend, but her appearance scared me so that I did not greet her or smile back. The left side of her face was charred, and she had lost the left eye. Her gums and teeth were visible since the left portion of her lips were burnt too. Her smile was frightening. 

A young man, envious of her relationship with another person, threw sulfuric acid at her face, disfiguring her. As a result, her real lover abandoned her since she was no longer as beautiful as she was before the accident. It turned out that we were friends at school thirty years ago, which explains her friendly smile. At school, I remember her as a vibrant and winsome girl. One of the conditions we set for people to deserve our love is their physical attractiveness.

A morally acceptable behavior is also a requirement for our love. Criminals, muggers, women who sell their bodies for a living - who will love them? She is not even beloved by her own customers, even if they hire her body for the evening.

We tend not to love people who are not useful despite their physical beauty and moral uprightness. My friend is an engineer who moved with his family to another country to find a better life. His preferred job was not available. He became a burden to his family since he was dependent on his wife and daughter, who were the only earners in the family. Therefore, the wife turned hostile, the daughter joined in, and they conspired to send him back to his country of origin. As soon as he landed, they revoked his visa, so he cannot return. His wife and daughter live in the land of promise while he lives on charity. Her marriage vow of love was only valid if he helped her.

God's love, however, differs from ours. God loves those who are unlovable by human standards or even by his own standards–sinners. God loves us even if we do not love ourselves!

 

The cross is the greatest display of God's love. The Bible says that "in this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him"’ (1 John 4:9).

The love of God does not have any conditions, so he loves everyone regardless of their appearance, their purpose, or how useless they are. In Romans 5:8, Saint Paul addresses this aspect of God's love. "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." In other words. "God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ…." (Eph 2:4).

The love of God is unparalleled, unsurpassed, and all-surpassing. It has not been fully explained or understood. Christ's love "surpasses knowledge" (Eph 3:19), according to Paul. God's love is self-initiated, without riders. John the apostle of love, declares in a note of jubilation: "In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he has loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

Most importantly, it is not outdated, but it is still relevant today. "To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever" (Revelation 1:5-6). Even though the King James Version translates all the verbs in a sentence to align them with the past tense – “freed us” and “made us.” The Greek uses the present tense, as in, “loves us,” currently.

In the first century, the present reality of God's love was relevant to the communities suffering persecution for their faith in Christ. They need to know that Christ still loves them. God does not abandon Christians when they go through pain. They suffer, but God's love is not diminished. Yet God continues to love them despite everything. Love from God is a reality now. God gives us this assurance even when we find it difficult to love ourselves.

God, the dropper of my jaw!

God is the God of surprises. In our walk with God, there is some surprise waiting for us at every turn. In the narrative of John’s birth in the Gospel of Luke (1:5-25) we find many divine surprises.
First of all, Zechariah the priest did not expect to find Gabriel, the angel of God as he entered the area where the altar of incense was. The old priest was startled at the sight of the heavenly being right in front of an earthling like him. Secondly, he did not expect the announcement that he is going to become a father. He was old and has accepted the fact that he and his wife will be childless for the rest of their life.
The worshippers waiting outside had their surprises too. They were surprised that the priest has taken unusually long time to return. Now, finally when he emerged he was not able to talk to them. He was mute. Then they concluded that the priest might have had a encounter with an angel in the inner court of the temple. That also is a surprise—an angel in the inner courts of the Temple?
Elizabeth, the wife of priest Zechariah also had her share of surprises. She was not expecting a child. However, she tried to keep the secret that was growing in her belly for five months until it became to big to hide from the people. Now, we can imagine the surprise her family members and friends had when the discovered that the old, barren woman is going to have a child.
Finally, the child was born. The people wanted to know what they should call the child. The mute father writes the name ‘John’ on a tablet. There was a double surprise waiting for them. First of all, the name was unusual. Usually, a child is named after members of the family—parents or grandparents. However, there was no one by that name in their family. Why this name? However, this is the name that the angel had suggested to the father. Then they had their second surprise: the moment the father wrote the last letter of the name ‘John’ his mouth was opened and he was able to speak. He has been dumb for about 10 months and suddenly he speaks as soon as he wrote the name that the angel had told him to give to his son to be born.
At every turn of life we should expect some surprise as we walk with God. The reason—God loves to surprise us. He is not a God who specialize in the mundane and the ordinary but he loves to do what is beyond the limits of our imagination. He enjoys doing what we dump as impossible. He makes my jaw drop! This is a parody of what the Psalmist said in Psalm 3:3 ‘the lifter of my head.’

