The Priority of Prayer: Prayer in Action - Reflection from I Timothy 2:1-7

This week I had four different occasions to sense the priority of prayer and to reflect on prayer.

I was at an interfaith meeting this week and the theme was ‘the power of prayer’ – where each faith representative explained the understanding of prayer from their own religious faith experience. I gathered at that meeting that God doesn’t need our prayers, but we humans need prayers to encounter God. There I also recognised, the kind of God we believe determines the kind of prayer we say, and the kind of prayer we say defines the kind of God we believe.  An interesting experience.

On Friday, I was at the climate strike at St. Peter’s square in Manchester joining the global wave of strikes demanding justice for climate emergencies organised by the Youth strike 4 climate, where tens and thousands of people gathered in solidarity for climate justice. We as faith communities, as Methodists were part of this strike. I have heard the speeches of anger by young people. At the stroke of 1pm – all alarms went off – to symbolise that time’s up – act now for climate – a wake up call for climate emergency. As I reflect on it, I realised that protest as a prayer, which stemmed out of anger against the system and policies – to save the planet. I also realised that prayer is a wake-up call to attend the climate emergency. And prayer is action – for the youth demand “action now.” Yet another interesting experience.

On Saturday in the morning, I attended the Heatons Prayer breakfast – a time of prayer early in the morning at 8am. The leader, who led it divided the time into four slots – asking people to pray in praise of God for the good things, - pray for other churches and the community in Heatons – pray for the government, council and for those in power and authority – and pray for the Christian initiatives in and around Stockport. It was a corporate prayer – a time joining with other Christian believers in prayer – praying for common concerns – praying as a time of fellowship – prayer expressing our Christian commitment. A good experience to join in prayer early in the morning with tea and breakfast.

On Saturday in the evening, I heard a friend of mine Ebi preach at our Indian Christian fellowship – his testimonial – his story – his faith in God – how God listens to his prayers and answered him at every step of his life. For him, if prayer is speaking to God, reading the Word is God speaking to him – and he emphasised that both those are very key for our discipleship. For him in any situation and in every situation – prayer is the priority – and his faith is God answers. Ebi said, if you pray you need to act – demonstrate love in action. It allowed me to reflect on the strength of prayer.

All of these incidents – in line with the lectionary for this week from 1 Timothy 2: 1-7, which again was a passage read at the Prayer breakfast yesterday– is a call for us reminding the priority of prayer for us as a church at a time like this.

1 Timothy 2 is a very contentious chapter in the Bible, which was received by people across the theological spectrum – specially with the leadership of women – but the Church moved on believing in the Spirit of God for God created and called both men and women equally, for which we rejoice and celebrate about.

Paul was writing to young Timothy a pastoral letter with certain guidelines for the life of the church and for his personal spiritual growth. He mentions the priority of prayer : for he begins this second chapter – “first of all” – it is not committee meetings, it is not community work, it is not even preparing a sermon – but urging about the priority of prayer. Many a times we are too busy with the work of church and work at church or busy with our own life issues – work – family – holiday etc. I think this morning it is important to set right the priority which is prayer.

But what is prayer? – According to Rowan Williams – Prayer is connecting to God, a time of pause like in holiday, and body responds differently

From 1 Timothy 2: 1-7

1.      The methods of prayer : there are a varieties of prayer – Supplications, Prayers, Intercessions and thanksgiving (SPIT) – there is no one size fit for all kinds of prayer – These are the terms which were part of the local community who were living under an empire. – a blend of legal and temple terms.

2.      The members of prayer – for everyone – for all – no distinction in prayer – but a special mention of kings and those in power – for in that context they were ungodly and oppressive – whose oppression was unbearable – no peace in that context – persecutions – so by calling on their memory – Paul was trying to express his Christian love by praying for them. He explains the purpose of praying where people can live in peace and harmony.

3.      The mediator in prayer – Jesus Christ – who died as a ransom for all – so that the knowledge and truth may we learn – As an intercessor – Jesus again demonstrates love in action – prayer demands an action –  Jesus was an answer to the groans and cries of all those who were in oppression and in chains as a messiah – who gave himself as a ransom for all. Prayer demands sacrifice – Prayer demands action.

