Love: The Washing Line on Which Life Hangs

The Gospel from TCF Macedonia to TCF Manchester

Reflecting I Thessalonians 1

Tamil Christian Fellowship (TCF) in Manchester turns 10 at a time when the global Christian communities are celebrating 500 years of Reformation initiated by Martin Luther in Germany, which changed the course of Christianity, by making the Bible available for people to read in their own languages. We also turn 10 at a time, when William Tyndale’s first ever English translation of New Testament was completed 492 years ago in 1525. We also turn 10 at a time when the famous classic theological text written by Christian martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 80 years ago in 1937. We as TCF turn 10 at a time when our own Rev. Dr. Jacob anna and Rev. Dr. Jasmine akka complete their 30 years of ministerial journey. We as TCF turn 10 at a time when the youngest in our family, Olivia turned 1 this year. Locating TCF in this spectrum of the global to the local, provides us an opportunity to praise God for God’s consistent faithfulness over a decade to our fellowship.

Anniversaries are to celebrate God’s faithfulness in the life of our fellowship, in the lives of all our people, it is also an opportunity to reflect on our very being and engagements of our fellowship and also a time to wait on God in envisioning for a future of our fellowship. So it is all about celebration, reflection and envisioning.

This evening, the message I have from the Word on our decennial anniversary is titled, “The Gospel from TCF Macedonia to TCF Manchester”, which is expounded as “The Gospel from Thessalonian Christian Fellowship (TCF) in Macedonia to Tamil Christian Fellowship (TCF) in Manchester. I have chosen I Thessalonians 1 to be text for our reflection. As most of you will know Thessalonian Church has come into existence after Paul and Silas went on their second missionary journey, for there was a riot because of their visit and can be found in Acts 17. It is believed that this first letter of Paul to Thessalonians is one of the earliest written documents written between 43-47 CE, which some scholars agree has even preceded the first four Gospels in New Testament. The context of this community is that as new believers in Christ, they have been awaiting the return of Jesus Christ in their own life time.

Allow me for this anniversary to call on this Thessalonian Christian Fellowship (TCF) in Macedonia of the first century to speak to the Tamil Christian Fellowship (TCF) in Manchester of the 21^st century. Such a conversation acknowledges the same Spirit of God that spoke to Thessalonians is now speaking to TCF here. The TCF of 1^st century invites us to four primary things for us today on this anniversary to do.

1.      Looking Backwards

2.      Looking Upwards

3.      Looking Outwards

4.      Looking Forwards

Before I dwell into these four aspects of our looking, I want to reflect on the being of the Thessalonian Christian Fellowship. Paul as he beings his letter, writes in verse 1, “To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ.” Thessalonians is a port city, capital of Macedonia in Achaiah, now in modern Greece, and Christians in 1^st century gathered as house groups and fellowships, and Jason was one prominent person in whom they met, from Acts 17. Church is its original meaning ekklesia is an assembly of people, gathered in the name of Christ. Paul calls these Christians gathered at house assemblies in Thessalonians as a Church, and this prompts me to reflect on the very being of our TCF, Manchester.

Are we as TCF a Church? We are not a Church in its organisational, structural and hierarchical sense. But we are as Thessalonian Christian Fellowship, a Church in its theological, spiritual and faithful sense. We gather as an assembly in the name of Christ from far and wide, and are part and parcel of the broken body of Christ, for the Church happens among and amidst us. We form a Pentecost community, a community celebrating diversity of Christian church.  

1.      Looking Backwards: (2-3v)

In prayer and gratitude, Paul thanks God for all the members of Thessalonians and remembers three prominent things in their life and witness in the presence of God. At the verge of ten years, we come into the presence of God remembering these three things which are relevant to both our TCFs. We celebrate about them in our lives.

a.      Remembering the work of faith: nurture, growing in faith and grounding in Christ

b.      Remembering the labour of love: extra mile, testimonies, forgiving

c.       Remembering the steadfastness of hope: in times of insecurity, far away from home,

Anniversary is time to take stock of these three things, being grateful to God for the work of faith, labour of love and the steadfastness of hope in the life of our fellowship.

