A Church like Bystanders: Palm Sunday - Reflecting on Mark 11:1-11

 

Jesus commands strange things to his disciples:

This was not the first time that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, for right from his childhood he was visiting the temple attending the major festivals, due to which he was familiar with the routes, the journey, the popular service centres, the inns, the best food joints, etc. On this occasion, on his last visit to Jerusalem, Jesus doesn’t crave for any of his favourite things to do or taste, rather commands a strange ask to his disciples, a donkey to be borrowed. Of all the things in the world, why on earth is Jesus asking for a donkey to bring in? The first learning from this text on the occasion of Palm Sunday is: Be prepared for Jesus commanding strange things to his disciples, which might include bringing something like a donkey. Through such strange commands, a donkey ride, Jesus wants to convey that he has come to offer an alternative kingship. “The Lord needs (strange things) and will send it back immediately, once its purpose is met.”

 

The bystander’s role in this strange plan:

As the disciples went on to bring the donkey into the village around Bethany and Bethphage, near Mount of Olives, there were few bystanders who on noticing that one of their neighbour’s donkey being untied by some strangers, asks, “What are you doing untying the colt?”(5v). When the disciples replied that it was Jesus the Lord who has asked for it and will send it back here immediately, the bystanders allowed them to take it. Imagine, if the bystanders did not allow for the disciples to untie the donkey to be taken, we would have had a different narrative of Palm Sunday events.

 

For the bystanders, the villagers, gathering on their streets is a huge socialising thing, for they gather around a banayan tree like in India or under a street light at the centre of the village like in my home town in India, to discuss issues of life which range from politics, to religion, to sports, to business and every other topic under the sun.

 

Why did these bystanders not raise an alarm when they noticed their neighbour’s donkey being taken away by some strangers? Now in Jesus’ time, the news of Jesus' movement, a movement of healing, transformation of the society was already spreading far and wide. Firstly, these bystanders were the ones who recognised the strange ways how Jesus acts, in this case this borrowing a donkey. Therefore, knowing that Jesus acts differently, they allowed that donkey to be taken by the disciples. Secondly, when the disciples came to take a donkey for Jesus, the Lord, all these bystanders expressed their solidarity with Jesus’ movement by allowing the donkey of their neighbour to be taken by them. Thirdly, these bystanders took a risk of vouching for their neighbour’s donkey. These bystanders would not have been the owners of the donkey, and when the disciples came along to untie it, they allowed it to happen and would have thought they could convince the owner about the donkey. The bystanders took that risk, only to be part of Jesus’ movement. Fourthly, these bystanders were bold in questioning when something strange was happening, for when the disciples were untying the donkey, they did not hesitate in asking about it. They care for their neighbour and his donkey and therefore asked the disciples about the donkey. Their sense of neighbourliness, their sense of being responsible neighbours is what we recognise in them. Fifthly, these bystanders responded to the acts of stranger disciples in graciousness, by engaging in a dialogue and conversation with the disciples.

As the bystanders in the village allowed the donkey to be taken to Jesus, we know the rest of the Palm Sunday event, where Jesus rides the donkey into the streets of Jerusalem, and people shouted hosanna as their prayer to save them, and invoking their hope in Jesus, the Blessed one who comes in the name of the Lord.

 

The relevance of this text for us on this Palm Sunday is that we are called as disciples of Jesus Christ to recognise and respond when Jesus commands things that will look strange, unusual from routine, ritual and tradition. Are we as a church able to look out for those strange commands of Jesus for us which are strange, different and simple like that of a donkey?

 

Secondly, we as a church are called to be like the bystanders: recognising Jesus’ words, willing to take risks, allowing us to be in solidarity with Jesus’ movement, be responsible neighbours by raising our voice and asking when things look different on our streets today. In the context when the government in the UK is proposing plans to bring in new rules for people seeking asylum in this country that lacks compassion and generosity, we are called as Christians like these bystanders to ask the government, “What are you doing? Tying the Asylum without a heart of compassion?

 

May God in Jesus drive through our streets for justice and may we join with Jesus on his march for the cause of transforming this world today.

 

Allow me to conclude with this prayer:

 

Prayer for Asylum Justice

 

God who in Jesus has come to us as a refugee,

as we draw to yet another lockdown Holy Week, reflecting on the passion of Christ,

Help us O God to recognise that you are present among the crucified communities around us.

