Mission of God is Diverse and Innovative - Reflecting on Mark 1:14-20

 

When watching the swearing in ceremony of President Joe Biden to his office of the presidency of the United States of America on the 20th of January 2021, there were so many flavours of Christian faith rolling all around. Before, I mentioned those Christian faith elements in that swearing in ceremony, for me it was the young poet Amanda Goreman whose poem, “The hill we climb,” captured the moment at that inauguration. The inaugural service began and concluded with prayers from two clergyman. President Biden sworn into his office by placing his hand on his big fat family Bible, which he has always used at the inauguration of his other offices that he has served. President Biden’s inaugural speech included a silent prayer remembering all those who have lost their lives in the pandemic. In pumping confidence and hope to his country after a devastating four years, President Biden quoted a verse from Psalm 30:5, “…weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” He also quoted the words of St. Augustine from his famous book City of God, and said, “Many centuries ago Saint Augustine, a saint in my church wrote that a people were a multitude defined by the common objects of their love,” and explained that those objects of love include, “opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honour and yes the truth.” The popular hymn that was sung during the Civil rights movement in the US, “Amazing Grace” was also sung at this inaugural ceremony. There was so much uncritical public theology at play at the inauguration, perhaps that also demonstrates the American context today. I really wish and pray that President Biden will live up to all that he has quoted, said, and sang at the inauguration to his new office, so that faith will not be just limited to a rhetoric but will be translated into reality, into actions in transforming the society today, so that faith finds its relevance in the public sphere.

 

The text for this Sunday from Mark 1:14-20, is a recording of Jesus’s inauguration of his ministry, and more specifically the beginning of his ministry from Galilee. If you have a Red Lettered Bible, where the words of Jesus Christ are printed in red, we see the colour red begins at 1:15 of Mark, which is to say that the first words of Jesus at his inauguration of his ministry are, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news.” Jesus lived up to all the words of his inaugural address, taking the kingdom of God near to the people, especially those outcastes and untouchables, and calling those in power to repentance and justice. Jesus’ mission inaugural address and his mission engagements have always matched with one another, and Jesus saw to it that his faith and his practice went hand in hand in this entire journey of life. Here I recognise two mission models that Jesus engages with. At a time when we are thinking of mission in the context of the (post)pandemic, these two models that Jesus engaged gives us some guidance in our way forward as churches and as faith communities.

 

1. Mission as Improvisation:

Right after his baptism in the river Jordan, Jesus was taken into the wilderness for forty days enduring the temptations, and after John the baptiser was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God. Prior to his arrest, John, the baptiser was proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (1:4) and people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins (1:5). Now that John was arrested, that ministry of John has come to a halt, and as soon as Jesus came out of the wilderness, he came to Galilee and continued that unfinished mission of John by proclaiming the good news of God. Jesus improvised that mission model of John, by announcing the fulfilment of time, and the Kingdom of God to be near along with the message of repentance and believing in the good news. Jesus recognised the importance of the mission of John the baptiser, and in his absence, Jesus took up that mission, improvised and continued it. Both Mark and Matthew, picked on this mission as improvisation by Jesus in his mission inaugural address in their gospels, while Luke records differently where Jesus goes into the synagogue in Nazareth to read out the passage from Isaiah as his inaugural address and manifesto.

 

What was striking for me in this text in Mark and Matthew is that, when John proclaimed the baptism of repentance, there were many people, the whole of Judean countryside and all people of Jerusalem, flocked at him, confessing their sins. But when Jesus proclaimed the good news of God, improvising the mission of John the baptiser, both Mark and Matthew are silent in their recording about the number or the group that started to flock and follow him at his proclamation. Why were they silent? Were people not moved as much as they have been moved when Jesus proclaimed a similar gospel? Did this mission model of John not work for Jesus? The learning I take out of our Markan text is, perhaps what worked for John might not have worked for Jesus, and therefore the gospel writer did not record about the following of people to such a proclamation, as there wouldn’t have been many. However, Jesus attempted in his mission with a model as improvisation, building on what John the baptiser was proclaiming, only to learn that God works differently for different people in different contexts. This also explains for me the dynamism of God, for God works in God’s own ways beyond any predictions and assumptions, for after all mission is God’s. Interestingly, according to Luke, when Jesus spoke about the radical inclusion and preference of the ‘outsiders’ in his inaugural mission address, the audience were filled with rage, drove him out of the town and tried to push him off a cliff (Luke 4:29). Anyways, Jesus did attempt on the mission model of improvisation, proclaiming the good news like John, the baptiser and at every point in his life, God did not leave Jesus at any moment.