2.      Looking Upwards: (4-5v)

Then Paul acknowledges in the God of the Trinity, as he recognises God the father, Jesus the Lord and the Holy Spirit the inspirer. He calls the TCF as beloved by God and chosen by God. For the TCF of the 1^st century, the gospel came not only in word but also in power and in Holy Spirit and with full conviction. It was a Spirit-filled community and a fully convinced community in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Anniversary is a time to look to God, and rededicate ourselves as beloved and chosen community of God. TCF of the 1^st century was a beloved and chosen community of God, Spirit-filled community and the challenge for us is to reflect it boldly that yes, we are beloved and chosen community of God.

3.      Looking Outwards: (6-9v)

The TCF of the 1^st century were imitators of the Lord and of the apostles. It was a Christ imitating community, and therefore invites us to be such a community. This calls self-emptying and taking up the cross and following Christ faithfully.

Secondly, they did not care the persecution that came on them for becoming Christians, for they received the Word with joy, inspired by Holy Spirit. It was a receptive community to the Word of God.

Thirdly, they have become an example to Macedonia and Achaiah. TCF of the 1^st century was an exemplary community, living after the example of Jesus Christ. The have been a salt and light to those several communities around.

Fourthly, 8v. they were an Outreaching Community. For the word of the Lord sounded forth from them not in only in Macedonia but even far off. Their faith in God has become the talk of the towns in their region.

Fifthly, 9v. they were a Transforming Community, turning to God from idols in their lives. The idol of empire, the idol of self and turned to God.

4.      Looking Forwards: (10v)

They turned away from idols and turned to God so that they can from 9v. serve a living and a true God. TCF looked forward to serving a living and a true God, which was explains their steadfastness of hope.

They are also looking forward to 10 v. to wait for his Son from heaven, whom God raised from the dead, and who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

They are looking forward to be a serving community and to be a waiting community.

Thanks to our friends that designed the invitation card of this Anniversary, who have depicted digitally the 10 things that will not separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, from Romans 8: 38-39, expressing the hope and aspiration of our fellowship. Come what may, neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, can do us apart from the love of God, for we are grounded in the love of Christ.

The challenge for us as TCF is to be and become like these ten-fold aspects of Thessalonians.

Conclusion:

Why do we attend services on Sundays or Saturdays? It is basically to be strengthened by Word & Worship, so that we go and reflect it in our lives the rest of the week. It is like coming to fill the fuel in the cars, then go out to travel and traverse different places. Unfortunately, we are coming to services only to fill our tanks and move around the petrol stations not venturing and adventuring to move around to reflect the gospel. We are just filling our tank and moving around the petrol station and then come again fill the fuel and going round and round. We as TCF are not that way just moving round and round the petrol station, but care called to move and travel to parts unknown and less traveled, to reflect the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When a new church was built, they have installed a board outside which read “Crucified Christ we Announce”. Then they planted a creeper around it for decorative purpose. It looked really grand. On first anniversary the green creeper covered the word ‘crucified’ on that board, it just read “Christ we announce.” People felt that was ok. Years passed by as the numbers dwindled, the green creeper grew and it covered the next part ‘Christ.’ Now it only read “We announce”. They thought it was ok, we now announce many other things. Few years later as the numbers further lessened, the green creeper went further and the only part that was left was ‘ounce’. This is symptomatic of the journey of that church and churches. The challenge for us as TCF is not be shrunk in faith to an ounce, but to keep growing in faith by being grounded in Christ.

Wishing TCF many more happy returns of this anniversary, and may many more blessings, testimonies and faith stories emerge from us, so that we become instruments in widening and deepening God’s reign here on earth. May God bless us all on this anniversary.

Blessings,

Rajbharat Patta

28^th October 2017.  

Kin(g)dom of God Made Open for All

Reflecting Matthew 22: 1-14

The parable of the wedding banquet reflects the world-view of their times, for Jesus (narrator), Matthew (writer) and Jewish-Christians of the early Church (audience of this Gospel) were all living under the Roman empire, occupied, colonized and governed by the powers in Rome. It was a royal wedding, and invitations were sent to all those selected chosen invitees, in fact two invitations, one like ‘save-your date’ and the other like ‘invitation for wedding banquet’ with all those colours, pomp and royalty. Those that received the royal wedding invitation should have jumped in celebrations, for these invitation cards were a recognition of their worth by the empire, for among the colonized they were leading people of their times. They shouldn’t have missed any opportunity as recipients of the royal invitation to update their status on their social media sites, posting the photographs with the royal wedding cards.

