Thank you School Leader Elect for proposing the toast and wishing all of us outgoing students the very best. Those words really touched our hearts and as you said, we will keep it our motto to excel in our pursuits and make the name of our school even more glorious. And I am indeed honoured to be given the chance to reply to the toast.
On behalf of all the outgoing students I wish to place on record the extraordinary influence the teachers and the ambience of this school has been in our lives the past ten years. The growing up phase was challenging but looking back it was eventful, and now it is part of our nostalgia.
I never thought I will ever get a chance to reply to the toast in this last year of mine at school. I was always a backbencher, a loser, a failure and the naughtiest kid in school.
I was always having homework to be finished, wrote impositions more times than all of you ever did, and received from teachers punishment in various forms. I leave the school with the thought that in this one thing at least I was first.
Let me now open my heart to you. I find that in today’s mad rush for success and becoming first, all that people think are of themselves. I is first and I is all that matters to most. We, unfortunately, live in a self-first and self-last and self-is-all world.
But there are people like me who long for love and acceptance. My rebellion, my naughtiness, my practical pranks were all my failed attempts to connect with you all.
I am not slow to study; I do believe I have a gifted mind. But i decided early on that I simply want to fail. You ask me, “Why?’
My dear friends, do know that all homes are not the same. There are broken homes where it is unrest always. Happiness is unreal to children like us who come from there.
There is no one to ask why you behave like this. All demand performance. There is no space for compassion, understanding or love in this scheme of things.
As I look back, it was a procession of negative labelling on all fronts: from relatives, schoolmates, and sadly some teachers too. It was like mud and slimy dirt thrown to stick on my white shirt: “You’re good for nothing,” “Bad boy,” “A shame to parents,” “Introvert,” “Loser,” and “A born failure,” were some of them. They still hurt. And I don’t know whether ever there will come a time when its shame will be washed away or its sting removed.
But I learned some time ago that holding a grudge will make all those labels come true. Therefore with great struggle I try to brush self-defeating thoughts aside each day.
I stand here today to say thank you for the opportunity given to one who did not rise up to your expectations. I stand here to thank my physical education teacher who one day after having made me run eight times around the ground asked, “My boy, tell me, what do you fear most?”
It was the first time someone was seeing me as a person—an individual with hopes and dreams, with fears and doubts like anyone else.
He, with that one question, broke my defense. I had a tough look and an unfriendly behaviour. Yet my teacher showed the guts to peel off that mask. But I am grateful he did it one on one and not in front of the crowd.
I broke down and cried that day. My fear of my parents separating, and losing one of them perhaps to death, finally came out.
A world in which people are becoming more self-centred and busy, kindness holds a miracle-working power. Possibly kindness is a kind of tender-hearted and compassionate love in action. The Bible calls kindness a fruit of the Spirit; meaning that God makes that quality grow in us as we increasingly connect with him like a branch in a tree.
Regarding kindness, I wish to share with you four quick thoughts:
One, kindness begins with an attitude. It begins with you and me having open eyes and ears to see and listen to others. Most people are hurting in one way or other. They need a listening ear. They needed someone to tell them that there is hope ahead so as to help them find strength in God.
Two, kindness is also action-oriented. It can be the gift of a smile, a loving and understanding touch, a phone call or a message to cheer up a heart. Some need help in material ways like money for education or hospital expenses. Seeing someone in need and then not helping when it is in your power to act is quite the opposite of kindness.
Three, kindness has to be cultivated. As said earlier, it is a fruit. When we show kindness we reflect that quality in God who is compassionate and showed tender-hearted kindness to us when he gifted Jesus his Son to come to this earth and bleed to death on a cross. So kindness is about showing love in action to those who might not even deserve it. It is not easy. It requires a spirit of sacrifice and often a forgiving spirit too.
Four, kindness is often shown outside but absent within our homes. It has been often pointed out that we show kindness to everyone but often forget to show it those who are our loved ones at home. This is a serious neglect we need to address. Home becomes a light of joy when kindness is shown to each other. For example, not shouting at your loved one when a mistake is made is an act of love and kindness.
So my dear friends, let me conclude saying that kindness is a much needed virtue in today’s world that is increasingly busy, driven by artificial intelligence, and powered by selfish attitudes. Kindness can be that one thing which will bring a miracle of love, affection, friendship, and joy being restored in your homes too. May God give you the strength and courage to exhibit kindness to all; especially to those who are close to your heart.
It is said that “Punctuality is the politeness of kings.” No one expects those in authority who exercise power over others to be on time. But if they are punctual, it is one of the ways in which they show respect for others.
Lack of punctuality can be due to lack of attitude, lack of discipline, and lack of preparedness.
First of all, lack of attitude. Those who don’t care for others are not punctual. They don’t think it is a problem to keep others waiting. But think about how many hours are wasted when hundreds of people are kept waiting. So esteem others and value others’ time.
Secondly, lack of discipline. Getting up early can make a whole lot of difference to one’s day. But many neglect this. Also, spending time on distractions especially on social media makes people lose sense of priorities. So important things are left undone. Therefore promised delivery of services and products and assignments get delayed.
Thirdly, lack of preparedness. Tardiness, the opposite of being punctual, is often a result of not being fully and thoroughly prepared. It is clearly seen that those who try to gather together the needed resources, equipment, or accessories at the last minute often keep others waiting. A day or event begun with full preparedness has a ring of confidence to it.
To conclude, just imagine a busy airport. Think about the huge delays that can occur if planes were kept waiting for all those who are delayed. When it comes to serious things like catching a plane, people show attitude, discipline, and preparedness to be on time. So it is possible to be punctual if you will it with your full heart and mind.
“Where are you?” God is asking you this question today. It means that he cares about you.
When God is asking, “Where are you?” it is to help you realise that life without him is miserable. He earnestly wants you to come back to him, even if you have rebelled against him.
When you do so, you’ll find God, full of compassion and mercy, waiting to lead you home. In Jesus, who on the cross bled and died for you, you’ll find what you’ve been seeking all along.
In him, you will find unconditional love and acceptance. He is the one who understands your pain, your loneliness, your weaknesses and temptations, your search for meaning, and above all who has experienced rejection first-hand more than you do.
When he is asking, “Where are you?” he sees your heart and all the doubts you have. Just come to him. He is willing and has the authority to forgive you if your heart is burdened with sorrow over sins you’ve done.
For you are not lost, but you belong to him. His eye is watching over you and ever asking, “Where are you?” What will be your response? Will it be, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
—-
“Where are you?” is the first question that God asked Adam in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were hiding from God after disobeying him. See Genesis 3:9 Bible. Who Will Show Me Compassion?
Do you think time is going to last for ever? Don’t you think there is a time appointed for the end? If you have never thought about it, now is the time to think.
Jesus said, “Night is coming, when no one can work.” The Bible says yet again, it is appointed or destined for people to die once, and after that to face judgement. These are truths that point to the end.
Your end can come unexpectedly. If you are not prepared for it, you have nothing to hope for, but eternal doom. Health, wealth, influence, power, and relationships do not last forever. You cannot trust any of those to help you cross over from death to life!
Your only hope of mercy is at the foot of the cross where Jesus bled and died for your sins. In him you will find life, forgiveness, and hope. When you trust in him, you’ll have the courage and confidence to face your appointed time. It will surely come.
The world is fast moving towards its appointed end. It will be a time of trouble like the world has never known. If you are not alert and watchful; pleasures of this world, worries of life, and pursuit after riches, will dull your senses to the reality of coming judgement.
At this time, God’s warning signs are seen everywhere. At the same time, God is showing great patience and extending mercy to all; for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” For the end is near and approaching us with speed and finality. Are you ready for your appointed time?
