Prayers of Intercession: Based on Philippians 2:1-11

God in Jesus, in whose name we gather here, each from our own homes,

We thank you for your encouragement in Christ towards us,

For your love, for your strength and for inviting us to be imitators of Christ’s love.

Teach us to regard others better than ourselves,

Help us not to look to our own interests but to the interests of others.

 

At this time, we especially pray for people who are pushed into situations of poverty and homelessness, help us as churches to look to the interests of these people, O God.

 

We pray for people who are in self-isolation, and whose well-beings are affected by this lock down, We specially remember people who are unwell and sick, grant them your healing. Help us as churches to look to the interests of these people by offering prayers and sharing love.

 

We remember in our prayers today those that are crossing oceans, fleeing away from violence and war, help us as churches to look to the interests of these people O God, by working towards shelter and the right to work for the asylum seekers O God.

 

We remember today the 27th of September as Rivers day, and pray for the rivers across the world, for they are the arteries of our planet and have been the lifelines to several people and nations. Forgive us for we pollute our rivers with the chemicals. Help us as churches to look to the interests of our creation, particularly the rivers today and help us to preserve them. We remember in prayer River Mersey, River Goyt, River Etherow, River Tame, the rivers in the metropolitan borough of Stockport. Help us to be sensitive to the needs of our creation. 

 

We remember in prayer people from Black, Asian, Minority and Ethnic communities, who are at greater risk of financial hardships, and could suffer a ‘double whammy’ of higher financial impact on top of disproportionate health effects. Help us as churches to look to the interests of these people O God.

 

As we remember the international day for the total elimination of nuclear weapons, yesterday the 26th September, we pray for our countries and their leaders to pledge and commit for a global nuclear disarmament, and help them to strive for peace among nations. Help us as churches to look to the interests of global peace by advocating our governments towards a global nuclear disarmaments O God.

 

We pray for ourselves, help us not to turn inwards but help us to be drawn outwards by the love of God so that we can be channels of sharing your love with people around us. Grant us the mind of Christ, teach us to be humble like Christ, help us to be compassionate like Christ and help us to join with Christ in transforming our world. Upholding all of us into your hands, and looking for your grace, we ask these prayers in the name of the living waters Jesus Christ. Amen.

                                                               

@rajpatta

27th September 2020

 

In the rule of the Kingdom of God, Authority is De-powered: Reflecting on Matthew 21:23-32

In the 21st chapter of Matthew, we begin to read about the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem, we recognise a public parade of Jesus in protest against the Roman empire, which created a turmoil in the city. Later on, Jesus goes into the temple, creating a turmoil in the temple by overturning the tables of power and commerce in that sanctuary, which made the chief-priests and the scribes angry. Following that incident Matthew records the cursing of the fig tree in Bethany, when he found no fruit on it. In the first 22 verses of this chapter, we see an angry Jesus, who was angry against the empire and against the religious powers who were a crony to the empire. In verse 23, as he again enters into the temple and was teaching to the people there, the chief priests and the elders came to him and asked, “By what authority are you doing these (above mentioned) things, and who gave you this authority?”

 

The chief priests, the scribes and the elders of the temple have been waiting for an opportunity to corner Jesus, a Galilean man from Nazareth, for the kinds of disruptions and turmoil that he has been creating in their city, for they are angered by his actions. They now took this opportunity to confront him by questioning him about his authority. This question, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” exposes the fears and the insecurity of these religious authorities, for whom their identity is built around the notions of ‘authority.’ These religious authorities have assumed power and authority either by the legitimacy of their birth (priestly clan), or by their religious traditions of interpreting the scriptures or by being the representatives of the empire. They have always claimed to be the custodians of law, temple and religion, demonstrating their power and authority. When Jesus created a turmoil in Jerusalem by his public parade and by overturning the tables in the temple, the authority of these chief priests and the elders of the temple was at stake and so on their first encounter with Jesus they had to question about his authority. The word ‘authority’ is a loaded term, for there is so much power and privilege when someone claims it for themselves. So, when the religious authorities asked this question “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” to Jesus, they were conveying, “it is we the chief priests and the elders of the temple who control things here in Jerusalem, without our knowledge and permission no one can exercise power or authority, far be it for a powerless rabbi called Jesus of Nazareth.”

