If the Primates Attend the Marriage Party at Cana of Galilee: Re-imagining and Re-rereading the Story from John 2

His mother said, “Do whatever Jesus tells you.” John 2: 5

Greetings to you all in the name of our God, Our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.

In a space of a week the world said good bye to some of the greatest talents of our generation. The loss of the legendary musician David Bowie and the versatile actor, the fame of Snape in Harry Potter Alan Rickman was felt profoundly across the nation. As the world was still coping with these bereavements, the ecclesiastical world particularly the Anglican Communion was on the news this week for several reasons known to you. Where some sections hailed that ‘the biggest schism was prevented in the communion’ on the other hand it was reported that ‘Primates suspends Episcopal Church of USA from full participation in the Anglican Communion.’  Is unity achieved at the expense of exclusion? Or can the split within the Church be fixed temporarily by axing another Church in the name of discipline and order? How are we as a Church the universal broken body of Christ, where one particular Church is slaughtered on the altar of majoritarianism?

When we go into the detail of this week’s meeting we understand that 38 Anglican Primates from around the world gathered together at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury for a week long prayer and discussion on the life and service of God in the world. It was reported that Archbishop of Uganda walked away from the meeting on the second day for not taking disciplinary action on a particular Church until they have repented of their decisions that have torn the fabric of the Anglican Communion. In light of that, hurriedly, the Primates released their leaked communiqué one day prior to actual day of release suspending this Church for three years from full participation in the Anglican Communion. All because, the Episcopal Church has brought in changes to their doctrine of Marriage.

Coincidentally and by the providence of the Spirit the text this morning that has been chosen on the common lectionary, where Anglicans and other Christians are called to preach this Sunday, after a week of hurt and pain is a text, where Jesus and his disciples attend a wedding, a marriage party at Cana from John 2: 1-11. Dear friends, allow me this morning to re-imagine and reread this given text, “Jesus at the Wedding in Cana,” as an ecumenical partner in the faith of Christ, for this week’s decisions of the Primates have huge implications to the global ecclesiology and have a deep relevance to the Christian faith in this our generation.

Taking a clue from last week’s play we watched with our children from our Church, “Ink Heart”, where the reader is captured into the text and becomes a reality into that text, so also I would want to imagine if the Primates, who represent our Christian context are captured into the text of John 2 and participate in the wedding at Cana with Jesus and his disciples, where he turns water into wine. I want to present to you this re-imagination where the Primates, Archbishop of Canterbury, Jesus, his disciples, mother Mary and the narrator engage in a conversation with one another.

Presenting to you the re-imagination and re-reading of John 2 in a narration form. A caveat to this rereading, ‘please don’t take any offences on any of the characters.’

1.On the third day there was a wedding, a marriage party in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was the first to attend, for she came to help with the logistics at the marriage party.

Jesus had also been invited to this marriage party.

Archbishop of Canterbury along with his 38 colleagues who are called as Primates also self-invited themselves and attended this marriage function.

The steward at the wedding noticed a bunch of strangers who were dressed in purple with huge crosses on their bellies lingering at the wine section of the party and asked them, “Are you ok? Who do you want to meet?”

The Archbishop of Canterbury came to the front and replied in his bass tone, “Thank you we are ok, we are disciples of Jesus and have come along with him.”

The steward gave a long look at these Bishops and murmured within himself, “Could Jesus not find any better guys than these bunch of cheeky ones. Where on earth did he found them?”

The Primate from Korea who knew lip reading angrily said, “Excuse me my friend, what did you say about us?”

The steward with a grin answered, “nothing nothing, How are you all and warm welcome to this marriage party, let me go and call Peter to come and take you to Jesus.” He quickly disappears to find Peter.

Peter then comes and says, “Hearty welcome Archbishop of Canterbury and to all the 38 Primates. So nice of you Archbishop for bringing them all to this marriage party. Come let us go and meet Jesus. I will also introduce you my other 11 colleagues as well. Mind you Archbishop, we aren’t as Biblically strong as you are all and as powerful as you are all with dioceses and parishes, for we are all very new to this mission with Jesus, in the of discipleship.”

Archbishop replies, “no worries bro, some of our Bishops are here to teach you all guys, for we are coming straight from our fasting prayers during the week.”

Jesus greets the Archbishop and the Primates and invites them all to join along with his disciples to enjoy at the marriage party.

2. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the marriage party.

3. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

4. And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.”

5. His mother said to the stewards at the marriage party, “Do whatever Jesus tells you.”

As the conversation between Jesus and his mother Mary was going on in meeting to the need of the occasion, which is finding more wine, some of the Primates enquired who the wedding couple are and realised that they are a pair from the Episcopal Church of US and the presiding clergy at their wedding was one of the priests of the same Church.

Filled with fury and frustration, some of the Primates whose faith was ultra-rightist started to become uncomfortable and grumbled at each other how disgraceful it is for us to attend this marriage of a couple of this disgraceful church.

Among them, Archbishop of Uganda became vocal and called on Archbishop of Canterbury and said, “Your grace, this is highly unsolicited of us attending a marriage party of a pair from a church that altered the doctrine of marriage, will you kindly take disciplinary action on the Church for such acts or would you want a schism in our communion?”

Archbishop of Canterbury was shocked to hear this and tried to pacify him and said “Your grace, don’t be in a panic, we can address this matter, we can have a consultative process and resolve it.”

At once Archbishop of Uganda replied, “I have been hearing this from so many years, will it possible for you to take a disciplinary action on these Churches or not? Can you restore godly order in our Communion otherwise I will have to walk out of this marriage party”

Archbishop of Canterbury then said, “Since we are here in the presence of Jesus, his disciples and his mother, why don’t we ask them and seek their wisdom and advice on this matter”

Mary, mother of Jesus who was overseeing the marriage party and trying to get more wine as the wine gave out, was walking by that way and on seeing her Archbishop of Canterbury took Archbishop of Uganda and ran towards her.

