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.
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.
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!
My dear friend, “Are you thirsting for true love?” If so, your thirst ends here. For it is God who is saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”1
First of all, it is God’s promise of love. What he promises, he keeps. He remains true and faithful to what he has said. That means he will never break his word to you: “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
Secondly, it is God’s love that is immeasurable. You cannot go beyond the extreme heights or depths or length or breadth of God’s love.
Thirdly, it is God’s love that death cannot break. God’s everlasting love goes beyond time to timelessness and stretches beyond death to all eternity.
Finally, it is God’s love for you for which proof and evidence has been already given. For God so loved you and me and the people of the whole world that he sacrificially gave and gifted his Son Jesus to bleed and die on the cross.
Yes, my friend, God has indeed loved you with an everlasting love. Do not trust your emotions which might feel this love at times and on other occasions feel great dryness in your heart and soul. God loving you with an everlasting love is real fact and truth. Will you love him in return?
— 1“The LORD appeared to us in the past saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” — Jeremiah 31:3 Bible NIV 1984
Did you know God is waiting for you? He knows that like a foolish child you’ve strayed and lost your way. So he is anxiously waiting to see you come back home.
“Come back home, my child,” is your Heavenly Father’s voice to you today. “Return to me,” is the call he sounds to you now. So take words with you, “Father, I have sinned against you. Please forgive me.”
Oh, God will run to you, embrace you, kiss you and accept you when he sees you come back from afar!
He will not find fault with you nor condemn you for wasting your life in wild living. But he will receive you with great compassion when you come back. He will show you great mercy.
The door of heaven and the heart of God is always kept open for you to come back. Angels will rejoice at your coming back. There will be celebrations in heaven when you come back to God and your home.
When you get back home my child God will put rich and royal robes on you. Then to all you will no longer be the beggar on the streets, but a son or daughter of God. Come back home my child to the rich welcome of God.
— This post is inspired by the story of the Prodigal Son Jesus told (Gospel of Luke Chapter 15 Bible).
Short Speeches of Introduction, Welcome, Felicitation, Vote of Thanks!
Not many of us are fully satisfied with what we see in the mirror; are we? Your image in the mirror does not reflect you accurately; does it? But then a mirror reflects a longing within us to see ourselves as we truly are; to be known fully and perfectly as God alone knows you and me.
St. Paul uses the image of a mirror to write about things we know now on earth and things we are yet to see in life beyond the grave. He says, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.”1
Today we see through a glass, darkly; or in a mirror, dimly. But he shouts out the hope that one day we shall see face to face.
Yes, those who have known the love of God in their lives and have responded to that supreme sacrifice of Jesus on the cross where he poured out his blood for the forgiveness of our sins; one day will see Jesus face to face.
We will also see our loved ones again—all those who have died believing in him who died for them and rose again from the dead.
Then reflections in the mirror will give way to realities when what is dimly seen becomes clearly seen. This is our blessed hope when Jesus comes again as he promised to take us home for ever!
There are times when the flowers are in bloom, the sky is clear and blue, and everyone seems to sport a smile, but you are down; unable to see any good in things around you! It simply means you are depressed. And there seems to be no way out. But wait. There is still one thing you have; that is, hope in God. It will be your strength in these difficult days and times.
Even when there seems to be no way forward; even when no one seems to care or understand; even when there is no end to criticism against you; even when everything you’ve tried to do have seemed to have failed; there is God above it all, watching over you my friend. You are the apple of his eye. No trouble will separate you from his love and he will not give up on you. So hope in God and he will be your strength.
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.”1
How many people know you by name? That question is deeper than you think. In that sense the question is, how many people know you truly?
Your name represents you. Isn’t your name sweet to your ears? Your name gives you your sense of identity and your sense of uniqueness and to a great extent you are not an impersonal alphanumeric code because you have a name.
When others call you by name they respect you as a person. In fact, by calling you by name others are not dismissing you as an lifeless thing or object.
And when God says, “I have called you by name; you are Mine!” it is the highest honour you can have. It means that God knows you like no other. He knows your heart’s true desires. He knows where you fail.
But beyond that when God says, “I have called you by name,” it means that he knows your future. You need not worry about it any more for you are known and intimately known by the One who holds you future.
Isn’t that comforting? But then do you know the One who calls you by name? Do you know the One who has even all the hairs of your head numbered? Therefore, try your best to know him who knows you by name!
കർത്താവായ യേശു ക്രിസ്തുവിൻ്റെ ധന്യ നാമത്തിൽ ഏവർക്കും സ്നേഹവന്ദനം.
വളരെ വർഷങ്ങൾക്കു മുൻപ് വില്യം കൗപ്പർ (William Cowper) എന്ന കവി ഇംഗ്ലണ്ടിൽ ജീവിച്ചിരുന്നു. ഒരിക്കൽ അദ്ദേഹം നിരാശനായി തീർന്നു. ജീവിതം അവസാനിപ്പിക്കുവാൻ ആഗ്രഹിച്ചു. അതിനായി ഒരു ടാക്സി വിളിച്ചു അദ്ദേഹം ലണ്ടനിലെ തേംസ് (Thames) നദിക്കു മുകളിലുള്ള പാലത്തിലേക്ക് കൊണ്ടുപോകുവാൻ ഡ്രൈവറോട് ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ടു.