One long sentence begins with the thought that has crossed each of our minds when we looked up at the twinkling stars at night in our childhood and we started thinking on how it all began and how the universe came to be without man’s effort because he was not there when with just the spoken word God created the world in all its variety and beauty and order until there was that little bit of rebellion which cut off and separated man from the presence of God and it was so sad and tragic and brought death’s curse over the world which showcase God’s wisdom and power and love and care and it all seemed to end in failure when God promised that a Man would come as a child one day to bring back peace between God and sinners which became the good news for which the world waited for centuries until the Word became flesh and lived among us and faced the increasing hostility of men which finally made them nail him to a wooden cross on top a hill where he bled and died for the forgiveness of your sins and rose again from the dead the third day to live forevermore to gift eternal life to all those who would trust and believe in him which tells us that there is hope for each one of us and life will continue with you finding joy in heaven and living in the presence of God and angels and seeing the face of God only if you repent and believe the good news failing which you go to hell where the fire never stops burning and worms do not die as Jesus said which is a reality that will be your ultimate destiny if you deliberately turn away from God’s love shown you on the cross for then nothing else remains but the wrath and judgement of God falling on you which you cannot escape but can if you choose the love of God for there is no condemnation or eternal punishment for those who trust in Jesus Christ the Son of God who loved you and bled to death for you.
Let there be light.
When God speaks light into your life,
The powers of darkness will not hold its might;
For the blood of the cross washes away
Your sins; both its guilt and shame.
Being forgiven sets you free; Unbend from your stoop of low esteem.
Let there be light.
For in that flash of light
More blinding than the noonday sun
Is heard his voice:
It is hard for you to fight against the light.
So come; let the light befriend you;
And hope arise when it shines out in you.
Let there be light.
For reveal it shall; lay bare those petty things
That with monstrous roots grip within.
But in my love, says your God, no darkness resides;
Only plenteous mercy and healing besides.
For I am compassionate,
O my child; come, live in the light!
John 3:16 says, Whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish. “Whoever” includes you and does not exclude any from God’s love.
He not only stated his love but showed it in action too. God gave Jesus to be made a sacrifice on the cross. He shed his precious and innocent blood there for you.
Even when someone loves you like that, you still do have the choice of accepting or rejecting his love; don’t you?
Sadly, many choose to reject his love. Thus they walk away from being a child of God to the eternal fire of hell. There is no second chance once you reach there.
Why? Because you made the choice to reject God’s love which poured out God’s great wrath on Jesus to punish him for the sins of all of us and all our rebellion against God.
Ultimately, God’s final judgement depends on whether you said Yes to his love shown on the cross or you said No to it and rejected his love.
But then so many raise arguments against God’s love. Arguments like: “What about those who never heard about this love?” “If God so loved, why is there so much injustice, suffering, violence, war, immorality, pain, sickness, death, . . . and so on in this world?” “Why can’t I earn my own salvation, because I am really good and I do a lot of good deeds?”
All these questions are valid. But then God will ask one question, just one question, to you: “My friend, what did you do with the opportunity you got to respond to Jesus and the blood of his cross?”
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Even when others might call you a failure; God doesn’t call you so. For the blood of Jesus shed on the cross was to give you a new beginning in life. So, thank God for all your failures.
Believe that God can use all your failures to make you a better person. A broken and contrite heart; and humility often comes as a result of failure.
God looks at your heart and your motives more than your failure; whatever that be. Therefore, if at all you have failed, do not give up hope.
For stars in the heavens still twinkle at night. And no failure in your life is final; if you can accept God’s help to rise up once again.
It is amazing that prayer often comes last in the list when we are in trouble. Isn’t it because we forget that we have a Helper who helps us to pray?
God knows that we faint when we have to stay awake and pray in the hour of our need. Therefore, he has sent into our hearts the Holy Spirit who will help us to pray.
Yes, there are moments when our hearts are too heavy that we are unable to pray. Then the Spirit of God, with groans and sighs which cannot be heard by our ears, lifts up our hearts to God in prayer. Those prayers are heard and answered, for he prays for us always according to God’s will.
When such a person is given to us; what a gift he is! And like many other gifts that God has given us; we’ve forgotten him and treated him like a stranger.
Prayer can be a joy when the Spirit of God is called upon to help you pray. He will remind you of the promises of God, and give you the boldness to pray. He will counsel you with wisdom and knowledge to take action in answer to prayer. The Spirit of God helps you to praise when there is a spirit of despair clouding your heart and mind.
He helps you look to Jesus with unwavering faith. He will help you to stand at the foot of the cross and draw near to God crying out “Abba, Father,” through the precious blood of Jesus. He will help you go to God’s throne of grace with boldness and confidence; where Jesus now alive for ever and ever, is at the right hand of God interceding on your behalf.
He makes God’s presence real to you. God’s friendship warms your heart like a lit fire on a cold day when the Spirit of God makes your heart his home.
And when you read the Bible, he makes it come alive for you. The Word of God then speaks to you not as history but as truth and as the living words of God. Guided by the Spirit of God, its wisdom becomes the answers to your prayers; a lamp to your feet and a light to your path.
The best in prayer is that the Spirit of truth shows us how ugly our hearts really are; and burns away, if we are willing, all that is not pleasing to God in our lives. So let us pray that the Spirit of God come and search our hearts, and give us the courage to change.
Prayer is not limited by language, when the Spirit of God prays in us. God becomes real and intimate to us when the Spirit of God is called alongside like an advocate or friend to help us pray.Therefore, let us simply call on the Holy Spirit, the Gift of the Father in heaven, who was sent to us in the Name of Jesus, to help us to pray.
It does not matter if your life is like the valley of dry bones; for when the Spirit of God comes, the dry bones shall come to life in answer to prayer. So also, there shall be a revival of hope; a season of refreshing, and abundant showers of blessing, when the Spirit of God comes with mighty power like the wind, and with a mother’s comforting love.
Mighty God he is, Lord God; yet gentle like a dove. He is grieved by our sins, and our cold,complacent attitude towards him.
My friend, will you give the Holy Spirit a chance; to make things right in your life? If yes, pray continually in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
Prayer is the language of love that brings together God and you; and the Spirit of God will not fail to bring you joy when you approach God in prayer.
You’re not alone! For God will not leave you comfortless and helpless; but he has promised to come to you; the Spirit of God makes that promise true. Then the peace of God which Jesus had promised will be yours and mine.
Above all, it is the Spirit of God who makes the love of God pour out into our hearts like lights flooding a stadium at night.
“Oh, Spirit of God, come and light again that first love lost, anoint me with the oil of gladness, and restore within me the joy of God!”
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself interecedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”
There is a gentle whisper:
Why give up, my child?
Am I not with you?
You’re no failure in my eyes.
Just believe.
I have seen your tears.
I have heard your prayers.
Though troubles mount
And you feel the pressure much;
I will hold your hand to guide and help you,
And make you strong.
Even when things do not turn out the way you had hoped for;
I Am the Almighty; who bled for you.
I know the plans I have for you.
Your tomorrows are mine. So do not fear.
Just believe.
I will not let go of you.
My heart pounded as I heard. I battled doubts and fear.
My Lord and my God, I cried out.
I do believe,
Help me overcome my unbelief.
I heard again: I am the LORD, the God of all mankind.
Is anything too hard for me?
Just believe.
Jesus is coming soon. It is going to be a sudden coming, a majestic coming, a joyous coming, and a momentous coming. Let us look at how this next great event on Planet Earth and witnessed by all is going to happen.
Warning and Encouragement
When Jesus comes back it will be like a flash of lightning.
It will happen in the twinkling of an eye.
Those who are ready will be taken; others left behind.
When the LORD Jesus comes down from heaven,
with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel,
and the sounding of the trumpet call of God,
the dead in Christ will rise first.
When Jesus comes in the clouds with power and great glory,
believers who are left and still alive at that time,
will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air
and be with him forever.
Others will be left behind.
A Sudden Coming
The second coming of Jesus will be a sudden coming.
Without warning, when people least expect him,
when they say “peace and safety,”
when mockers and scoffers who follow their own evil desires ask,
“Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?”
When people are busy planning, eating, drinking, and making merry;
then Jesus will come like a thief in the night,
and there will be sudden destruction and judgement by fire.
And people will not escape.
So be ready. Look to Jesus with hope;
for there is not much time left to decide where you will spend all eternity:
Hell or heaven is totally your choice!
A Majestic Coming
The second coming of Jesus will be a majestic coming.
He will come as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
And as the Judge of the living and the dead.
And his coming on the clouds of heaven,
with power and great glory,
will initiate events that will lead
to final and inescapable judgement.