Treading Dreaded Paths

We all love to tread paths that are well-trod. However, Jesus was different. He trod paths people dread to tread.

In most cases Jesus healed people by his word, without touching their body or the affected area. However, there were some exceptions. in the case of the deaf and the dumb man he touched his ears and his lips (Mark 7:33). In another case be touched the eyes of a blind man to heal him (John 9:7). These except in most of the cases the people touched him and were healed or he commanded the sickness or demons to go or pronounced healing.

However, he deviated from this in some cases. In the case of lepers he touched them to heal them (Mark 1:41). In the case of the dead he touched the bier or the dead body and raised them. In the case of the son of the widow who was dead and was being taken to the graveyard. He stopped them, touched the bier and the young man sprang up to life (Luke 7:14). In the case of the daughter of Jairus he held the hand of the dead body to raise her back to life (Mark 5:40 and Luke 8:54).

According to the Law of Moses, those who have leprosy should live outside the camp so that they don’t pollute others. Touching a leper made a person unclean. Anyone who touches the dead body should also become unclean and should live outside the camp. People feared the dead and the lepers and avoided both. However, Jesus did not.

In the story of Jesus healing a leper (Mark 1:40), the Gospel writer says that the leper came to Jesus. However, it is impossible for the leper to come to Jesus unless Jesus had ventured in to the territory where the leper lived with others from the rest of the people who considered themselves clean. In the healing of the ten lepers in Luke (Luke 17), Jesus was passing through the colony of lepers. This area designated for lepers between the two provinces (Galilee and Samaria) is a place that everyone who wished to be clean avoided. However, Jesus ventured through this land. Those who touched or carried the dead bodies were unclean. However, Jesus won’t hesitate to touch them. Jesus loved to do things that others dreaded to do. He trod paths that others dread to tread.

In recording in detail the healing of the leper and the raising the dead bodies by deliberately touching them, the Gospel writers are passing on an important message to those who want to emulate Jesus. Don’t shy away from the dreaded paths. Don’t follow the crowds along the well-trodden paths. The church has to deviate at times and sometimes stagger through paths the world hate to walk.

The disciples of Jesus had always followed his example of by treading the unfamiliar, untrodden, dreaded paths. Philip the evangelist had to move from the crowded streets of Jerusalem to the path in the wilderness where he met the Finance Minister of Ethiopia. He had to travel the wilderness road to meet the Ethiopian to introduce Jesus to him. Peter was hesitant to take the gospel to Cornelius who was a pagan. He had never visited a pagan in his house. However, God forced him to make that trip to Caesarea to take the gospel to a Roman centurion. Paul had to stray on to the Mars Hill in Athens so that he could tell the Athenians about the God whom they didn’t know. The history of the Christian Church all these two thousand years has been a history of treading the dreaded paths. It is a story of taking the gospel to lost, neglected, venturing in to unknown lands and it goes on. A church that remains in its comfort zones dies but the one that follows her master to the unknown and the unfamiliar thrives.