 

2. Mission as Innovation:

Having proclaimed the good news, right after the arrest of John to the Galileans, Jesus now works on the mission of innovation, perhaps working on a new way of doing mission, which was to move into the communities seeking and finding people to follow him. Such a model of mission, which I call as innovation worked well for Jesus, and ever since then Jesus pioneered in innovating new ways, and adventurous ways of doing mission all along his life and ministry. Again, Mark and Matthew agree to this mission of calling the first disciples, whereas Luke had a different version of calling the first disciples, that included a miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11). Jesus later passed along the Sea of Galilee and saw Simon and Andrew, two brothers and James and John, two other brothers and invited them to follow him, and they left their nets and followed Jesus Christ. These four disciples were the first recruits of Jesus Christ in his movement for the Kingdom of God, and called them in the public sphere, at their own workplaces to follow him.

 

Jesus' mission of calling his first disciples was a mission of innovation. Firstly, Jesus’ mission innovation was seen in his choosing the Galilean area as his starting point for his mission engagement. In the first century Palestine, the Galilean area had more ‘non-Jews’ than Jews, for Jews were concentrated in the Judean parts and in Jerusalem, so in order to explain that as a messiah, he has come for all people, including those Galileans. Galilee was also a place for social dissenters to the Roman empire. So, Jesus chose that part of the world to choose his first disciples, and that explains his innovative and inclusive mission endeavour. Secondly, Jesus' mission as innovation was demonstrated in his journeying to the streets and sea coasts of Galilee, rather than to the temples and synagogues. As a Rabbi, Jesus was supposed to be in the temples and the synagogues, but to demonstrate his innovative mission, he chose to tread the dusty soils, at this instance on the sea coast of Galilee. Jesus always travelled into the communities that were overlooked and forgotten. Thirdly, Jesus' innovative mission was seen in his calling Simon & Andrew, James & John to find them at their workplaces and inviting them to follow him. Jesus did not search the religious spaces and places to find his first disciples, rather called some hard working people, who are willing to take the risks and challenges at their work, in this case in fishing on rough seas and waters. Fourthly, we notice Jesus’ innovative mission in his call to those first disciples, who were fishermen, to follow him so that he will make them ‘fish for people’ (17v). Jesus’ emphasis was on people, transforming them, and the mission of his first disciples was to fish people for the kingdom, and be a channel of transforming people in their occupied society. That call of Jesus to follow him, gave a sense of confidence to Simon, Andrew, James and John, for they knew they were being called for a greater purpose, and therefore immediately responded to that call and challenge.

On recognising the innovative mission of Jesus, these four disciples found their call, found their sense of discipleship and immediately left everything and followed Jesus Christ to work for the kingdom of God. This innovative mission of Jesus worked well for that time and context, for God who entrusts mission to people, works on God’s graciousness, which includes innovation and reimagination.

 

The relevance of this text for us today is: In the mission of God, God works through God’s people with creativity, innovation and wonder. No two ways of doing mission need be the same. For what was applied in one context, in one time period need not be the same for another context and another time period. So, to those of us engaged in the mission of God, the calling for us is to wait on God to be creative, relevant and challenging in our attempts for the kingdom of God. Mission of God is diverse and innovative. Secondly, following Jesus in this post-secular context is to be ‘fish for people,’ which is to say that following Jesus is to be and become a channel of transforming people and communities around us for the kingdom of God. Following Jesus today does not account for the numbers in the churches, rather it is sharing God’s love through our actions for change in our society. We will be known as Christians by our love and only by our love, love for God that needs to be demonstrated as love for neighbour. Thirdly, in our context today, mission is all about treading the dusty roads in our communities, travelling into the overlooked communities, being with them, listening to them, and joining with them in transforming our society. If we want to be innovative in our mission for God, as churches we are called to journey into our communities, for God is at work there. In the mission model of John, people flocked and went to him into the wilderness. In the mission model of Jesus, Jesus went into the outcasted communities, offering hope and bringing healing to them. The choice is ours, and may we join with Jesus in being innovative, creative, gracious and relevant in our mission for God, and journey towards our local communities.

 

The final words of Amanda Gorman’s poem at the Inauguration reverberate in my ears, offering a sense of hope in our mission forward, for the mission of God is diverse and innovative. Allow me to quote her words here:

 

When day comes, we step out of the shade,

aflame and unafraid

The new dawn blooms as we free it

For there is always light,

if only we're brave enough to see it

If only we're brave enough to be it

 

 

I want to conclude my reflection with the words of John Bell, in his famous song, “Will you come and follow me (The summons)”

 

Will you come and follow me

 if I but call your name?

Will you go where you don’t know

and never be the same?

Will you let my love be shown,

will you let my name be known,

will you let my life be grown

in you and you in me?

 

Will you leave your self behind

if I but call your name?

Will you care for cruel and kind

and never be the same?

Will you risk the hostile stare

should your life attract or scare,

will you let me answer prayer

in you and you in me?