യാത്ര തുടങ്ങി കുറച്ചു നേരത്തിനുള്ളിൽ തന്നെ അവിടെ കടുത്ത മൂടൽമഞ്ഞുണ്ടായി. ടാക്സി ഡ്രൈവർക്കു മുന്നോട്ടു വണ്ടി ഓടിക്കുവാൻ കഴിയാതെയായി. ഒരു മണിക്കൂറായിട്ടും മൂടൽമഞ്ഞു മാറിയില്ല. അപ്പോൾ വില്യം കൗപ്പർ ഡ്രൈവറോട്, “എന്നെ തിരികെ വീട്ടിൽ കൊണ്ടാക്കാമോ?” എന്നു ചോദിച്ചു. “തീർച്ചയായും,” എന്നു പറഞ് ഡ്രൈവർ അദ്ദേഹത്തെ തിരികെ വീട്ടിലെത്തിച്ചു.
വണ്ടിക്കൂലി നൽകിയപ്പോൾ ടാക്സി ഡ്രൈവർ അത് നിരസിച്ചു. ഉദ്ദേശിച്ച സ്ഥലത്തു എനിക്കു താങ്കളെ എത്തിക്കുവാൻ കഴിയാത്തതു കൊണ്ട് എനിക്കു ടാക്സി കൂലി വേണ്ട എന്നാണു ഡ്രൈവർ പറഞ്ഞത്.
നദിയിൽ ചാടി മരിക്കണം എന്നാഗ്രഹിച്ച വില്യം കൗപർ സുരക്ഷിതനായി തിരികെ വീട്ടിൽ എത്തി. ആ അനുഭവം അദ്ദേഹത്തിൽ ഇടയനായ ദൈവത്തിൻ്റെ കരുതലിനെ കുറിച്ച് ഒരു വലിയ ധൈര്യപ്പെടുത്തൽ ഉണ്ടാക്കി. ആ സമയത്തു അദ്ദേഹം എഴുതിയ പ്രശസ്തമായ ഗാനമാണ്,
God moves in mysterious ways
His wonders to perform.
അതെ യഹോവ എൻ്റെ ഇടയനാണ്. അവൻ അത്ഭുതകരമായ രീതിയിൽ എനിക്കായി കരുതുന്നു. അവൻ എന്നെ അറിയുന്നു, എന്നെ സ്നേഹിക്കുന്നു, എന്നെ പുലർത്തുന്നു.
സങ്കീർത്തനങ്ങളുടെ സങ്കീർത്തനം എന്നറിയപ്പെടുന്ന സങ്കീർത്തനം ഇരുപത്തിമൂന്നിൽ പറയുന്ന സത്യങ്ങളാണ് ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളെ ഓർമപ്പെടുത്തിയത്.
യഹോവ എൻ്റെ ഇടയനാണ് എന്നു പറയുമ്പോൾ അവൻ എന്നെ നന്നായി അറിയുന്നു എന്ന സത്യം ഞാൻ മനസിലാക്കുന്നു. എൻ്റെ തലയെ എണ്ണ കൊണ്ട് അഭിക്ഷേകം ചെയ്യുന്ന ഇടയൻ എൻ്റെ തലയിലെ മുടി പോലും എല്ലാം എണ്ണിയിരിക്കുന്നു.
എൻ്റെ ജീവിതത്തിലെ എല്ലാ ആവശ്യങ്ങളെയും അറിയുന്ന ദൈവം മുട്ടുണ്ടാകാതെ പച്ചയായ പുല്പുറങ്ങളിലേക്കു എന്നെ നടത്തുന്നു. സ്വസ്ഥതയുള്ള വെള്ളത്തിനരികെ എന്നെ നടത്തുകയും എൻ്റെ പ്രാണനെ തണുപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു.
ഈ ഇടയൻ എപ്പോഴും എൻ്റെ കൂടെ ഇരിക്കുന്ന ദൈവമാണ്. എന്നെ പേർ ചൊല്ലി വിളിക്കുന്ന ഇടയനാണ് അവൻ. ഈ ഇടയൻ്റെ സ്നേഹം ഏറ്റവും പ്രകാശം പരത്തിയത് കാൽവരി ക്രൂശിലാണ്:
അവിടെ യേശു കർത്താവ് എൻ്റെ പാപങ്ങൾക്കു വേണ്ടി രക്തം ചിന്തി മരിച്ചു. ആ നല്ലിടയൻ എനിക്കു വേണ്ടി തൻ്റെ ജീവനെ തന്നു. ആ സ്നേഹത്തെ ഏവരെയും ഓർമ്മിപ്പിച്ചു കൊണ്ട് ഞാൻ എൻ്റെ വാക്കുകൾ നിറുത്തുന്നു. ആമേൻ.
കർത്താവായ യേശു ക്രിസ്തുവിൻ്റെ ധന്യ നാമത്തിൽ ഏവർക്കും സ്നേഹവന്ദനം.