Glorifying God for His Glory in Nature

The Westminster Shorter Catechism declares: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” That is to say that human beings exist to praise God and thus live a life that enjoys God for ever. The question that follows from this naturally is how to glorify God in such a way that we can enjoy him forever? This also means that believers ought to be always on the look out for stimuli to praise God every moment of their lives.
Glorifying God is not by repetition of some mantras that has some self-hypnotic effects or the like. It is not getting into a trance or ecstatic experience that comes from psychedelic lights or sounds. Glorifying God is not subjective, but objective in its nature where the worshiper gazes the glory of God realizing how the creator is distinct from the creation. Real praise of God happens when we see the glory of God and pours forth our hearts before him.
The psalmists are good examples for worshipers of God. They acknowledged God in their lives, in creation, in history and in everything. Psalmist who penned Psalm 8 might have composed it at night or for singing for a celebration at night because there is no mention of sun but the night sky (stars, moon) are mentioned. The singer and the chorus would scan the clear night-sky of Palestine and shout in adoration “how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
While the Psalmist had drawn his inspiration to praise from a cosmic scene the poet of Psalm 104 has a much smaller frame of nature: The cultivated land from which humans and animals get their food from. He would praise God saying “Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty” (Psalm 104:1). His inspiration comes from the planet earth and the space where the plants and trees grow and fish, birds and animals thrive. Because it is a great God who provides for them.0
In the history of Christian church, there are numerous examples where the believers used nature as a resource for worship. Saint Francis of Assissi is the outstanding example. He could see God in the nature and had cultivated a habit of connecting with God's creation. Another example that comes to my mind is the author of the great hymn, “How Great Thou art!” translated in to almost every modern language.
In 1885 Swedish pastor Carl Gustav Boberg was walking back home after an evening service from his church when he was inspired by the sight of lightning and winds making waves in the fields and the rain that followed. The pastor himself said later about the inspiration for the song. "It was that time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest colouring; the birds were singing in trees and everywhere. It was very warm; a thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon thunder and lightning. We had to hurry to shelter. But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared.” Inspired by the nature scene he wrote “How Great Thou Art!”
Nature is the stimulus and the reason for glorifying God provided we are willing to see the majesty of God the creator in it. Just like a painting declares the creativity of the painter and all praise for the painting is in fact praise for the painter, we praise God when we see his glory in nature around us.
However, humans have marred and disfigured the nature. We have leveled the hills and filled the meadows to erect concrete jungles that hide the view of sunrise and sunset. We have lights in our streets that are so bright and lights up the evening sky so that the stars are scarcely visible. We have built factories that emit fumes in to the sky that shrivels the trees and makes birds flee from our trees and fish to die in our rivers. We have messed up God's nature.
However, though humans have marred God's nature and thus his glory we look at what remains to elicit praise from hearts. We can look at beautiful landscape photos freely available to praise him. There are TV channels that showcase the beauty of God's creation that make us bow down in praise of God the creator. A walk in the country side is certainly an unavoidable option. However, it is important that we don't just look through nature around us but see the glory and majesty of our God in it and pour forth our adoration of him.
Like wise true and meaningful worship takes place when we open our eyes to see God's glory displayed around us and is sensitive to his acts in our lives and history. Acknowledging God in our lives, in creation, in history and in everything. (to be continued...)

Attitude in Worship

There are times when we are very few in number when we gather for worship on Sundays. Our eyes scan the room to find who has come and who has missed that Sunday. Our spirits are down when we are few and up when there are many people. The preacher feels less "anointed" when there are more empty chairs than people and the spirit of the worship team depends on the number of people too. I have been pasturing an urban church for three years now where the number dwindles during the holidays. During the holiday season, most of my church members would like to travel, visit their families and only a faithful few will be left during for weeks. I have learned to cope with this and am teaching my leaders to cope with this. We are learning to keep the same level of "anointing" and the spirit whether we are few or many!
The first thing that we realize is that we are not few in worship even when there are empty chairs around. Christian worship is a joint celebration with the angelic hosts in heaven and believers all over the world. The angelic hosts in heaven are in constantly in worship of the Jesus Christ; they don't take any break! So when we are in worship we are only joining them for an hour or two and withdraw. The writer of the Book of Hebrews puts this truth this way:

But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect& (Hebrews 12:22-23 NIV).