 

God who in Jesus did not have a place to lay down your head,

We at this time remember people who are seeking a sanctuary in the UK,

We uphold the 35,099 asylum claims made in the UK during the year ending March 2020

so that justice is expedited to people waiting for a response,

Make us understand that there is no ‘wrong type’ of refugee

Help us to know that people fleeing for their lives

have little choice in how they seek safety,

Grant us generosity and compassion

in ensuring justice in our land for all people.

 

God who in Jesus identifies with the undocumented people,

may you guide those people in the Government

to be guided and led by values of love and justice.

 

God who in Jesus offers shepherding to the entire creation,

May we as churches be welcoming spaces

for refugees, migrants and strangers,

Accepting, receiving, loving, caring,

offering hospitality and advocating for justice.

May we as churches raise our voice

against the unjust policies and plans of the Government

which attacks the right to claim asylum.

May we as churches together with many charities and faith-based agencies

Stand up for asylum and stand up for justice. 

May we as churches identify

with today’s crucified communities, and

may we be channels of new life

to all people and all of the creation. Amen.

 

 

@rajpatta,

27.03.2021

 

 

 

 

Prayer for Asylum Justice

 

God who in Jesus has come to us as a refugee,

as we draw to yet another lockdown Holy Week, reflecting on the passion of Christ,

Help us O God to recognise that you are present among the crucified communities around us.

 

God who in Jesus did not have a place to lay down your head,

We at this time remember people who are seeking a sanctuary in the UK,

We uphold the 35,099 asylum claims made in the UK during the year ending March 2020

so that justice is expedited to people waiting for a response,

Make us understand that there is no ‘wrong type’ of refugee

Help us to know that people fleeing for their lives

have little choice in how they seek safety,

Grant us generosity and compassion

in ensuring justice in our land for all people.

 

God who in Jesus identifies with the undocumented people,

may you guide those people in the Government

to be guided and led by values of love and justice.

 

God who in Jesus offers shepherding to the entire creation,

May we as churches be welcoming spaces

for refugees, migrants and strangers,

Accepting, receiving, loving, caring,

offering hospitality and advocating for justice.

May we as churches raise our voice

against the unjust policies and plans of the Government

which attacks the right to claim asylum.

May we as churches together with many charities and faith-based agencies

Stand up for asylum and stand up for justice.  

May we as churches identify

with today’s crucified communities, and

may we be channels of new life

to all people and all of the creation. Amen.

 

@rajpatta

25th March 2021

(This prayer was written in the context of the Government announcing plans on Asylum that will affect people who are seeking sanctuary in the UK)

 

 

 

 

Our Mothering God...Prayer for Sarah Everard

Our Mothering God, we light this candle for the life of Sarah Everard,

Mourning, weeping, crying for the tragic loss of her life,

We pray for the family and friends of Sarah,

May you comfort them during this hour of need and may your justice be done.

 

Our Mothering God, we light this candle to smash patriarchy and misogyny,

Forgive us that we live in a world where violence against women continues unabated,

Help us to recognise that we are all made in your image,

And help us to celebrate equality and justice among all genders.

Our Mothering God, we light this candle confessing our sins and seeking forgiveness

for the sins of male violence: intimidation, harassment, catcalling, sexism, abuse and domestic violence.

Help us as churches to condone these acts as our gospel commitment, and help us to be safe spaces offering grace and care for one another.

 

Our Mothering God, we light this candle for your grace in reclaiming public spaces

As safe spaces for all people, so that all can walk safely, exercise safely and talk safely.

Help us to celebrate freedom, freedom from all powers and principalities,

And make us as transforming and loving communities spreading love to all.

 

Our Mothering God, we light this candle so that we are empowered by your Spirit,

growing to be a church striving for gender justice, celebrating love of all and for all,

to be channels of care, compassion, justice, peace and love.

Enlighten our hearts and our lives so that we are a living testimony of your love in our localities today. In Jesus, born of mother Mary we pray this prayer. Amen.

 

@rajpatta,

14th March 2021,

Mothering Sunday

For God so loved the world… Reflecting on John 3:16

One of my early childhood Sunday school memory verses was John 3:16, which I memorised both in my home language Telugu and in the KJV English. Perhaps that verse was part of a common curriculum for all those attending Sunday schools, for I remember my Sunday school teachers explaining how important this verse is in the life of Christian faith, explaining that we are all saved because we are Christians. I also remember that this verse was displayed on placards at international sporting events in bold letters “John 3:16.” Later in my adult life, I did come to know that there was one Rollen Stewart in the US, who went to some major events to be spotted by Television broadcasters with a rainbow wig and a T-shirt emblazoned with a slightly cryptic message: “John 3:16.” He was spotted at NBA finals, at Moscow Olympics and was also told to be at the Royal wedding, where he was seen dancing just underneath the balcony where Princess Diana and Prince Charles stood in 1981. For Stewart his television presence with “John 3:16” T-shirt was a way of ‘spreading’ the gospel. Two years back, when driving on the highways in the US, I found huge billboards with a signage of “John 3:16” on it, for no one can pass by without being captured by the sight of that billboard.