എല്ലാ കാലത്തും വിശ്വാസികളുടെ ഏറ്റവും പ്രീയപ്പെട്ട സങ്കീർത്തനമാണ് ഇരുപത്തിമൂന്നാം സങ്കീർത്തനo. ദാവീദ് തൻ്റെ ജീവിതത്തിലെ അനുഭവങ്ങൾ ഇവിടെ എഴുതുകയാണ്. യഹോവ എൻ്റെ ഇടയനാണ് എന്ന ശക്തമായ വിശ്വാസ പ്രഖ്യാപനത്തോടെയാണ് ഈ സങ്കീർത്തനം ആരംഭിക്കുന്നത്.
ഒന്നാമതായി ഇവിടെ കാണുന്നത് നമ്മുക്ക് ദൈവവുമായിട്ടുള്ള വ്യക്തിപരമായ ബന്ധമാണ്.
യഹോവ ഇടയനാകുന്നു എന്നല്ല ഇവിടെ പറഞ്ഞിരിക്കുന്നത്. യഹോവ എൻ്റെ ഇടയൻ എന്നാണ്. എന്താണിതിൻ്റെ അർത്ഥം? എന്താണിതിൻ്റെ അർത്ഥം? ഇടയനായ യഹോവയ്ക്കു അനേകം ആടുകൾ ഉണ്ട്. എങ്കിലും അവൻ എന്നെ വ്യക്തിപരമായി അറിയുന്നു, പേർചൊല്ലി വിളിക്കുന്നു, എന്നെ സ്നേഹിക്കുന്നു. എത്ര വലിയോരു വിശ്വാസ അനുഭവമാണ് ദാവീദ് വിവരിക്കുന്നത് എന്ന് നോക്കുക.
അതുകൊണ്ട് ജീവിതത്തിൻ്റെ ഏതു സാഹചര്യത്തിലും എനിക്കും നിങ്ങൾക്കും ധൈര്യമായി പറയുവാൻ സാധിക്കട്ടെ, “യഹോവ എൻ്റെ ഇടയാനാകുന്നു.”
രണ്ടാമതായി യഹോവ എനിക്കായി കരുതുന്നു. അതുകൊണ്ട് എനിക്ക് മുട്ടുണ്ടാകയില്ല.
ജീവിതത്തിൽ പ്രയാസങ്ങൾ വരാത്തവരായി ആരും ഉണ്ടാകാത്തില്ല. എങ്കിലും യഹോവയിൽ ആശ്രയിക്കുന്നവൻ്റെ ആവശ്യങ്ങൾ നടത്തികൊടുക്കുവാൻ യഹോവ മതിയായവനാണ്. അവൻ തൻ്റെ ജനങ്ങളുടെ ആവശ്യങ്ങൾ മുന്നമേ അറിയുകയും അവർക്കായി കരുതുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു.
അതുകൊണ്ട് അനുഗ്രഹങ്ങൾ തേടി ആരും ഓടേണ്ട. പകരം യഹോവയെ അന്വേഷിക്കുമ്പോൾ, അവനെ സ്നേഹിക്കുമ്പോൾ, ആവശ്യങ്ങൾ അവൻ നിറവേറ്റി തരും.
മൂന്നാമതായി യഹോവ എപ്പോഴും എൻ്റെ കൂടെ ഇരിക്കുന്നു.
മനുഷ്യൻ്റെ സഹായം ലഭിക്കാത്ത സാഹചര്യങ്ങൾ ജീവിതത്തിൽ വരാം. എന്നാൽ അത്തരം കൂരിരുൾ താഴ്വരയിൽ കൂടി നടക്കുന്ന അനുഭവങ്ങളിലും യഹോവ എന്നോടു കൂടെയുണ്ട്.
ഒരിക്കൽ plane–ൽ ഒരു ബാലൻ യാത്ര ചെയ്യുകയായിരുന്നു. പെട്ടെന്നാണ് പ്രതികൂലമായ കാലാവസ്ഥയിൽ പെട്ടത്. യാത്രക്കാരെല്ലാം ഭയപ്പെട്ടു. ചിലർ നിലവിളിച്ചു. എന്നാൽ ഈ ബാലൻ മാത്രം ശാന്തമായി കാണപ്പെട്ടു.
അപ്പോൾ അവനോട് ഒരു യാത്രക്കാരൻ ചോദിച്ചു, “മകനേ, നിനക്കു പേടിയില്ലേ?” അവൻ മറുപടി പറഞ്ഞു: “എനിക്ക് പേടി ഒട്ടുമില്ല. എൻ്റെ പപ്പാ ആണ് ഈ വിമാനം പരത്തുന്നത്. ഈ ധൈര്യമാണ് യഹോവ എന്നോടു കൂടെ ഉണ്ട് എന്ന ബോധ്യം നമുക്ക് നൽകുന്നത്.
എന്നെ കേൾക്കുന്ന ഏവരുമെ, യഹോവ എൻ്റെ ഇടയനാകുന്നു എന്ന വിശ്വാസ പ്രഖ്യാപനത്തിനു പുതിയ മാനവും അർത്ഥവും നൽകിയത് യേശുവാണ്.