4.      The ministry of prayer – Paul calls himself who is a testimony to the truth of Christ – as a herald, as an apostle and as a truth bearer – those who are in the ministry of prayer – Prayer is a herald – a public proclamation – Prayer as apostolic – as one who was sent – including our story – Prayer as truth bearing – speaking truth to powers

Relevance:

1.      Prayer is a call to action – Put that priority on – demonstrating love – for our prayers have become too wordy with quite a rhetoric

2.      Seek the spark of divine in you for you may be an answer to someone’s prayer

3.      As church we are called to be a herald of prayer, an apostle of prayer and a truth bearer of prayer – Time to act now.

I want to conclude with a prayer written by Paul Coelho – the author of the book “The Alchemist”

Lord, protect our doubts, because Doubt is a way of praying. It is Doubt that makes us grow because it forces us to look fearlessly at the many answers that exist to one question. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our decisions, because making Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage, after our doubts, to be able to choose between one road and another. May our YES always be a YES and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our actions, because Action is a way of praying. May our daily bread be the result of the very best that we carry within us. May we, through work and Action, share a little of the love we receive. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect our dreams, because to Dream is a way of praying. Make sure that, regardless of our age or our circumstances, we are capable of keeping alight in our heart the sacred flame of hope and perseverance. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, give us enthusiasm, because Enthusiasm is a way of praying. It is what binds us to the Heavens and to Earth, to grown-ups and to children, it is what tells us that our desires are important and deserve our best efforts. It is Enthusiasm that reaffirms to us that everything is possible, as long as we are totally committed to what we are doing. And in order for this to be possible…

Lord, protect us, because Life is the only way we have of making manifest Your miracle. May the earth continue to transform seeds into wheat, may we continue to transmute wheat into bread. And this is only possible if we have Love; therefore, do not leave us in solitude. Always give us Your company, and the company of men and women who have doubts, who act and dream and feel enthusiasm, and who live each day as if it were totally dedicated to Your glory.

Amen (https://paulocoelhoblog.com/2015/01/01/the-prayer-that-i-forgot-2/)

@rajpatta

22^nd September 2019

To Paul: A Letter from Onesimus - Postcolonial Response to Philemon 1

Dear father Paul,

Onesimus, a liberated person in Christ Jesus, a freed slave from Philemon.

To Paul, my dear father who showed God’s grace to me as a fellow prisoner at Rome – also to Timothy, Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, to Junia, Lydia, Priscilla, Phoebe, Tabitha, Chloe, and several other women whose names have been forgotten and erased,  who supports Paul and his fellow workers in Christ – and to the house churches that you keep travelling and writing to:

Grace and peace to you from God our liberator and the Lord Jesus Christ, who has freed us from all bondages.

I always thank our God for your passion to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Specially I thank you for your letter to Philemon appealing him in love to seek reconciliation with me. I know your love for Christ, love for church and your love for people. I thank you for building partnerships among people transcending the barriers of class and ethnicity, thereby giving a true meaning to koinonia. Your love and discipleship for Christ has given me great joy and encouragement in strengthening our church for love, because you my father and brother have refreshed and inspired the hearts of God’s people.

Therefore, I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love as you have appealed to Philemon in my case. It is none other than Onesimus – a man to be judged by the content of the Christian character and not to be judged by the colour of my skin or by the status I previously held as a slave for I am freed from slavery and bondage by Christ Jesus and I remain to enjoy that liberation Christ has granted to me.  I appeal to you my as a son who shared prison and prison experiences with you for we both experienced suffering under the empire and knew what it was to be in chains, although my chains were different than yours. Formerly when I was a slave, I was considered useless, was treated as a property, looked down as a sub-human and was subjected to all kinds of humiliation for I was perceived as a non-person.

As I explained to you the kinds of torture and suffering me and my household had to endure because of slavery. Those sufferings made me strong as a person to resist them and stand for a just system where all human beings are treated equally. For the cause of promoting life, for the cause of envisioning a just society and for the cause of giving a liberative legacy for my children, I had to ran away from Philemon. I was imprisoned for such a cause, and that’s where the love of Christ encountered me through your fellowship.