I was wondering what would have been the purpose of displaying John 3:16? To my surprise I have seen Christians in my home town in India carrying a placard with “John 3:16” on their evangelistic gospel walk in the town called “March for Jesus.” Even in the UK, in Manchester Piccadilly, I have spotted a guy walking with a placard with a similar signage of “John 3:16” shouting out loud that ‘Jesus saves.’ To put it in a broader theological frame, what does Bible and Bible verses mean in a non-Biblical world today? Is it meant for Christians to go and read that verse to know that since they believed in Christ they are saved, while the rest are perishing? For people who are not familiar that this is a verse taken from the Bible, in a secular Western context and in a multi-faith Indian context, what does “John 3:16” signage mean and what impact does it make on them? What is the message of John 3:16 for us today?

 

On this fourth Sunday in Lent, the prescribed lectionary gospel reading is from John 3:14-20, which gives a context to this often-quoted John 3:16 verse, and it will be helpful for us to reflect on it. This verse is part of Jesus’ late-night conversation with an old Jewish Rabbi Nicodemus, explaining about the importance of being ‘born again’, which is ‘born from above’ and how Spirt of God leads people towards that experience. Let me bring that verse up again for our reflection here:

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only son,

so that everyone who believes in him may not perish

but may have eternal life.”

 

One of the problems that we have seen in the history of interpreting this verse has been that there has been an over-emphasis on the later part of this verse, where time and again it was referred to “whoever believes in him (Jesus) may not perish but will have eternal life,” privileging the strength on and of the believer, commanding power to the individual self and enjoying the gift of eternal life based on their choice. In which process, the emphasis on “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son” got a backbench leading to an extent of diminishing the strength in the grace of God wo loves the world unconditionally. All those who walk with this placard or those who installed the huge billboards of “John 3:16” are trying to project the love of God for this world based on people’s decisions, undermining the gracious unconditional love of God in Jesus to this world, and are portraying a narrow vision of God confined to the options of ‘either/or’ or ‘neither/nor’, not realising that God in Jesus is a God of all and for all, who has come not to condemn the world but to save the world (John 3:17). The other thing about this verse is about ‘believing’ which many put the emphasis on ‘believing’ as human act, not recognising that ‘belief’/ ‘faith’ is a gift and a fruit of the Spirit to this world. And the final thing about this verse is the emphasis on ‘eternal life’ as a reward of such believing, which many think it is about ‘life after death’ not recognising that when Jesus was speaking eternal life in John’s gospel it was all about life here and now.

 

Who is this God who so loved the world that he is able to give his son, send his son to save this world, offering belief/faith as a gift and granting eternal life to the world? The God of John 3:16 is a God who is love and all this God knows is to love, give, send, and save everyone in this world. This verse invites us to celebrate the God in Jesus who is an embodiment of love and grace, who has come into this world to save, by risking his own life, granting eternal life in the now, for the cause of the Kingdom of God here on the earth. Allow me to share three things from this God of love: 

 

1. The Area of Love:

Where did God of love demonstrate his love? ‘For God so loved the world…’ The world with all its fragility was found by God as the recipient of God’s love. God loved this material world, the cosmos, with all its vulnerabilities and wounds. God not just loved the world, but God loved it in its superlative degree, ‘so loved’, loved it to the moon and back. The emphasis on ‘so’ is important, for God in Jesus did not love this world half-heartedly, or partially or temporarily, but loved this world ‘so much.’ The strength is in the love of God for this world. God did not ‘so love the’ world because of this world’s perfection, but despite all the imperfections God in Jesus loved this world, demonstrating to this world that the length and breadth of God’s love is beyond measure, unrestricted, unrestrained, unbound, unconditional, unimagined and even unexplained in human words.