 

Jesus answers these religious authorities by asking another question about the baptism of John, was it from heaven or was it of human origin? (25v) When they tried playing safe with their answer saying ‘we do not know’ (27v), Jesus replied that, “neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things” (27v). However, Jesus continued the conversation by narrating a parable of two sons (28-32v), which I read it as Matthew’s account of Luke’s ‘parable of the prodigal son’ as a clue to understand about authority, Jesus way. By sharing this parable, Jesus in a way was de-powering the authority of these religious authorities who boasted about their power and authority and affirms in the preference and priority of the powerless and outcasted communities in the Kingdom of God.

 

In this parable, we recognise that the father asks both his sons to go and work in his vineyard. Firstly, it is interesting to note that Jesus at the temple, talking to the chief priests and the elders of the temple did not choose a parable of speaking about a father who was a priest and requests his sons to go and help him as priesthood those days was understood to be a lineage affair, for those from the priestly tribe continued to be priests. However, Jesus by choosing to speak to the religious authorities about a parable of a farmer father who calls his sons to work in his vineyard, Jesus was de-powering the authority of those priestly class and religious authorities, inviting them to look to the struggles of the peasant class in their own public sphere.

 

Secondly, the farmer father does not enforce authority on his sons, rather asks both his sons to go and work in the vineyard today (28v). For the religious authorities like that of the empire, authority was always understood as that is enforced, either by force or by violence or by levying huge taxes. In contrast to such an understanding of authority, Jesus presents a farmer father who requests his sons for help to work in the vineyard for that given day. So, for Jesus, authority is seeking and requesting for support and partnership in his work at the vineyard. Authority, in Jesus’ way is not about power relations, where the powerful father dictates terms to his powerless sons, rather was about mutual partnership. Both the sons had the freedom of expression, a choice to express their views in this parable either to work or not to work. Authority in Jesus way is providing that freedom to express about their willingness or unwillingness, each according to their free will and choice. Authority in Jesus’ way is not an enforcement of power, rather building trust and partnership in seeking mutual support in the ambience of freedom of choice, will and expression.

 

Thirdly, authority for Jesus is not in ‘hypocritical obedience’, projecting to be obedient to the word, but unfaithful to put that into action. When the father farmer requests both his sons for help, we see that the second son who impulsively replied “I go sir” (30v) to his request but did not turn up at the end. We recognise that the second son was exhibiting the traits of ‘hypocritical obedience,’ where he tries to please his father by words only and acts very contrary to what he has said. The chief priests and the elders of the temple have always tried to please everyone only by words, and their actions never matched to their words. Jesus by bringing this parable, was explaining it loud that authority, his way, is not like that of the chief priests and the elders of the temple, who display ‘hypocritical obedience’, where they project to be obedient but are not truthful to that obedience, who reply only on words, with a total mismatch to their deeds.

 

Fourthly, authority for Jesus is rather in the ‘solidarity of action,’ a willingness to help, assist, support and serve in the vineyard. We see the first son who initially replied “I will not” (29v) but later changed his mind and went to serve in the vineyard. Authority for Jesus is not in pleasing words and shouts, but in changing the mind and expressing it in a ‘solidarity of action.’ Jesus elsewhere said all those who say ‘Lord, Lord’ will not go into the kingdom of God, because for Jesus a solidarity of action, a willingness to work with him in the vineyard is all that matters. Authority, in Jesus’ way is in changing the mind, supporting the farmer, taking on the struggle of the farmer, giving up one’s own priority of work and in agreeing to work with the ‘other’ for the ‘other’. The chief priests and the elders of the temple were only presenting themselves with long robes in the temples, living on the unjust temple taxes of the poor peasants. They never knew what it is to work in solidarity with the poor peasants, nor had an open heart and ears to the struggles of the peasantry in their land. Jesus by sharing this parable was de-powering the authority of the religious authority and was affirming in a new understanding of authority, which is in ‘solidarity of action’ with the struggling communities.