I specially want to thank you for taking my debt on you and proved how important a Christian value it is to cancel debts on poor people as an important Christian discipleship marker. By taking my debt on you, you have shown me in practice the love of Christ who took my debts on him on the Cross, for I could experience it in my life. Thank you also for writing to Philemon to receive me as he would receive you, once again emphasising the importance of welcome and reception to anyone and everyone by the love of Christ. In that reception as exhorted by you my brother Philemon has received me as a brother, as a member of his family. I knew what it was to be a slave in his household once, and I also have experienced his love as a family member, which was because of the love of Christ. Ever since then Philemon has treated me as a partner in the mission of God for we continued to work together for the realisation of God’s Kingdom here on earth. Many wondered what a beautiful sight it was to see the master and his previous slave work together as brothers and partners, which was just because of the love of and for Christ.

On a final note, dear father Paul allow me to appeal to you to call any practice of any form of slavery as sinful and unchristian, for in Christ we are all one. Any form of racism, casteism, gender discrimination, patriarchy, trafficking, child labour and such other practices, which are modern forms of slavery does not fit into the gospel of Jesus Christ, and therefore we as a Church should resist such forms and stand in solidarity for justice in every given context. Christ has come to set people like me free and I believe and will work to liberate all people who are chained in any form of bondage as a gospel imperative for me.

You are always welcome to come and stay with us and enjoy our African hospitality. My wife and children and all our Churches join me in sending their greetings to you.

The grace of our Lord and Liberator Jesus Christ, the love of God, who calls us to freedom and dignity of all people, and the communion of Holy Spirit who partakes in all our struggles for peace be with us all now and forever.

Your fellow worker in Christ,

Onesimus 

@rajpatta

September 2019

UPROOTED YET SPROUTED: Reflecting on II Kings 5:1-14

Recently, there was a news in the newspaper that two young ones, a brother and a sister of age 13 and 14 went to attend visa interview at the US Consulate. Both of them were uneducated. When asked what’s the reason for their visit to the US, they said that they are going to serve as domestic helpers in their master’s home. Both of them were denied visas. Forced child labour has been increasing in our country. In a recently held survey it says Mumbai is one of the leading cities, where children are taken as forced labour.

In an ILO’s report, India and China suffered from the highest incidence of child labour. Out of  240 million children caught up in child labour, 180 million children are caught in the worst forms of child labour that include child prostitution and trafficking.

Experiences across the world reveal that children and young ones are among the most vulnerable ones. Andhra Pradesh in India, is the state with highest number of child labour. Most of them are school drop-outs and are taken captive into the bonded labour, and their humiliations knew no bounds. These children work for meager wages with poor hygiene facilities. Unfortunately working as labourers has become hereditary. Who will take care of these child labourers? When rest of their friends of their age are going to school and are enjoying their childhood, these child labourers carry huge rocks, and are exploited of their childhood. Who will listen to their cries? Who are responsible for their tears?

The passage read to us from II Kings 5:1-14, is a story which is a well known story right from our childhood. NRSV titles it as “the healing of Naaman”. The other epithets to this passage are “power demonstration narrative” according to Devries, “historical narrative” according to Eissefeldt. For most of us it is Elisha, who is the hero of this passage, or the mighty Naaman the centre of attraction in this passage.  But there is another powerful character in this story, the nameless, the unknown captive, child labourer young girl who introduces Elisha to Naaman and paves the way for liberation. But this little young girl, though brought as captive by the mighty captain Naaman, but still becomes the channel of liberation. This young girl was “UPROOTED YET SPROUTED”.

