Love: The Washing Line on Which Life Hangs

The Gospel from TCF Macedonia to TCF Manchester

Reflecting I Thessalonians 1

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

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

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

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

1.      Looking Backwards

2.      Looking Upwards

3.      Looking Outwards

4.      Looking Forwards

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

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

1.      Looking Backwards: (2-3v)

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

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

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

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

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

2.      Looking Upwards: (4-5v)

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

3.      Looking Outwards: (6-9v)

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

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

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

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

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

4.      Looking Forwards: (10v)

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion:

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

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

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

Blessings,

Rajbharat Patta

28^th October 2017.  

Kin(g)dom of God Made Open for All

Reflecting Matthew 22: 1-14

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rajbharat Patta,

15^th October 2017

UK’s Racial Disparity Audit – Who Benefits?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rajbharat Patta,

11^th October 2017 

Forgiveness: A Postcolonial Search

Reflecting on Matthew 18:21-35

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rajbharat Patta,

13^th September 2017

Saving from Sinking: Found by Grace when Lost in Fear

Reflection on Matthew 14:22-33

Grace and peace to you all in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Many years ago, when my grandfather became a first Christian in our families, there was on the one hand a great joy for him that the Gospel of Jesus Christ liberated from the bondage of the inhuman caste system that operates in India, and on the other hand there were fears of what this new faith that the missionaries preached would offer him and his community in a predominantly Hindu society. But praise be to God that his fears and anxieties of the new faith in the way of Christ did not fail or disappoint him, for the Amazing Grace of God in Jesus Christ has transformed our family and community from being no-people to being God’s people, and today I stand as a living testimony to that faith legacy, where our families have become faithful children of God. Fear has been transformed into courageous faith, for we are saved from sinking.  

The text that has been read out for us from the gospel according to Matthew 14: 22-33 is the episode of Jesus walking on the sea, where the disciples fear has been transformed into courage, and courage has been transformed into adventure, and adventure has been transformed into grace. The gospel message that comes to us is in the words of Jesus, “Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.”

Allow me to share five things from this text, which I think are helpful in overcoming the fears of our times today.

1.      A Case of Fear: It was well past midnight, early morning ish, when the fishermen turned disciples, were travelling in the boat to the other side of the shore, ahead of Jesus, the waves started roaring on the sea that they saw a ‘ghost’ walking on the sea. Terrified by seeing ‘the ghost’ the disciples cried out in fear. This case of fear in the life of disciples happened because, firstly, it was unusual and impossible to see someone walking on the sea, when they saw such a thing at that odd hour, they were in fear. Secondly, they mistook Jesus for a ghost or a phantom. They did not anticipate that the divine in Jesus can appear at the most odd periods of time and in the most unusual ways such as walking on water. The disciples were sacred, fear overtook them, and they were terrified. Our context is no different today. Fear has taken over us for we are not able to recognise Jesus who has been coming to us at odd hours, and in odd and unusual ways.

2.      A Hope to Hear: Learning that his colleagues were petrified, Jesus comforted them by saying that “Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.” The voice of the divine in Jesus is a voice of hope, is a voice of comfort, is a voice of consolation, a voice of security, a voice of assurance and a voice of salvation. When fear, anxieties and worries grip us, God in Jesus appears to strengthen us in driving away our fears. The world today seeks hopes in false saviours like State, governments, market, secularism etc. but as Christians we have hope in Jesus and he is continuing to speak with words of hope to our society today.

3.      A Plea Made Clear: On recognising Jesus words of hope, Peter takes courage in making a plea to Jesus to command him to walk like Jesus on the rough sea. Peter has personally seen and witnessed the strength in the command of Jesus on other occasions, be it in catching two boats of fish, or in stilling the storm or in casting away the demons, and therefore he makes a plea to Jesus to command him to walk on the rough sea. Jesus does not ignore the pleas made by his disciples, and since Peter has acknowledged the power of his command, he invites him to get out of the boat, to come and walk like him on the rough sea. Jesus appreciates when courage transforms people to adventure, and Peter started to walk on water towards Jesus. A rare sight for a human to walk on rough sea, Peter did it and walked for a while, for his plea was answered and became a reality. But Peter’s walk on the rough sea is an invitation to us, the disciples of Christ in this 21^st century, to recognise the strength in the command of Jesus, to be courageous in faith and to transform it to an adventurous faith of walking along with Jesus on rough seas of our times.

4.      A Gaze that costs Dear: This rare experience of walking on water for Peter did not long last, for as long as he kept his gaze on Jesus, he walked on rough seas as easy as he walked on the streets. When he let go his gaze on Jesus and noticed the strong winds of that rough sea, fear overcame him once again, and he began to sink in the waters. Letting go his focus on Jesus cost him dear. A diversion and deviation from the gaze on Jesus caused him to lose his balance on the waters, and be overtaken by fear and anxiety. In our times today, with the rise of secularism, the Christian Church is slowly losing its gaze on Jesus and has either deviated or diverted its attention from Jesus to the many worldly strong currents and winds that seek to cause us to sink and lose hope. This episode of Jesus and Peter walking on the rough seas is a wake-up call for the Church today to regain its focus, its attention and its gaze towards Jesus and save the sinking Church.