 

Fifthly, authority in Jesus’ way is in offering a preferential option of the outcasts, with their conscious inclusion in the Kingdom of God. Jesus says in verse 31, “Truly, I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you.” The tax-collectors and the prostitutes, were on the edge of the society, for they were hated and looked-down by the people, particularly the religious authorities. The temple authorities by exercising their power and authority always assumed and claimed positions to be the first in the temple and in the society. On the contrary, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes were the ones to be first in the kingdom of God, though they were considered to be outcasts and polluting, and were treated as the least, the lost and the last in the society, for they have no power or authority of their own. But authority in Jesus’ way is that the people who were considered the outcasts and the least, and who have no power or authority in the temple will be the ones who will be going into the kingdom of God ahead of the so called ‘chosen’, the religious authorities. Jesus again was de-powering the power and authority of the chief priests and the elders of the temple, by consciously including and offering preference to the least and powerless communities.

 

Finally, authority in Jesus way, is about changing the mind, willing to give up, choosing to be the least, practicing solidarity and humility, to be a church on the margins and subscribing to the authority of the divine, whose grace is upon all people irrespective of identities, for the cause of the kingdom of God. By narrating this parable, Jesus was nailing authority on its head, by de-powering the power and authority of the dominant groups, and by reversing it with the conscious inclusion of the outcasts and the excluded into the realm of God’s rule and grace. So, the answer to the question “by whose authority Jesus was doing the things he was doing?” was that by the authority of the divine, whose rule of grace is a reversal to the powers and authorities of the dominant and powerful in the society, is an important learning for us as a church today.

 

The relevance of this text for us today is in abiding to the authority of the divine, whose rule of grace is in contesting the power and authority of the dominant and in affirming in a conscious inclusion of those on the margins of our society today. There are four models of churches that I recognise from this text for us today. Firstly, a church who boasts about their authority, history and authorised traditions, claiming to be the authority of faith and church, in so doing are closed to other faith perspectives and excluding the grace of God to many other people – like that of the chief priests and the elders of the temple. Secondly, a church who are only good at pleasing words, and whose actions mismatch to what they sing, pray, preach and offer – like that of the second son in the parable who said “I go sir” but did not go at the end. Thirdly, a church that is not impulsive and reactionary, but rather are critically reflective and are willing to express the love of Christ in solidarity of action – like that of the first son, who initially said “I will not go” but rather changed his mind and went to work in the vineyard. Fourthly, a church that consciously includes those that are pushed as outcasts and offers to be a church at the margins sharing grace to all of the creation, contesting power and celebrating life of all – like that of Jesus’ preferential option of the tax-collectors and the prostitutes to enter the kingdom of God ahead of the many so called ‘chosen.’ Let us therefore, prayerfully introspect ourselves as churches and locate ourselves as a church to be with Jesus who is working untiringly on the margins of our society today. May God, whose authority is in giving up power be with each of us and help us to be a church relevant for our times today and make a difference in the world by working with Jesus in his vineyard of the world today. Amen.

 

Rev. Dr. Raj Bharat Patta,

25th September, 2020

Pic credit: https://www.saintmarkslutheran.org/2008/09/28/sermon-matt-2123-32-whose-authority/

Are we as a Church listening to the cries of “Because no one has hired us”? Reflecting on Matthew 20:1-16

 

Pic Credit: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/172614598196328034/

Prayer on the Return to Church buildings for Worship

God whose gracious spark of divinity is present among all of the creation,

During these six months of lockdown,

You have never failed in your visitations to us and

pushed our boundaries to recognise you and your work

beyond the confines of our known horizons,

reminding us that you are always at work with us

in renewing and transforming this world.

 

You have come alive in acts of generosity

That we experienced in our neighbourhood,

You have come alive in our kitchens, dining rooms, gardens,

And in our homes, in our conversations with our family members

You have come alive in our virtual gatherings, online worships,

In our family and friends zoom meetings,

You have come alive when friends called one another

To console, to help with shopping, to support and to pray,

You have come alive by listening to the laments

Of those who lost their dear ones due to this virus

You have come alive in acts of sharing food

To families affected by holiday hunger

You have come alive in the acts of key workers

Who risked their own lives in an uninterrupted stream of care in order to keep others alive. 

You have come alive in the attempts of the scientists

working tirelessly on the vaccine for this pandemic,

You have come alive in the acts of resistance for justice

By the Black Lives Matter movements and Climate Change activists,

You have come alive in the acts of resilience

In those who provided care and shelter to those people crossing the oceans as refugees

 

Living God, you are always present among us,

Weeping with us, laughing with us, walking with us and working with us

Help us to recognise that you are a ‘God with us’ and in you is our hope

 

As we return to our church buildings for worship,

Help us not to lose sight of what we have learned about our faith during this lockdown,

Help us to be channels of your love in our communities,

Transcending those walls, boundaries, positions and horizons, which we know restrict us.

for you O God cannot be contained and limited to any enclosed spaces and spheres.