Mary on seeing them, “Archbishops are you both ok, why is there so much unpleasantness on your faces, I am sorry the wine ran out, and we are trying to address it and soon our jars should be filled with wine, and I am hoping for my son Jesus to fix it for me”

Archbishop of Canterbury replied, “No worries on that mother Mary, we can wait for a long to get some wine. There is a more pressing thing than wine on us, which is bothering our communion.”

Mary asked, “What is more pressing for now than not having sufficient wine?”

Archbishop of Canterbury then shared the conversation that took place between him and Archbishop of Uganda and placed it before mother Mary asking her wisdom on to address it.

Mary smiling at the Archbishops said, “I have told the bartenders at the wedding to do whatever Jesus tells them to do, like wise I say to you both ‘Do as Jesus tells you’” She further said, “This is as simple as that, you don’t need to look for matching references in the Scriptures or don’t need to exclude anyone, but ‘do as Jesus tells you’ for I know my son, for all that he would tell is just love and celebrate love. Anyways I don’t have more time for now; all that I have to say is ‘do as Jesus tells you to do.’”Having said this, Mary ran to find whether new wine was brought forth.

Archbishop of Canterbury said, “ok lets do whatever Jesus tells us to do, what do you say?”

Archbishop of Uganda on hearing this said, “It is not convincing for me. How much of Scriptures does Mary know? In accordance with the resolution of our Provincial Assembly, it was, therefore, necessary for me to withdraw from here. It seemed that I was being manipulated into participating in a long meeting with the Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada without the necessary discipline being upheld.”

Archbishop of Uganda walks out of this marriage party, leaving Jesus, his disciples, Archbishop, the other Primates. Most of them thought that he left unpleasantly because there wasn’t sufficient wine for him to party and merry.

Meanwhile, Archbishop of Canterbury called for an urgent emergency meeting of the Primates and said to them, “Before the news goes to Jesus, let us resolve it ourselves, for we can’t foresee a schism in our Communion. We can slowly convince Jesus of our decision of excluding a Church for the sake of fragile unity among our Communion. Since our Church pews are highly filled in global south than in other contexts, in order to please these people let us unanimously levy sanctions on this Episcopal Church and suspend them from all our activities. Even before Archbishop of Uganda reaches his place, we shall quickly send this communiqué titled “Walking in the service of God to the world” and save our face and Communion. Mind you, let this news not go to Jesus and his disciples.”

The two Indian primates who were present there on the one hand went with Archbishop of Uganda’s perspective of disciplining the church that altered the doctrine of marriage, and on the other hand praised the Episcopal Church of US for their support to the Churches in India during Tsunami. However both of them in their diplomatic style remained neutral and went along with the majority of Primates present there and agreed to these recommendations and released the communiqué.

"Our commitment to be an inclusive church is not based on a social theory or capitulation to the ways of the culture, but on our belief that the outstretched arms of Jesus on the cross are a sign of the very love of God reaching out to us all. While I understand that many disagree with us, our decision regarding marriage is based on the belief that the words of the Apostle Paul to the Galatians are true for the church today: All who have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female, for all are one in Christ.” These are the words spoken by the Primate and Presiding Bishop of the excluded Church, which are uttered out of pain and disappointment.

‘Do whatever Jesus tells you’ was reeling in the heads of Archbishop of Canterbury and the rest of the Primates there, for they knew the decision they made was not what Jesus would want them to do. By excluding a Church and suspending a Church for the sake of majoritarianism and populism, is not what Jesus would tell, yet the Bishops went against the conscious of Jesus.

Meanwhile, Jesus called on his friends to fill water in the ritual jars of purification and turned water into wine, addressing the needs of the people and the communities over there and elsewhere. At that moment, water was turned into wine, ritual jars were turned into communitarian fountains of froth, impossibilities were turned into possibilities. All because of doing whatever Jesus told them to do. The bridegroom was surprised, the stewards were surprised, the guests were surprised, mother Mary was surprised, disciples were surprised at this miracle of turning water into wine. By this Jesus’ glory was revealed and his disciples believed him.

Jesus wasn’t interested in which doctrine of marriage did this couple at the wedding at Cana was following; all he did was addressing the needs of the marriage party, its people and their communities. Later on knowing about the communiqué from the Primates of the Anglican Communion, where a Church was excluded, ‘Jesus wept.’

In light of the ongoing exclusions, marginalization, discriminations, and levying sanctions by the powerful against the powerless, the true message for us is spoken by mother Mary, “Do whatever Jesus tells you”, which is ‘love God, love one another, judge not and always embrace the excluded.’

After all of this, the Archbishop of Canterbury forgets what has happened in the week comes forward proudly to announce, “We are working for a common date to celebrate Easter and we are working along with the Vatican, with the Orthodox groups.”

Where the world is not broken into narrow domestic walls, into that heaven of freedom my father, let our Churches awake.

Do whatever Jesus tells you.

Raj Bharath Patta

(This is the text of the Sermon preached at St. Peter’s Church & Chaplaincy, Manchester on 17^th January 2016)

Cartoon Courtesy: http://www.weblogcartoons.com/cb/primates07/1.gif

Lets not be Conformed to this Galaxy, but lets Transform this our Galaxy

                                                     Sankrama Kranthi is Sankranthi

As the New Year has dawn, a new season of joy and happiness ushers every mind and thought, and life is celebrated. When Christians celebrated the “Epiphany” on the 6th of January, the manifestation of the divine light to the nations far and wide was reaffirmed. The immediate festival that arrives in the New Year and in the Indian sociological calendar is “Sankranthi”, the festival that is celebrated in all splendor and grandeur in several places and specially in my town Bhimavaram. This festival in my town is when all my childhood friends gather to celebrate the gift of friendship. Let me wish all my friends celebrating this festival a very 'Happy Sankranthi.' 