ഞാൻ നല്ല ഇടയൻ എന്ന് അവൻ പറഞ്ഞു. ആ നല്ലിടയൻ എനിക്കും നിങ്ങൾക്കും വേണ്ടി കാൽവരി ക്രൂശിൽ രക്തം ചിന്തി മരിച്ചു.
നമുക്ക് വേണ്ടി ജീവൻ നൽകിയ ആടുകളുടെ ഈ വലിയ ഇടയനെ പൂർണ്ണഹൃദയത്തോടെ സ്നേഹിക്കുവാൻ നമുക്കേവർക്കും സാധിക്കട്ടെ. ആമേൻ.
We all long to have a glimpse of heaven. Here is how heaven is going to be like:
Heaven is the home of God the Father. It is a real place. He awaits his children to arrive there. Meanwhile preparations are on for welcoming them home. What a joy when life’s race is over and you touch the finishing tape. You wake up to a new morn—a glorious beginning that will never end.
Heaven is a place of joy. It is a place where God will wipe away all tears from your eyes. No more death or mourning or crying or pain. I tell you it is not the boring kind of entertainment that you get on earth. Heaven is joy unspeakable and full of glory.
Heaven is where Jesus is. He said that he is the way. He said that in his Father’s house there are many mansions. And he is going to prepare a place for those who believe in him. One day he is going to come back to take us there. Amazing, isn’t it? God wants to share his home with us brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.
Now the question is how soon will all this become real to us?
I hope most of you have seen Umpires calling “Time” during tennis matches. That trumpet call will sound from heaven soon. Earth will give up her dead. Books will be opened. Each man will have to give account for his life before God’s judgement seat.
And then those whose names are found in the Lamb’s Book of Life will live with God for ever. Others who never accepted God’s offer of life while living on earth will be thrown into the lake of fire from which there is no escape!
Sounds too narrow-minded; isn’t it? I cannot find fault with you for thinking so. But the truth is that Jesus said the way to heaven is narrow. This is what he said. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13, 14 Bible).”
Heaven, my friends, is not open by popular vote. It is open only for those who enter through the way of the cross. For it was on the cross that God came near to man like never before. That was where God put the punishment due to me and you for all our sins on his own beloved Son Jesus. That was where he shed his precious blood for us. And when we look to him in faith, he welcomes us home to heaven!
Right from a child’s wonder as to who made the stars to a philosopher’s explanation of the meaning of life there is in every human heart an yearning to search for the truth.
If truth can be found through men and women’s search for the meaning of life, it might not be a complete understanding because his or her circumstances will certainly colour his or her painting of life.
The question therefore is whether truth is abstract or concrete? Truth, if it has to be within the reach of all, has to be made plain for all to understand. In that sense truth came to us when Jesus was born a child. God came down to us not to judge, accuse, or condemn but to save.
But many people act like how the Roman governor Pilate did when he asked the question “What is truth?”1 to Jesus standing trial before him. But he did not wait for an answer.
And again truth was on public display when Jesus lay hanging on the cross and bleeding to death. The truth that all men and women deserve to be punished for their rejection of God was proclaimed by this act of God. BUT, the truth that God is showing mercy to all who would believe and receive him by placing their punishment on Jesus was a greater proclamation.
Thus in Jesus we find God showing us the truth—the truth about who God is: that he is merciful and compassionate and willing to forgive your sins however great they might be.
Therefore truth is not abstract. It is found in him who claimed: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”2 Look to him and you’ll find meaning in your search for the truth.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For who he is, Mighty God who is holy!
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For the gift of life and his guiding hand so far in your life’s journey.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For his unseen hand helping you and sustaining you in life’s difficult moments and troubles.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For what he is about to do in your life; even when you don’t see it, you know in faith that there is goodness and mercy ahead.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For his intimate knowledge of you: he knows your innermost thoughts, fears and worries and he has the hairs on your head numbered.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For his ever watchful eye on you; for the gift of his presence with you.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For being merciful and not treating you with judgement when you sinned against him and behaved with pride.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For his compassion, like a father pitying his child, on you when you failed, blundered, and made mistakes.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For his plans for your life. Even when you sit in darkness, he will be your light. And he will keep your lamp burning.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For accepting you as his child and lavishing his love on you—the same unchanging love he showed on the cross when he bled and died for you!
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For he came near when you stayed away from him doubting his love and when you were weighed down with feelings of inferiority and worthlessness.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For all those moments he held you close and did not let you perish even when you said, “It is enough O God,” in your depression.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
For how can it be that your heart lift not up in songs of praise and joyous thanks when you think of him, the Lover of your soul!
So,
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Bless his holy name!
For there is no time by day or night you cannot bless the LORD. What a joy it is to bless the LORD. Even as the year ends and a New Year begins, what better thing is there to do than bless the LORD, O my soul!
— The above post, Bless the LORD, O My Soul! is inspired by Psalm 103:1, 2 Bible.
Short Speeches of Introduction, Welcome, Felicitation, Vote of Thanks!
How much you miss the present moment and its opportunity because you constantly look back and feel helpless! But be of good cheer, a thorough cleansing of your past is possible!