 

 

Raj Bharat Patta,

22nd January 2021

Pic Credit: https://www.workstars.com/recognition-and-engagement-blog/2017/06/07/4-examples-nurture-innovation/

When God calls, it tingles! - Reflecting on I Sam 3:1-20

At the age of twenty, a young lad who was in his final year of the University, completing his science degree, suddenly felt the call of God to serve the church and the society. He was part of a church youth group that were praying for the revival of the church then. The call of God came to him as he was meditating on the Word of God. It was from the passage of Mark 5:1-20, where a healed person from evil spirits was getting ready to go with Jesus on his boat, begging that he might be with Jesus all the time. In verse 19, it is recorded, “But Jesus refused, and said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and what mercy he has shown you.” This verse where Jesus refuses to take him on his boat and calling him to go to his friends and share the work of God in his life, felt a tingle on his ears, spoke strongly to the young lad, and ever since then he started to pray about it realising that it is the call of God in his life to go and share the work of God to his friends. When the young lad informed his decision that he had the call of God to go into ministry to share the love of God, starting from his family to his friends to his teachers to his college everyone was surprised to his decision of going into ministry, as they had high hopes and aspirations on him to reach greater heights in a government administrative service, for which he always had dreamt for. The dad of this young lad played an important role in helping him understand the call of God, and put him through to pursue theology to better understand the relevance of faith in the context of the world. Ever since then, the call of God evolved for this young lad, for the hand of God has been graciously leading him across oceans and seas to share the love of God, for God at any point did not give up on him. The young lad, grew up with God’s grace, served as a minister at a Lutheran church in his hometown, then went on to serve the National Council of Churches in India, and later the Student Christian Movement of India and currently serves as a minister in the United Stockport circuit.

 

The recollection of my own call came to the fore, as I began to reflect on the call of God that came to young Samuel as recorded in I Samuel 3:1-20, the prescribed lectionary reading for this Sunday. Those were the days when ‘the word of the Lord was rare and visions were not widespread’ (1v). The people of God having settled in the promised land were without a king, and lived lives as they liked (Judges 21:25) with no rule and with no guidance. Into such a context, the call of God came to young Samuel, who was dedicated by his mother Hannah for the service of God and who was living in the temple with the priest Eli. The call of God tingled the ears by at least three ways.

 

1. The call of God tingled the ears of the community by choosing a young boy:

At a time when the word of the Lord was rare, and if at all the word of the Lord came it would have come through an experienced person who has known the history and tradition of their faith. Since there was no judge or a ruler, people would have been waiting for some comfort and hope from the voice of the divine. Here was Eli, an experienced priest who was serving all his life in the temple, perhaps waiting to hear the call of God himself, so that he can go and share the love of God to all the community around. Defying all the norms and rules, the call of God came to a young boy Samuel, who had no clue of what was the call of God like. Imagine when the news went around that the call of God came to a young boy Samuel, who has no experience of temple, tradition and history, it would have tingled the ears of the people of Israel. However, by choosing a young boy to be the recipient of God’s voice and call, the message was clear and loud, that God’s call comes to people not based on their individual merit or experience, but based on God’s graciousness. Right after the Judges who demonstrated God’s call through their actions of justice, it was a young boy Samuel who heard the call of God, and since he was under God’s constant grace, he became a greatest prophet of God and for God, in that time and context. God speaks to the inexperienced, the unknown, and the insignificant, such a news comes tingling to the ears of the public sphere, but that’s how God works, all surprising, beyond known expectations.

 

Now when I think of my own call, when my family and friends heard about it, their ears also were tingled, for it came as a surprise. When I informed that I received the call of God and am going to work for God’s kingdom through ministry, it shattered all their high expectations they have had. God surprises and keeps surprising every day through God’s call, working beyond human imaginations and aspirations.

 

2. The call of God tingled the ears of Samuel by repeatedly calling out his name:

When God calls, God calls repeatedly with love, till the point that the listener recognises it. God called Samuel at least four times, and with the help of Eli, Samuel could recognise the call of God. Listening again and again to the call of God with his name being called, “Samuel, Samuel,” would have tingled the ears of Samuel, and even more so for he mistook that call to be from Eli rather than from God. We need to recognise the role of Eli in helping Samuel understand the call as the voice of God. Eli had that generous heart in guiding Samuel to recognise that it was the call of God which was speaking to him. In all of this, what we gather is that God doesn’t get tired of calling out someone God wishes to speak and call out. Under any circumstances, God doesn’t give up God’s call to God’s people. No matter how many times it takes, no matter however long it takes, no matter however abstract it becomes, God keeps God’s cool in seeing to it that the recipient listens to God’s call. God’s call comes out of God’s generosity, love and perseverance. God doesn’t give up so easily, God doesn’t give up in between, God doesn’t give up God’s call. In this process of God’s call, God kept calling Samuel all along, and so he was always led by the call of God in his life.

 

As I remember my own call, I can also vouch that God kept calling and has been helping me to know God’s call at every point of my life. All I have learnt about God’s call is that it evolves and unfolds with time, and God has never given up giving God’s call to me. God kept calling me, reminding me of the purpose of sharing God’s love through the various contexts and situations I have worked. God’s call certainly tingles our ears as God repeatedly keep calling.