 

2. The Act of Love:

The act of love for this underserving world is exhibited by sending his son and giving his son to this world. Love is all about giving, with no conditions apply, giving everything including life for the cause of saving this world. In John 3:14, Jesus gives a clue to understand the act of love “that just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up…” The act of love for this world is in Jesus being with the world, identifying with the human flesh and being lifted up on the Cross for the cause of standing up for the Kingdom of God. To that extent of dying a public criminal death on the Cross, that this God in Jesus loves this world. There is no greater love than a friend dying for the other, and Jesus on the Cross did it and demonstrated it, inviting all those believing and following him to love the others to that extent. John 3:16 comes to life in correlation to I John 3:16, where John writes, “we know love by this, that he laid his life for us – and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” The act of love that Jesus showed to this world becomes meaningful, when the followers of Christ similar to Jesus lay down their lives for one another, and not in holding a placard of John 3:16.

 

3. The Aim of Love:

Why is this God in Jesus so loving this world? The aim is to save this world and to grant eternal life. The aim of God in Jesus coming into this world is not to condemn people on any count but to save them at any cost. Salvation and eternal life offered as gifts by God in Jesus is not about ‘other-worldly’ stuff, but is about transforming the lives of people, communities and the entire world, for it is to establish love and give life a chance to love all of God’s creation. The aim of God in Jesus so loving this world is not about condemnation and perishing, rather is about ‘new creation’ is about ‘new heaven and new earth,’ is about celebrating life over death and love over hate. Eternal life is all about eternal love, where love transcends all boundaries, identities, limits and barriers. Believing in Jesus is about demonstrating such a love to all of the creation today, where we are called to give up our power and privilege. Believing in Jesus is about creating a sense of belonging in this world that we are all being loved by God, and its God’ love that offers us grace to love God and love one another. Only then John 3:16 comes alive in our context for our times today.

 

On this fourth Sunday of Lent, which is observed as Mothering Sunday in the UK, the message is clear and loud, that we are called to celebrate God in Jesus’ unconditional and unrestricted love for this world. And as followers of Christ, we are called to demonstrate ‘for God so loved the world,’ to this world, transcending all the barriers we have made in the name of identity and tradition. I have always wondered, for people who are carrying this placard of “John 3:16” right on the streets where poverty, homelessness, hunger, consumerism is existing as realities, what is the message that they are communicating? All what John 3:16 is inviting us is not in holding that placard and moving around the streets today, but in living that word, demonstrating the love of Christ for one another by caring, by compassion and by standing for justice. It is time that we need to move on from just saying, ‘Jesus is love’ to showing ‘how Jesus is love today in our contexts?’ You, I and the church today are called to be ‘living letters’ of demonstrating the God in Jesus’ love, for it is the love of Christ that is inviting us to be like Christ. Believing should lead us to becoming, and becoming should create belonging, and such a sense of belonging to God’s love should keep us be-loving.

 

The world this week is shocked to know that there are people who are discussing the colour of the unborn child in the context of mixed marriages. Has the love for one another died today where racism still thrives? Has the colour, race, gender and caste of a person a barrier to love in this world today? God in Jesus is inspiring us to love, and only to love, as our public witness to this world, transcending the barriers of hate. The country was also shocked to know that violence against women continues unabated with the news of Sarah Everard in the UK, and it is called as an ‘epidemic’ that needs immediate action. Has the love for one another died today in our context where patriarchy and misogyny still thrives? God in Jesus is inspiring us to love and treat one another justly and equally. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” The call for us is to be living testaments of John 3:16, living, risking, giving and offering for the cause of love, and only for love. The text of the Bible comes alive only in living it out, in demonstrating it and not just in reading or in holding it out in the public. May God of love, God of John 3:16 be with us all so that we will live to love and strive towards a community of love for all. Amen

 