I would like to divide this passage into three sub-sections :

1.      Deeply rooted in faith

2.      Uprooted from culture

3.      Sprouted in liberation.

1.      Deeply rooted in faith :

Until the young maid was brought captive from her own land,  nation Israel, this young girl had  her grooming and nurture in her home and land. She should have had a strong Faith nurture at her home or she should have been a good Sunday school student. Her deep rooted faith was reflected in a foreign land. In verses 2 and 3, her deep faith is manifested.

a.       Her confidence in the prophet Elisha, the man of God to heal depicts the deep faith she had in the God she trusted and in the prophet she has known. Her deep faith is revealed by her belief that, “God is the healer of any disease, and heals anyone, irrespective of any region and any status, “even the oppressor”. The faith of this little one is worth commending.

b.      Her deep faith is also seen in her love for her oppressor, Naaman, who brought her as a captive. Naaman, with all his power and pride, would have dragged all her people during the war, yet this young girl’s deep faith taught her to love her enemy as herself. She did not want to take revenge on her oppressor, but was kind enough and made herself as the channel of liberation. This shows her deep commitment and faith in her God.

c.       Her deep faith in her God is seen in her service to her mistress. Since she was brought forcefully, she can be arrogant and can be adamant to her mistress. But knowing the dis-easiness her mistress was undergoing because of her husband Naaman’s disease, and the distress her mistress would have been suffering for being barren and childless due to Naaman’s disease. In such a situation, the young girl’s deep faith made her to serve and be comforter to her oppressor mistress.

Thus, this young girl had deep roots in her faith, and such a faith made her to participate in her oppressor’s liberation.

2.      Uprooted from her culture :

Imagine this young girl with her strong faith, I bet would have become a magnanimous prophetess, if she would not have been brought away as a captive to the kingdom of Aram.

This young girl of faith was uprooted from her family, her school, her friends, her relatives, her land and from her culture. In verse 2, it says, in one of their raids, the Armaneans had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel. This young girl would have been smart, good looking and so the conquerors uprooted her. When she was uprooted forcefully, imagine this little girl, she was totally cut off from her sentiments, her emotions and that would have affected the wholistic growth of this child. The young girl was made a stranger in that foreign land.

When all the friend of this young girl were going to school, she was forced to work as a labourer. When all her friends at home were playing, she has to sweep and serve. Having been uprooted from her land, this young girl was oppressed in every sphere of life. She would have lost her name, which  their parents have given, and I think that’s the reason, there is no mention of a name to her. Her identity is shattered She would have been a poor girl, and her life as a slave would have been made much more poorer. This little girl has to forego her childhood, and was exploited.

But for the invaders, the life of this little girl did not matter. All that mattered was their strength and power and to make slaves and oppress them. For her being uprooted, this little girl was denied life and life in all its fullness. She was made a slave, a bonded labourer and a ‘no people’ in this stranger’s land. She was just made a toy and could not see the person in her.

The Hebrew root for the word ‘raids’ means “to cut” or “penetrate”; and these Armanian troops’ raiding was to cut and separate the people from their families and their land. This young girl’s family was raided and she was uprooted from her culture. She is oppressed and all her visions for a bright future were shattered. The young girl was uprooted from her culture.

3.      Sprouted in liberation

This young girl though uprooted, but because of her deep rooted faith in God, sprouted in and  for liberation. The young girl though was oppressed by her captain master, never thought of taking revenge on him. With her little faith, yet strong faith, the young girl became a channel for liberation to her master, thus a participant in the mission of God.

When Naaman, with all his power and strength would have visited all the hospitals in the country.  All the well-known physicians would have attended to him. But still there was no cure. Added to his disease, his dis-easiness made him much more depressed. The young girl noticed the hopeless condition of her captain and did not curse, “Better this cruel master suffer and die with this disease”. She did not think eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.  But empathized with her master, and showed the way towards healing. One should also commend her courage. A slave girl has no space to advice or suggest to her mistress and master. But her confidence in her God made her to be courageous. Imagine if Naaman rejected to dip in the river of Jordan, and would have returned unhealed, I am afraid, this young girl would have been hanged to death. Here one should also notice the role of the servants of Naaman in verse 13, who convinced him and became channels of healing.  Thus both the young girl and the servants who were oppressed championed liberation and healing to their master Naaman.

The young girl with her strong conviction in God, and by her strong belief that God can heal  anyone, made her the sprout and blossom liberation to her oppressor.

The passage is silent about what happened to this young girl after Naaman’s healing. If Naaman would have had received total liberation, I think he would have released the young girl and sent her to join her family and land.

Thus the young woman, though uprooted but yet sprouted and became a catalyst in liberating her master.