 

3. The call of God tingles the ears with the kind of works God does:

When Samuel recognises that it was God who was calling him, in verse 11, we see God further saying to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingles…” The call of God is not always soothing and pleasant, for it is tingling with matters of justice, and in that context, it was about the house of Eli whose sons were exploiting the temple for their selfish needs. The call of God tingles the ears as it comes with the voice of justice. The tingling for Samuel further continued when he was to break the content of God’s call and voice straight to Eli the next morning. However, when God calls, God gives the strength to communicate it, and which Samuel experienced it during that time. Since Samuel without any fear communicated the message of God, the Lord was with him and Samuel grew up to become a trustworthy prophet in his land and to his people.

 

In my own call of God, I recognise that God has given me the task of contesting the oppressive structures of status quo, be it caste or colonialism, and to engage with the liberation of God. The call of God surely comes as a tingle and to spread that tingle in speaking truth to the powers.

 

What is the learning of the call of God to Samuel for us today in our context today? Firstly, the call of God to Samuel is an invitation to introspect our own calling in our lives. God calls each of us differently, and God calls each of us for different purposes. Some are called to be prophets like Samuel, some are called to be doctors, some are called to be teachers, some are called to be engineers, some are called to be business people, some are called to be nurses, some are called to be home-makers, some are called to be researchers etc.  It is important to recognise that every work to which we are called is a gift of God and is equally ordained by God. In each of our calling we are called to recognise the hand and voice of God, so that we can exercise our work in love, peace and justice for the betterment of our society. Secondly, never discount the role and support of Eli in helping Samuel recognise the call of God. Even today, there are many Eli’s helping us to recognise the call of God in our lives. Celebrate such people’s contributions. Thirdly, when God calls, surely the ears and the body tingles, for God calls to share God’s justice with some hard messages. In our context today, God is calling us to speak about the free school meals to be given to children during holidays, God is calling us to speak about hearing the voice of God in our communities, God is calling us to ensure that the vaccine is available and accessible to all people in the world, God is calling us to strive for a just world, where love, equality and justice alone will thrive, God is calling us to locate and recognise the voice of the divine among the margins of our society, and God is calling us to speak that ‘staying at home, act responsibly and care for one another,’ is our witness today. Fourthly, the learning is to respond to the call of God graciously. When God calls, God also strengthens.

 

Martin Luther opposed the view of a “special calling” or “vocation” to the monastic life. He believed the call of God comes to each of us in our daily tasks. So, for the task we are entrusted with, we are called to recognise that it is God who has called us to it, and so we need to be engaged with it in all honesty and graciousness. May each of us recognise the call of God in our lives and live out our call to the best of our abilities depending and waiting on the Spirit of God to lead us. When God calls, it tingles! Look out for such tingles.

 

Raj Bharat Patta,

15th January 2021

The Voice of God: Distinct, Diverse and Disruptive - Reflecting on Psalm 29 for the first Sunday in Epiphany

 

At the start of this New Year 2021, the cartoon from my favourite theologian @nakedpastor caught my attention, in which he has drawn the setting of the garden of Gethsemane, where the Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus, and impulsively Peter chops the ear of a soldier in his anger for the arrest. Jesus then fixes that ear on to the soldier and says to him “Happy New Ear.” These words, “happy new ear” sets the tone for our wish for this year as we greet “happy new year.” In other words, if we are anticipating a “happy new year,” we need “happy new ears,” so that our ears are open to hear the fresh voice of God that comes wondrously and surprisingly from unexpected quarters of life and life situations.

 

The season of Epiphany, where God in Jesus reached out to the “outsiders” is an occasion to celebrate the freedom of God in revealing the light of God to anyone and everyone, defying the norms that God is only available to the chosen and that God’s revelation happens only in the known unidirectional ways. It is also a season where we are called to recognise the voice of God that comes distinctly from means and ways which we never anticipate. The voice of God came to king Herod from the magi, when they have enquired about the saviour being born, which caused a great distress and disturbance to him and to his city. The voice of God came to the magi in a dream, after presenting their gifts to baby Jesus, and asked them to return in ‘another way.’ The gospel lesson for the first Sunday after Epiphany from Mark 1: 4-11, is a recording of Jesus’ baptism, where the voice of God came out as the heavens tore open saying, “you are my son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (11v).

 

The prescribed Psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 29 is a poem of David on the ‘voice of God.’ Psalm 29 is one of the three Psalms on creation along with Psalm 8 and 19. We recognise the public theological engagement of David as he weaves the creation imagery into this psalm recalling the ancient near eastern battle songs, singing victory in praise of God the sovereign ruler of the world. This is a Psalm with predominant usage of the name of Yahweh and also the voice of God. In the 11 verses the name Yahweh occurs 18 times in this psalm and the voice of God repeats 7 times, allowing the readers to decipher the meaning and message of the voice of God. Here are the seven understandings that the psalmist presents about the voice of God. The voice of the Lord is over the waters(3v), is powerful (4a), is full of majesty (4b), breaks the cedars (5v), flashes forth flames of fire (7v), shakes the wilderness (8v), causes the oaks to whirl (9v), The seven usages of the voice of God in this Psalm offers a rainbow of understanding about the voice of God, explaining the depth and heights in the voice of God. Allow me to share three things from this psalm about the voice of God.