To put it in another way, the strength of a worshipping congregation is not the number of people who occupy the chairs but includes myriads of angels in worship in heaven. Christian worship is not just the worship of the congregation that is gathered in one given place. When we worship at any given place we also need to realize that we are joining other worshippers who are in worship of Christ at the same time in different places. At any moment in time, there are thousands of Christ-worshippers in worship before him and no one is alone! This is to say that there is no one who is in solitude when it comes to Christian worship. Whether in multitude, a large stadium with thousands of people, a great band and a golden-tongued preacher what pleases God is our attitude in worship. The number and the performance don't really matter to God.
Though it addresses a situation in ancient Israel, Psalm 50 teaches some important principles of worship of God. It addresses people who were keen on worship by offering sacrifices and offerings and paying their vows. That is the mode of worship that they were used to. There is nothing wrong with that however. But God's problem with them was their attitude to worship. They thought that God is dependent on them for food (Psalm 50:12).
What God expects from them was not sacrifices which they thought is feeding a hungry God but sacrifices they offered as symbols of their gratitude to God. The psalmist called such sacrifices "thank offerings" and "vows" (Psalm 50:14). God invited his people to pray to him when they are in trouble so that he can help them out of those troubles (Psalm 50:15). When worshippers engage God in their struggle they worship him with grateful hearts. So all that God expects is the right attitude in worship; he expects people to recognize him as their savior, deliverer and bring a heart of gratitude to worship. They recognize their dependence on God rather than God's dependence on them! The multitude without this attitude doesn't please him.
So, let us remember this: Whether in solitude or in multitude, what matters in worship is our attitude.

Paulson Pulikottil Ph. D. is Professor of Old Testament at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India and Pastor of the COMMUNITY OF THE REDEEMED (CORe) a Full Gospel Church in Pune, India.

The Sin of Silence

There is an Indian saying: Silence is the glory of the wise! It means the wise person keeps quite and by implication it means the fool keeps talking (certainly all nonsense!). But silence at times could be malicious, dangerous and even a grave sin. So let us say that like tumors, silence could also be of two types: the benign ones and the malign ones.

In his vision of God Isaiah confessed: "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty" (Isa 6:5).

The word "ruined" could be a mistranslation. It is equally possible to translate it as "been silent" though many modern translations still follow the KJV in this regard. The translation "silent" fits the context too. The sin of the people of Isaiah has to do with speech (unclean lips) and the cleansing that God does has to do with speech. Moreover, the commissioning that Isaiah receives is to speak! All this happens in the context of the "holy" speech of the Seraphim. So it is right in concluding that the sin Isaiah confesses is the sin of being silent!

The timing of this very clearly dated vision is also important. It is in the year that king Uzziah died. Though the phrase "in the year" does not necessarily mean after the death of the king, it is highly probable. There is only one another instance where Isaiah dates a prophecy by the death of a king (Isaiah 14:28). So this date is important for our understanding of the nature of Isaiah's sin.

The title of the book says that Isaiah was active in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (Isaiah 1:1). The reign of Uzziah and that of Jotham overlaps since the former could not continue as king for health reasons and had to hand over the kingdom to Jotham who was the co-regent. We see Isaiah confronting the other two kings: Ahaz and Hezekiah. However, there is no mention of Uzziah or Jotham other than in the title (which is from the editor of the book) and in this passage (Isaiah 6) where the prophecy is dated.

The reign of Uzziah-Jotham was one of prosperity for Israel but was one of spiritual decline. It was not a reign that pleased God. However, the prophet of God was silent during this period of spiritual decline (2 Kings 15:34). He did not critique Uzziah's apostasy nor of the nation during this period. He just watched the nation slide down to apostasy, injustice and violence. So that later on Isaiah lamented on its capital city: "See how the faithful city has become a harlot! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her-- but now murderers!" (Isaiah 1:21).

Isaiah woke up from his slumber during the days of Ahaz and Hezekiah who succeeded Uzziah. He challenged the kings and their religious and political decisions. Demanded that they return to God in full trust. However, he was silent during the days of Uzziah and Jotham.

That is the sin he confesses: being silent when he was supposed to speak up! That was a grave sin. His silence deprived the nation a voice that could have stopped them in their track to spiritual and social rot. His voice could have helped them to make an early U-turn, if he had the courage to speak out. Our malign silence could be equally or more damaging at times. Have we spoken out where we had to or kept strategic silence in order to protect our reputation, good standing with people. Did we hold our peace where our voice was crucial just to have more brownie points from those ungodly people and ungodly systems?