As a student of religion, when i was thinking of this festival, these are the thoughts that come into my mind. I have read that there are 'samajik samrastha' (social harmony) programmes being organised for the occasion. Social harmony is established only when 'social justice' is established. In India that is possible when caste is annihilated and equality & dignity of people is affirmed. I was thinking the call is to transform this world, but after watching 'Star Wars - The Force Awakens' i think world should be replaced by 'galaxy' for is life and life forms in the entire galaxies. 'May that Force of transformation be with you.'

The Sun’s entry into each house is called “Sankramana” and “Kranthi” means ‘transformation through light’. Therefore “Sankranthi” is the festival that brings in a change and transformation into every house irrespective of who they are, for sun belongs to all people for the Sun brings in new smiles and cheer to every household.

When our world today is caught up in several chaotic conditions and situations, which are beyond repair and cure, this festival “Sankranthi” is a challenge to bring in a transformation and change into our life situations.

· In the context of rapid climatic changes to our planet earth caused by our human greed and domination, the festival of “Sankranthi” is a challenge and a chance for safeguarding our planet with care and to bring in transformational light into our galaxies. 

· In the context of phenomenal changes in the geo-political levels, where the rich continue to become richer and the poor becoming poorer, the festival of “Sankranthi” is a challenge and a chance for breaking the inequality and inequity among the rich and the poor and to bring in transformational light into our world. 

· In the context of vigorous discriminations and oppressions in the name of caste, creed, gender, religion, region etc, the festival of “Sankranthi” is a challenge and a chance to build in just and inclusive communities, where justice & peace will flow down like never ending streams, and to bring in a transformational light into our context.

· In the context of rising intolerance, fermenting fundamentalism and fanaticism among religions, where enmity, violence and bloodshed have become the norm, the festival of “Sankranthi” is a challenge and a chance to build friendship among religions, jointly addressing issues of injustices and violation of human rights and to bring in a transformational light into our vicinity.

May this season and festival of “Sankranthi” challenge each one of us to become the beacons of light and transformation. May we be enlightened to join hands in lightening our societies, and may we be the change makers bringing in transformation. Enjoy the festival and live for transformation. 'May that Force of transformation be with you all.'

Rediscovering Human by Overcoming Forces of Marketization

Re-Reading Luke 15: 11- 32

‘The ascent of money and the descent of the human’ has been the theme chosen for the annual special issue of ‘Peoples Reporter.’ Indeed there has been an ascendency of capital or market or money and is well captured in a Telugu saying, “Dabbu lekhapothe chhachhinodutho samanam” (A person without money is a dead person). Today unfortunately it is money that determines life, and demonstrates the value of living in our contexts. With a cloud of market surrounding us, life and humanity is devalued and dehumanized. The system of marketization breeds inequality, and widens the gap between the rich and the poor. In this process, human is lost, shattered, broken, blurred, even erased and forgotten in the whole gamut of this systemic and structural violence.

The parable of two sons in Luke 15 is a parable where the younger son becomes a victim of the forces of marketization, for he demands his father to divide his ancestral estate making his spending levels to scale on a high. Consumerism has taken him captive, for he had to spend all that he had, for it was ‘easy money’, his father’s inherited money that he was forced to spend. When the markets crashed, and when economy was in a bad state with austerity and famine, he realizes and rediscovers his humanity which he enjoyed in his father’s house, for he recognizes that he has been captured by the forces of capitalism and money and repents of his consumerist attitudes. Marketization promotes inequality, individualism and complacency, and here is this parable which is read against these forces in trying to rediscover humanity, for the younger son ‘came back to his senses’ (17v), recognizing the worth of life and living. Forces of market has taken the young son captive and made him to lose his human senses. Human is rediscovered by promoting equality, communality and by overcoming complacency.

1.      Equal Bread Builds Equal Society

Occupational discrimination has been still a rampant phenomenon in India, and particularly in the name of caste and gender there has been unequal distribution of wages. Unequal treatment of workers at work, some occupations are being looked down and have been attached to caste-based works and work force has been divided and ruled by the oppressive ruling class in our society. Market and corporations thrive only on profits and are not interested in the lives of people.

The Parable of the Prodigal and his brother, when re-read in out times of hunger and food security, it is surrounded around food politics. The younger son in a distant land, when he was dying of hunger thinks of his father’s house, his memory cannot but think of the plentitude of food the workers enjoyed there (17v). The house of his father was an inclusive community where there was equal food for all at that house. No matter what the identity of a person is, what the work of a person is, if they are at father’s house, whether hired ones, temporary workers, permanent workers, day labourers, his own sons and even himself, all had the privilege of enjoying food, which was served equally and justly. Probably whatever the father and his son ate, so was it for those hired hands in that house. All sufficient food was available for all those working at father’s house. No discrimination, no exclusion, no barriers, no boundaries, no gaps and no individualism, the bread was enough and was even to spare for all those working at that house.

This parable calls us to fight against occupational discrimination in our society today. There should not be any discrimination at work. Like the father’s house in the parable our Churches and homes should be examples where equality and sufficiency is maintained to all at work. When there is equality at work, there is peace and productivity at work. Give us today our daily bread is meaningful, when there is equal bread and sufficient bread to all at work, transcending all barriers. Equal bread builds equal society and human is rediscovered in it.

2.       Feasting Together Builds Inclusive Community

Bishop VS Azariah, in 1910 Edinburgh World Missionary Conference in one of his speeches he said that ‘missionaries have always prayed for granting us thrones in heaven but have never given their chairs in their rooms to sit for us.’ This has been so, for most of the Christian mission engagements elsewhere, which is even practiced today. Most of us when people come in hunger, forget to address their hunger and have either prayed for those who are in hunger to be fed, or made hunger as the vulnerable situation for us to evangelize and show mercy and charity, and least of all have forgotten to feed them when they are hungry. By doing so, a hierarchical society is further made, with donor and receiver.