Application :

What is the relevance of this reflection for us as individuals and as a community? I believe, this reflection has a challenging relevance for us today. Primarily I want to draw out three main lessons for us from this passage :

1.      Let us work towards strengthening our Faith :

The young girl’s faith in God is a challenge to all of us. We should strengthen our faith. Most often our faith is conditioned and yet at times very narrow. We need to be committed to our calling, and it is our faith in God, which should make us to participate in the struggles of the people. We need to guard against  exclusivism, we tend to be with. As P.D. Devanandam says, “it is my faith, which makes me to participate in nation building”. So our faith should be strengthened so that we can be in solidarity with the oppressed. Therefore let us pledge to strengthen our faith and reflect our commitment in God, in all our endeavours.

2.      Let is work towards eradicating the child labour and liberate the bonded  labour.

While slavery persists in our age in various forms, the bonded labour system is considered to be one of the most virulent and the most prevalent contemporary forms of slavery. Besides grinding poverty, unemployment and such other factors, the socio-cultural factors like the abominable caste system etc. are responsible for the perpetuation of this scourge. It is high time for us today to abolish child labour and bonded labour, and make children to enjoy life. With Jesus Christ, as our strength and example let us take up this mission of liberation to children. Specially the empowerment of girl child is the need of the day, for there is a high rate of drop-outs from schools among girls. Swami Agnivesh, the Chairperson of Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF) says, “If we do not eradicate child servitude today, we will be responsible for perpetuating poverty, abject misery and sickness of millions of adults in the world”. Therefore let us abolish child labour and say no to the bonded labour. The Church should take up this challenge seriously, and should join hands with other networking like-minded partners. If at all today’s children be tomorrow’s citizens, let us strive to abolish child labour in India.

3.      Let us work towards a theology of liberation to the oppressor :

The recently held international consultation on ‘Dalit theology and a theology of the oppressed’, came out with a statement, calling churches to develop a theology of liberation for the oppressor that would seek their repentance, reconciliation and removal of systemic and structural practices of caste.

The young girl’s theology can be a starting point in this endeavour. That God is God for the oppressed and the oppressor, and healing or liberation comes from God to all people without any reservations, even to the oppressors. If Jesus’ critique of the social structures of his day or even Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Educate, Agitate  and Organise  can be one  methodological dimension in this pursuit, on the other hand, the young girl’s love for the oppressor and even the servants of Naaman and this girl’s courage to tell about  liberation to the oppressor can also be the other methodological dimension in developing a theology of liberation to the oppressor.

As oppressed communities, I think it is not a virtue to take revenge on the oppressor, but rather love the oppressor and tell the oppressor the method of liberation, and be channels of liberation. Jesus’ love for all and the conscientisation to the oppressor like in Luke 19:1-10, can serve as the guidelines in constructing a liberation theology for all. I know this is not sufficient, but let us all work to develop a liberation theology for all both the oppressed and the oppressor. I think this is the greatest challenge for us all as a theological community.

Dear Friends,

-          Let us strengthen our faiths,

-          Let us strive towards abolishing child labour, and

-          Let us work towards developing a liberation theology to the oppressor.

Towards that end, may the good God help us to achieve and work towards the extension of God’s kingdom here on earth.  Amen.

-          Gurukul Chapel – II Kings 5:1-14 (21.11.2004)

Pic courtesy: http://ronkelleher.com/207-can-learn-courageous-slave-girl/

I Didn’t Know You Spoke Arabic...

A Sketch on Pentecost from Acts 2

Narrator: A warm night in Alexandria. A man is sitting on the roof of his villa gazing out to sea beyond the giant pharos, lost in thought. An orange glow is reflected in the water, silhouetting the rows of ships at anchor in the harbour below. A woman’s voice calls him from his reverie.

Phoebe: Jason! Jason! Where are you? (She comes in and sits beside him). I might’ve known I’d find you up here.

Jason: (He takes a cup from her) Thank you my dear.

Phoebe: So, how was your trip?

Jason: I....I, well it...er....

Phoebe: Did you see Clement as planned?

Jason: Not exactly. You see there was a....