So be ready. Look to Jesus with hope;
or else you’ll be left behind.
A Joyous Coming
The second coming of Jesus will be a joyous coming.
For Jesus is coming to take us to heaven;
all those who have believed in him
and in his shed blood on the cross
for the forgiveness of their sins;
that they also may be with him forever.
But if you are left behind,
the world can offer you NO hope,
for the world in the end times will witness great trouble,
never ever before seen in the history of this world.
So be ready. Look to Jesus with hope.
You who have this hope in you purify yourself;
in the precious blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God,
so that you may not be left behind.
A Momentous Coming
“Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.”
No one knows about that day or hour of his coming.
Be on guard! Be Alert!
You do not know when that time will come.
Are you ready for his coming?
Or will he find you unprepared and sleeping?
To know how you feel like in your daily struggles.
He was moved with compassion when he saw people in distress. He wept.
He met their needs.
But that was not all.
He was sent by God with a purpose.
He came to shed his blood and die on the cross.
Why?
Because there is no other way you can be friends with God.
Jesus took the punishment that is rightfully yours:
To turn away from you God’s extreme anger and judgement against sin.
To gift you God’s forgiveness.
To make you belong to God’s family.
To give you a new clean beginning in life.
Happiness of holidays cannot compare with the joy of being a child of God.
The Gift of Jesus is more precious than all what Santa Claus promises to bring to you.
For peace with God is found in the blood of Jesus; for his blood was poured out for the forgiveness of your sins.
That’s the true meaning of Christmas; of light shining in the darkness.
And of the hope Jesus brought to us when he rose from the dead.
Because he lives forever, you too will live!
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 1
Looking deep inside,
I find in me a dream that says, “Someday, I will make a difference in the lives of others.”
My dear friends, today, I wish to speak to you on all that we find when we look deep inside. Now, looking deep inside is not easy. It takes courage to be honest with oneself. See, we have told more lies to ourselves than to others. We believe the stories that we’ve created for ourselves. Isn’t that true?
Yes, it is. We tell ourselves that there is still a long time left for us to do the things that we should be doing now. But sadly, that is a big lie. It deceives us to sleep in the arms of procrastination. And then one day we wake up to find ourselves without the power to act. The tragedy of having begun well showing great promise and then losing that cutting edge in life is so common.
Again, as we honestly look deep inside; we find there a pit of worms eating each other and breeding more. What is that makes such an ugly scene? Isn’t that what your heart looks like? All the hurts and bitterness, hatred and unforgiveness, envy and jealousy, the gossip and slander; make a mix of which we are sadly unaware. Today, my friends, would you care enough to have an honest look deep inside?
Finally, as we look deep inside; we find a deep longing to be loved; to be accepted; to belong. Often there is more need here than in what your closest loved one can ever be able to meet. It is here that our hearts break often. And without doubt, this is one instance when after looking deep inside; you have to look up and listen to the One who says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love!”
Yes friends, looking deep inside is no easy task. When we do so we find there a lot of stories we have to rescript to climb the stairway that will take us high. As we look deep inside, we find there a battleground that silently drains the joy and peace from our lives. And therefore; we need to hear words of forgiveness that can give each one of us a brand-new beginning in life.
Praising God does not come naturally to any one of us. We are reluctant to give God, praise. And when it comes to our failures which certainly includes mistakes made; there is no chance or even a remote thought of praising God. Even if we try, it is going to be painful. But praise has got power. It has the power to change us and transform us. Let us look at how it does so.
Praising God simply takes the burden of failures off our back. When we praise God we are saying that our analysis of our failures is not going to help us beyond a certain point. When we praise God, we are saying that we are already in the pit of self-pity by brooding over our failures and we want to get out of it. Praise puts us on the gear forward to victory.
Praising God is one of the best ways you can tell God that “I give total control of all circumstances that I find myself in to your hands.” You can now confidently expect God to carry your burdens. When you praise God, you can look forward to God making your failures work for a good purpose in your life. You may not understand how; but even the storms obey his will.
Praising God defeats all spiritual forces of darkness. One thing you can be sure of: You cannot fight spiritual forces of darkness with weapons of your making. Logic, intellect, or academic brilliance will not help in any way. But praise turns the battle around. In the midst of your greatest failure; start praising God for who he is—God Almighty; full of goodness, compassion and mercy. It is then the battle turns around to give you victory over all that has been troubling you.
Praising God can open doors that were closed. It can bring down barriers and make a road for you even in the wilderness. It does not matter how long you’ve stayed defeated; what matters is whether you can start to praise God with unending enthusiasm. As I said at the beginning, praise does not come naturally to any one of us. But music helps. If you can sing a song of praise; then the language of praise will start to overflow from your hearts and lips.
Praising God is the best way to overcome the spirit of despair that often pulls you down. Jesus came to set captives free. And he does so by giving you the garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. So just put on praise. It simply is a joyful lifting up of God’s holy name. Then failures will yield you greater returns because praise changes doom and gloom into joyous shouts of victory.
Finally, praising God shifts your focus from your failures to God himself. It is such a liberating truth. Suddenly you’re free of the burden of shame of your failures. So go ahead and praise God for all your failures and he will fight for you for the battle is the Lord’s and victory rests with him.
Creation versus Evolution debate has been raging for many decades now. The world is still divided. In this speech, let me argue for Creation.
First of all, every country has a currency. It is with that currency all transactions and trading is done. Now the interesting thing is that the currency as far as Creation is concerned is faith. It believes in God who created the world and the universe and all living beings. But more interesting is the fact that it requires greater faith to believe in Evolution which is a theory propagated as science.
Secondly, everything has a beginning. Creation says that “In the beginning God created.”1 So, the beginning was God-initiated. On the other hand, there is no cause for beginnings as far as Evolution is concerned. It was all chance that brought everything together from simple to complex. Is that true? You need to suspend logic and reason to believe it; don’t you?
Thirdly, look at the order and design and harmony everywhere. Just look at the innumerable stars, and galaxies in the vast unexplored space and universe. Look at the way in which one tiny unseen cell becomes a complex human being—a system of systems; truly “fearfully and wonderfully made!” 2 Look at the atomic and the sub-atomic and the microscopic. Do you think the order and design and harmony came by chance?
Fourthly, what about purpose? Life exists only on Planet Earth. The Planet Earth has just the right environment, the right distance from the sun, atmosphere, water, and all other elements needed to support life. So the earth was created to be inhabited.3 Now man is going to the moon, and sending people to space as part of space tourism, and even sending missions to Mars and other planets. But nowhere is man going to find life. Because earth was the only planet where human life has been created with a purpose to know God, love him, praise him and live in friendship with him.
That brings us to our next point. Creation as we see today is marred. Something had gone wrong. We find that in spite of literacy and education, modern civilizations; advancement in technology and artificial intelligence; there is hatred and war, crime and lack of love. Why? Who is to be blamed? Did God get things wrong? God did not want to create robots. So the first man and woman had the ability to choose. And they chose to disobey God. What it meant was they wanted to run things independent of God. In plain terms, it was rebellion against God. The Bible calls it sin. And rebellion had to be punished by death. So decay and death entered the world as a result of man’s sin against God. Now let me ask you, how does evolution explain death?
Again, where did man get his intelligence from? From where comes his ability to smile, to have friendship, to communicate, and above all to love? You might agree with me, that men and women in all cultures have that bent of mind to worship something? Why is that so? What about languages? Did they evolve? What about the dress we wear? Why is that only men and women wear dresses and no other creature has the need to do so?
Finally, where is life headed to? Does Evolution throw any light on where human history is headed to? Creation story tells us that the whole creation is groaning in bondage until God creates a new heaven and a new earth.4 The old will be gone; and God will create everything new.5 The basis of this transformation will be God’s intervention in human history when his Son, Jesus, hung on the cross on a hill outside the city of Jerusalem and bled to death for the forgiveness of the sin of all mankind. Someday soon there will come a final judgement before the renewal and refreshing of all things. Those who refuse to believe can hold on to evolution.
Who created me?
Why am I here?
Where am I headed to?
Does it matter how I live my life on earth?