Mind you the two previous parables that Jesus spoke in Matthew 21 are addressed to the chief priests and Pharisees, and this parable also forms to be part of that genre. So, the ‘recipients of the royal invitations’ in this parable of Matt 22 were part of the colonized communities, knew the struggles & hardships of their communities under the cruel empire of Rome, and were aware how their communities have been exploited under the regime of this occupying empire. The colonial ploy of the empire has always been to divide and rule, and therefore in this parable too invited a few selected people, whom they thought would serve as their agents for the colonial empire. These selected invitees, should they respond positively to the royal invite, would have climbed up the ladder in the colonial regime and would have received more perks, favours and medals for their sincerity towards the throne in Rome.

But these selected invitees from among the colonized communities in the parable, took courage, thought this to be an opportunity to express their dissent against the empire by not responding favourably to the royal invite, and ‘made light of the invite, went away, one to his farm and another to his business.’(5v) This act of protesting the empire was an expression of their courage and solidarity with their own struggling community. These signs of dissent, has taken a different turn, and ended up in violence against the messengers of the empire done by the rest of the people. On hearing this protest, dissent and violence that irrupted in the colony, the empire was enraged, came back forcefully on them, destroyed and burned their city using strong troops and stronger weapons. The selected invitees dissenting against the royal colonial empire, came with a huge cost, for it costed their lives and even their city, for they were all turned into ashes, as a display of the strength of the empire. The destruction and violence made by the empire enjoys impunity, for they are the rules and theirs is the rule.

This martyrdom of the colonized community, inaugurated a new dynamic in the kingdom, for now the king was forced to issue an order to “go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet” (9v). The messengers went out into the streets (not just the main streets) and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests(10v). If it wasn’t for those who expressed their protest to the royal wedding invite, the wedding wouldn’t be made open for the people on the streets, for both good and bad. The uninvited found to be invited not because of their worth, but because the wedding banquet is made open to all people on the streets, for it came with a cost, the lives of those courageous martyrs. Jesus is soon to pay the price for resisting the empire in this Gospel, by being crucified on the Cross, which has made the Kingdom of God to be open for all people, those uninvited, those that never saw a royal palace, those that are good and bad, those that did not have an identity, for the banquet is now ready for all the creation. Kingdom of God is a kin-dom of God, wide open to all people of God.

This parable therefore calls from us as Christians in 21^st century firstly to be bold and courageous in resisting the ploy and plots of the empire which exists in the forms of market, state, institutionalised religion, structures of oppression, systemic injustices, etc. of our times. This might involve not to succumb to the powers and principalities of the empire, not to bow down to them to earn temporary favours. The call for us is to stand firm in our faith in Jesus Christ who fought tooth and nail against the empire, to stand committed with people who are oppressed and struggling in life, and to dissent on the invitations of empire that come our way. This parable is a call towards a courageous discipleship.

Secondly, it is a call towards a costly discipleship. Dissent comes with a cost. Welcome and inclusivity comes with a cost. But for the martyrdom of these dissenters, the banquet would not have been made open to all. If our Churches have be to welcoming and inclusive, it calls for a cost from those that claim to be members. Welcome and inclusiveness today have become a rhetoric that we keep claiming for our communities, not recognising it comes with a cost, a sacrifice, giving up our comfy locations in inviting & embracing the other, those on the streets, and strangers. Be prepared for a cost. ‘All are welcome in this place’ is a song that challenges us to be welcoming churches.

Thirdly, it is a call towards a community discipleship. The kingdom God is a community of people who we think are not worthy to be invited, is an open community, a community with no walls, boundaries and barriers. Kingdom of God works on the means and methods of God’s grace, and is a prerogative of God, who chooses to invite anyone at any time. It is not dependant on human worth but is purely based on God’s grace, which finds people who never ever thought that they would be invited to a royal banquet. Be prepared for a surprise, for Kingdom of God is a place to surprise each of us, for those of us who think we are the custodians of God’s reign might not find a place, and those of us whom we think can never ever get to God might be there. Be willing to find a community with those who are on the margins, for the calling is to seek a community discipleship.