Phoebe: But I thought this business meeting you’d arranged was most important. “Sorry, but I’ll have to miss your birthday party”, you said. “He’ll be in Jerusalem for Pentecost so we can finalise the deal there and then”. What happened?

Jason: You wouldn’t believe me if I told you

Phoebe: Let me be the judge of that

Jason: (Pauses) Well, that morning I was making my way up to the Temple. You know, to see the priests offer the wheaten loaves to God as the first fruits of the completed harvest, when I found myself in the middle of a great commotion. A group of people were milling around, crying out in praise of God’s wonderful works. One man near me joked they must be drunk, but I could tell they weren’t. Their voices were so clear and steady.

Phoebe: What’s so remarkable about that? The crowds can sometimes get a bit lively at Pentecost.

Jason: But here’s the thing. These people were speaking in tongues from all over the world, but they were just simple country folk from up North in Galilee. How could they possibly have known all those strange languages from faraway places such as Parthia, Libya, Arabia....?

Phoebe: Are you sure you weren’t drunk? And how do you know Arabic!

Jason: There’s a lot about me you don’t know. My father had some slaves from Arabia when I was a boy. I picked it up from them.  

Then this big chap appeared on the veranda and started to address the crowd, his huge workman’s hands waving around. Firstly he talked about the prophet Joel and how God would pour out his spirit on everyone in the last days. Then he explained how David had prophesied that one of his descendants would be raised up by God to be Lord and Christ.

Phoebe: Not another “messiah” to save us from the Romans!

Jason: A messiah unlike any other though. This descendant was Jesus, a prophet and miracle worker from Nazareth who was crucified by the authorities, yet God brought him back to life again and he appeared to his disciples. He told them to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit and this was what we were witnessing at that very moment!

Phoebe: But why would God choose a ragbag of uneducated Galileans to reveal all this, people of little importance? Surely the priests and elders should be the ones to do it?

Jason: Perhaps there’s a lot about God we don’t understand. Knowing many languages helps me to oil the wheels of business of course, but just imagine if there were no languages, no barriers between peoples.

Phoebe: Then this new spirit must be meant for everyone. I can’t wait to tell the women in the synagogue. Prepare to be the centre of attention! They’ll want to know all about this Jesus.

Jason: Anyway by now I’d lost all track of time. A lot of people in the crowd wanted to be baptised with this spirit there and then and by the time I made it to the Temple Clement had left. His secretary told me he’d had to return to Caesarea on some important family matter.

Phoebe: Next time you go to Jerusalem on business you can take me with you. I’ll make sure you’re on time for your meetings, no excuses.

Jason: Dearest, the crossing can be quite rough. You wouldn’t want to be laid low with a serious bout of sea-sickness now would you?

Phoebe: My grandfather was a ship owner. I went on trips to Crete and Macedonia with him when I was a girl. I love travelling by sea.

Jason: I didn’t know you were an experienced sailor!

Phoebe: There’s a lot about me you don’t know. Come on, tell me what you think these Galileans are going to do next .....

(They leave arm in arm, smiling and chatting)

Questions for reflection:

1. But why would God choose a ragbag of uneducated Galileans to reveal all this, people of little importance? Surely the priests and elders should be the ones to do it? What do you understand about the God of Pentecost from this question and what is its relevance for us following such a God?

2. Why do you think the God of Pentecost did not speak the languages of Hebrew (Scriptural language), Latin (empire language) and Aramaic (native language) and chose to speak the language of the then foreigners? What do we gather about Pentecost? How do we celebrate multiculturalism in our context today by speaking and understanding the vernacular of the margins today?

Concept by Raj Patta and Written by Trevor Williams

image courtesy: http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48388

A Perilous Parade

A Sketch for Palm Sunday

Jerusalem. The city is overflowing with thousands of pilgrims who are there to celebrate Passover. A crackling tension fills the air as if a storm is about to break and the authorities are fearful that some hotheads could spark a riot or even some kind of revolt. A young woman is standing near the Golden Gate seeking a familiar face amongst the surging mass of strangers. When she finally spots her brother her voice betrays a mixture of relief and reproach.

Ruth: Joshua, where have you been? I’ve been waiting here for ages!