Is there life beyond death?
Can I find God? Does God love me?
Oh, yes, such big questions of life are answered in Creation. So my friends, consider. On what are you basing your confidence? Would you like to believe in something simple even a child can believe in? Or do you want to place your trust in Evolution which has a shaky beginning, has a lot of missing links, degrades the dignity of man created in the image and likeness of God6 to that of animals, and cannot account for the moral depravity in mankind and the reality of death? Think about it. Your destiny will rest on your decision.
“For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” — Colossians 1:17, 18 Bible NIV 1984.
Arise, shine, for your light has come. There is a moment when God touches your life. You can never be the same again. Neither the present crisis in your life; nor the baggage of the past is going to prevent the future glory that God will bring into your life.
Arise, shine, for your light has come. There is a moment when God will shine his light in your life. You can then never be in love with darkness again. Though darkness never gives up easily; God’s light that shines is powerful enough to drive all darkness away. And there shall be light.
Arise, shine, for your light has come. There is a moment when God will show you compassion like never before. You’re hurting and you’re troubled and you’re anxious and worried about your future. God will comfort you like a mother and you will know who God really is. His love is strong and gentle.
Arise, shine, for your light has come. There is a moment when God will make a change in your fortunes. Yes, there will come a time when you will forget the shame of your youth. There will come a time when gifts will be brought to you. Those who had despised you shall then honour you.
Arise, shine, for your light has come. There is a moment when God will rebuild your life. You might be looking at the ruins of what once was glorious. You might be thinking of how big a challenge it is to bring back to life all that is lifeless and looks like trash. But God will help you rebuild your walls once again.
Arise, shine, for your light has come. There is a moment when God will better everything about you. There will be a qualitative improvement in your life’s situation. Instead of trouble; there will be peace. Your present circumstances will prove no match for the might of God who will demonstrate his power and deliverance on your behalf.
Arise, shine, for your light has come. There is a moment when God will not delay any longer. He will make a quick response to your cry. He will come to help. The swiftness with which God will act on your behalf will take all by surprise. For God is working in your life even now when no outward act of his is seen. Let hope overflow because Jesus bled for you on the cross where God’s light of compassion, mercy, and forgiving love had shone to remove all despair and darkness from your life.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.” — Isaiah 60:1 Bible NIV 1984.
— Note: This motivational speech is inspired by Isaiah Chapter 60 in the Bible.
Words do have the power to hurt. Therefore speeches that do not build you up can pull you down. Surprisingly, most of these speeches originate with you; and you do not even know it. But students need to be aware of this in order to avoid these dangerous little speeches.
What are these little speeches and how do they hurt? And how do they pull you down? Let us try to find out.
First of all listen to all the I can’t speeches you tell time and again. Without knowing it you are creating a belief for yourself that you are not capable. The truth is that you fear failure. Therefore you do not want to try. Failure is Ok; but saying I can’t is not Ok.
Secondly, listen to all the negative stories you tell. They might be true incidents when people might have hurt you, criticized you or made fun of you. The more you tell those stories the more you believe that you are helpless and a victim of circumstances. Is that true? I doubt. With trust in God, can you not rise up above all that pulled you down in the past?Yes, you can.
Thirdly, listen to self-deprecating comments that you make. Occasionally that can be part of humour. But if you use that constantly, it can be an indicator of the struggle you have with your sense of self worth, esteem and significance. Therefore cut off that kind of talk. It only pulls you down.
Finally, listen to little speeches of despair that escape your lips. You might have never noticed it. But after spending time with you; your friends will leave with their hearts heavy, with lack of happiness, and clueless why their minds are feeling drained. It is because of the pessimistic, no-hope-ahead, kind of talk you might be tempted to speak. Avoid that at all costs or you’ll lose your valuable friendships before you know it.
To conclude, let me say that identifying these four kind of speeches and avoiding them is not enough. You need to start thinking differently. St. Paul tells us: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”1 When you do so, quite naturally, you will learn to speak words that, instead of pulling you down into a spirit of despair, will build you up.
—
Prophet Isaiah predicted that Jesus came, “to bind up the brokenhearted . . . to comfort all who mourn . . .” and to give them “a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isiaah 61:1–3).
1 Philippians 4:8 Bible NIV 1984.
Short Speeches of Introduction, Welcome, Felicitation, Vote of Thanks!
Red, Green and Yellow are the colours in traffic lights. They give you directions to stop, move, and wait. When translated to daily living, these lights can be guiding lights. But even when the meaning of these lights are plain; there is a lot of confusion when people take decisions. Therefore people seek God for guidance. And sure he does guide you.
Let me start with two promises in the Bible. God says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”1 And yet again, This is what the LORD says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.”2
The first and foremost thing to note here is that God is interested in guiding you. He is not watching you from a remote place far away and see you struggle and offering no help. In fact, he is very keen on helping you and guiding you. In this respect, the light is green.
The second thought is that God has your best in mind always. Therefore he seeks to help us understand what is best in our lives. Often it is here that conflicts come. We want to move in one direction and God switches on red lights. But we tend to ignore them generally. Sometimes logic is not what works when God moves in your life. There is a gentle impress of the Spirit of God in your heart. There is no mistaking when he nudges you to move, stop, or wait.
The third thought is about speed. Of course, we all love to reach our destinations quickly. But in God’s economy of things; waiting has a prominent place. We might not know when God is going to move things forward; but he will only give the assurance that he will act. Therefore we have to learn to wait for God’s time in our lives. And trust that his time is best till yellow gives way to green.
Let me end with yet another truth that the Bible highlights. It says that God’s Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.3 Its guidance is about what God’s mind is about. The reading of the Bible and meditating on it ensures that you learn to recognize red, green, and yellow when it shines. Yet isn’t it amazing that people who seek Google Maps to guide them to locations find it difficult to trust God and his wisdom for guidance in their lives?
Today is different from yesterday because each one of us is growing up. I am fascinated by the change that is happening. And as you might have guessed by now I am going to talk to you about growing up.
First of all, growing up is an essential part of life. Not one of us can choose to remain a baby or a toddler. Our parents found joy in each stage of our growing up. When we turned over the first time, the first baby steps, the first words, our first day at school and so on.
But our joy came in a different sense. It came as new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us. It is this sense of awareness that makes growing up a joy.
Secondly, growing up is about freedom and responsibility. When we were young, we had to depend on our parents for everything. Slowly but surely as we started growing up, each one of us became independent in varying degrees. There is a tendency in our teens to rebel and look down on others as we exult in our new-found freedom.
But that is being short-sighted because there is a long journey ahead of each one of us and in a short time we will learn that we have to depend a lot on others to succeed in life.
So freedom is to be used with restraint and caution and also with a sense of responsibility. Let us remind us ourselves of Nehru’s words in his Tryst with Destiny speech that rang out in that midnight hour of freedom where he said: “Freedom and power bring responsibility.”
Thirdly, growing up is about leaving things behind. No one else said it more poetically than St. Paul who said, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”1
Yes, there is a lot of emotional and childish habits, reactions, and behaviour that we need to leave behind. That is a sure sign of growing up and becoming a man or woman in a true sense of what that means.
Fourthly, growing up is about coping with and adapting to changes. There are changes that affect our physical appearance, emotional make up and thinking patterns. These are needed to make us ready for our life ahead. Some of us might find these changes delightful, others may find it a bit uncomfortable especially when it comes to becoming self conscious in front of others.
Some of us shy away from the limelight; others are daring in their adventures. Yet the fun of it is learning to cope with change.
Finally, growing up is about looking ahead with hope. The future is uncertain. In spite of careful planning, things can go wrong. But even when darkness falls; you can trust God with your future. I cannot stress that thought enough: the antidote to fear of the future in an ever changing world is trust in an unchanging God.
Let me conclude. Growing up is an exciting part of life. Along with new discoveries can come new interests, hobbies, peer pressure, and new temptations. There can be the pressure of expectations of parents, teachers, and friends. There can be the challenge of making mistakes and facing criticism for our failures too. But none of these things need to discourage us.
For as the poet Robert Browning in his poem Rabbi Ben Ezra says,
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith “A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!”
