Christmas in America!!!

Stooping to Conquer!

Can the vast expanse of the deep oceans be contained in a pitcher? Equally unfathomable is an attempt to fence in the infinite universe even within the confines of ones imagination. Far greater still is the fact that God - omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent should choose to limit himself to the form of a hapless babe. As clichéd as this image might be, it doesn’t lose its potency in summoning to our weak and oft forgetful minds what God did for us in that “bleak mid-winter”.

In the incarnation of the Christ, God dispensed His purple robe for swaddling clothes, and his royal sandals for dusty shoes that walked every conceivable human predicament. (In Christ we do have a high priest who sympathizes with our weakness and woes because He was indeed subject to it - and I must add - yet without sinning (Heb. 4:15)). He laid down his glittering coronet of glory for the bitterness of the painful crown of thorns.

Arguably, almost every poem, every song, every painting, every drama has for its theme love; But there is no greater love than the love of God which did indeed stoop to the very depths of squalor. Not just to identify with us but also to woo us and save us from perdition.

There is a story I heard that illustrates what God did for us; there once lived a king with all the trappings of one such king – powerful, handsome, and bestowed with an abundance not only of wealth but also intellect. He fell in love with a pretty damsel of lowly birth. His periodic tour of duty around the kingdom became more frequent, in anticipation of seeing this poor, deprived girl who had so smitten him He spent many an agonizing night re-living her response to him; for he was the king and protocol required of every subject to suspend their every effort of labor and bow in obeisance to him. He longed for her love and he knew while he is king she can offer him only reverential fear. If he asked for her hand in marriage, she would definitely give her consent but will that decision be made in love, the king would never know. After much deliberation the king left the portals of the palace, but not with the usual festivity and fanfare because he was dressed like a commoner – the ones who worked the fields. He was disguised beyond recognition. There was no way of anyone finding out that he was indeed their sovereign. It must have felt strange for the king not to have the guards at the gate salute him, but that was of little consequence to the king who had but one goal – win over this commoner of the fields with whom he had fallen in love. This time around when he saw the girl she didn’t cower in his presence; she even coyly smiled at this stranger. As days progressed there were times when she would even playfully chide him. After a certain passage of time the king-turned-farmer knew that he had to return to the palace, for the days of absence allowed to the king were drawing to a close. He had to ask this girl whom he loved if she would give him her heart. If she did he would know without a doubt that she agreed in love and not fear. One afternoon in a not-so-chance-meeting with the girl, he makes known to her his love and asks her, “Will you love me? Will you marry me? And she answered, ...

There is no way of a universal and appropriate ending for that story because each one has to script the ending in accordance with his/her response to the King, even Christ the Lord.

It is a simplistic comparison but it does encompass in a meager way the magnitude of the coming of God into this world. It is a universal yet personal experience that we celebrate at Christmas.

Have you any room for Jesus;

He who bore your load of sin?

As he knocks and asks admission,

Sinner won’t you let him in.

Room for Jesus King of glory;

Hasten now his word obey;

Swing the heart’s door widely open,

Bid him enter while you may.

(Author unknown)

It is indeed a fitting culmination to the story of Christmas. "He laid aside His majesty" because he loved and loves us with an everlasting love; in order to save us. Hope we will answer, “You have my heart.”

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Title adapted from Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer

On Giving!

“The gratification of wealth is not found in mere possession or in lavish expenditure, but in its wise application.” — Miguel de Cervantes

In spite of all the talk of economic crisis, recession and hardship, the America that I see is indeed the land of the plentiful. The supermarkets with aisles and rows of merchandise and shopping malls with chiming bells and glittering lights are but irrefutable proof. I must explain that I am not attempting to undermine the struggles that folk face here. I am just trying to remind all of us that in the light of utter deprivation like we can’t even begin to imagine, our own burdens aren’t that cumbersome any longer. It is important that we begin to see ourselves as well-off.

Having been thus blessed, how do we use our wealth? Do we squander it or are we to be prudent stewards? God who, I believe, is the fount from whence flows all the abundance that we enjoy and so often take for granted, is not some kind of ‘cosmic kill-joy’. He does desire for us to enjoy the wealth and resources that we are blessed with. However He doesn’t endorse our stagnating at that one stop called self. We need to look beyond the confines of our selfishness.

One aspect of looking beyond oneself is tithing. Tithing is giving. I have often wondered why God, who owns everything, would require of us to give to Him. The best means of answering that question is understanding that He is indeed sovereign over everything. I’m so moved each time I hear that prayer in the Anglican Prayer Book: “All that is in heaven and earth is thine, and of thine own do we give to thee.”