But the father in this parable, on seeing his son coming from a distant country in hunger, first of all addressed his hunger by ordering a grand feast of non-vegetarian dinner (23v). This beef-festival is of great significance in the light of today’s anti-beef campaigns. Even though the son has asked for forgiveness, and expressed his unworthiness to be called as his son, long before he forgave him, he addressed the hunger of his son. By ordering a feast, father builds an inclusive community with the others over there. The father did not order to give his hungry son some leftover food, nor did he give some snacks that were available instantly, nor took him to a restaurant for an individual private dinner. But the father organized a feast, where his hungry son was fed as well as the others in the community were also fed. I assume that every time a hungry person comes to this father, there would have been a feast for the whole of the community. By doing so, probably father was building an inclusive community, where the ethic was if one is hungry in the community, everyone needs to feel for them and when one is fed, and everyone in the community is fed.

Therefore let our Churches and houses become the places where hunger is addressed not by mere prayers, nor by charity but by inclusivity and justice. Let us as individuals feel hungry, when one in our community is hungry, and let us make feasting for when the hungry are fed along with them. Inter-dining has been one of the key efforts Dr. B.R. Ambedkar proposed in overcoming caste discrimination, and it is high time that we organize food festivals inviting people of all ethnicities and tribes to join in, for by this forces of dehumanization are defeated and human is rediscovered.

 3.      Complacency A Threat to Inclusive Community

Complacency has been one of the manifestations of self-righteousness of our times, and has been a dire reality of Christian living. The ethos of globalisation has always taught us to be self-content, self-satisfied and made us more individualistic and selfish, no matter what happens to the others in our own community.

In this parable, the younger son is projected as dying in hunger, the father as giving life out of hunger, and the elder son as depressed in anger. When the elder son saw and heard that there has been a feast at his home, he was depressed in anger for out of his complacent character, he replies his father in anger that he never has given even a young goat to celebrate with his friends (29v). What was more pressing for this elder son was, when the property was divided equally between the two sons, the property where his father was, legally speaking the elder ones portion. Therefore, when his father on the return of his younger one threw a feast, it was from the elder’s portion that he cooked some beef for the community. And probably that did not taste good to the elder one, for the father shared from his portion. Complacency makes us not to share, and therefore frustration is shown. Complacency also made the elder one to further point down the allegations of the younger one, that he being hungry was his own making. Complacency breeds greed, and makes an individual excluded from the community living. Complacency made him to grumble that the father never gave a goat to be cooked for him and his friends.

In today’s context, it is high time that we Christians need to give up complacency in our lives. Our attitudes need to change, for sharing and caring are all part of community and inclusive living. Let us give up our complacent nature, let our churches give up complacent nature and even let our missions give up exclusive and complacent attitudes. For today, complacency is the great threat of inclusivity. Complacency is the new aristocracy, a characteristic promoted by forces of market, which is a threat to inclusivity and thereby to humanity. Resisting, overcoming and defeating complacency helps us to rediscover human in the context of growing ascendency of money.

Raj Bharath Patta,

‘Let it Stay for One More Year’ - Overcoming Greed: A New Year Challenge

Re-Reading Luke 13: 6- 9 

Life and life narratives today are defined and drawn on the parameters of greed, be it the ‘unregulated urbanization’ which is the root cause of recent floods in Chennai, or the ‘consumerism’ (driven into excessive shopping ‘buy one get one free’) which drives people towards accumulation of wealth or be it ‘selfish individualism’ where domination of the powerful over the powerless for all are zeroed on ‘greed.’ The caption that very well captures the greed of human beings today is “Yeh Dil Mange More”, ( this heart desires more) and therefore puts in perspective the struggles for life across the globe against corporate giants, be it the anti-globalization struggles, anti-posco struggle, or be it the anti-nuclear struggle etc. Captions like, “Owner’s pride, neighbour’s envy” have been used as captions of virtue, taking for granted the vices like envy & greed.  In such a context of greed, which affects the whole of creation, discerning the common creed of life is a challenge for us all as communities that wrestle with faith in making it more contemporary and relevant. At a time like this, when corporate greed dominates the society today, the gospel need and the Christian public witness is to affirm life, protect life and sustain life, life in all its fullness.

Jesus as recorded in Luke 13: 6-9 narrates a parable about a fig tree that continues not to bring forth fruits when the owner comes searching for its fruits. After three years of thorough inspection and waiting, the owner pronounces his judgement to cut down such a tree with no fruits, for it even wastes the soil. There comes the gardener, who pleads the owner to let it stay for one more year, for he would give extra care and effort and strive to bring fruit, and then takes a grace period of extending the life of that tree by an year, ‘if it doesn’t yield fruit even then, you can do as u want, to cut it down’, says the gardener. Now I would like to attempt to re-read this parable of Jesus from our own given context and try to decipher the voice and position of God in this parable, and find implications for us in our faith journey.

The Economic-Corporate Greed: Here is an owner of the land, who planted a fig tree in his vineyard. His understanding of a garden is to yield fruits all the time, be it grapes or figs from his garden. When he kept looking for fruits for three years from a lonely fig tree among the vine groves, he kept judging the fig tree by its yield. He wasn’t satisfied with the yield that comes from the vines in his vineyard. He like any other corporates gives a time period of three years for the fig tree to produce its yield and prove its mettle.  He believes that by only bearing fruits, a tree is worth, if not, it ceases to be worthy. All he wanted to make was profit from his garden, and therefore pronounces a judgement that three years of waiting for fruits from the fig tree is of waste of time and waste of soil and a waste of employees working on her. So he says to the gardener to ‘cut down the tree.’ This is exactly the ideology of greed, to have more and more, to have profit and to judge by those norms of profit, in this case the external visible fruits of figs.