Joshua: Rogues! Swindlers! Robbers!

Ruth: You’re not in one of your moods again?!

Joshua: Those money changers up in the Temple are on the take as usual. They’ve got us all over a barrel. The priests make sure they get their share too. And you know how much I hate crowds.

Ruth: (Sighing) Have you bought the lamb for the Passover meal?

Joshua: Those animal sellers drive a hard bargain, raising their prices every year. But I’ve managed to choose a good one for us.

His face clouded slightly. He recalled that as head of the family he had so much responsibility, so much to do.

Joshua: Well, come on Ruthie. We can’t stand around here all day!

She starts to move, then hesitates.

Ruth: What’s that noise?

Joshua: What noise?

Ruth: Listen. It sounds like people shouting. Or are they singing a psalm? It’s coming from down there in the valley, getting closer by the minute!

They look at each other quizzically. Moments later a large group of people bursts through the gate waving palm branches and crying out, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Save us!” Ruth strains to see and catches a glimpse of a man riding on a donkey in the middle of the throng, apparently the centre of all the attention. She turns to a bystander. Like everyone else around her he’s cheering wildly.

Ruth: What’s going on? Who’s that man on the donkey? He looks as though he’s been weeping.

Woman: It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. You know, the famous miracle worker. Only the other day he healed a blind man in Jericho. They say he’s our Messiah, going to kick out those Romans.

Joshua: Unlikely. I saw Pilate arrive here, fanfares, horses, elite bodyguard, the lot. Now that’s what I call an army, a show of force alright and a warning to anyone thinking of stirring up any trouble. I bet he hates coming to Jerusalem this time each year. Much rather be relaxing in his nice residence by the sea at Caesarea.

Ruth: I’ve heard that Jesus speaks wisely. Look, some Pharisees are talking to him. They seem worried. I wonder what they’re saying.

She tries to hear, but their words are drowned out by the noise of the crowd. The procession moves on, louder than ever. Jesus looks calmly ahead, unflustered by the increasing turmoil going on all around him.

Ruth: He must be heading for the Temple.

Joshua: Those northerners are real hotheads, always fancying themselves as revolutionaries. But I’d be careful if I were him. I’ve heard that Pilate’s planning to crucify some terrorists he’s caught this week.

Ruth: No, this man is different. There’s something special about him that I can’t explain. I think I’ll go up to the Temple and hear what he’s got to say, see what he does next. Perhaps he will save us.

Joshua: Well, you won’t catch me going up there again. I’ve been pushed and jostled quite enough for one day. I’ll go back when I have to collect the lamb for Passover and that’s it. Anyway, there’s still lots to sort out and they’ll be wondering where we’ve got to. Come on Ruthie.

He grabs her arm, but she pulls away, smiling.

Ruth: Don’t worry about me, Josh. You go. I’ll join you all later.

And with that she picked up one of the palm branches and melted into the crowd as it edged through the streets towards Herod’s great Temple.

Questions to Reflect:

1.   Who you would be in this story? And what would you do?

2.   Would you take this perilous parade with Jesus today? If so, how would you do it?
As you read Matthew 21:1-11, how do you understand being in a procession with Jesus in the context of self-isolation due to Coronavirus today?

Credits: Concept: Raj Patta & Written by Trevor Williams

#follow the star – A GPS to Bethlehem

Reading Matthew 2:1-12

As many of you know I recently had my graduation from the University of Manchester and received a degree PhD, and my supervisor started to call me Dr. Raj. I have received many congratulatory mails and texts from far and wide. Among those heaps of mails, I received one mail, which read, “Many congratulations Raj, we are very happy for you and the family. You can now move more easily wherever you wish to. Life becomes easy. Once again many congratulations on passing your driving test.” Only then I realised that Dr. before my name is not always doctor Raj, but ‘driver’ Raj.

Well, while I am on driving, as a new driver, still fresh with driving lessons, one of the lessons was going to a destination by reading the sign boards. Another lesson and part of the test is independent driving following the navigation to a set destination on the sat nav. It is taking time to follow the navigation, with many confusions, sometimes taking a wrong exit, sometimes the GPS device taking you to different locations. It is all a learning experience. I know there are many who still use the A to Z maps, with notes on the directions to follow to reach their destinations.