Therefore this is my call to you today my friends. Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be!
Ask! Seek! Knock!1 Here are three words that can change your life. Those words come to you from the One who changes lives and transforms the hearts of people.
Ask! Seek! Knock! Those three words invite you to approach God with freedom, boldness, and confidence. It is an invitation to come and know the Giver before you look at the gift.
Ask! Seek! Knock! These three words increase in intensity. Ask begins the search, seek intensifies it, and knock is desperation. Only those who have a real desire to connect with God get answers to prayer.
Ask! Seek! Knock!! But why should you ask? God already knows what you need; doesn’t he? Then why ask? Good question. You need to ask. Only then will you know whether you really need what you ask. Sometimes in the process of asking you realize the foolishness of what you started asking for. And that is a eureka moment! It is that moment when you come to your senses.
Ask! Seek! Knock! God has kept hurdles that you may develop character. He is more interested in putting boldness and courage in you by his delays and denials to your requests. But none of that is meant to hurt you.
Ask! Seek! Knock! You need to get your eyes opened wide. God has bigger plans for you. Often you limit him by going to him with a begging bowl. Let me ask you, do children beg at home? Those three words, Ask! Seeek! Knock! are meant for children. You are one of God’s children; aren’t you?
Ask! Seek! Knock! Jesus always prayed with the confidence that his Father in heaven heard him. There was no doubt; no uncertainty; and no confusion. Why? Because he always did what pleased his Father. And always sought to do his Father’s will. So when you Ask! Seek! Knock! it will be surely answered when you earnestly wish to do what God wants you to do.
Ask! Seek! Knock! Finally, when Jesus prayed, he had an utterance of thanks in his lips and in his heart. That is faith in action; when you thank God for the answer even when there is no possibility of an answer. For God “gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”2
Therefore, Ask! Seek! Knock! Those three words can truly change your life!
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” — Jesus Christ in his Sermon on the Mount 1(Matthew 7:7, 8 Bible NIV).
In this post, you will find these in four sections:
I. A Brief Introduction to Bishop Jesudasan’s Life and Legacy
II. Bishop Jesudasan’s Sermon: The Feast of Life (transcript).
III. Sermon Analysis
IV. Related Content: Links to condolence messages and media reports.
A Brief Introduction to Bishop Jesudasan’s Life and Legacy
Bishop Jesudasan’s sermons are remembered for their clarity of thought, their grounding on God’s Word, their depth of understanding of cultural contexts, his unique way of combining eastern and western elements, their relevance to the occasion, and for their force of delivery and impact.
He always approached the pulpit with utmost sacredness only to preach God’s Word and never for any other purpose; a lesson his father had taught him.
Bishop Jesudasan came from a very humble background and was exalted by God to positions of leadership: He was a presbyter in the South Kerala Diocese, became Lecturer and subsequently Principal of Kerala United Theological Seminary. He was elected Vice-Chairman of South Kerala Diocese and then its Bishop for a span of seventeen years which is described as the golden age of the diocese. During this time he was elected Deputy Moderator of the Church of South India and later its Moderator for three consecutive terms.
He was Co-Chairman of the CSI-CNI-Marthoma Joint Council, a member of the Anglican Consultative Council, Council for World Mission (formerly London Missionary Society or LMS), and the World Council of Churches; being an elected member of its central committee for ten years. He has authored several books that are Christ-centred and expound the Word of God with great depth of theological understanding and insight.
Bishop Jesuadasan was a man who was faithful to God’s call. He truly made memorable his name Jesudasan, which in his mother tongue Malayalam means, servant of Jesus. He had a true shepherd’s heart and did his utmost to keep the people of God united, He had the attitude of a servant leader, lived a simple life, had absolute trust in God, walked in his integrity before God and men, was compassionate to the poor, cried out for social justice, commanded the respect of secular and religious leadership alike, was a man of prayer spending early morning hours in reading and meditating on God’s Word, and wherever he went spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ and brought a sense of God’s presence to all worship services and meetings he conducted.
Most Rev. I. Jesudasan, the then Moderator of the Church of South India, delivered this blessed sermon at the World Council of Churches Assembly in Vancouver, Canada, on 31st July 1983.
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).”
The sacrament of Eucharist is indeed a festival of great joy: the feast of life. Because, here we celebrate the wonderful and unique act of God by which He shared His life with our humanity. This is the cardinal mystery that we proclaim in and through this sacrament. God in His boundless love had shared His life with us by sending His son Jesus Christ to take upon Himself the fallen human nature and to give us eternal life. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth.” And the Son of God shared His life with humanity by proclaiming the good news to the poor, by doing deeds of love and finally by laying down His life for all. This unique sacrifice is the source of abundant life to all people. The Holy Spirit makes Christ’s life a transforming and life-giving power in the world.
But how do we participate in this feast of life?
The Lord of life calls us to humble ourselves; to leave our pride and, like Peter, to be washed by our Lord, who emptied Himself to take the form of a slave. When we come to our senses we would also confess before God’s embracing Love, just as the Prodigal son did: “I have sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” We feel the compulsion to cry out, beating our breast like the Publican, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.” It is only the poor in spirit who are deemed worthy to enter into the joy of the kingdom. If we approach the Lord’s table with contrite hearts and empty hands, there awaits for us the bread of life. The Lord is ready to fill the hungry with good things.
Here in Vancouver, we, the representatives of different church bodies who acknowledge and proclaim, “Jesus Christ—the Life of the World,” are privileged to celebrate this Eucharist, offering thanks to God our Heavenly Father. God’s people from all nations, tongues, and cultures have come together to make this occasion unique. We are thrilled at this grand spectacle which gives a foretaste of the heavenly scene of the great multitude which throng around the throne of God singing the new song of praise as we read in the Book of Revelation.
Against this glorious and luminous backdrop we are alarmed to see the acts of betrayal still being enacted in our day. Principalities and powers around us cause fear and anxiety as in the days of Christ. During these days we have been made aware of these frightful depressing modern betrayal scenes.
The darkness that surrounded Jesus Christ was basically a spiritual one, caused by unbelief. According to the New Testament witness, eternal life is to know the Father and His son, Jesus Christ, and the work that is pleasing to God, is to accept Jesus Christ whom the Father had sent for our salvation. For the witness is that in Him we have life. And it is this life that we are called to proclaim to a world in spiritual crisis.
Many in our world do not care to have vital spiritual relationship with the living God through His son Jesus Christ. So atheism, agnosticism and different types of secular materialism are on the increase. We cannot deal with them either by ignoring them or by replacing them with other concerns. It is in this context that we bear witness to the living Christ who says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. St. Paul says that, “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” At the Eucharist we are made to see the terrible loss that happens to life—whether individual or collective, which is not related to God through Christ. We are called upon to feed the world with the bread of life and lead the nations to the living waters.
Christ sent the disciples to the upper room to make arrangements for the last supper. They went and set one table for it. Painfully we still sit at separate tables in the ecumenical upper room, excluding each other in the name of Him who invited all to His table, propping up our differences with theological arguments. It is, however, a happy thought that the liturgy that we celebrate today is a sign of the advances we have made on our common understandings on Baptism, Eucharist and the Ministry. It is at this table that we become aware that truth is not a theological affirmation, but the sharing of the life our Lord. This feast is, and always will be, one that calls and compels us to be inclusive.
Poet Markham says,
He drew a circle that shut me out . . .
But love and I had the wit to win;
We drew a circle that took him in.
What is the context of this feast?
We know it only too well that millions suffer all over the world, living under poverty, oppression and exploitation. The crafty designs of unjust socio-economic structures crush the voiceless poor, they cry for justice. In the name of freedom, values of the kingdom of God are brushed aside and for selfish gains and pleasures of life; people choose to walk on the road that leads to death. Our societies are producing more and more druggists, delinquents, unclaimed children, broken homes, etc. Are these not symptoms of disintegration of our modern civilization? People in such conditions stretch out their hands for help.
Consequent on the massive accumulation of nuclear weapons we live under the dreadful fear of total annihilation of the human race.
The abundant world resources are being wasted on destructive purposes while poverty continues to assume alarming proportions. Indeed the creation itself mourns over the irresponsible and sinful acts toward nature and its resources. The frightened people all over the world yearn for peace while political structures defiantly ask, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The church too is often tempted to pass by.