The past is gone. Nothing can be accomplished by looking back. If you learn from mistakes made, that is something positive. But if you feel helpless and think that you will never make it; then that is cause for serious concern. But be of good cheer, a thorough cleansing of your past is possible!
Did you know there is Someone who handles your past with compassion? His name is Jesus. His sinless and precious blood was poured out on the cross. The blood of Jesus has the power to cancel all your sins—all its guilt and shame!
His blood is a fountain of cleansing. There is no limit to its cleansing power. The Bible declares that “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”1
If you need this cleansing, look to the crucified One in faith. He will accept you just as you are. But he will not leave you at that point. Acceptance is just a beginning.
Then he will start rebuilding you. He will do it patiently with a Father’s love and disciplining hand.
Instead of the past gripping you and defeating you; God will make your life a story of transformation. Therefore be of good cheer, a thorough cleansing of your past is possible!
Therefore take heart. God is your Redeemer. Your past is taken care of in Jesus. Look forward to your future with hope!
— 1Isaiah 1:18 Bible
Short Speeches of Introduction, Welcome, Felicitation, Vote of Thanks!
Imagine that night. In a few hours from the time he spoke, he would be betrayed with a kiss and arrested. All of his best friends would be scattered. One of his best men would deny knowing him. Suddenly the lives of his closest friends were going to be disrupted.
Then would come his hour of bleeding to death on the cross. His flock of sheep would lose their shepherd.
But there was this promise—the gift from the Father in heaven. The Comforter: A guide to show you the way forward, a counsellor to give you wisdom, a helper to give your inaudible sighs and groans a voice that will surely be heard by God, and when you fail and falter and fall down an advocate to plead your case with God. He truly is Someone called to come alongside to help when you are in need of him.
Awesome friend to be with you always is he! He makes Jesus real to you and makes the words of the Bible come alive and speak to you.
You’ll never be left alone. God will never be far away; but in you. You can always know his presence because this Comforter—the Holy Spirit—is with you.
Gentle like a dove, mighty like a wind, and burning to death from your life all that is not pleasing to God; he always points you to Jesus. And he says, “Look to him!”
What a joy it is when he is within you. He is the one who helps you experience the great love of God for you, and he is the one who gifts you the peace that Jesus promised.
Yet again his is that gentle warning when you are about to do wrong; he sorrows and grieves when a child of God strays from what is right and sins!
Yet when you turn back to God he holds you close like a hen gathering her chick under her wings or like a mother comforting her child. He is in the business of blazing truth in your hearts. When he walks with you, you cannot keep company with darkness but you can only walk in the light!
The Comforter—God within us! Gently wooing you to fall in love with God. Aren’t you feeling that nudge in your heart?
Oh, what a joy it is when the comforter has come; when the comforter has come!
Short Speeches of Introduction, Welcome, Felicitation, Vote of Thanks!
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He came to save people from their sins. No other person has ever addressed this basic need of men and women. And if you ask what sin is; it is anything that separates you from God. It can be your possessive love for anyone or anything; it can be rebellion in your heart against God; it can be pride or even attitudes and habits that are wrong. The name Jesus should remind you that you have a Saviour. He is always willing to save. There is absolutely no situation in your life where he cannot step in and no darkness in your life where his light cannot shine!
Immanuel
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Think about this. God became a single cell invisible to the human eye in the womb of the virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit and was born a child. God with us. Artificial intelligence, Nanotechnology, nuclear fission and fusion, supercomputers, interplanetary space missions and whatever marvellous else you can think of does not compare with God becoming a child. Immanuel. It means God with us. Jesus came as someone who could be seen and touched and one who mingled with the common people and the untouchables of society. He is with you today as a loving brother and faithful friend. Immanuel.
Wonderful Counsellor
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Google maps can help you when you travel. PAPI lights can help planes land safely. But what about situations in life where it seems a thick fog has come down on you? And you are unable to decide what to speak, whether to answer yes or no, and not sure about how your present action is going to impact your future? What about situations in life where you have messed up already? Don’t you think you need Jesus who has absolute knowledge of your life, is compassionate to you in your failures and doubts, and most willing to guide you continually? You might not hear angelic voices, neither see visions or dreams. Yet this Wonderful Counsellor will guide you. In spite of all the chaos you feel, the end of it will be peace; for in the abundance of his wisdom is safety.
Mighty God
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Calling Jesus a great teacher, a good man, a powerful prophet, a worker of miracles, or one who brings God’s blessings to people; all even when true fall short of who he is. When descriptions and adjectives don’t scale the heights of the majesty and holiness and supremacy and sovereignty of Jesus who is Mighty God above all; then you fail to know who he is. And when you come to know him for who he is; there is only one response that is possible—worship! And that is not possible unless you repent and turn away from all that is false and evil and turn to God in humility and tears.
Everlasting Father
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God, who is from eternity to eternity. He is, was, and will be. Jesus. He never can fail to be your strength and source of hope and comfort. Never will he leave you alone; never will he forsake you. When he steps in to your present moment, he will take the sting and bite and shame away from all that is past and take absolute charge over your future too. Death then becomes a curtain that is parted, and you will see him beyond life’s final farewell on earth. Eternal Father he is! Always there, always present, Jesus!