 

1. The Voice of God is Distinct:

When describing a voice, the psalmist is not speaking about the sound of the voice, but was describing the voice of God as distinct, definitive and dynamic, with various characteristics. The psalmist was reflecting on the creation account where the Spirit of God was brooding over waters and it was the voice of God that brought order to chaos. Therefore, he was emphasising that the voice of God was over waters, calling the readers to recognise the voice of God over the situations of chaos, for the voice of God can come as a thunder, as lightening. The community around these Psalms were also afraid of seas and waters because of the leviathans residing over them. Into that context, the psalmist emphasises that the voice of God is over the waters, for it is this voice of the Yahweh that is over the sea monsters offering hope and consolation through thunders. The voice of God’s distinctiveness was further explained that when the psalmist says that the voice of God is powerful and is full of majesty. The Psalm begins by ascribing the ‘heavenly beings,’ which is translated as ‘sons of God’ to know that the voice of God is all powerful over the powers of the world and above, and is full of grace and majesty.

 

When the listeners have ‘happy ears’, they listen to the voice of God, finding hope over the powers, finding grace and majesty in God’s voice. God’s voice thunders, burns, shakes, strips, challenges and offers hope, and in such characteristics the distinctiveness of the voice of God is exhibited. One not only listens the voice of God, but also experiences it.

 

2. The Voice of God is Diverse:

Why does the psalmist explain the voice of God in at least seven flavours? By mentioning the seven colours and flavours of the voice of God, the psalmist was explaining that the voice of God is not monotonous, rather it is diverse and, in that diversity, lies the richness of the voice of God. In the history of the Scriptures, one can recognise that the voice of God came to people of different contexts in various different ways. The voice of God does not have one template, one pattern or one paradigm. The voice of God comes in diversity and the seven flavours are a mere representative of how the voice of God appears. The voice of God at one context is majestic, at another context flashes flames, at another context shakes, at another context strips and whirls, at another context thunders, at another context comes in silence, at another context comes in a small shrill voice and at another context awakes, comforts and consoles. There is no one tone suits all people in the voice of God. The diversity of the voice of God also explains the distinctiveness of God, for God is dynamic and shares God’s voice according to the time and context, for God holds the time and the context in Godself.

 

The listeners to the voice of God are called to be humble in acknowledging that God’s voice appears differently to each person, for God’s voice is God’s prerogative and not driven according to the faith of the listener.

 

3. The Voice of God is Disruptive:

Out of the seven flavours of the voice of God in this Psalm, we notice that three of them are with a disruptive character. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness and the voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl. Cedars are mentioned as the grandest forest trees, and those grown at Lebanon as the loftiest of their species. The cedars in the scripture are referred to as remarkable for their size and grandeur. The voice of God breaks the cedars, even the cedars from Lebanon, disrupting the pride and powers of the world. There isn’t a place or a person to whom the voice of God cannot penetrate. They might be the mightiest, yet the voice of God penetrates like a thunder and affirms in humility in the presence and the voice of God. The voice of the Lord also disrupts the wilderness by shaking it, again to explain that there is no place that the voice of God cannot penetrate into. Oaks symbolised strength, and the voice of God spins the strength of the mighty and bring them down. No power can stand against the voice of God. In all of this, we recognise that the voice of God disrupts the mighty, the powerful, the grandest, the loftiest and can bring them down to teach humility and to wait on the power of God than on their individual self-seeking strength and power.

The listeners to this voice of God are called to recognise that the voice of God not always comes to sooth and comfort, but also comes to disrupt and challenge, for it on the voice of God we are called to wait upon and not on powers and principalities of the world.

 

Reminding the listeners that the voice of God is distinct, diverse and disruptive, the psalmist concludes this Psalm 29 by emphasising that Yahweh is the Lord over the creation and is a king forever. He sends out his listeners, who recognises the strength in the voice of God with a prayer in verse 11, “may the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!”