The Eco- Feminist Creed: There comes a common powerless gardener, who dares to speak on behalf of the fruitless fig tree appealing him for one more year and one more opportunity to prove its credibility. It is this employee gardener who spends lots of time with the trees and the vines in the vineyard, and knows the worth of each tree in the garden and befriends all of the trees with whom he keeps working. The gardener does not join the owner in judging it by its fruits, instead he assures the owner to take extra effort, extra care, by digging  around and by putting manure for her and appeals for yet another chance to affirm her life. Cutting down the fig tree just because it does not bear fruits is not the available option for the gardener, on the other hand the gardener wants to save life, affirm life and build a community of unity & diversity seasoned with justice & peace. Probably, according to the gardener, the fig tree would have been a space of shade for him in that scorching sun, where he could take some rest. Or the fig tree could have been a nesting place for several birds in that vicinity, or the fig tree would have had the strings of the vines tied to her, bearing the tension of those grapes on the vines. The gardener developed a cherishing relationship with the trees and the vines in the vineyard, and cannot think of any tree being cut off for any reason, and therefore the gardener’s creed was ‘do not cut down the tree.’ For cutting down the trees have both sociological and ecological problems, and the small farmer very well recognises this fact and pleads not to cut down the tree.

The Encouraging Seed: We recognise the voice of God in the gardener, who counters greed by affirming life, who doesn’t judge by mere fruits, but seeks extra time and opportunity in preparing the tree to fruit. Imagine, the owner who is all powerful could have easily neglected the voice of the gardener nor would have punished the gardener for not listening to his command, yet the gardener, who cares for every tree equally, whether it has fruits or not, takes courage to speak to a person with power, risks his life and employment and appeals to give him an opportunity to prove life. We see an eco-feminist in this gardener, who relates to all of the creation with equality and justice, and wants all trees and plants to live and let other creatures live. The gardener knowing the ill effects of cutting down the trees prevents such a mishap by placing his life in a state of jeopardy, in speaking back to the greedy owner. The eco-feminist towards the end of the parable says, ‘if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down’, which only shows that he is confident that the tree would bring fruits, life of the fig tree would be affirmed in dignity by next year, otherwise he wouldn’t have agreed to such a deal.

The parable is silent of what has happened the next year after all these extra efforts of the gardener, but if we stretch our imagination, two primary things would have happened. One, the owner would have realised over the year that it is not always by fruits that one needs to judge a tree, for he would have changed his mind to acknowledge life in all forms in the creation and recognises the worth of every creature as he or she comes forth. There would have been a change of mind to the greedy owner on recognising the extra efforts of the gardener. On the other hand, the other possibility would have been to visualise the fig tree filled with lots of amazing figs on her branches to surprise the owner, and the owner would have realised how mean he was in being judgemental on the tree and by wanting to cut the tree. 

Implications for us today:

At the time like this, when ecological narratives and paradigms are contaminated by human greed and selfishness, Christian Public Witness is to affirm life, support life, protect life and sustain life, life in all its fullness.

·         This New Year, this parable encourages the local family farming by houses in the household to give extra time, efforts and energies to plant and work on farming and also encourages us to recognise the small landless labourers and farmers, their hard labour and their creative initiatives for food security.

·         Let us not be driven by values of greed and profit in our lives, for affirming life in all its dignity to all of the creation is all that matters in the journey of faith. Let us make a commitment to participate in the struggles for justice of all the victims of greed in our contexts. Let us pledge to give up, overcome and defeat greed this New Year.

·         Let us not judge creation and people merely from our own perspectives try to look life in all its totality, wholeness and fullness and learn to respect the equal worth of life in all creatures of God. For justice is beyond borders.

·         Make a commitment to befriend our creation, make them as our kith and kin, stop cutting down trees, and be committed to our environment and ecology. Rise and respond to the needs of our creation.

·         Explore God among the powerless and those among the margins, for justice and peace comes from them to the entire communities. For it is no longer mission to the margins, but it is mission from the margins.

The gospel need in the context of corporate greed to is to affirm life in all its fullness and trying to explore and locate God among those on the margins, specially the landless labourers, small farmers, daily wage employees, un-seasoned and off-seasoned workers etc. and continue to work for community of peace and justice for all. May God, the farmer who seeds God’s creation in all equality continue to inspire each of us to channel peace, equality and justice to all of our creation.

Rev. Raj Bharath Patta,

Christmas Greetings to Bethany Lutheran Youth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2ldFbCqUNs

‘Born is the Living Waters’: Re-telling Christmas story in the Context of Deluge

The Context of Deluge in Chennai:

The torrential rains, followed by deluge in one of the oldest metropolitan cities in India, Chennai in the season of Advent in 2015, came with a cost of 270 people dead, several thousand injured, and several hundred thousand becoming homeless soaking under the grips of water. The city which has seen these unprecedented rains and floods is slowly coming back to its terms, though life is still in its uneasy calmness. There have been several stories of victims of survivors of these deluge being shared, stories of people helping in the floods, stories of resilience, pouring of philanthropy from across the globe, actions and reactions on social media, some being able to mark safe on facebook, scientists attempting to trace the reasons and analyzing the context, politicians trying their best in scoring a point through their relief activities (some photoshopping the pathos, while some imprinting their photos on relief materials), journalists busy capturing the moments and penning down editorials, some religious institutions opening their doors for temporary hospitality for the flood affected people, NGO’s and churches getting busy with their relief activities, some Churches cancelling their Christmas celebrations in solidarity with the survivors of the deluge, etc. all happening around the context #chennaifloods.