Raj Bharat Patta,

Mothering Sunday,

14th March 2021

Pic credit: http://john3-16signs.com/What_is_Sign_ministry__.html

The Revelations of God are Dynamic, Diverse and Diligent: Reflection on Psalm 19

After I have experienced the call of God through the Word of God to go into ministry, I joined the ministerial training and pursued my theology. The first year of my theological education was quite tough on me, for I was exposed to the historical and critical methods of doing theology and getting to learn the history & politics of how the books of the Bible became a canon, they were hard nuts to crack. Five of us who were studying first year of theology, in our conversations with our senior student friends expressed our discomfort of learning the hard facts and even shared we might quit doing theology any further, for our faith was shaken. They tried to counsel us, asking us to be strong. This news of five first year theology students planning to quit their theological education became the talk of our college, and we were summoned by our Principal immediately to discuss this matter with him. The Principal invited five of us into his home for an evening tea and listened to our fears and doubts of doing theology. All five of us expressed how those first few months of exposure to theology have shaken our faith. After giving a patient listen to all five of us, our Principal said to us, “If by listening to things that we did not want to listen to, our faith is shaken, then our faith isn’t faith.” He further said, “Ok fine, you can quit theology and go back home because you are learning some hard facts of history here, however, if your faith keeps shaking on hearing some hard facts, then your faith is not grounded firmly, for it is wobbly and it will keep shaking as you encounter difficult situations in life. Be open to God’s revelations, ask God to strengthen your faith and allow God to work through each of you.” He sent us all back to our hostel by offering a prayer to us. We all spent time in prayer, and waited on God to open our hearts and eyes for God’s ongoing revelations. Such a call to be open to God’s revelations changed the course of our faith journey and theological journey, for all five of us, rather than quitting theology, we eventually went on to do our masters in theology and spent about six years learning theology. During this journey, God’s revelations came to us in various ways, which include through theology, through context, through experience, through reason, through the Word, through friends, through art, through films, through songs, through nature, through community etc. God in God’s graciousness offers God’s revelations only to demonstrate that God is dynamic, and ever since I realised such strength in the revelation of God, I began to look for God’s revelation at all places and at all life situations.

 

Psalm 19, the prescribed Psalm for this third Sunday in Lent, is a Psalm that records the dynamism of God’s revelation as experienced and understood by David. As we are aware, the Psalms were compiled during the post-exilic period expressing the language of lament, doubt, despair, hope, repentance, confession, praise and thanksgiving. Psalm 19 served to offer hope about God’s revelation to God’s people. On their return from exile as they were reconstructing their faith, tradition, history, this particular Psalm served as a directional Psalm to understand and celebrate the revelation of God’s glory. God’s revelation is dynamic, diverse and diligent, is the message that this Psalm offers. In contrast to what me and my four friends in the first year of our theology course thought that God’s revelation is mono-directional, the Psalmist in this Psalm explains God’s revelation happens multi-directionally, and in this instance offers at least two ways of understanding God’s revelation. Allow me to share the two kinds of God’s revelations from this Psalm, so that it opens up to recognise the strength in God’s revelations.

 

1. The wordless God’s revelation (1-6v):

This famous saying, “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary,” is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, has a great significance in the journey of faith. The Psalmist in this Psalm 19: 1-6 in a way serves as a prelude to this quoted saying, where he explains that nature serves as a channel for God’s revelation, with no words at all. The heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament proclaims God’s handiwork, and in the heavens, God has set a tent for the sun, all of these explain God’s revelation in nature. It is interesting to note that in verse 3-4, the Psalmist says, “There is no speech, not are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.” God’s revelation comes through in the formats where there are no words, no speeches but only through their acts and presence in nature. It is also important to recognise that these wordless revelations are also anti-empire revelations. Some scholars have noticed that the 1-6 verses in this Psalm bring some shades of a Canaanite poetry, where the sun is personified as a bridegroom, and serves as an intermediary god. Psalmist contests such notions of gods and empires, and explains that sun, heavens, skies all direct and point out to the Creator God, with no words. To recognise such a wordless revelation of God, it requires an open heart, mind and eyes, for there isn’t a place where God is not present. This Psalm served as a sign of hope for the post-exilic community to know that God’s revelation is dynamic, diverse and diligent. For it is dynamic because God reveals through the known things with no words, for it is diverse because God reveals not just in ways and means that people know for example through the temple or prophets and it is diligent because God’s revelation is clear, in the familiar and known to all, not just for few chosen ones.    

 

2. The word-filled God’s revelation (7-11v):

The Psalmist then explains the second mode of God’s revelation, which is through the law, a word-filled revelation. The post-exilic community were also recovering the importance of scripture, which they had forgotten during the exile. This Psalm therefore emphasises the importance of the scriptures, which again explains another form of God’s revelation, this time through words. Unlike in the previous section of giving examples like heavens, skies, sun as means of God’s revelations, the Psalmist in this section does not give the examples of the texts like the ten commandments or Levitical laws or festival laws etc. rather explains in this section the rewards of the law or the Torah. In a way, the Psalmist makes a case to recognise the open-endedness of the religious texts and therefore exhibits the diversity of the scriptures. The Psalmist explains six characteristics of the scripture and their subsequent rewards, which demonstrate the word-filled God’s revelation. I have tabulated it here to give us a snapshot of the word-filled God’s revelation.