 

Help us as churches to be open to all people in our public sphere,

Help us as churches to recognise that we are in partnership with you,

Rather you want to be in partnership with us in transforming our localities,

where justice, peace, equality and love

will flow to all the corners of our societies,

realising the Kingdom of God in our midst on our earth. Amen

                                                                                                            @rajpatta, 11.09.2020

Forgiveness on whose terms? Reflecting on Matthew 18:21-35

 The global pandemic today has created at least four kinds of crisis. The medical crisis, which is the epidemic itself, the economic crisis where the divide between the rich and the poor is ever widening, the psychological crisis with anxieties and mental health of several people at risk and the crisis created by racism, migration, where people from marginal communities are severely affected. The economic turmoil caused by this pandemic is pushing countries with debts in the world deeper into crisis. Earlier in the lockdown, several Christian organisations have been campaigning for debt cancellations from the powerful nations to those countries of lower economies, so that they can spend on proper medical and health facilities for their people. As churches, there is a greater role for us in thinking about our neighbours in other countries and to act so that we can urge our governments to cancel the debts of the countries in the global south.

 

Many a times, we have heard dominant groups complaining how one group of oppressed community oppress another group of oppressed community, and argue that the system of oppression has always have a spiralling effect. We need to make it clear that oppression done by any person is against the will of God, which calls to stand in the light of justice, calling to address and defeat it through liberative means & methods. However, we should not miss the larger narrative in this frame, which is the ploy of power to deviate the struggle from fighting the larger evil of dominance by trying to focus on the conflicts and divisions between and among the oppressed communities. By magnifying the conflicts between the oppressed groups, the dominance of the dominant groups is left untouched, for they continue to exercise power unabated, due to which the saying ‘the king is always right’ has gained currency.

 

Particularly in the context of the caste system, the dominant castes have always tried to divide and rule those who are born outside of the caste system, the Dalits and the Tribals. Time and again we read news about the internal conflicts among Dalits of two different sub-castes. In all of this the bigger evil of caste discrimination is left unaddressed and the dominant castes enjoy their privilege of being dominant by trying to solve the problems between two sections of Dalits. Even in the context of Black Lives Matter, many people have pointed out the faults among the Black communities by branding them with all sorts of derogatory brackets, and were trying to deviate from the bigger issue of addressing racism. It is important for us to recognise that ‘divide and rule’ has been the plot of those that enjoy power and domination and any sign of that needs to be contested at all levels in our society.

 

The passage from Matthew 18:21-35, has been one such passages which has been used, quoted and interpreted from the perspective of colonial episteme, highlighting how one ‘forgiven’ slave oppresses another of his fellow slave, by unforgiving and acting cruel to him. Towards the end the ‘forgiven’ slave is turned to be ‘unforgiven’ and further tormented to pay back his debts to his master.

 

It is Peter who is asking Jesus about the limits of forgiveness to his neighbour in a Church, who commits sin against him. Jesus replies to Peter by de-limiting the limits that he has set for forgiveness from seven times to either seventy-seven times or seventy times seven, by which he proclaims forgiveness comes unlimited and unconditional. This is the gospel of this passage. A postcolonial reading of this text further elucidates this point.

 

In a context where slavery was so prevalent under the Roman empire, this given passage, the system of slavery is left unattended by eulogising the acts of pity & power by the king, and by criminalising the acts of the forgiven-unforgiven slave. The king and his authority to employ slaves is uncontested because one of the tenets of empire is ‘king is always right.’ In order to establish that the ‘king is always right’ it has to be the ‘slaves who are always wrong.’ The forgiveness given to the slave with larger amounts of debt was only of his financial debts out of king’s ‘pity’ and by the pleading speech of this powerless person. This person though was released by the king, he continued to be called as a slave, and towards the end of the passage the king calls him ‘wicked slave,’ which conveys that this powerless person continued to live in slavery, for there has been no change in his status or personhood. Once a salve always is a slave, for this jeopardises the very understanding of forgiveness from the gospel. Did the king seek forgiveness from this forgiven-unforgiven person for being a perpetrator of the system of slavery? No doubt, the king and those in power enjoy impunity from times immemorial till today. Imagining if the king as an act of reparation has forgiven this person from his large amount of debt at one instance, waited for an opportunity at another instance to get it back by any means and took the opportunity to tormenting him till he repaid his debt back.