There are several questions that go unanswered, like who is accountable for the deluge that happened? Why is the State not prepared in its disaster preparedness? Are there any lessons that we learn from this situation? How to rebuild the lives of the people in the context of crazy development? How can life be restored to normalcy? The list of these questions goes on and on, with very few answers or no answers left for us. The irony of the situation is that when people were dying in the floods with life coming to a standstill, the global leaders were meeting in Paris to settle climate change talks and negotiations. At the end, the State neither addressed the local Chennai deluge nor solved the global puzzle of climate change, and got back to business as usual.

Christmas as the Birth of Living Waters: Living Water-Mas

When the whole world is busy during this season of Christmas with their celebrations, carols, decorations, shopping, parties etc. does a situation like this have any relevance to us as faith communities? How should we understand the birth of God becoming a creature in Jesus? I heard some preachers say that such natural disasters are the signs of end times, and this is a sign for ‘rapture’ to happen and therefore let us get prepared to meet the Lord. I only thought how eccentric and selfish we Christians have been, thinking all about our own being ‘taken up’ when the rest the world is fighting against death, still struggling under pains of homelessness and deluge. It also irritated me to hear some Christians invoking the story of Noah, and how they and their Churches have been kept protected like in an ark, out of deluge.  I was further infuriated to read one of the forwarded prayer requests for Chennai mentioning ‘to pray for all gospel activities and revival meeting go uninterrupted during this time.’ Such requests only reveal our insensitivity towards our neighbours, cities and creation and expose our fundamentalism nakedly. I leave this discussion for another occasion as there are several themes that emerge out of these perspectives, however for want of time, allow me to engage in a much serious issue of this season, what it means for Jesus to be born in a context of deluge? I would like to read the birth of Jesus, as the birth of living water in the context of a deluge, for as living water, Jesus was born to give life, life in all its fullness.

People may ask, how this ‘birth of living waters’ is relevant for a context of deluge? This context challenges us to change our discourse of Christmas story from more triumphalist and paternalistic understandings of the birth of a baby Jesus. The context of deluge demands and creates a situation to interpret Christmas as the birth of living waters that saves and quenches the thirst of people dying in floods and in homelessness. On one hand the birth of living waters is a hope to all those who have been washed away by the floods, and on the other hand it is comes as a critique to all those who have been insensitive to the creation, for here comes saving waters, addressing the greed of human beings over creation and paving way for liberation. All those who adhere to the reality of the birth of living waters, are called to become tributaries of such a spring of living waters and address the dry, wet, soaked and washed away lives by providing life to all. ‘Born is a little living water called Jesus to save our creation from all human greed and pride.’ As Churches we are called to observe ‘Living Waters-mas’ in the season of Christmas.

The other way of re-telling the Christmas story is that, Jesus is born as homeless, just like those who have been forced to be homeless because of floods and therefore, in that homelessness, Jesus as living waters identifies with all those who have been made homeless, and brings hope by promoting life in the context of contaminated waters made by the (post) natural flood situation.

The birth of Jesus, the Messiah took place in a context of Roman Empire, where exploitation and greed were at its pinnacle. The reason for the floods in Chennai have been zeroed on ‘unregulated urbanization’ which has been a result of exploitation of natural resources in Chennai, with several water bodies have been destroyed to make them into concrete jungles. Therefore, it is into such a context that Jesus, the living water is born. The message of hope to Chennai is “it is living waters” that is born during this Christmas. The context demands us to re-tell the Christmas narrative in a ‘living waters’ discourse, and here is an attempt to show a tributary of it flowing.  This attempt of the presentation of ‘born is the Living Waters’ is very tentative, introductory and needs more application and analysis in utilizing this metaphor of ‘living waters’ in the context of floods as a Christmas theme. The metaphor of ‘light’ born in darkness is more evocative, where as ‘the birth of living waters’ in the context of floods need more attention and application. However, the birth of living waters is to save the creation from all forces of death and inspire people for life.

1.      Re-Telling ‘The Living Waters’ Incarnation Narrative:

Jesus Christ as the living waters, who held the Sprit of God upon himself, came down to the earth incarnating into human form, as a living spring flown into the nations. When the divine logos became flesh and dwelled among the nations, the streams of the living word flown from the divinity into human form and has flown as living waters. To understand the incarnation of the living waters from heavens into the nations, St. Augustine’s understanding of incarnation comes handy. According to St. Augustine, “the meaning of Word being made flesh is not that the divine nature was changed into flesh, but that the divine nature assumed our flesh.”[1] Therefore when the living waters which was the spring of all creation when was being made in to human form, the living waters of creation did not change into the human form, but the spring of creation assumed and continued to flow as living spring according to the currents of the nations. How do we understand ‘flesh’ (sarx) in the context of living waters? When the spring of creation, Jesus Christ became living waters, moreover being made as flesh, the living spring assumed our waters, for flesh is to express life in this world. Flesh takes life only in combination of blood and water, for flesh cannot exist on its own. Therefore John records, "This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. (I John 5: 6) The living waters came into the world by water and by blood that is to be in flesh. This is further warranted and testified by the Spirit, which is truth. “The Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement." ( I John 5:8)

The incarnation of the living spring into the living waters can be further understood by re-narrating Pauline Christology as explained in his letter to the Church at Philippians. Jesus Christ as the living waters were the very nature of God and that nature is life giving. But as living waters, Jesus Christ did not ever consider equality with God, for always upheld God for God’s creative spirit, and continued as the waters that carried upon himself the liberative Spirit of God upon him. As living waters, Jesus Christ always preferred to be the carrier of God and God’s spirit, and always waited upon God for the streams of life in him. The living waters not only did consider him as equal with God, but also made him nothing. The living waters, which were full of streams and life self-emptied and became a dry spring, even unto the point of crying that he was in thirst from the Cross. The living waters took the very nature of a servant, for he served every community and creature with waters. When the living waters served the humanity by quenching their thirsts and watered every generation and history with his streams, the humanity made a dominion over the streams of living waters. The living waters as serving streams bore that dominion, for the humanity have been polluting his streams, misusing and abusing waters and were responsible in drying those streams out. The living waters though was made in human likeness, once again life as the common likeness, the men in particular oppressed and marginalized the living waters. The living waters being found in the appearance as a human being in life generating nature, the living waters humbled him and became obedient to death, even unto a murder on a Cross, where the streams are nailed to become dry. The living waters thus incarnated into the nations and have flown into every generation and history giving life to all. The living spring incarnating as living waters is all inclusive paradigm, for they give life to anyone irrespective of their identities of religions and affirmations. Such an understanding of incarnation also goes against all the exclusive claims of and in Christology.