The great Indian sage and Poet Tagore says:
“Thou are the Brother amongst my brothers,
But I heed them not,
I divide not my earnings with them,
Thus sharing my all with Thee.
In pleasure and in pain I stand not by the side of men.
And thus stand by Thee.
I shrink to give up my life,
And thus do not plunge into the great waters of life.”
We are very much conscious of the darkness that surrounds us. God has opened our hearts to be concerned about these situations, of which we have just heard. It was in the midst of challenges posed by destructive forces and death, that our Lord instituted the sacrament of Eucharist as the feast of life and then down his life to win victory over the powers of death. In Christ we find the new life which God shares with the world and learn the secret of the life in God. Jesus said, “whoever loves his own life will lose it, whoever hates his own life in this world, will keep it for life eternal.” Eucharist celebrations become meaningful only when it points to a sharing of our lives. “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls,” says Paul to the Church in Corinth.
On September, 1224, the Holy Cross Day, St. Francis of Assissi prayed thus in a prayer vigil:
“Who are thou, my God most sweet?
And what am I, that unprofitable servant and vilest of worms?
O, my Lord Jesus Christ,
Two graces do I pray thee to grant unto me before I die.
The first that while I live I may feel in my body
And in my soul that sorrow, sweet Lord, that thou didst
Suffer in the hours of thy most bitter passion.
The second that I may feel in my heart that exceeding love
Wherewith, Oh, Son of God, thou was enkindled to endure
Willingly for us sinners agony so great.”
May this be our prayer as we take part in this Holy Eucharist.
Sermon Analysis and Appreciation
The Setting
Bishop Jesudasan’s sermon The Feast of Life is based on God’s Word, focuses on the meaning of the Holy Eucharist instituted by our Lord, is set against the backdrop of situations of current relevance and has a global and heavenly perspective.
Two Questions
The whole sermon hinges on two questions he asks about the sacrament of Holy Communion:
Question #1: “But how do we participate in this feast?”
If anyone is not related to God through Christ, we find there a terrible loss that happens to life. In order that we might not suffer loss, we need to humble ourselves like Peter and the Publican and the Prodigal son and seek God’s mercy. It is when we acknowledge that we are sinners, it is when we leave aside our pride, and it is only when are empty and poor in spirit, that we can approach the Lord’s table with “contrite hearts and empty hands.” Then we will find there the Bread of Life awaiting us with his embracing love and ready to fill the hungry with good things.
Question #2: “What is the context of this feast?”
The Bishop points out for us the fact that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper “in the midst of challenges posed by destructive forces and death.” But he also points out that Jesus triumphed over them by laying down his life “to win victory over the powers of death.”
The Feast of Life Is About Sharing
He speaks about the sacrament of the Eucharist as a festival of great joy because it is the feast of life. And it became the feast of life because it centred on one thing: sharing. First of all, God shared his life with our humanity. He did this so by sending his son Jesus to this world. And then the Son of God shared his life with humanity “by proclaiming the good news to the poor, by doing deeds of love and finally by laying down his life for all.” Therefore “Eucharist celebrations become meaningful only when it points to a sharing of our lives.”
The Feast of Life Means Becoming Inclusive
We are called by our Lord, as we participate in the Lord’s supper, to become inclusive and sit at one table and not be divided by “propping up our differences with theological arguments.” We are called by our Lord, to see and listen to the cries of millions of people who “suffer all over the world, living under poverty, oppression and exploitation.” “People in such conditions stretch out their hands for help,” he says.
The Feast of Life Is About the Grand Spectacle of the Foretaste of Heaven
When Bishop Jesudasan looks at the gathering, he sees representatives of different church bodies from all over the world coming together to celebrate the Eucharist. All of them together proclaim Jesus Christ—the Life of the World. It is a great moment to offer thanks to our Heavenly Father. The redeemed people from all nations, tongues and cultures coming together like this, according to the Bishop, is a “grand spectacle which gives a foretaste of the heavenly scene of the great multitude which throng around the throne of God singing a new song of praise.”
The Feast of Life Is About Witnessing to Jesus in an Unbelieving World
The Bishop is alarmed to see “acts of betrayal” that still happen against this “glorious and luminous backdrop.” He highlights the fact that humanity in plunged into spiritual darkness because of unbelief—the refusal to believe in the One whom God sent to this world. The New Testament witness is that in the Son of God we have life. And when we celebrate the sacrament of Eucharist, we have to be reminded that “it is this life we are called to proclaim to a world in spiritual crisis.” Thus the Bishop reminds us that we the church as a people are not only called to be a believing and worshipping community but also a witnessing community to the life that is in Jesus, the Son of God and the Saviour of men and women.
The Acts of the Holy Spirit
The Bishop also reminds us how the Holy Spirit makes Christ’s life a “transforming and life-giving power in the world.” He reminds us that the kingdom of God does not happen in the pursuit of atheism, agnosticism, and secular materialism. But it happens when people seek God’s righteousness first and foremost. He reminds us of the words of St. Paul who wrote: “the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
The Historic Value of the Sermon: The Feast Is About Sitting at One Table
At Vancouver, Canada, at the World Council of Churches, when the Bishop spoke, he was not only testifying to his personal walk with the Lord and Saviour Jesus whom he loved, but he was also speaking as a representative of a community of peoples God redeemed from under oppression and slavery; who by the mighty transforming act of the Holy Spirit and by the relentless and untiring efforts of missionaries in the fields of education, medical care and social reform became united under the umbrella of the Church of South India on 27 September 1947.
Having seen and experienced first-hand the transforming and life-giving power of the Holy Spirit in the life of communities; and having seen the formation of the CSI where four different traditions; viz—Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregational, and Anglican came together to become one under the administration and guiding hand of the Holy Spirit; it is no wonder that the Bishop was calling up to give up theological arguments and sit together at one table thanking God for the feast of life he has provided us with.
The Shifting of Scenes
The Bishop lifts up our eyes to looked beyond the grand spectacle of the people gathered together to celebrate the Lord’s supper at WCC Assembly to the great multitude in the heavenly scene as portrayed in the Book of Revelation.
But then from there he invites us to the earthly scene of injustice and oppression where we are called to act to help. In the context of unjust socio-economic structures which crush the voiceless poor who cry out for justice, in the context of values of the kingdom of God being brushed aside for selfish gains and pleasures; a choice that makes people walk on the road that leads to death, in the context of world resources being wasted for destructive purposes where even creation mourns because of sinful acts against nature and its resources; political structures ask that question that was heard at the dawn of human history: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” At the same time the church is tempted to “pass by” like the priest and the Levite in the story of Good Samaritan.
The Triumph of Christ’s Life
The whole sermon is a reminder that Christ emptied himself to give up his life to feed us with the bread of life. He triumphed over the forces of darkness and death by giving up his life. It was loss of his life that rewards us with eternal life. We are called to share this life with the world by a sharing of our lives.
Eastern and Western Elements
The Bishop quotes the American Poet Edwin Markham to highlight that we have to be inclusive. He quotes the Indian Poet Rabindranath Tagore from his classic and Nobel prize winning work Gitanjali to remind us that devotion to God which makes us insensitive to the needs of our neighbours is not what the Feast of Life is meant to be.
Devotion to Christ
In closing, the Bishop quotes the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. To those who have known the Bishop personally, this prayer comes from his lips not as a matter of oration or rhetoric; but as a sincere prayer. It was his life’s walk. He was truly devoted to Jesus Christ and had a personal relationship with his Lord and Saviour.
A Classic Sermon
This sermon is a classic because it does not come to us as a usual three-points sermon or even a sermon that is built on stories. Instead, it weaves in and through the pages of the Bible; reminds us of Cain’s question to God in Genesis and takes us to the heavenly scene as shown in Revelation.
In between, he makes us see in our mind’s eye Peter leaving aside his pride to be feet-washed by his Lord, the returning Prodigal son making his speech of repentance and meeting the “Embracing Love” of his father, and the Publican beating his breast. These pictures remind us of all that we learned in Sunday School but with deeper and more enduring lessons attached.