 

In the context when there is a surge in the cases of the new variant of the virus in the UK, and with a national lockdown in place, how do we understand the voice of God today? The voice of God during this third lockdown is “love God and love your neighbour, be thankful for the vaccine, act responsible, stay at home, be compassionate to others.” The dynamism of the voice of God reminds us that God has been a speaking God who continuously offers God’s voice to this creation for the cause of justice and peace. Those of us who hear God’s voice are called to be channels of God’s voice of love, peace and justice to this world. The second learning from this Psalm 29 is to celebrate the diversity of the voice of God, for there is no one template suits all kind of God’s voice. God speaks to us through the Word, through prayers, through friends, through families, through films, through books, through songs, you name it and you have it, for God speaks in that many diverse ways to us. God speaks to us in the church, outside the church, in the community, on our streets, and everywhere. God doesn’t stop speaking. God is a speaking God. Each experience of listening to the voice of God is unique and different, and we are called to learn humility in celebrating each other’s experience of the voice of God. The voice of God calls for humility in us and also calls us to overcome the exclusivistic claims and attitudes with regards to the voice of God. God speaks in God’s graciousness to the entire creation in God’s own diverse ways. Thirdly, the voice of God disrupts and unsettles us from our pride, strength, self-righteousness, prejudices, and calls us to love, share, care, offer hope, strive for peace and justice, and work for the Kingdom of God here on earth. Let those that have new ears, hear the voice of God in our midst and in our times today.

 

Allow me to conclude this reflection quoting the lines from one of my favourite hymns, “Have you heard God’s voice; has your heart been stirred” by Jaquie G. Jones, hymn no. 662 in Singing the Faith.  

 

Have you heard God’s voice; has your heart been stirred?

Are you still prepared to follow?

Have you made a choice to remain and serve,

Though the way be rough and narrow?

 

Will you walk the path that will cost you much,

And embrace the pain and sorrow?

Will you trust in One who entrusts to you

The disciples of tomorrow?

 

In your city streets will you be God’s heart?

Will you listen to the voiceless?

Will you stop and eat and when friendship starts,

Will you share your faith with the faithless?

 

 

Raj Bharat Patta,

7th January 2021

Pic credit: https://www.stormgeo.com/weather/articles/thunderstorm-and-lightning-questions/

Born a Child... Christmas 2020 | Raj Patta| Prem Joseph|

My spirit rejoices in God my saviour: Rejoice always! Reflecting on I Thessalonians 5: 16-24

 

The profound moments in our life were the days when Shiny and I were blessed with our sons. The days they were born were moments of sheer joy in our lives. When I recollect and reflect on those moments, all I can say is that those experiences of joy are captured for me in the word “Rejoice.” Those were the moments to rejoice, because our joy knew no bounds. As I write this reflection, I am nostalgic of all those awesome moments of holding the ‘bundle of love’ (our sons) into hands, and they are very precious and priceless. I am sure each of you might have a different experience of moments of sheer joy in your lives, where you can sum that as ‘rejoice’ moments.

 

The third Sunday in Advent is called “Gaudete” Sunday, where the word ‘Gaudete’ refers to the first word of the Entrance Antiphon, “Rejoice,” in way inviting the church to reflect on the theology of rejoice, as we await in hope and joy for the coming of Jesus Christ. On this Sunday, the lectionary also suggests Mary’s song from Luke 1:46-55, where she sings, “my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour” (47v). For Mary, the realisation to rejoice in God arrived, when Elizabeth affirmed the grace of God in her life, as she shared that she is going to bear a child. The reason to rejoice in God for Mary was because “God has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant” (48v). The ripple effect of rejoicing in God came along when Mary continued to be prophetic in her song, challenging the powerful and helping the hungry with good things. For Mary, that moment of sheer joy came when her cousin affirmed in the work of God’s grace in her life as the child was conceived in her by the Holy Spirit, and eventually she rejoiced in God, the saviour. We have been singing this new Christmas song, “Mary did you know?” in which we unknowingly de-celebrate the agency of Mary, and deprived Mary of her confidence and strength as a young woman. Yes, Mary did know that the “child she delivers will soon deliver the world,” which is the message for us to sing this Advent.

 

To the church at Thessalonica, Paul concludes his first ever NT letter with these words of exhortations as recorded in 5:16-24, the prescribed lectionary for this Sunday. He writes certain do’s and don’ts for the church. The three do’s for the church are: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances (16-18v). These do’s are the will of God in Christ Jesus for the church. The three don’ts for the church are: do not quench the Spirit, do not despise the words of prophets and abstain from every form of evil (19-22v). These do’s and don’ts appear to be simple but harder to follow.

 

Firstly, in the do’s, we recognise that all of the three verbs mentioned are to be done forever, never ending, without any break or reservation and certainly without any ‘conditions apply’ terms on to it. Rejoice, prayer and thanksgiving are eternal and to be done at all times, both in season and off season. Secondly, rejoice, prayer and thanksgiving form the heart of the will of God, for I think they always co-exist and co-work together. Thirdly, rejoice, pray and give thanks are all verbs, that call for action and can’t be limited to mere uttering of words. Fourthly, the do’s and the don’ts are correlated and inter-related. For rejoice, prayer and thanksgiving are directly proportional to the Spirit of God for no one can stop her. They are directly proportionate to the prophetic words and also to the abstinence from every form of evil. To put it differently, the Spirit of God, the prophetic words and the abstinence from evil are all reflected in rejoice, prayer and thanksgiving. In other words, rejoice, prayer and thanksgiving should resonate the Spirit of God, the prophetic words and the abstinence from forms of evil.