Isaiah realized his sin, he confessed and God was willing to accept his confession and commission him for a greater task. God hasn't changed and his Seraphim are waiting with burning coals in their hands. They are waiting for the words of confession from us so that the coal can touch our lips and release it to speak on behalf God.

Paulson Pulikottil Ph. D. is Professor of Old Testament at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India and Pastor of the COMMUNITY OF THE REDEEMED (CORe) a Full Gospel Church in Pune, India

Paulson Pulikottil Ph. D. is Professor of Old Testament at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India and Pastor of the COMMUNITY OF THE REDEEMED (CORe) a Full Gospel Church in Pune, India.

When the Idols fall

A proper perception of human beings will enhance our appreciation of God and lead us to praise him more meaningfully. In a Psalm of Praise of God (Psalm 8) the Psalmist exclaimed "what is man that you are mindful of him?" Which meant man is not anything that God should mind especially compared to the celestial bodies that God has created. However, he goes on to say that in spite of this, God still gave man a place of honor and glory since his position is just below the angels. Human beings are incomparable to God.

One popular metaphor of life is that of a journey: A journey that we start at birth and end in death. In this journey we meet people of all sorts and learn many things from them. It is possible that we are drawn to some people because we see rare virtues in them. They become our role models and even idols in our lives. We adore them, we follow them because their exhibited virtues and charisma. All idols are multi-dimensional or multi-faceted. There are facets of these idols that may disappoint us. When we discover those facets (for that we need to view the idols from more than one angle) of these idols we become discouraged and frustrated. Idols fall and we are confused not knowing whom to follow or in whom to be excited in!

Let me elaborate on this a bit! People marry each other after long courtships. They may have had courtships which helped them to get to know each other better and tried different persons before proposing to the one whom they really love and would like to spend their life with: as some say to love, grow together and get old together. But then why such marriages fall apart at the same speed to they came together and almost at the same rate? In some countries every fifth marriage ends up in divorce! Our knowledge of each other is partial and there are facets of personalities that we find despicable as life rolls on. This is true of friends, leaders and all sorts of human relationships that we can think of.

We live a world where there are no constants. Even the majestic mountains made of rock change as the rock crumble in the heat of the sun and tiny pieces are carried away in torrents or by winds. Anyone who looks for consistency in human beings will be terribly disappointed.

However, this unfolding knowledge of people on our journey of life certainly has a positive side if we don't let its negativities weigh us down. These inconsistencies point us to God, the one who is always constant. When I discover that the person whom I considered to be the person of highest integrity is the supreme example of dishonesty I am learning to turn my attention to God. When human dishonesty leads us to appreciate the integrity of an unchanging God, that is best antidote for frustration.

Discovery of human weakness which leads us to a comprehension of the greatness of God results in praise and adoration of God. Such redirection of our thinking is greatly rewarding. Otherwise, we will be crushed under the weight of our own idols that are fallen from their pedestals.

Paulson Pulikottil Ph. D. is Professor of Old Testament at Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India and Pastor of the COMMUNITY OF THE REDEEMED (CORe) a Full Gospel Church in Pune, India.

Good Friday sans Pretensions

I just don't know why they call it Good Friday. It was a very bad Friday for the mother, siblings, disciples, friends and followers of Jesus. It was the day when Jesus whom they loved so much died at a very tender age at the hands of the Roman army as a criminal. Death brings an end to everything. Their sorrow was much deeper because they had no clue of what is going to happen on the third day. Though he had told them and though they have seen him bringing back dead back to life, they never imagined that he will be back to life. So with no ray of hope, their sorrow was even thicker.

While the people at the foot of the cross on that fateful day were genuinely sad, the people who were observing Good Friday ever since were simply trying to pretend to be sad; because they knew rest of the story already. On Good Friday, some people walk the stations of the Cross enacting the suffering of Christ. They have processions where they enact scenes from what happened to Jesus on that day by taking up the roles of Jesus, Simon the Cyrene, the soldiers or the crowd. Some were fasting on that day. They abstained from food till evening and some would drink bitter juices to identify with the suffering of Jesus. Some devotees allowed themselves to be flogged and even nailed to a cross for a while. Still they were pretending because they knew Easter is just another day away.