Finally, the parable has another parable within it (11-14v), for when the king comes to the banquet, he notices a man without a wedding robe, and calls him a ‘friend’ and says how did he get in without a wedding robe? This man was ‘speechless’ (12v). This speechlessness is what disturbed the king, and calls for punishment. Kingdom of God is all about relationships and conversations. Kingdom of God is about communication, and nurturing of relationships.

May God bless us all to take up courageous, costly and community discipleship as ways of being and becoming a Church in this 21^st century. Few were invited, but their bold acts of dissent, paved way for all to be at the royal wedding banquet.

Rajbharat Patta,

15^th October 2017

UK’s Racial Disparity Audit – Who Benefits?

At a time when the 30^th year of Black History Month is observed in October 2017, Prime Minister has tabled the report of her first dream project of ‘Racial Disparity Audit’ (RDA), on Tuesday, the 10^th October, calling it as “world’s first” where peoples experiences have been studied and audited. There have been several findings that emerged out of the audit, raising serious concerns to the Black & Ethnic Minority (BEM)communities and for the British Public sphere in general.

The audit, as reported by several Newspapers, explains that Black communities are more vulnerable to be victims of crime, and are more often stopped by police than their White counterparts, White British school children start to fall behind at school at the age of seven compared to BEM communities, White British are more likely to be diagnosed with Cancer at their later stages, Indian workers are more highly paid in comparison to White British and other Ethnic groups, White British have more suicidal tendencies compared to others etc. and publish them as headliners. As a researcher I appreciate the efforts taken in auditing the racial disparity in the country, however, my researching spirit also provokes me to ask, for whose benefit this audit is done, or in other words who benefits from this audit? The commissioning of the audit is an acknowledgement of the growing racial disparity in the growing multi-cultural British society.

Allow me to bring in few discussion points here, which needs further and deeper engagement. These pointers are invitational for such engagements. Firstly, in a climate of Post-Brexit negotiations with captions ‘Briton first’ gearing up, the data made public and available for the ‘whole society’ for ‘transparency sake’ as the Government says, will serve as a nutrient supplement to those growing ‘White supremacists’ in Briton.

By RDA revealing that the BEM communities are excelling in schools and are taking better pay cheques than the White British communities, there is every danger of projecting BEM communities as a serious threat to ‘White Briton’, for it increasing a sense of insecurity among the White British communities. This threat and insecurity creates hatred towards BEM communities, and increase hate crimes, racial abuse etc. against their fellow British citizens from BEM communities. Indian workers drawing higher pay cheques will be seen as a threat to the White British communities, for they think that the job markets are taken over by them. 

Secondly, RDA creates an unhealthy competition among communities of various ethnicities, and creates divisions and conflicts among the BEM communities. By placing Chinese communities doing well at school, by placing Indian workers receiving higher wages etc. will create a hierarchy among BEM communities, and will widen the gap between these communities. This divide and rule has been a ploy employed by colonial episteme to dismantle the collective resistances against dominant powers

Thirdly, in what way is this RDA report benefitting BEM communities? These communities’ vulnerability is further exposed and their helplessness and powerlessness are brought into light. Does this RDA in any way explain the reasons for this growing disparity in the society? Will this report guarantee any confession & repentance from the perpetrators of racial disparity? Or in other words how does this report ensure justice to the victims and survivors of racial abuse in UK?

Fourthly, did not the Government know that there ever was racial disparity in British society till this RDA is made public? What newer revelations did this audit bring forth? All the findings are foregone conclusions.

Finally, does this audit in anyway engage in an action by the Governments in overcoming the exclusion? What are the creative ways and measures that the Government proposes in addressing the racial disparity in the society.

The intersectionality of class, gender, race and caste cannot be over-ruled in any audits and reports, and RDA should have taken note of it and included it in their audits, for such an intersectional audit would have arrived with different set of results. Now that this RDA report is out, I would like to suggest that the BEM communities need to have Affirmative actions provided by the government, so that there is a conscious place provided for their representations in their committees. This report also calls on the civil society and faith-based institutions to introspect the role and places of BEM communities in their leadership roles.  

“I have a dream where my children will not be judged by the colour of their skin, by the content of their character…” the dream of Martin Luther King is still a distant dream. However, “we shall overcome…”

Rajbharat Patta,

11^th October 2017