Prince of Peace
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Peace requires no definition as you know it when you don’t have it. But one thing is common to all: everyone is in search of peace. It is not to be found in pleasures nor is it to be found in living alone like a hermit in the forest. Peace with God can be found through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. Have you found the peace that Jesus the Prince of Peace can give? It is not absence of trouble in life that he promises but his presence with you and his peace in the midst of life’s difficulties
Lamb of God
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Sinless One. Blameless. Innocent. Yet he was slain. He willingly laid down his life. His body was broken; and his precious blood was poured out for the forgiveness of your sins and mine. It was love for you that made him do that. Jesus, the Lamb of God. May this Name resound with the praises of his children time without end. May the corridors of heaven echo his praises for ever throughout all eternity! May his sacrifice be the subject of songs for ever and ever. Amen! Read 7 Names of Jesus on LinkedIn
— The above Christmas Day 2020 Special Post is inspired by the following texts in the Bible:
“You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” — Matthew 1:21b
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means “God with us.” — Matthew 1:23.
“And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” — Isaiah 9:6b
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” — John 1:29b
God did not give up on man when he rebelled aginst him. Instead God sent his one and only Son Jesus to this world; born a baby in a manger in Bethlehem. It was love that came down from heaven that first Christmas night.
I might not understand the logic behind God becoming man and tasting death for us all. But love that did not hesitate to give up his life for me holds no mysteries.
But then can I? One look at his face then bleeding with a head which was crowned with thorns; but now glorious like the sun shining in all its brilliance is all that is needed for me to bow down in worship saying, “My Lord and My God, I love you!”
The Bible declares:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” — Isaiah 9:6
Again the Bible says,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8
I love you!
These are the words that has made many buds bloom, made many birds chirp and flap their wings in delight, and has painted mesmerizing loveliness in soft pastels.
I love you!
These are the words that has brought a look of starry wonder, a twinkling delight, and tears of joy to one’s eyes. It has been music to many ears and resonated back a deep sense of thankfulness at being accepted, loved, and cherished.
I love you!
These are the words that had begun a lifetime of companionship, abiding friendship, and long walks through beaches holding hands until the glowing sunset brought in the dark.
I love you!
These are the words that a mother with her first kiss on her newborn’s brow softly proclaims, a father reaffirms when he stands with you in your troubles, and a brother, sister or friend reminds by his or her prayers for you.
I love you!
These are the words that give courage when you have to climb a rocky mountain, and walk through dark valleys in starless nights, or brave the onslaught of tidal waves coming in.
I love you!
These are the words that in spite of the promise made have been broken numerous times, shattered hopes, pushed people to the edge, tore apart families, and has left behind dry and barren deserts that sigh and groan like when thorns wrench the rib cage apart.
I love you!
These are the words which many thoughtlessly proclaim when life is young and is a splash of colours; when love is just like a pleasant breeze that is scented sweet by the fragrance of roses red.
I love you!
These are words that have made countless songs, melodies and symphonies, been the theme of many epic and panoramic movies, and have initiated jealousies and wars in the hearts of men and women.
I love you!
These are words that will continue to be spoken, continue to be cherished, continue to inspire, and continue to ignite, as long as hearts are wedded in love until the skies and the earth shall be no more.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ challenges us to see life through a larger frame. If death is not the end of life and there is a beyond; then surely life on earth is a preparation. The longest years on earth are but a drop in the vast ocean of timelessness that awaits man beyond life’s final curtain. So let us see life in the perspective of eternity.
A Better Attitude
The resurrection of Jesus Christ challenges us to live life on a higher plane: To have hope instead of despair; to have joy in difficult times; to be courageous even in defeat; to find acceptance in God’s love when others reject; to persevere in faith, and to step out free from fears that hold us prisoners. So let us put on this new attitude and “soar on wings like eagles!”
A Better Certainty
The resurrection of Jesus Christ challenges us not to be uncertain any more.
He came to “free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death,” by tasting death for everyone. This he did on the cross where he shed his precious blood for the sins of all.
And having tasted death, he came back to life; for it was impossible for death to hold the Author of life, Jesus Christ, the sinless One, the Son of the living God.
Yes, the resurrection of Jesus Christ has destroyed death’s dominion forever. Therefore the gateway of hope stands open. “The earth will give birth to her dead”; “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake,” and those who had put their trust in him will enter into the joy of unending life!
In conclusion, let me tell you that:
Ultimately, the resurrection of Jesus challenges us to answer the question “Where am I headed to?” Is it to heaven? Or to hell? Like a fork in the road he stands, asking you to repent and choose life. The gate is small and the road, he said, is narrow. But it leads to eternal life.
—
“To this day many a man refuses Christ, not because he puzzles intellect, but because he challenges his life.”
He could have stayed in heaven and watched us toil and struggle hard to make both ends meet. But he chose to come and be part of us to sweat and labour.
He who flung 100 thousand million stars in the Milky Way1 could have spread a mattress of soft silky wool; but chose a cattle shed and a manger for his birth on earth. There was no room for him elsewhere.