 

After the exhortations of do’s and don’ts to the Thessalonian church, Paul concludes by saying how one can live up to those do’s and don’ts. His solution is simple and deep, that it is the “God of peace himself who will sanctify entirely” (23v) and makes a profound statement that “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do this (keeping our spirits, bodies and souls sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ)” (24v). Paul was invoking that one can fulfil the do’s and don’ts only by the grace of God, only by God alone, as God is always faithful and helps us to live a life worthy of our calling. By this invocation of God’s grace and God’s strength, Paul was exposing that no one should boast that they can fulfil all the aforementioned do’s and don’ts by their own merit, faith and works, for they may turn to be futile, for unless the Lord builds the house all our labour will be in vain. This is a great matter to rejoice, for God is willing to help us live our lives as God wills for us.

 

Moltmann in writing that “Christianity is a religion of joy” explains that when God comes to judge the earth, the whole creation will rejoice (Psalm 96:11-13), and the day of judgement is a day of rejoicing and not of terror. He further explains that repentance is joining in the joy of God, for God finds his rejoicing in seeking and finding the lost ones. So, repentance is not self-afflicted pain or self-punishment, but is the joy of God. He finally says, “which is greater, the joy or the grief, the happiness of the pain, life or death? And my answer is this: existence is greater than nonexistence, life is more than death, hope is above despair, and so joy is greater than pain. Why? The answer is simple: because whereas in pain we want our suffering to disappear, in joy we want the things that make us happy to endure.” This is what we need in our context today.

 

Drawing a relevance of this text for our context today: we are called to offer Christian faith as a faith of joy that celebrates life over death, hope over despair and happiness over pain. This year 2020 has been one of the toughest years with death, grief, fear, anxiety, distance, separation, gloom and zoom, yet if we have to name some of the ‘rejoicing’ moments this year, I am sure there are certain pointers. The arrival of kindness from unexpected quarters of life during this year is unquantifiable, for they brought joy and consolation in many ways. In all of this God has been faithful, offering us hope to rejoice in the light at the end of the tunnel. Faith has always been (mis)understood as a sigh for those in pain, but the faith in Jesus Christ is a matter of rejoicing in God, calling us to offer joy in this world, by protesting in the name of God against the forces that destroy the joy of God, which is in God’s drawing nearer to God’s creation. During this year, for some moments of rejoicing came through neighbours, through gardens, through families at home, through technology of at least catching up to meet virtually, through the songs of the birds, through the works of the essential workers, and through the arrival of the vaccine.

 

May we all join towards the end of this year to join with Mary in singing, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant (of all the people on the margins).” May we wait on God who is faithful and just, helping us to rejoice in God for God’s grace and God’s love. May we step into the New year rejoicing in God to be channels of sharing God’s joy so that can share gladness to several people we meet. May the rejoice moments in our lives multiply. May we all have a meaningful season of Advent. Amen.

 

Rev. Dr. Raj Bharat Patta,

11th December 2020

 

 

‘Mark’(ing) the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ - Reflecting on Mark 1:1-8

Recently I was asking a group of friends, “what is the first book in the New Testament (NT)?” I heard four different answers which are very interesting to note. The first friend answered, “Matthew is the first book in the NT because with the gospel according to Matthew the NT canon begins.” The second friend replied, “the book of I Thessalonians is the first book in the NT as it was the first book that was written, which was about 51CE, much before the gospels were written.” The third friend replied, “gospel according to Luke is the first book as it records the birth of Jesus Christ, and subsequently gives us the story of Jesus’ ministry, his death on the Cross and the resurrection.” The fourth friend replied, “gospel according to Mark is the first book in the NT as it was the first Gospel to be written among the four gospel writers.” As I heard these four different answers, I recognised a rich diversity in the very understanding of what ‘first’ means, and how such a definition of ‘first’ defines each of my friends' understanding and perspective of faith. The big learning for me in listening to these four diverse answers is the fact that there is no one ‘first’; there are various firsts, where all my friends understand ‘first’ from their own perspective and from their own social location.

 

In the prescribed reading for this second Sunday in Advent, which is from Mark 1:1-8, the gospel writer Mark, who was the youngest and the ‘first’ one to write a gospel among the four gospel writers, begins his gospel with these words. “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (v1). ‘The beginning’ of his gospel, according to Mark, is very different from the rest of the three gospel writers. For Matthew, ‘the beginning’ of his gospel has the genealogy of Jesus Christ. For Luke, ‘the beginning’ of his gospel has the story of Zachariah and Elizabeth, besides an introduction that he has researched thoroughly in writing his gospel. For John, ‘the beginning’ of his gospel is about the word who was in the beginning. Again, we notice diverse ‘beginnings,’ for all the four gospel writers begin their gospels to four different audiences and contexts, therefore each has a way of beginning their story of Jesus. The context of the writer and the context of the audience factors in defining ‘the beginning’ for any story and we see it succinctly with the gospel writers.