 

Peter has asked Jesus how many times should we forgive, and further asked is it seven times? The king in this text was not able to forgive his debtor for a second time, forget about seventy- seven times. The text rightly ends in verse 35, by saying ‘my heavenly father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.’ The king need not always be right, for forgiveness comes from God to all people of God. 

 

Allow me to reiterate the gospel once again from this passage:

 

·      Forgiveness does not come with limits or conditions, for divine forgiveness is unlimited, unconditional and is impartial, as revealed in Jesus Christ.

·      Power dynamics should not go unattended and uncontested in any act of forgiveness, for those in power don’t enjoy impunity in the sight of the God of justice.

·      Forgiveness is not based on our terms but is practiced on the terms of the God of justice.

·      Forgiveness and forgiven-ness go hand in hand, for to be forgiven is to forgive, and to forgive is to be forgiven.

·      As local churches, we are called to join in the campaign for debt cancellation

 

Forgiveness is hard work, and we have to find a way for it whether someone asks for it or not.

 

Allow me to conclude with the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, for he said,

 

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

 

May God grant us that spirit of forgiveness so that we can practice it not on our own terms but based on the ethos of God in Jesus, so that love is illumined and is in action at all times and for all people.

  

Rev. Dr. Raj Bharat Patta,

11^th September 2020

Pic credit: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/forgiveness/definition

 

 

Do you know what time it is now? Recognising God’s momentous time today: Reflecting on Romans 13:11-14

Wearing a face mask now is compulsory at schools, as students returned to their new academic years. Wearing of masks when going indoors either to super markets or other places, including places of worship is now compulsory. As we return into our church buildings for worship, all of us must wear a face mask. This is to slow down the spread of the virus and to protect the most vulnerable among us, and perhaps is a sign of showing our love for our neighbour. It is understandable that for some it is uncomfortable to cover up the face with a mask in public spaces for a long time, but refusing to wear a mask out of sheer rebellion is unbecoming of the people of faith. As people of faith wearing a mask is one of the simplest forms of showing to the world that we care for our neighbours and show our love towards them, and our hope is in Jesus Christ and not in arrogance or in rebellion.

 

Paul when writing to the church at Rome as recorded in Romans 13:11-15 appeals in urgency to the early Christians to wake up and put on the Lord Jesus Christ, which comes to us with even more urgency with a challenge for our times. Putting on Jesus Christ today is shown by our love for our neighbour. It is now time for us to wake up from sleep, lay aside the works of the empire and to put on Lord Jesus Christ.

 

1.     Recognise this time as God’s Momentous Time:

Paul in verse 11, calls on the Church “to know what time it is”, for the time is ripe and the Kingdom of God is at hand. It is now time to recognise this moment in time, as it is the time appointed by God to act and work. It is interesting to note that the word for ‘time’ used in Greek is ‘kairos’ rather than ‘chronos’. It is not the ‘chronological time,’ that Paul is talking about here, rather it is the ‘appointed time’ (kairos), a time where God intervenes into our times at our end, a time for action, a time for introspection, and a time for an audit of truth.

 

Many people have interpreted this time of pandemic in their own ways, but this text is calling us to recognise that it is God’s intervening time, the times at our end where the signs of our times calls us to wake up from our sleep as a church and act for justice and liberation. If we have to demonstrate to this world that this is God’s momentous time, then we as church are called to demonstrate that love of God to all people, specially to those on the margins. I personally think, as a church we are called to do things differently from what we have always done to capture this God’s momentous time during these times.

 

2.     Reaffirming in the Nearness of Salvation:

In verse 11b, we see Paul further exhorts that “for the salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers.” The distance and affinity to salvation becomes closer to people of God in their journey of faith, in relation to their love for their neighbour (8-10v). Salvation is a journeying gift of God that comes closer and nearer to those that wake up from their slumber of inaction and those that stand committed in their acts of love. Salvation oscillates between believing and discipling, and the call today is that salvation gets closer in our true discipleship to Christ, which is nothing but loving our neighbour. Is salvation nearer to us than before? If salvation is nearer to us, then we are invited to act along with God at this appointed time in transforming our lives and our world with love. Salvation is near to us, when we are near to our neighbour loving them unconditionally irrespective of their identity.