However, Good Friday is more than pretensions. Good Friday is a reminder of the place of suffering in Christian faith. On that day 2000 years back Jesus died a terrible death. It is a reminder that my salvation is not cheap but was very costly. It also reminds that there is suffering in Christian life because it begins with the sufferings of Christ. It explains why Christians in many parts of the world face persecution. There is no Christianity without suffering.

We wear a mask of sorrow on that day for the simple reason that we were taught that way. However, for every believer who has experienced the great liberation there is a smile behind that thin veil of sadness. He suffered pain, shame, and ridicule and died. I am not any way sad but rejoice that his death was on my behalf. Why should I be sad when I know that his pain brought me healing and his shame is the reason for my dignity? I am only proud and grateful. Yes, the adjective "Good" is not only grammatically correct but experientially too. It was for my good that bad things happened to him.

Prayers that God will not Answer!

The title of this article may startle the readers! Yes, there are prayers that God may not answer. It is hard to believe this in a world where there is so much of talk about miracles, deliverance and so on. We are made to believe that God answers prayers unconditionally. We are also made to believe that certain places and certain people have so much charisma that anything they pray for will be answered. So we tend to flock to these places and around this people to get our prayers answered. We are encouraged to subscribe to some prayer plans (quite similar to some saving plans) that for a small subscription our children will be prayed for from birth to their adulthood. Childhood ailments, successful education (a main worry for Indian parents), job security and marriage are all covered in these plans. All that we need to do is to subscribe, sit back and relax for the rest of your life!

However, God doesn't answer prayers unconditionally. He is not a slot machine, where the machine delivers what one want by simply inserting a coin or token without any questions.

God does not answer prayers when there is sin in our lives. God want us to receive his forgiveness and correct our lives before coming to him. God has moral demands and he insists that our lives be according to his will before he grants us our requests. King Saul prayed to God for help against the Amalekites, but he was terribly defeated. God did not answer his prayer because of sin in his life (1 Samuel 14:37, 1 Samuel 28:6, 7). David prayed for the healing of the child that was born in his illegitimate and sinful relationship. God did not answer, the child died. Though David had repented, it was God's will that he feel some pain of his sinful action (2 Samuel 12:13-23). However, God allowed the second child (Solomon) in the same wife to ascend to David's throne later.

God also doesn't answer prayers that are not in line with his will. His will is supreme above all our wills and his will is perfect and flawless. He knows what is best for us. So he answers prayers only according to his will. Elijah was a great man of prayer. Bible says that he could stop rain (James 5:17), he had brought down fire from heaven that burnt the sacrifice, dried up the water and even melted stones of the altar (1 Kings 18:32-38). However, God did not answer one of his prayers: He wanted to die but God did not allow him (1 Kings 19:4; 2 Kings 2:11). Because that was not in God's will that he die at the time he wanted. So was also Jonah who wanted to die but God did not allow him to die when he wanted to die (Jonah 4:3). Saint Paul was not a sinner and but though he prayed for healing of his physical ailment (we don't know what exactly it was) God simply refused instead gave him the grace to live with it (2 Cor 12:7-9).

Thirdly, there are things in our control that God will leave us to address than bringing it to him, especially matters that have to do with our character and our moral life. For example, God is not going to answer the prayers of those who pray that they will be more humble because being humble is in their control. If they want to be humble all that they need to do is to go ahead and be humble! If people pray that God make them more liberal, I don't think God is going to make them liberal in their giving because they just need to go ahead and start giving. Many times such prayers are used to shun human responsibility and put the blame on God! However, we need God's grace to live lives pleasing God. So, God is certainly going to grant the grace to be humble, more liberal in giving etc. Nevertheless, doing it with the grace that God provides is our job.

Now let us turn the question on its tail. Instead of asking what are the type of prayers God will not answer let us see how to pray in a way that God will answer. God answers prayers from hearts that are right with God. Secondly, God answers prayers that are according to his will and thirdly, God want us to do what we can do depending on his grace instead of using prayer as an excuse.