You are not a loser if you believe that you can put in one more effort, one more try, one more attempt to do something in which you have already failed many many times. Be a fighter!
You are not a loser if all that you could do was put a smile on someone’s face by your presence with them in their hour of greatest need.
You are not a loser if you have faith that in spite of all past mistakes and failures in your life; God can put together all those broken pieces to display a design of marvellous beauty and grace.
You are not a loser if you have failed in all your exams, interviews and business attempts; but still have a thankful heart in someone who acknowledges that it was you who helped him or her to succeed in life.
My dear friend, know that loser is a term that others throw carelessly and thoughtlessly at you. Throw that label into the trash can where it rightly belongs. For you are not a loser; but a fighter!
No one else knows what exactly you have passed through; what struggles unknown to others you had to face; and with what unseen tears you wept when people rejected you saying you are a loser. God alone knows and has a record of those.
Therefore, today, if your heart is burdened because others call you a loser; get up from your bed of despair and prove to the world that you are a fighter till the very last. My friend; who knows how you might have inspired someone to get up from their bed of despair by the mere sight of you bravely fight your battles!
Have you tried to find satisfaction in work, in play, in entertainment, in relationships, in love, in pleasures, and even surfing the internet or chatting in social media platforms? Did you succeed?
Look at advertisements. They aim at creating the impression that it will satisfy one or many of your needs. The needs can be varied—it can be your need for comfort, for security, for a greater sense of pride, for happiness, for being loved or respected, for intimacy, for success or for health.
Advertisements promise much, but do they deliver as much?
Well, I know at least one Advertiser who delivers what he promises. It is none other than God himself. One of his invitations and promise made is this.
“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk
Without money and without cost.
Why do you spend money for what is not bread,
And your wages for what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,
And delight yourself in abundance1.”
It was made to a people who were about to go into captivity and exile for their sins.
God is promising to satisfy free of cost. There are many thoughts related to this:
One, man is always dissatisfied with the best the earth has got to offer. There are limits to what money can buy.
Two, the best satisfaction a man has is incomplete. There will always be left a vacuum that no earthly pleasure can fill. That is why addictions and enslaving habits need more kicks to satisfy as time passes and they thoroughly deceive at the end.
Three, God sees what is driving you in your pursuit of satisfaction. He not only sees your action, but also sees what that emptiness in your life is that you are seeking to fill.
He cries out to you today: You have forsaken me—the fountain of living waters—and have made broken tanks that cannot hold water!2
Therefore consider. God is simply asking you to come to him. He will satisfy you with the gift of himself. He is no killjoy. Instead in his presence is fullness of joy!3 Drink of the waters he gives; it will quench your deepest longings and ultimately satisfy!
A mother comforting her child is the picture God has used to tell us that he cares.
A mother’s comfort is not just about calming our troubled minds. That is just a starting point. More of it is about her presence nearby which gives us a sense of belonging, an assurance of security, and a knowledge that someone understands what one is passing through.
Yes, this is the triumph of the motherlike love of God. He holds us near in his loving embrace. In your troubles he knows that you are helpless. Like a hen gathering her chicks under her wings, you too will find a place of safety and refuge there.
Come and experience the motherlike love of God today. Is your heart broken and you feel like giving up? Do not miss this comforting love of God.
He is watching over you. When everyone says ill of you and there is none who comes to help and all your hopes are dashed; there is God who will comfort you like a mother comforting her child.
When you experience it, you’ll know that God has not given upon you; that you are his child, and that he loves you.
He looks forward to that day when he will wipe away every tear from your eyes. But till then, he comes near to you as your Comforter in your perplexing moments and comforts you.
So dear brother/sister; just open up your heart to the comforting love of God. Do not doubt the reality of this comfort.
Blessed are you if open up to experience this comforting love of God. Yes, like a mother comforting her child God will take care of you; support you; hold your hand and carry you through as if carried on the strength of eagles’ wings!
—
Title inspired by Isaiah 66:13 Bible.
Short Speeches of Introduction, Welcome, Felicitation, Vote of Thanks!
The message of the cross of Jesus is the foolishness of God. For it puts on exhibit a man crucified in weakness–scorned, mocked, rejected and despised by men.
The message of the cross of Jesus is the foolishness of God. Yet this public display of the one who was wounded and bleeding for the sins of all mankind is the good news and means of salvation to all.
The message of the cross of Jesus is the foolishness of God. It is foolishness because human wisdom does not account success or achievement in the manner in which Jesus felt forsaken by God on the cross.
The message of the cross of Jesus is the foolishness of God. For there is no sign or demonstration of the miraculous as the Saviour of the world lay dying.
The message of the cross of Jesus is the foolishness of God. But Jesus on the cross then had and still has a magnetic attractive power that is incomparable to anything else in this world.
The message of the cross of Jesus is the foolishness of God. For it demands that man accept that in his pride and academic brilliance he cannot find God; that he cannot earn his own salvation; but that he come to God in humble child-like faith.
The message of the cross of Jesus is the foolishness of God. For there on the cross the judgement of God on man’s sin and rebellion fell on his innocent Son Jesus that we may receive forgiveness and pardon and freedom from the guilt, shame, and power of sin.