God is undisputed Sovereign but we are still stewards who have an obligation. In Scripture we read of the church at Jerusalem which had been subject to acute poverty; however they were not left to fend for themselves in their moment of need. The Church of Christ from other regions came to their aid. Tithes were collected to be sent to the church in need (1 Cor. 16:2). We live in no different an epoch and in our own time the church does care for members of our society that find themselves in difficult situations. We support that cause by giving to the church through tithes.

The divine directive that we received is to share the gospel of Christ through our witnessing to a hostile world. There are a courageous few who are willing to leave the comforts of home and the familiar to do just that. They are willing to walk where we fear to go. They are carrying the torch, as it were, where we are unable to; and tithing provides for them. Tithing also provides for those who serve God through their ministering to us. We are taught, we are trained and we are edified in our faith because of their commitment to God. Our parents are Christian workers in India and have had to raise money to pay for some of their monthly expenses. And I believe that they shouldn’t have had to do that. All who tirelessly serve the cause of the Gospel are stalwarts of the faith and should be treated with the dignity that is their due. What I learned as a child I’ll always carry with me. My mother’s voice is still ringing in my ears: “Do you know why the Levites weren’t given any part of the land when the land was divided amongst the Israelites? Well, The Lord said that He would be their portion” (Num. 18:21-24). The Lord is indeed their portion and He does require of us to provide for those who serve Him; and by tithing we participate in the expansion and the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

May our churches never have a dearth of funds. May our ministers never have to ask us to tithe. That can happen only when we are conscientious and diligent in our giving. Let us ever be mindful that we are but giving only that which already belongs to Him.

The Paradox of Judgment and Love!

A good friend of mine recently asked, “Is it possible to have a relationship that is truly caring and loving, when you believe deep down that the person is going to be subjected to God's wrath and punishment, eternally?” (see footnote 1) Implicit in this question is the statement that judging or passing judgment on someone is intrinsically wrong and unethical. Before we try to answer the above question, we need to understand what it means to judge and if it is right for a person to judge another?

Merriam Webster says judgment is "the process of forming an opinion or evaluation by discerning and comparing" and "judgment implies sense tempered and refined by experience, training and maturity." In other words, it is the ability to evaluate and form an opinion (on something or someone) based on one's knowledge, experience and maturity. That knowledge could have a factual or logical base arising from one or more accepted sources of epistemology; perhaps a valid inference, timeless experience, intelligent reasoning or verbal testimony. The word “Judgment” over a period of time has become tainted with a negative connotation. However based on the definition of the word, I would like to call it “Informed Opinion.” It might sound too simplistic but I believe the phrase does capture the essence of the word.

When I see this rectangular object in front of me, that displays almost immediately what I type on my keyboard, based on my knowledge of computers and my visual experience I make a judgment or an informed opinion that this object is a visual display unit that is attached to the computer that I am using. When a person visits the doctor for a Physical Exam, the doctor - based on his knowledge of the human anatomy and his training in pathology– makes a judgment on the patient’s physical condition and provides needed medical advice. Judgment is the ability to evaluate and form an opinion based on one's knowledge, experience and maturity; and it happens everyday in almost every circumstance of life. In fact, in our world today, one cannot sustain oneself for long without making judgments. It is an accepted fact of life, consciously or involuntarily, by every human being.

The Judgment relevant to our discussion pertains to one’s eternal destiny. A Christian who believes in the authority of the Bible affirms that a person needs to accept Christ as Savior in order to be saved eternally, and a rejection of the Savior would lead to eternal punishment. The Christian, based on his primary source of doctrinal knowledge – the testimony of Scripture - formulates an informed opinion on a person’s (himself included) eternal destiny. And the Christian is well within his epistemic rights in doing so. There is nothing un-Christian or unethical (as long as his opinion does not violate a person’s rights) about this. The judgment or opinion of the Christian may not be accepted by every human being, but that does not make it invalid or any less truthful.

From that original question stems another thought-provoker. When I believe that a person is heading toward eternal punishment, I am in a way indicting that person; furthermore if I continue to live as if I don't possess that knowledge, then is that relationship truly caring and loving?

Consider the example of a mother-child relationship. When a young child errs, frequently the mother corrects him or her. In this situation, the mother is essentially committing two acts:

(1) Passing a judgment on the child's behavior or act (2) Taking actions to correct the child. It is the first act that leads to the second. Using her motherly wisdom and knowledge, she identifies her child's act as a wrongdoing, which if left unchecked, would lead to further detriment in the child's character and possibly harm the child. Based on this judgment, she makes the decision to act; hence she corrects the child - sometimes through gentle advising and at other times through slightly harsher means - in order to steer the child to the right course. In this case, is it wrong for the mother to judge her child's behavior? Is it incorrect to have an informed opinion?