 

No.	Word	Character	Reward
1.	The law of the Lord (7a)	Perfect	Reviving the soul
2.	The decrees of the Lord (7b)	Sure	Making wise the simple
3.	The precepts of the Lord (8a)	Right	Rejoicing the heart
4.	The commandment of the Lord (8b)	Clear	Enlightening the eyes
5.	The fear of the Lord (9a)	Pure	Enduring forever
6.	The ordinances of the Lord (9b)	True	Righteous altogether

 

We again notice the aforementioned characteristics of God’s revelation, that they are dynamic, diverse and diligent. All of these word-filled God’s revelations are more desired than the fine gold and sweeter than the pure honey (10v), which explains the dynamism in God revelations. The six characteristics of the scriptures or the word explains the diversity of the word and in their understandings. The diligence of God’s revelation is understood in their rewards that they bring in. The word-filled revelations of God are not about authority and power, they are not discriminatory or hateful, rather are about hope, love, revival and refreshment to the people of God. This again explains the anti-empire understanding of God’ revelations, for the words of the empire were more about authority and power. In a way, the rewards of the word-filled revelations explain and locate the purpose of the scriptures, for they exist to revive the soul, to make wise simple, for the rejoicing of hearts, to enlighten the eyes, to endure forever, and to make righteous altogether. The word-filled revelations of God in no way exclude anyone based on their identity, they don’t teach hate to people who look different to us and they don’t oppress people based on the texts. This Psalm is in a way helping us to understand that the word-filled revelations of God are to promote life and are to contest anything that denies life.

 

Towards the end, the Psalmist ask God to keep him blameless and innocent of great transgression and concludes this Psalm in verse 14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations (wordless) of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer,” drawing a relevance in understanding God’s dynamic, diverse and diligent revelation with and without words.

 

C.S. Lewis in commenting about this Psalm 19 said, “I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the great lyrics in the world,” and indeed it is a very meaningful Psalm, for it has a relevance for us today in the 21st century too. The message is clear and loud for us from this Psalm, that God’s revelations whether in word or without word are dynamic, diverse and diligent. This Psalm calls us to give up our narrow mindedness, particularly when it comes to God’ revelations, for there is no only one way that God chooses to reveal God’s love and God’s self to this world, for God’s revelations comes to us in very many ways including in ways we haven’t thought or imagined. Particularly in the context when there is a roadmap for the easing down of the lockdown in the UK and as churches gear up to return to worship in the church buildings, it is important to recognise God’s revelations happening beyond our known traditional modes and cultivate those new models of God’s revelations. The task for us as churches is to account for the kinds of God’s revelations that came in during the last one year of lockdown and nurture them, where transforming community will be at the heart of our mission with God. Experiencing God’s revelations are always rewarding and refreshing, and as a church we need to ask God to strengthen us to be open to God’s new means of revelations. In our preparedness for a post-lockdown church, we need to struggle with God in knowing God’s revelations for our times today. God’s revelations today come to us through songs, through music, through films, through art, through acts of kindness, through struggles for justice, through our daily exercises, through conversations, through reading books, and several other mundane acts of our routines. God’s revelations come to us in all freedom and are always liberative. Let us keep looking out for God revelations in our daily lives and let us keep experiencing God’s love in our lives and in the lives of our communities. God’s revelation is happening today particularly among people on the margins and may we have the humility in recognising God there and join with God in working towards their transformation. We should also be bold in contesting people who exclude people based on few written texts, for God’s revelation is an ongoing one, a continuing process and is all about life-affirming.

 

Having been frightened to new learnings in theology, imagine if I and my four other friends have quitted our theological education in that very first year, I wouldn’t have known the dynamism, diversity and diligence of God’s revelations, for I would have always argued about my own way of knowing God’s revelation. But I need to testify that theological exposure in my life has deepened my faith in Jesus Christ, giving me new insights on learning from different perspectives, by making me open to all streams and variants of faith understandings. God is gracious, and in that grace, God reveals God’s love and generosity to all people in this world. May God’s revelations which are dynamic, diverse and diligent come to each of us and grant us the needed courage and strength in working for the kingdom of God here in our localities, so that we live out a God who is constantly on the go, offering God’s revelations to all people and to all creation. Amen.

 

Raj Bharat Patta,

5th March 2021

Pic credit: https://scripturetype.com/psalm-19-1