Yes, the preaching of the cross and its message is foolishness to many who reject it; but it is the power of God to those who believe and accept its life-changing message.
—
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. . . . For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”
If you are broken in heart because of your sin, your mistakes, your failure or any other reason you can think of, come to God who will show you mercy.
If it is sin, there is a fountain of cleansing opened for you.
If it is mistakes you have made, there is with God the possibility of making good to come out of them.
It it is failure of some kind, and you are thoroughly defeated, still God will give you hope and strength to rise up.
All this because you cannot exhaust his mercy.
“O God, help me” is a prayer to which he responds with full attention.
“O God, remember me” is a cry he hears even when death is creeping in through the doors.
When you feel forsaken, rejected, alone, and having no strength to take even one more step; then cry out to God. You will find mercy.
Oh, the riches of God’s mercy! It is undeserved kindness towards us. He remembers that we are but dust and has great compassion on us.
The hands that stretched wide on the cross and bled is the surest sign of God’s great mercy to you that is wider than you can think or imagine. So come and find mercy.
Do not delay to come to God. The Bible says soon someday this world will see the wrath of God against sin and evil; and the judgement of God. Then the door of mercy will be no longer open. 1Psalm 51:1 Bible
God’s love is for the whole world. It includes you, as well as me. Therefore, you can be assured you are loved.
God’s love is sacrificial. God gave his Son Jesus to shed his blood and die on the cross because of his love for you.
God’s love is a gift. The best way to respond to it is to say “thank you Lord” and accept it.
Do not tell God you are not good enough; for he knows all about you and still loves you.
God’s love brings joy and peace to your life–peace because God forgives your sins, and joy because he accepts you as his child even when you are far from perfect.
Therefore tasting God’s love should make us grow more in humility even as his love drives out fear from our hearts.
God’s love is not just about emotions. He loves you so much that he disciplines you to make you better. He doesn’t leave you to be comfortable with your sins. His love shines a penetrating light in your darkness so that you see who you really are and what God wants you to be.
Finally, there is no place on earth where you are outside the love of God. His love is long, wide, and deep, it is higher than you can reach.
Today, you can open up your heart to God’s love for he has said, “I have loved you with an everlasting love!”
A tree has always been a symbol of life. It has become more so after Jesus died on a wooden cross.
Peter, the foremost disciple of Jesus, comments: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.”
The precious blood that flowed from his body brings forgiveness of sins, peace with God, and unending life to those who believe in him. The wounds of his body bring us healing.
On the cross he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. He became a curse for us to save us from all evil. For it was God’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer that we might have life, and have it to the full.
His light guided people to a change of heart and inspired them to move away from sinful living. He came to set people free from what held them in slavery and bondage.
His light made people aware of who God really is like. Not as One against them but as their Father in heaven who desired to forgive them and rebuild their lives!
In spite of shining God’s love in the lives of people, he was despised, hated and rejected. And while he who created light lay bleeding on the cross the sun stopped shining and darkness came over the whole land.2
But then his light burst forth with great joy when he rose up again alive from the dead. And he lives forever. And he upholds you each day in prayer before God and his throne of grace.
“But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap about like calves released from the stall (Malachi 4:2 Bible NIV 1984).”
Not to wound me but that I might not lose my way and perish! In that discipline I find comfort.
I never need to worry about what I need. He supplies it all. He knows what is best for me and he provides. What is not good for me; he denies.
There are no secrets in my life not known to him. There is absolutely nothing in my life that does not matter to him. All that concerns me is his concern too.
It’s a long journey ahead but he has gone before me. And I find everything prepared for me. Even when those who oppose me are watching he satisfies me with what is good with a surplus added.
Oh, how I love his special attention given me even when life is busy and no one else finds time to even ask how I am doing!
The skies become cloudy at times. And the walk takes me through valleys that are dark and frightening. Dangers lurk there at every step. But I have this one assurance, he is with me.
Jesus came as one who taught with authority and as a Friend of sinners! It was a shock for respectable people of the day to see him mingle with the sinful characters and social outcasts of his generation. But in no way did that stain his loveliness.
At his word, demons shuddered and fled. Diseases were gone. Bread and fish were multiplied to feed thousands. The stormy winds and waves of the Sea of Galilee were stilled. The dead were raised to life.
At his touch, people were made whole; healed on the inside, forgiven to the core. What moved him to act for others was his compassion. Those who were shunned and rejected by others found in him a Friend!
One look from him, people wept in brokenness and found love that never accused. For he showed them their worth and the possibility of a new dawn in their darkened lives. He believed, he truly believed, in failures!
In spite of all the good he did, he was crucified—nailed to the cross—like a criminal on top a hill outside the city of Jerusalem.
The cross of Jesus, no doubt, was God’s foolishness! Yet in that seeming failure and weakness was revealed the extraordinary power of God to save the worst of men and women.
For no light ever shone in human darkness like his life that was the light of men.
No hope ever entered human hearts like his triumphant resurrection from the dead.
No new beginning in human hearts and lives was ever made possible like the forgiveness of sins granted in his name.
Yes, the Bible declares, “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”1
Again the Bible says,
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”2