With a 'P' sign on the back of my car, as a new probation driver, I now started to read Matthew 2:1-12, realising how the Magi followed a GPS to reach Bethlehem. The star served as a GPS for these kings, astrologers, wise people to find the ‘King of Jews’ in Jesus at Bethlehem. Mind you as you will know, it was never mentioned that they were ‘three wise men’, all we know is that there were three gifts and so we assume that they were ‘three wise people.’ They were a company of people who saw the star, followed it to find the ‘King of Jews.’ How did all this company of people follow the single GPS available in a Star. Because it was a star, all of them sighted it and followed it collectively, or one taking the lead the others following the star and the lead. The Star served as a collective GPS – taking all of them to Bethlehem. Perhaps because they were able to travel together in a company, following a single star made them ‘Wise’ people.

(Painting credits: Laura Dukes – Laura primarily paints small abstract pieces; you can see more of her work on her Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/laura.dukes/?hl=en. She is also available for commissions of her illustration pieces.)

All this company of wise people followed their GPS the ‘rising Star’ carefully through out their journey, till they were 9 miles away from Bethlehem. On approaching Jerusalem they took a wrong exit and went to the palace of Herod assuming that either he or his son would have been the ‘King of Jews.’ They lost track of their Star, and it took a long time for them to be rerouted before they got back to their GPS directions towards Bethlehem. How frustrating it would have been to be lost just before 9 miles from Bethlehem, for there was delay, they had to encounter King Herod to inform him about the birth of Jesus, and that entry into a wrong exit even costed the lives of several two year old babies to be slaughtered by Herod for not being able to track and find Jesus.

By the help of Holy Spirit, they were rerouted back to their destiny from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and found the star. Verse 10: “when they say the star, they were overjoyed.” What a relief it would have been to find back their GPS directions. I can imagine what a joy it would have been to back to the right directions after being lost in a wrong exit. They were “over joyed.” The star brought them to the right place, a house in Bethlehem where Mary and Joseph stayed with their baby Jesus, and they worshipped Jesus by offering their gifts.

Augustine wrote, “Christ was not born because the star shone forth, but it shone forth because Christ was born; we should say not that the star was fate for Christ, but that Christ was fate for the star.” (Benson Bobrick, The Fated Sky: Astrology in History (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), 79).

I want to share with you five things from this following the star.

1.      Hearing/Reading about the Star

2.      Seeing the Star rising

3.      Knowing the Star

4.      Following the Star

5.      Being a Star

1.      Hearing/ Reading about the Star:

Matthew tells us that the Magi have seen “his star at its rising” (Matthew 2:2). His readers would have made a connection to the promise made to Abraham that his descendants would be like the stars of heaven (Genesis 15:5; 22:17); Jesus is one of these descendants who surely stands out. Imagining that the magi were from non-Jewish background, they read the star at its rising, and followed it.

2.      Seeing the Star:

The fact that the Magi, astrologers from the East, seeing the star, come looking for the new-born king shows that the Gospel message is not just for those of Jesus’ race but for all people. The star, therefore, helps to communicate the universal significance to Jesus’ birth. 

They found the star at their work – If u r writer does ur pen lead to Jesus, if u r a doctor does ur stethoscope helps u to lead to Jesus, if u r a mechanic does ur spanner helps u to lead to Jesus.

3.      Knowing the Star:

Putting feet to faith – conviction to belief-They knew the importance of the star and have put into practice their theoretical knowledge.

4.      Followed the Star:

They travelled both day and night following the star – persistence and perseverance. Without giving up, they followed the passion of their life- followed the star and followed their dream.

5.      Being a Star:

Following collectively – made them star

Humility in worshipping a baby – made them star

Offering gifts to a baby – made them a star

Returning in another way – made them a star

Daniel 12:3 - Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

May we this season follow the Star called Jesus the brightest star the world has ever seen and become a star for Jesus showing to many the path to righteousness in Jesus Christ. Wishing you all a star-filled, Word-filled and Word-fulfilled New Year.

Rajbharat Patta

Epiphany 2019

x