Let us now reflect on ‘the beginning’ of the Mark’s gospel. In Mark’s beginning to the gospel of Jesus Christ, he quotes a passage from prophet Isaiah and explains that text in reference to the life and ministry of John the Baptiser, who came to prepare the way to Jesus Christ. Allow me to present three ways of understanding ‘the beginning’ of the good news of Jesus Christ according to Mark.

 

1. The beginning begins with a critique of the centres:  

In order to present the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Mark begins by preparing the way, and he has chosen John the baptiser, who according to him lives up to the prophesy of Isaiah. What do you expect when someone begins to narrate or write a story of Jesus Christ, the son of God? One would expect the setting either to be the place where the Son of God lived and dwelt, which should be something palatial and opulent, because he is from God’s family, way above human imagination. Or one would expect the scene to be at a temple, where the people then believed that God’s presence hovered over there. On the contrary, Mark begins the beginning with a scene in the wilderness with John the baptist preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. “And people from the whole Judean countryside, and all the people from Jerusalem were going out to him and were baptized by him in river Jordan confessing their sins” (4-5v). The beginning for Mark begins with a critique of the temples and opulence, where he was giving a message to his audience that, Jesus Christ the Son of God locates Godself in sites of margins, the wilderness and not in the centres of the power. For in a way, from that wilderness, from the waters of a small river Jordan, from the sites of the margins, Jesus’ ministry begins, and therefore for Mark such a beginning marks the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God according to Mark begins in the sites of margins, in the dirt, in the wilderness, away from the centres of powers and much far away from the transcendental spheres.  

 

2. The beginning begins with a creative ‘show, don’t tell’ method:

One of the styles in story writings is ‘show don’t’ tell,’ allowing the reader to experience the story through action, words, thoughts feelings etc. The best example is: “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on a broken glass.” Having set the beginning in the wilderness, Mark now applies this technique of ‘show, don’t tell,’ where he allows his audience to experience Jesus Christ, the Son of God as a person who baptised with Holy Spirit unlike John the baptiser who baptises with water. Mark explains the power of the Son of God, by demonstrating the humility of John who testifies in verse 7, “the one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.” By beginning his gospel with the story of John the Baptist and his message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, Mark was showing to his audience that Jesus Christ the Son of God, who is coming is a forgiving God, who forgives anyone and everyone, for Jesus works on the ministry of grace, with a preferential option to the least, the last and the lost. This beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God is shown by Mark, inviting us to be the demonstrators of the gospel rather than mere tellers of the gospel.

 

3. The beginning begins with a clarion call:

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, for Mark begins with a voice, a voice in the wilderness, a herald, who was calling for action, repentance for the forgiveness of sins from people. With Jesus, the Son of God stepping into the unjust world as a human being, the message that paves the way for him is the voice for action towards justice and peace. The message is not always soothing to the audience, it was a voice disturbing people towards repentance from complacency and injustice. Mark does not record the response of the crowd who heard this voice for repentance, but Luke records it. In Luke 3: 7-17, the crowd asks “what should we do?” and John the baptiser replies, share your food, give up being greedy and don’t be corrupt exploiting people and the systems. All I am trying to say is, the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ calls for action, calls for a change, calls for justice, calls for repentance and calls for being and becoming a new creation.

 

One of the English sayings about beginning is “Well begun is half done,” and for me Mark, fulfils that and sets the tone and tenor of the gospel of Jesus Christ with his meaningful beginning. In short, with this kind of beginning, Mark is communicating to his audience then and us now that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God is about critiquing the centres and identifying with the margins, is about showing God’s grace and mercy to all of the creation and is about action, an action for change and new creation.

 

The relevance from this text for our context today is firstly to learn that there is diversity in understanding of ‘the beginning’ and in narrating the gospel of Jesus Christ. The call is to be open and accommodative in humility to knowing and receive others perspectives in sharing the gospel. Secondly, we as a church are called to begin the story of Jesus Christ today, not from the centres of powers but from the sites of the margins, for the Son of God finds margins at home. Thirdly, the gospel of Jesus Christ comes with a clarion call, a call for action, a call for return to God, a call for justice and a call for new creation. It is insufficient to shout in the street corners calling God, “Lord, Lord!” rather God in Jesus is calling us to show our discipleship in action, and in striving for transforming our world today. As we step into a new year, we are hoping for a ‘new’ beginning, and the challenge for us is to envelop the gospel of Jesus Christ relevant for our times today.

 

Finally, I want to conclude this reflection by asking if Mark had a style and message in beginning the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the challenge for each of us and as a church is, how are we marking the beginning the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God today in this context of our post-secular world? The message is clear and loud, we are called to begin the gospel from the margins, led by the ministry of grace and with profound actions for transformation.

 

May God grant God’s strength to us so that we are creative, critical and consistent in our discipling Jesus Christ today.

 

Rev. Dr. Raj Bharat Patta,

4th December 2020