Personal Worship and Corporate Worship

Worshipping together is one of the salient features Christianity which it shares with its predecessor Judaism and is followed by its successor Islam. Most of the religions have individualized worship experience. Worshippers visit shrines on their own to pray to their deity and does not necessarily need the company of others. However, gathering together for worship in the church, synagogue or the mosque is important for the above religions besides the private time of worship. So the two terms: "Personal worship" which signifies the individual's act of worship and "corporate worship" which is the worship which individuals offer in the company of other believers.

Some people are very keen on corporate worship but at the expense of the personal worship. They are regular at church services, praise and worship meetings etc but may not pour out their devotion and adoration to God when they are alone. These people find it difficult to meet God alone; they need the company of others. There are people on the other extreme who have a dislike to worship God in public, in the presence of others and they tend to be very private in their devotion and adoration of God. They are in the habit of shunning the gathering together of the saints in worship (Hebrews 10:25). They are very private persons and have a dislike for people.

However, both these extremes are certainly wrong. Personal time of worship and prayer is essential component of Christian spirituality. Jesus spent nights in praying alone. He taught that we should pray in secret (Mathew 6:6). He also went to the synagogues for corporate worship and the bible says it was his usual practice (Mark 10:1). This was the practice of the early church as well (Acts 2:42). They gathered together for fellowship, to receive apostles' teaching, prayer and breaking bread together besides their personal times of worship of God.

Personal worship and corporate worship are the two wings on which Christians soar to the presence of God in adoration and praise. They are two aspects of one act called worship: the creatures adoring the majesty of the creator, the sinners pouring out his their profound love for their saviour. Personal worship leads the worshipper to corporate worship because the worshippers have reached a level of adoration which they cannot hold within themselves any longer and need to get it out of their chest! So they look to corporate worship as a place where they can share it with others and to receive from people who have something to share. In a similar manner, the corporate worship should be so rich an experience that the worshipper leaves the place of worship to continue the worship at a personal level until another time for worship arrives. Personal worship propels people from their prayer closet to the chapel and the chapel is so compelling that they return to their closet to continue the worship. They are mutually enriching experiences.

Making the Right Choice

Jesus' question in Mark 10:51 "What do you want me to do for you?" is baffling. Jesus knows everything, moreover the man who is crying to him is obviously blind and needs healing. Why then this question; Jesus cannot be that dumb!

The blind beggar in Jericho (Mark 10:46-52) was engaged in something demeaning. His name is mentioned in the Bible as Bartimaeus, which means son of honor. Though "a son of honor" he was doing the most dishonorable profession of begging in the city of Jericho. When Jesus met him he was begging. His style of begging (like all beggars do) is to catch people's attention by crying loud "have mercy on me" so that they can throw a coin in to his bowl.

He did the same thing when Jesus passed by in the company of a large crowd. This time he did not just cry "have mercy on me" but was more specific because his plea was aimed at Jesus and not the crowd. He cries, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

However, it is the plea of a beggar. That is how the crowd who rebuked him to keep quiet took it. He should not nag Jesus for a coin! No beggar should bother Jesus, he has greater things to attend to! However, Jesus stopped, knowing that in that plea there is something more than a beggar's longing for a coin.

The crowd (who earlier tried to stop him) now encouraged him to walk towards Jesus saying "cheer up! On your feet! He is calling you." Probably, they might have thought that Jesus is going to give him a considerable amount.

The possibilities were limited: a donation to a beggar and nothing more. That's all that we can think at the moment. Even Bartimaeus cry was ambiguous. That's what makes Jesus ask him specifically: "what do you want me to do for you?" That is to ask, "Do you want a coin, another donation?" or something else. The beggar's answer was specific: "Rabbi, I want to see". Jesus can do both, he can toss a coin into the beggar's bowl. Any one who has coin to give away can do that. However, Jesus can also do something else; that is to deal with his problem at its root.

Jesus demands us always to make that choice. Do we want Jesus to deal with our immediate, felt needs alone, or work at the root of our problems. A coin or two that Jesus could toss in to his bowl may make him happy for a day. However, dealing with his blindness, the reason for being a beggar will change his stigma of a beggar and bring the honor back to him. Bartimaues made the wise choice and challenges us to make a wise choice in our lives too. Jesus poses the question to us because we are the ones who should make that choice.