Many people have interpreted this pandemic as apocalyptic times, and we have seen a rise in people spending in the online activity of prayers. But one of the big questions that needs to asked is how do we understand salvation today? One of the marks of salvation is love for the neighbour, and that is shown in actions of care for the vulnerable and to those on the margins.

 

3.     Resisting the Works of Empire:

In verse 12, Paul further appeals “the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.” In the context of the Roman empire, Paul explains in 13 verse the works of darkness as revelling, drunkenness, debauchery, licentiousness, quarrelling and jealousy, which have been the order of the day, for those in power indulged in such acts and exploited the vulnerable colonized communities. In contrast to these acts of the empire, Paul urges Christians to lay aside the ‘pyjamas’ of darkness and put on the ‘armour of light’, a vestment for the day, a vestment of the Kingdom of God, which primarily exposes those ungodly deeds, dispels darkness, and liberate people and communities with and towards light. Resisting the works of our neo-empire of our times, which include exploitation, oppression, discrimination and exclusion is a call for us to put on the ‘armour of light.’

 

In the context of the pandemic, I see ‘face mask’ as an armour of light, which is a sign of our love for the neighbour. For those who can, simply donning a mask during this public health crisis can model for our neighbours how we care about them more than keeping our glasses fog free or getting a stare or two. It shows those around us that we will put their health and livelihoods before our own comforts if that means slowing the spread of this deadly virus and saving lives, as we seek to open up our communities and provide for our families. To act as if wearing a mask in this season is cowardice or not trusting the Lord is not only reckless, but it is also a fundamental misunderstanding of how God calls us to live in a broken world.

 

4.     Re-covering ourselves with Lord Jesus Christ: 

In verse 14, Paul finally appeals in all urgency to put on Lord Jesus Christ, making no provisions to gratify the desires of flesh. In contrast to the Roman dress which is muddled with power, authority and exploitation, Paul urges the early Church to put on Lord Jesus Christ, who is stained in all dust and dirt to identify with those on the margins. ‘Putting on Lord Jesus Christ’ is an act of defiance to the colonial rules of ‘putting on Cesar’, the Lord of the colonial powers. This act is to affirm in the Lordship of Jesus Christ in opposition to the Lordship of the empire. Putting on Lord Jesus Christ calls us towards defiance to the powers, and to identifying with the people on the margins. Those in power are called to pitch their tents among the vulnerable communities, for it among them God works and Kingdom of God happens. During this momentous time we are called to de-cover ourselves from the stinking chores of power and re-cover ourselves by putting on Lord Jesus Christ. Putting on Jesus Christ today is wearing a mask as a sign of our love for the neighbour. St. Augustine in 4^th Century heard the call of God from this text as he read and put on Lord Jesus Christ in his life, and eventually turned to become a great theologian for all times.

 

The relevance of this text today is therefore is to swiftly act in showing our love for our neighbour. The context of our times are so grim, for there has been a growing intolerance towards the other, increasing hatred against the stranger, increasing rise of consumerism where economy drives the society, where many people are pushed to invest on spending, widening gap between the rich and the poor, increasing unaccountability of leadership, an increasing refugee crisis, an increasing changes on our climate and planet, increasing poverty, increasing homelessness etc. and there is a sense of more urgency than ever to wake up to face and address the realities of our times. Paul’s words “The night is far gone and the day is near,” therefore conveys to us that this is a momentous time for the church and to each of us as disciples of Christ to wake us up from deep slumber of doing things that we have always done, to know that this is God’s momentous time, lay aside the works of empire and to put on Lord Jesus Christ onto our lives. Let us stop pretending to sleep and wake up with our eyes and hearts wide open to the ongoing acts of injustice and evil around us to raise an alarm for change, so that we can collectively partake and actively participate in transforming our world.

 

Let me conclude with this Masking Prayer by Caroline Beckett, which is relevant for us today.

 

 

 

 

Rev. Dr. Raj Bharat Patta,

4^th September 2020