The mother’s judgment of the child’s behavior does not in any way negate her love for the child. Through correction she preserves the child from further wrong-doing and potentially harmful consequences. The mother’s judgment and action are justified because of her motive - love and concern for her child’s welfare (see footnote 2). And when the motive of a Christian believer is love and concern for a fellow human being’s welfare -in this case, eternal welfare- it is certainly possible for that believer to have a loving and caring relationship with another who might be heading toward eternal perdition. And more than once have I come across Christians - truly committed to the cause of the gospel - nurturing loving and caring relationships with non-Christians as their “first-rung-in-the-ladder” effort in fulfilling the Great Mandate (see footnote 3).

In closing here’s something to mull over: Why are Christians (myself included), who submit to the authority of the Scriptures, possessing true understanding of what awaits non-believers, not proactive in evangelizing?

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Footnotes

1. The wrath of God, eternal punishment and personal salvation have direct reference to the biblical teaching on these subjects -The acceptance of Christ as Savior and Lord is imperative for one’s eternal salvation.

2. Does that mean that the End justifies the Means? The answer to that is an emphatic “No.” This argument does not imply that. On the contrary, as discussed above, when a Christian exercises judgment or has an informed opinion on someone’s eternal destiny based on Scriptural testimony in which he does not violate another’s rights, it is not an unethical exercise. Also, the analogy here is to explain a believer-nonbeliever relationship that is loving and caring. So, here we are talking about an activity that follows purely ethical means.

3. Matthew 28:18-20

When Stricken...

“Defeat or victory...determined by the response.”- Amitav Ghosh

The horrific images of suffering that we see from around the world have raised what seems like an insurmountable mountain of questions about pain. Pain and suffering are not merely headlines from half way across the globe; yes, it does strike close to home as well. It is evident in the heart-rending cry of an abandoned child in Orissa, India, as is plain in the worried expression on a parent's face in California, USA.

Writers from bygone eras were moved to the point of penning lines that subsequent generations have delved into, to look for analogous sentiment. When hurled into the fray as it were, what is our response? Do we mull over the course of our very existence? “To be, or not to be:” (Hamlet Act 3 Scene i). Is that our question? Are we to valiantly endure the pain that so grips us? Are we vested with the power to end all the seeming meaninglessness?

Invariably, the recipient of every derisive accusation and every scathing criticism is God.We are all too quick to find a target in God. “As flies to wanton boys are we to th' gods” (King Lear Act 4, scene i ). Does He torment us for sport? Do we rant and rave against God?

There is indeed no dearth of questions; sadly answers elude us. When answers are hard to find, we are often tempted to clothe suffering with a rationale. To the one in pain, we are but Job’s friends, at best we find a use for suffering and at worst we denounce and criticize the one who walks the very ‘valley of the shadow of death.’

Answers are indeed hard to come by; And when every raison d'être falls short, focusing on eternal realities bolsters our flagging spirits. Eternal realities like God’s love in our creation, our salvation and sustenance does indeed obscure from view the transience of pain. And in that response our victory is won.

On Longing for Home

The first flush of excitement that novelty brings is something I’ll always treasure to go back to, because excitement often vaporizes to make room for an inexplicable sense of gloom. Inexplicable because I can’t reason it away with lofty thoughts and pragmatic arguments; Inexplicable gloom because hiding under the wings that seek after the freshness of that ever elusive horizon are the roots that try hard to find the certitude of home. The analogy of the fully grown plant uprooted to be planted elsewhere seems fitting. The plant droops and its downcast countenance portends ominously that perhaps it is going to wither and perish. It is as if the plant is seeking for the sureness of home. The soil that birthed it, that tended and fostered it.

There is in everyone a longing for home, and that longing is intensified by the deprivation of that sense of belonging. Every little detail is a painful reminder; the glorious evening sky, the smell of rain, the nippy night wind. It all feels like home yet so different…there is something that is amiss. Home could be a place like “Claremont,” India or home could be the comfort of a well rehearsed routine. At a point when everything seems as inconstant as the shifting desert sand, it is almost imperative to summon to memory what my friend told me, “You are not home till you are home.”

We need to be nostalgic about the past, it is that sense of melancholic nostalgia that separates us from being mere brutes or must I say automatons. However an excess of it can be so unbearable that our vision for the future becomes foggy. It is vital to wake up and live each day, it is alright if that day is a fine blend of bitter-sweetness because soon there ought to be a day that is more sweet than bitter. There should be in each of us a Ulysses-like desire to “drink life to the lees” (Tennyson, Poems). Even if made weak by circumstances, we need to look within us to find that strength of character “To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield."

While that might be fitting motivation to spur us on as we sojourn here below, it is important that we don’t become too comfortable here because this is not home. Home is where the heart is and we need to fix our heart and in fact every faculty on this - our heavenly home, where there are no more tears, no more sadness, yes and no more uprooting. We all need to have a longing and homesickness, if you like, for that Home. Finally, the essence of my friend's words dawns on me, “You’re not home till you are Home.”