2.      Re-telling ‘The Living Waters’ Birth Narrative:

There have been a lot of controversies around the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. However, mother Mary carried Jesus in her womb for about ten months, and had to deliver him in Bethlehem, similar to other childbirths. Jesus Christ as living waters, like any other foetus grew in the womb of his mother in a sack of amniotic fluid, which is the water that surrounds the embryo of the mother.  From the gush of that fluid, Jesus Christ, the living waters came into the light of the world. Jesus is Christ the anointed because, he held the Spirit of God upon his face at the time of creation.

At Bethlehem, the house of Bread, when Jesus Christ the living waters were born there was no room for him in the inn, and had to be placed in a manger. The origins of most rivers take place at high altitudes in all liberty and freedom, and from the origins their course of flow is determined. For this Jesus Christ the living waters, his origin was from a manger, probably a low lying area and had to take his course of flow from very humble beginnings. (There has been a finding that the Greek word kataluma which is usually translated as ‘Inn’ is the same word used for ‘Upper Room.’)[2] The angelic pronouncement to the shepherds as Jesus Christ the living waters were born is, ‘do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born; he is Christ, the Lord.” (Luke 2: 10-11) Jesus Christ, the living waters birth is certainly good news of great joy for all people, for as living waters his birth shall make all people irrespective of their identity and region merry and joyful. To hear a birth of living streams in the context of deserts was indeed a matter of great joy, for everyone from the child to the old shall enjoy the taste of the sweet streams. The living water is anointed one and is the Lord for no one can contain the force and ferociousness of the waters. The birth of Jesus Christ the living waters is peace on earth and goodwill to all humanity, for water builds peace and will benefit all humanity.

At the birth of Jesus Christ, the living waters, certain people like Herod were disturbed, for they could not think of any other king beside him. Many other streams till the birth of living waters enjoyed the sacredness and power by their depth and length, and the birth of living waters was an eyesore in their lives. The magi were led by a star, who had to travel crossing several rivers and seas to see the living waters. On seeing, they offered gifts to the living waters, for they were filled with awe and wonder to see the streams so pure and life giving. Baby living waters had to undergo the purification rituals according to the law of Moses, and people like Simeon have seen salvation in that pure and transparent stream. The tiny living waters grew in wisdom and stature, as it continued its course of flow and also grew in favor with God and in favor with humanity, for those waters were thoroughly refreshing.

Drops of Relevance:

·         When Jesus Christ is understood as living waters, for he identifies with the waters and rivers today, it is the duty of the Church to take on the saving nature of the waters and to save waters, for the Church is one of the tributary of the living waters here on earth. In the situations of climate change, particularly in the context of deluge in Chennai, where several water bodies have been destroyed for greedy development, let us make a pledge to save our rivers, water bodies, lakes, ponds etc. If we are not conscious of this fact of taking care of these water bodies around us, we may again crucify the living waters to the Cross. As a tributary of the living waters, we are called to rebuild the lives of people who have been washed away by the waters of greed and domination. May we as Churches launch a campaign ‘water saves, and save waters’ and create awareness on saving water and water bodies.

·         This Water Christology is an all-inclusive model. For irrespective of any creed, identity, religion and gender can feel at home with the understanding that Jesus Christ is the living stream. Such a model can build a community, where everyone can be at peace by protecting our rivers, waters and our nature.

·         This Christology calls on the disciples of Jesus Christ to become like that living waters in our contexts in providing safe and drinking water to all that has been denied. Each of us should become a living stream in our context.

·         This Christology encourages liquidity in the adherents of faith, for such a nature can beat out the exclusive, stubborn and absolute claims of our faith. Such liquidity will give a chance to seek and explore newer Christologies for particular times.

·         This liquid Christology defeats the ‘imperialist’ creedal formulations of Christ, for ‘living waters’ is authentically contextual and ecumenical, inspiring people to work towards a water theology.

·         In such a context, the role of our communities is to resist every move to commercialise water, first by bringing awareness about the sensitivity of water, then by applying that in our lifestyles by saving water and desist to wasting waters at homes and colleges. We also need to discourage buying bottled waters and encourage drinking water by purifying our waters through our indigenous methods. We also need to fight against denial of access to water to Dalits and Tribals, for water is life and she is for all.

·         Our call for way forward is to make our commitment for water justice, when justice is being watered away in many contexts, like that of in Chennai.  Let us organize public awareness on the plights of the urban poor, who are denied water, and who have been washed away by the waters of greed and pride. Let us raise our voice against all moves of the government on privatization of water, for water is our right and our life and against the filling of water bodies by greedy developers. Let us imbibe a water discipline, where we do not waste the precious water we have, and conserve the water resources in our localities. Let us collect the water testimonies from our contexts, stories of struggle, stories of victories and how the communities organize the water audits. Let us be water sensitive, and try to reflect the outlook of life from the perspectives of water. Let us join hands in solidarity with other civil society movements striving for water justice, for Jesus the living water inspires us to do so.

Who knows the pains of deep blue waters,

For her tears wept and kept within

What’s for a man but domination that matters

For his power swept and crept herein

When she tries to quench the thirst of the poor,

He grabs it from their mouths for sure

For he dictates that water is for money and not for any

And pours her in the rich houses for waste

Arise O waters, Arise O people,

Water for life and water for all

Injustice to water and injustice to people

Speak out and speak aloud

For man’s injustice to be watered away

And justice to be for waters again

Let Waters roll down in justice and

And let the streams be ever flowing to all in righteousness.