No Exit from God's Will

God expects us to be fully submitted to his will. Sometimes, we will have to go through difficult times. We cannot get out of this before God's time and by our own means. This is what we learn from the life of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah.
Babylonians who defeated Judah in 597 BC had made him king. In fact he was their puppet king. Usually the reign of kings in the Bible mentions their achievements and failures, in the case of Zedekiah, there is no mention of anything that he did. The account in 2 Kings (Chapter 24-25) only mentions only one thing he did. "Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon" (2 Kings 24:20). Then there is a long description of how the Babylonians retaliated to this rebellion by their vassal kingdom, how they besieged the city of Jerusalem, Zedekiah's flight, capture, punishment, imprisonment, the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem and the city, second exile.
This king could not anything for his people. Only complete the destruction of a nation by making the Babylonians destroy the temple.
What was Zedekiah's mistake?
His mistake was to rebel against the will of God. Prophets of his day, particularly Jeremiah had made it very clear that God's punishment is upon his people. He has sent the Babylonians to attack them and take them exiles to Babylonians. It happened in 597 BC. Then Zedekiah was made king over the Judah. The Babylonians were happy as long as Zedekiah paid the tribute that they demanded. The prophets also had prophesied that God will certainly bring those who were taken to Babylon after 70 years. Zedekiah was supposed accept God's will and lead his people. However, he was not. He probably was swayed by the loyalist party and rebelled with the help of Egyptians who were the enemies of Babylon. If he had not rebelled Babylonians would have let them live! In fact Zedekiah and his people were rebelling against the will of God.
A Second mistake he did was to trust in human power. Historians say that Pharaoh Apries encouraged Zedekiah to rebel against the Babylonians. He must have offered him military help also to do it. Zedekiah and his people thought by the help and support of the Egyptians they will be able to get out of the punishment that God has brought upon them. They took the sovereignty of God very lightly.

Maintaining a heart of gratitude

Maintaining a heart of gratitude
Though they have to start their lives again from scratches they are happy that God has brought them back. Maintaining a heart of gratitude even in difficult times is important to please God.
Psalm 126 illustrates the importance of maintaining a grateful heart even in difficult times. The psalmist(s) is excited about what God has done and hope that God will continue to be with them. Though what God has done for them actually has landed them in difficulties, they are still thankful; they believe that eventually everything will work out for their good.
The God of Israel had done a great thing by bringing his people back to their land from where they were exiled. However, it took more than sixty-five years for the first exile to return. Leaders like Zerubabbel, Nehemiah, Ezra and others led people back in different waves of return. The man who was captured and sent to exile when he was thirty is now 95 years old at least. The baby who was just born is now 65 and his parents are already dead. Some people have stayed behind in Israel and Judah. They had built houses and cultivated the lands of those who were taken captives. It has been theirs for about two generations now. In fact, those who came back are losers in one sense. They were nostalgic about the return, but they are now aliens in their own land.
Psalm 126, probably reflects such a historical situation. The sorrows and the struggles of the returnees are reflected in this psalm. It is good to be in ones own land. It is a sign that God has forgiven them and is faithful to the promises and covenants that he has made with their ancestors. However, now they are strangers in the land that was their home.
However, they will not complain about it. They look back to their coming back with great enthusiasm. It was so exciting to be real. They thought it was all a dream (Psalm 126:1). They were so joyful and happy (Psalm 126:2). However, they are in a situation now where they are in tears and have to go about weeping. Still they will not complain. They will just make a quick prayer to God to "restore our fortunes" (verse 4) and go to work hoping in him. Their hope is that God will trade their sorrows for joy. The imagery of farmers who in their desperate attempt to produce some food in times of famine, throw their last seeds to their ground and return home singing carrying a good harvest motivates every returnee. They won't waste complaining to God for landing them in such an unsettled situation while they were leading much more settled lives with houses and vineyards, etc in Babylon. Though they have to start their lives again from scratches they are happy that God has brought them back. Maintaining a heart of gratitude even in difficult times is important to please God.