5.      Grace that came Near: In those sinking moments, Peter cried out “Lord save me!” This shout of Peter on the one hand was an act of his confession for losing his focus on Jesus, and on the other hand it was an act of intercession, crying for help to save him from sinking. At that shout for salvation, the Grace of God came near to Peter, and Jesus reached out his hand, caught him and brought him out from sinking by granting him a new life experience. Imagine if Jesus did not come in rescue of Peter, he would have drowned. But he was found by the Grace of God, that he was saved to life and was caught by Jesus to live for him and for God’s Kingdom. In saving Peter, Jesus exposed his little faith, his doubt and healed them with greater faith and trust. The rest of the disciples on witnessing this whole episode recognised the ‘Son of God’ in Jesus and became a worshipping community. In today’s world filled with fear of insecurity, uncertainty, hopelessness, & death, we need to be assured from that, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that the Grace of God finds us, saves us and leads us in hope; overcoming all our fears and worries. We therefore sing together “Amazing grace how sweet that sounds, that saved a wretched like me, I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.”

Are we prepared to take up the courageous and adventurous discipleship of Christ? If so now is the time to accept the invitation of Jesus to come and walk along with him on the rough seas of the 21^st century, facing strong currents and winds, towards a new life experience. Allow me to conclude this sermon by joining in the words of Hebrews 12:1-2, which says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, ² looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.” Amen 

Broken Bodies & Bodily Ascension: Ascension Day

Monday, the 22^nd May 2017 night in Manchester, witnessed one of the horrific incidents of a terror attack which cost the lives of 22 people, leaving about 60 people seriously injured. The city and its citizens, who are still reeling under deep shock, came forward openly to stand in support of one another irrespective of religious identities, offering solidarity and sharing love with one another, sending a message that ‘collectively we shall overcome hatred and embrace love.’ On one hand, there are broken bodies, and on the other there is a body of love formed and performed in this aftermath.

At the backdrop of this incident, the Christian Church as part of their liturgical calendar are observing Ascension Day today, which is the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven, after appearing and eating with his disciples for forty days’ post-resurrection. In the context of fear, terror, violence, broken bodies, disappeared bodies and anxiety, how do we understand Ascension of Jesus Christ for our times today?

On the one hand, Ascension of Jesus Christ has been viewed by most Christians as an event outside of Jesus’ life and mission, for this is an incident happened post-resurrection, an after-life event of Jesus. On the other hand, on most occasions and by many Christians Ascension of Jesus has been limited as an act related to Jesus’ divinity, like that of his transfiguration and resurrection, and compartmentalised the activities of human Jesus and of divine Jesus. Such distinctions have diluted and compromised the wholistic understanding of Jesus’ mission. Jesus’ incarnation, his life & ministry, his death, his resurrection, his ascension and his Parousia are all integral part and parcel of Jesus mission, and no one aspect of his mission be treated in isolation. All aspects of Jesus’ mission are inter-related to one another, for every event in Jesus mission is sequential and consequential to the other. The very act of Jesus’ ascending into heaven, as Douglas Farrow observes, “is the proper outcome of his messianic career”, for as a messiah Jesus accomplishes his mission and ascends as a messiah into heavens. Such an understanding helps us to understand that life is integral and any dichotomy of human person is dubious and devious.

Allow me to share two points on this reflections on Ascension.

1.      Ascension: A Bodily Jesus Ascends into Heavens

The early Church and the then Jewish communities were familiar with stories of ascensions into heaven, from the lives of Enoch, Elijah who were taken up into heaven. It was also believed that emperor Augustus, was also witnessed to be ascended into heavens, and there was an ample evidence of familiarity on this event to people then. However, in defiance to Roman empire’s unjust criminal crucifixion, God raised Jesus from death, proclaiming hope of new life to all those that undergo such unjust trials and executions. Post-resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples in his body, for Thomas could touch and feel his body, ate with them in his body, and in this instance ascended into heaven in his body. The broken & crucified body of Jesus was resurrected in his body and was flourished in body as he ascended into heavens. The material broken-crucified-risen body now ascends into heaven, for the broken body becomes the site of a transfigured body, seating at the right hand of the Father of the holy Trinity.

The logic of empire, which is demonstrated by violence wants to destroy bodies by killings, scatter bodies through terror acts, crucify bodies by unjust crucifixions, disappear bodies by torture, and disintegrate the bio-politics of life. In contrast to this, the love of Trinity receives and embraces bodies into their fold, and the ascension of a bodily Jesus is a foretaste to such a reception of material body. Those that are embraced by the love of Trinity, are called to receive the broken-hearted and partake in the healing of their broken bodies. 

2.      Ascension: Descent & Disciple

In Acts 1: 1-11, the episode where Luke records the ascension of Jesus Christ, after Jesus ascends into heaven, the disciples were struck staring at this spectacle of amazement. “When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (9-11V) Ascension was a wake-up call to his disciples to not get struck with this gazing, but to keep waiting and watching for the descent of Christ, where he comes to judge both the living and the dead. Farrow, proposes that the power of Spirit is left with the eucharistic assembly, for as they receive the body of Christ, they become the body of Christ, for ascension is ensured to all such bodies of materiality. Discipleship calls for a continuation of Christ’s work in ensuring justice and peace, liberating the bio-political bodies towards transformation into a new creation. Discipleship is attending to the ‘bare life’ of our context, and striving for the bodily liberation to all bonded by torture and violence.

Ascension of Jesus Christ invites us to a costly discipleship of addressing the wholistic needs of the people, which is their bodies, souls and minds. In the context of violence and terror, the broken body of Christ, should come forward in healing the broken bodies of the community, and resisting all forms of evil that destroy life. Life, in the sense of bio-political life belongs to God, and any attempt to disrupt and destroy such a life is against God’s will, and discipleship is to work towards that will of God.

Rev. Rajbharat Patta,

Ascension Day,

Thursday, 25^th May 2017 

Pic courtesy: http://liturgy.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Ascension-Jesusmafa.jpg