This sermon is a classic because of its huge relevance as it was delivered in the context of the celebration of the Eucharist by believers coming together from all over the world from different languages, nations, and cultures.
This sermon is a classic because we find the Holy Trinity and the Bishop’s adoration of the Trinity holding the sermon together. At the introduction he reminds us of God sending his Son to this world and the Holy Spirit making Christ’s life a transforming and life-giving power in the world. Again in the middle of the sermon the Bishop talks about the New Testament Witness of what life is: it is to know the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Then he goes on to say along with St. Paul that the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
This sermon is a classic because of implied contrasts throughout the sermon. The Bread of Life is being offered to those who will take it. But there is terrible loss and betrayal and death when the Bread of Life is rejected. Life on one side and death on the other. Sitting at one table together; at the same time propping up differences. The stretching out of hands for help while those cries are ignored on the other. Glorious and luminous backdrop on one side; on the other darkness and unbelief.
One Final Thought—The Feast of Life
The sermon leaves us thinking on the true meaning of the sacrament of the Eucharist. It is a reminder of the Lord’s death. It reminds us that in the death of our Saviour we have life. It reminds us there is one table and we have to leave our differences behind and sit united at one table. It reminds us that “acts of betrayal” are still going on and many people choose the road that lead to death. But when political structures deny that they are their brother’s keeper and when the church itself is tempted to pass by we are called to share our lives for the people of this world. It is then that the Lord’s table truly becomes the Feast of Life.
“What is it, Peter?” I said, “Nothing Sir.” But Prof. James M. Stewart persisted with the question. He had earlier asked our class, “Where have you heard of Venus before?” I had then whispered to my friends, “Circus.” And it had not escaped to catch his attention.
And as Prof. J. M. Stewart quizzed my friends, they blurted out, “Circus! Venus Circus!” (referring to the famous touring circus company). And then, breaking eye contact with me, and turning to the whole class, he made this classic remark: “See, how different people have different tastes according to their profession!” His ability to improvise on all occasions with his silver tongue was profoundly amazing.
Later when I started my public speaking training program in the year 1996–a year after I passed out from Mar Ivanios College–I vividly remember that I took the first copy of my program’s brochure to our beloved teacher, Prof. James M. Stewart, so lovingly known as “Stewart Sir.” With the kind of respect he has in my heart, I couldn’t think of anyone else to share about my venture first. I write this with a great sense of loss at his passing away yesterday on 21st May 2021. He had exhibited great affection, love and care towards me as he had a close-knit brotherly bonding with my late Daddy.
When I first told Stewart Sir of my interest to pursue English Literature, he encouraged me a lot to do so. And my life was scripted through a road that was less travelled by in later years, through the study of English Literature and various leadership and performance opportunities I got at Mar Ivanios College to excel in public speaking. Stewart Sir was always there to encourage me in my efforts in this direction.
JMS was how his name was written in short form. Those three letters together struck a note of respect always. There are so many varied aspects of his character that made his personality stand out. I would like to highlight just three of them.
First of all, he was a gifted orator. He spoke with great command in both English and Malayalam. His speeches are remembered by all who heard them. There was no thundering rhetoric but logic working its way through with gentle persuasion. There are two moments I recall. One, after one of his sermons at our church (we both attended the same church), I went and asked him, “Sir, when will I be able to deliver a speech like the one you just did?” I was fascinated by his ability to hold a twenty-minute sermon on one single point, having all of the listeners engaged in his oration.
On another occasion, after I had given a sermon on Jesus the Good Shepherd, I just walked up to him to listen to his invaluable feedback. He put an arm around my shoulder and said, “My son, you could have left out the second and third points.” I learned the value of ruthless editing from him. When he mercilessly struck off many of my creative writing efforts with his turquoise blue ink, I realised how his thoughtful editing made my writing powerful. Further, no one can forget the kind of stage presence he had; how he could grace an occasion with dignity; and the felicity of words with which he could make even an ordinary occasion look grand.
Secondly, he was a gifted teacher par excellence. He took his time to get through a passage, be it poem, prose, or drama. He brought to life each word, scene, and character with his ability to dramatize without making us conscious of him doing so. Perhaps his greatest ability as a teacher was how he could connect the text being taught with real life examples, to people, and to life’s varied situations. He once quoted, “Experience is the comb you get when your head becomes bald.” and it took a lot of time for us to value its wisdom.
Life had taught him many lessons, he used to say, and he took them in his stride even when they took him through grief and loss. One of the things he took pride in was that he was teaching Literature. He used to say, “In Science, you learn about life; in Literature you learn life.” I have heard a professor (who is now no more; also, a former student of Stewart Sir) who stood with us in front of a class room and said, “Stewart Sir is yet to complete a few lessons for us.” He said that with a touch of humour; but it also says how much his students loved his sessions. Perhaps it is true, “Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter.”
Thirdly, he commanded awesome love, respect, and admiration from all his students. He was strict and there was no doubt about it. And even his firm look was sufficient enough to make students who were simply wasting their time scurry away from in front of the Department of English. His voice carried the command of a War General.
At the same time, he could understand students like no one else usually did. Even with the most violent guys in the college, he had a way to soothe them by putting his hand around their shoulders and asking gently, “What’s troubling you?” He alone would walk into the midst of a brawl and simply with his words would push two warring factions of students away from each other. I’ve witnessed this myself with great disbelief at times. Students would walk up to him and pour out their hearts to him, vent their troubles in family or life. And in him they found someone who genuinely cared. We have heard many life lessons that he had to share from such conversations.
Some time ago, I was able to visit him at his home and spent some time with him conversing. Even when he had difficulty remembering everything; still he was able to recall many moments and asked questions about them. Unable to see when I met him last, he said he was spending much time listening.
Maybe I cannot close without mentioning one fact: in the early days of my blogging, he used to send me encouraging comments after reading some of the posts. A man of his stature finding time to read and comment on one of his students’ writing tells volumes of the mettle of his character; doesn’t it?
Department of English, Mar Ivanios College. Photo courtesy: englishmic.com/about
And now leaving aside all else I could say of him, like the relationship he maintained with Bishops and clergy across Christian denominations, politicians, administrators, and former students; his tremendous gift of organizing mega events, his skill with the written word, his contributions as an Editor and many things more; I would like to close by saying that as a teacher he inspired, motivated, and set standards of excellence that is difficult to emulate. But the light he was able to ignite in the hearts of many, the love he had for all of us students, the great aspirations he had for us; will always be cherished.
Capturing attention of the audience at the beginning is one of the keys to successful public speaking. It is best illustrated in this incident1 recorded in the Bible.
At one point in time and history in a desert a bush caught fire. But this burning bush did not burn up. Becoming curious Moses went near.
When God saw that he had Moses’ attention, he called out, “Moses! Moses!” “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
Moses shielded his face for he was afraid to look at God who had come down to speak with him in the flames of the burning bush.
God had an important message to communicate to Moses about himself as well as his plans for the exodus of his people from Egypt where they were in slavery.
But God wanted to capture the attention of Moses first. The burning bush thus became an attention-grabber.
For God was telling Moses that he had seen the misery of his people and have come down to rescue them.
It was a message of hope with a promise of deliverance. It was a message that God was coming down to set captives free with wonders, signs, and miracles.
But God chose to capture attention first before he would give his important message. The burning bush will never be forgotten.
Our introductions in speeches might never be this dramatic. Yet we cannot afford to forget that without capturing attention it is meaningless to try to communicate an important message.
And remember, especially when you are discouraged and downcast, God might be trying to capture your attention. Lift up your eyes, and look around; you might then be able to see one of God’s attention-grabbers for he truly cares for you!
Emperors and generals have ridden into cities in triumphal processions in the annals of human history. But none of them have captured the imagination of the masses or have had such enduring appeal to people across all cultures and nations like the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday two thousand years ago amidst the cries of “Hosanna.”
The show of power was remarkably absent in this ride of conquest. Jesus rode into Jerusalem in gentleness in contrast to the pomp of heroes who returned victorious from war.