May God bless our initiatives for water justice and let justice roll down like waters, let righteousness flow like a never ending stream!

Raj Bharat Patta

17^th December 2015

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[1] As quoted by Donald G. Bloesch, “ Jesus Christ Saviour & Lord” (Carlisle: The Paternoster Press, 1997) Pg. 53

[2] http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/23/jesus-christ-not-born-in-stable-theologian-new-testament

HOPE AMIDST HOPELESSNESS: AN ADVENT CHALLENGE

“Lent” as we all know means “to spring forth”, which implies that in our liturgical calendar of the Church, if Lent is the time to spring forth and bloom in our faith, then one can derive that Advent is the time “to sow the seeds of faith”, and therefore this Advent challenges us to sow the seeds of ‘hope’, so that we can look forward for flowers of new hope and the harvest of new hope in the days to come.

Today we live in situations of hopelessness, where people and creation are yearning for hope to be breathed into them. “What is oxygen to human life, hope is for Christian faith”, has been a very well known truth in the lives of Christians’ faith journey. As we observe Advent this year, we have been challenged to reflect on the ‘advent of new hope’. The text from Matthew 11: 2-6, brings into light four levels of hope expressed in knowing Christ.

1. Hope Proceeds from Hearing Christ (2 V)

John the Baptizer, who baptized Jesus Christ, on hearing about his works when he was in the prison, expressed his hope, that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. The whole world under the Roman Empire in his time was awaiting a Messiah as the only hope to liberate the people from all bondages and clutches. The hope in John was proceeded only by hearing Christ. As Paul writes, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17). Therefore the hope in John has led him to enquire Christ.

2. Hope Progresses from Hearing to Enquiring Christ (2-3V)

John on hearing about the works of Christ the Messiah couldn’t stop but sent forth his disciples to enquire whether Christ was the one to come or whether they have to wait for another. There is a progression in hope, because hearing leads to clarification or questioning to know the right. Though bodily John was imprisoned, his spirit was at liberty, therefore has the spirit to enquire and to know the truth and sent forth his disciples to find out the Messiah. On hearing he exercises the hermeneutics of enquiry in the Messianic identity of Jesus Christ.

3. Hope Strengthens from Enquiring to Knowing Christ (4v)

The enquiring spirit is led to knowing Christ. As they enquired about the identity of Jesus Christ’s Messianic role, they were led by Jesus Christ to hear and see with their own senses the Messianic works of Jesus Christ. The knowledge of the disciples of John has increased by leaps and bounds on knowing Christ very closely. Knowing Christ is to visualize Christ’s works, to feel Christ’s power and to experience Christ’s strength. The hope of Christ as the Messiah deepened as they saw the liberation of people from several bondages. Bondages in every sphere of life was the order of the day, and hope of liberation was a distant dream to those people then, but the advent of Christ revealed that hope was no longer a mirage, but a true reality which is at hand. Christ as the messiah was the hope, and Christ as the liberator was the fulfillment.

4. Hope Sustains from Knowing to Witnessing Christ (4-6 v)

John’s disciples knew Christ as the hope who liberates people from their chains of oppression, heard from Christ to ‘Go and tell to John what they heard and saw’. Hope does not end in just knowing or hearing or seeing Christ, but rather hope is hopeful only when witnessed, so that hope is alive and only on witnessing, hope is experienced.  Hope is a continuous reality, every stage of history people have been waiting to see the fulfillment of hope. And therefore, the role of every Christian believer is to carry forward such a hope that Christ is the liberator and sustainer of life. If we as Christians are not carrying such a legacy, then we end up in hopeless situations. Therefore the task of every reader today is to be heirs of hope, which is in knowing and witnessing Christ.

As we meditate on this text in this season of Advent, we are challenged to be the channels of new hope, who is none other but Jesus Christ and to his work of setting at liberty all that are oppressed. In today’s situations of hopelessness, the world is in need of a new hope. When there is a huge exile of people fleeing away from wars, poverty and violence, as refugees, what is hope for them? When nearly 180 million and more Dalits are oppressed in the name of caste for several ages, what is hope? When several people in Chennai have lost lives due to the deluge and torrential floods, cause by poor urban planning coupled with human greed, what is hope? When there is growing intolerance on minorities by majoritarian fundamentalism, where is hope? When our earth is groaning with several imbalances in the creation, what is hope? When violence is growing deep into the nook and corner of the society, what is new hope? When exclusion, discrimination, exploitation, marginalization etc. are on the rise, from where does our hope come from? When counties are voting for a decision to bomb other countries, where is hope?   … Knowing Christ, perhaps is the hope, and knowing Christ is to witness Christ, and knowing Christ is speaking truth and knowing Christ is to live as Christ and knowing Christ is to strive for liberation and justice, no matter to the extent of giving up our lives. There is hope in knowing Christ.  

As Jurgen Moltmann says, “The motive that impels modern reason to know must be described as the desire to conquer and dominate. For the Greek philosophers and the Fathers of the church, knowing meant something different: it meant knowing in wonder. By knowing or perceiving one participates in the life of the other. Here knowing does not transform the counterpart into the property of the knower; the knower does not appropriate what he knows. On the contrary, he is transformed through sympathy, becoming a participant in what he perceives.” By knowing Christ, we are called to be transformed and join with Christ as a co-participant in the sufferings of the people and creation for their liberation and transformation.

Hope is to be shown in action, by opening our doors and hospitality to the strangers, by addressing system changes for climate change, by being and becoming peace-makers, and by living out justice, driving away injustices from our contexts. You are the hope the world is looking for, and become that hope.

Raj Bharath Patta

Second Sunday in Advent 2015