Let us now look at some characteristics of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem:
It was a public entryas masses had gathered in Jerusalem to attend the Passover. It was a courageous entry as the religious leaders were already plotting to take his life. It was a humble entry as he came riding on a borrowed donkey. It was a king’s entry as people hailed him as the long-awaited Messiah and as the Son of David. It was a joyous entry as children were shouting “Hosanna” (meaning “save now”) and rejoicing before him waving palm branches. It was a peaceful entry by the Prince of Peace into the City of Peace.
He knew that in the space of a few days the cries of acclamation and “Hosanna” would give way to the cry of “Crucify, Crucify.”
He knew the hearts of men and how people would refuse to listen to the truth and instead side with popular vote against him soon.
He knew that he was going to be rejected, scorned, mocked, despised, spat upon, stripped naked, hit with fists and staff, flogged with whips and crowned with thorns and that they would make him bleed.
He knew it all.
Yet he chose to ride as king to Jerusalem where he would bleed and die for the sin of the world and for the forgiveness of your sins and mine.
See the king in lowly majesty.
He stands before you today for your verdict: “Hosanna” or “Crucify?”
Which one would you choose?
Grace is often described as the favour of God which we do not merit or deserve. On one occasion the LORD Jesus said to St. Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”1
Paul was praying to God for having a difficulty in his life removed. He prayed thrice. This man through whom God had done many miracles was given an emphatic NO in answer to his prayer.
But the real answer given was a greater lesson. “My grace is sufficient for you. ”
Now what does that mean? It means that God knows that we are weak vessels. He knows that we carry the treasure of God’s wisdom in jars of clay.
So he gives you grace to stand up under pressure. He brings consolation to your soul when you have great anxiety.
He shapes your character when you pass through troubles and difficulties; and you then emerge as gold passed through and tested in the fire.
When troubles sustain, God’s grace sustains us all the more. When we are truly weak; our pride is kept in check, and God’s power is perfected in us.
In other words, we are kept humble and all the more dependent on God. There is less burden on our hearts and minds this way than if we tried to live our lives in our own wisdom and strength.
This is God’s grace. The ability and enabling he gives is sufficient to meet our pressing needs. In other words, you will not lack the supply of his grace. He will hold you by his right hand.
Yes, God’s grace is sufficient for you and for me.
— 12 Corinthians 12:9 Bible NIV 1984
Short Speeches of Introduction, Welcome, Felicitation, Vote of Thanks!
Look to Jesus for when you fail and falter and when you lose hope in life, he is there to lift you up and strengthen your heart with his Almighty Presence.
Look to Jesus, fix your eyes on him, and look steadily at him for it is when you focus on others or circumstances your heart is hit with disappointment and fear often.
Look to Jesus for he is your peace no matter what you are going through; for the punishment that brought us peace fell on him on the cross where he bled and died for you!
Change is what we see all around us. Maybe it would be more right to say that change and decay is what we see all around us. In this backdrop of flux and change comes this authoritative word from God, “I, the LORD, do not change!”1
What does it mean? It means that God is unchanging in his holiness, unchanging in his love, and unchanging in his judgement. Let me repeat that for you: “I the LORD do not change,” means that God is unchanging in his holiness, unchanging in his love, and unchanging in his judgement.
First of all, there is nothing more awesome than the unchanging holiness of God. He is full of light and there is no darkness in him. Nothing in the entire universe can compare with the splendour of the holiness of God.
Secondly, there is nothing more amazing than the unchanging love of God. He so loved the world that he gave Jesus and sent him to bleed and die on the cross. That each one of us might find mercy, forgiveness and pardon for our sins; and that each one of us might find the free gift of eternal life by believing in him.
Thirdly, there is nothing more scary than the unchanging wrath and judgement of God. It is popular to believe that a loving God will not punish rebellion, disobedience and sin. But then can a God of justice leave the guilty unpunished? The only way out for anyone is to cry out for the mercy of God.
Yes, God is unchanging in his holiness. Therefore his unchanging wrath and judgement on sin fell on his innocent Son Jesus on the cross.2 This was the greatest expression of his unchanging love towards you.
“I the LORD do not change,” also means that he is a rock and tower of strength to those who trust in him. God can be relied on in all the changes of life because he, the LORD, does not change!
— 1Malachi 3:6 Bible 2“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21 Bible.
Short Speeches of Introduction, Welcome, Felicitation, Vote of Thanks!
Respected dignitaries on the dais, beloved colleagues, and graduating students,
Have you wondered how it feels when you’re aboard a ship going on a long voyage for the first time? What is the feel when the ship moves away from shore? You slowly lose sight of your loved ones and all familiar landmarks. Then it is all water everywhere.
But then what sustains you there? Hope! Hope of fulfilling your dreams, hope of a better tomorrow, and hope of a great journey ahead. My dear graduates and post graduates College of Nursing, you are soon going to be part of this situation I have just described. Life, my dear friends, is forward. There comes moments when we have to step out into the unknown and unmapped territories.
Let me briefly spell out three magic words that can light up your path ahead:
The first magic word I would like to shout out loud to you is the word LIFE.
We live in a world which is increasingly becoming hostile to life. The dignity of life is challenged everywhere. People are being reduced to labels, numbers, and even objects. It is in this context that we Nurses are called to nurture life, value life, cherish life, and bring health and healing to the world.
Have you understood the real impact of this? There was once a man, a common labourer in Europe who said, “I am building here a cathedral with the great Architect Sir Christopher Wren.” See, that person had the insight that though his role was to bring together the bricks and build the wall; he was engaged in a larger task of helping people worship God in a beautiful cathedral. He also had the sense of pride and dignity that he was working along with a great builder of cathedrals.
My dear Nursing graduates, you too are working along side our Creator God. He is in the business of giving life; and you along side with him are also engaged in helping people maintain healthy lives. Be thankful that God has entrusted you with this awesome privilige.
In this context let me remind you those beautiful lines from Michael Jackson,
Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me
And the entire human race
There are people dying
If you care enough for the living
Make it a better place
For you and for me.
The second magic word I would like to leave with you is PURPOSE.
In that classic movie Chariots of Fire which shows the Olympic Gold winning effort of Eric Liddel, there is a moment where he speaks his heart out to his sister Jennie. He says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast! And when I run I feel his pleasure.”
Likewise you all are called to be nurses with a purpose—the purpose to care, to give hope, and to put confidence in people. This is a high calling in life. To fulifil that call, you may have to make personal sacrifices.
Lini Puthussery is one among us in Kerala who with great courage and dignity made a great sacrifice to take care of people infected with the Nipah Virus. She could have played it safe. But she chose to pursue the call of duty. Florence Nightingale could have played it safe duringthe Crimean war but she was ready to be used as an instrument of healing in God’s hands. Or take the example of Edith Cavell, a British nurse who was executed by the Germans for saving the lives of many soldiers during World War I. She was quoted as saying, “I can’t stop while there are lives to be saved.”
So my dear graduating students, you are on a mission with a purpose–the purpose to care, to give hope, and to put confidence in people while nursing them back to good health.
The third magic word I would like to bring to your attention is COMPASSION.
We live in the age of ever-happening technology. What is the impact of this? Many husbands know their mobile phones better than their wives and vice versa. With artificial intelligence making great progress; today life is becoming more and more mechanical and robotic. Lost is the time of family prayer and dinner together. We have also let go of simple conversations at home. Everybody is busy chatting with everyone else in the world but not with members of family.
As Mother Theresa noted, “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.”
So know that most people who come into your care are poor. They may have houses, cars, jobs, and plenty of gold but they are emotionally and spiritually poor. What they need is compassion. One of the characteristics of Jesus during his earthly ministry was that he stopped to listen to the cry of individuals because he was moved with compassion.
Can you be a channel of God’s compassion? If yes, a healing beyond that of physical sicknesses can take place. That is a greater miracle.
Let me conclude. I would like to thank all of you for inviting me to deliver this graduation address. I am deeply thankful for the kind words of introduction too.
My dear graduating students you are now going to be angels of encouragement and hope. You are going to be carrying the light of hope in jars of clay. In yourselves you may feel weak and inadequate for the great task ahead. But let me wish and pray that God Almighty hold you by your right hand and lead you on your journey ahead.
