Perseverance in Prayer: Reflection on Advent 2

“My God, I pray you to accept my confessions and also the gratitude I bear you for all the many things which I pass over in silence.  But I will omit not a word that my mind can bring to birth concerning your servant, my mother.  In the flesh she brought me to birth in this world: in her heart she brought me to birth in your eternal light”.  

(Confessions of Saint Augustine; Book ix, Confession 8).

Saint Augustine of Hippo has exerted an incredible influence on the mentality, culture and religious attitudes of Western mind.  He was born to, a pagan father, Patricius and a Christian mother, Monica in 354.  Before his conversion to Christianity on the eve of Easter, April 25, 387 by Bishop Ambrose, St. Augustine led a lavish and extravagant life.  He followed various faith traditions, flirted with astrology as a way to look into the future, and had a son with his mistress.  He studied reason, classical literature and rhetoric in Latin.  He was destined and prepared to be a lawyer or a government servant.  In the midst of all the successful endeavours and adventures, his Mother Monica kept on praying for him.  She accompanied her son to every new town and place to take care of his personal needs.  While Monica tended to his physical needs, she continued to uphold Augustine’s struggles to God in prayer and through her humility, simplicity and faith set an example for her son.  As noted above, her prayers were answered on April 25, 387 as her son Augustine was born in God’s eternal light and time.  What a wonderful mother, a great companion and a worthy servant of God to be remembered as Saint Monica in the church.  

Saint Monica sets an example for all of us to follow in the following ways.  First, we should facilitate the birth of God’s children in eternal time and light.  Second, our prayers should be pure, simple, honest,   and a way to bring human beings, without our own personal prejudice and bias, to God.  Third, we should have the commitment and courage to live out our prayers in the world.  Finally, we should believe that we are there to serve and attend to the needs of the people around us and it is a combination of our service, prayers and witness which enable individuals to be born in God’s eternal time and light.  May God grant us courage to pray and patience to persevere. 

What are we hoping for? Reflection on Advent 1

“Cause of the Poor:  A Theological Perspective”, was the first book published in Pakistan on the topic of Liberation Theology.  The author of the book was Father Emmanuel Asi, a Roman Catholic Priest.  He launched the book on June 8, 1988 to coincide with the sixty fifth birthday of Father Gustavo Gutierrez, a Peruvian Roman Catholic Priest.  Gutierrez introduced and wrote the first book on Liberation Theology.  

The basic premise of the Liberation Theology is to examine economy, sociology, religiosity and cultural values of a geographical area through the lenses of the gospel.  This critical and careful analysis is then compared with the teachings and actions of Jesus, the Son of God,  to determine and ascertain the ways to transform the culture and the society.   The slums and the poor, downtrodden human beings of Peru were the reasons for this vision.  Thus the impetus of the Liberation Theology is to be the hands, feet, mind and heart of God to bring changes in the lives of human beings.  This conclusion was supported by the numerous gospel miracle stories where Jesus transformed human lives and restored their dignity, integrity and lives in an extremely hierarchal culture.  Father Asi was one among many who tried to achieve the same for their immediate situation.  By doing so, Father Asi encouraged many to live out their Christian life and obligation among the masses to engender and cultivate change among them.  The Liberation Theology, thus, brings hope and introduces concrete actions among Christians’ communities to reach out to the less fortunate, with a resolve, to change their circumstances once for all.  

The theme for the first Sunday of Advent is Hope; Hope, for the better days; Hope, for the second coming of our Lord; Hope, for the coming of Baby Jesus in our lives and hope for the kingdom of peace, Justice and equality, a heavenly kingdom, being realized into the world.  But how can the kingdom of God be realized in the world of injustice, hatred, sorrow, pain, hunger and discrimination?  The only way it can be realized is through the imitation of and reliance on Jesus, the Christ.  We must be committed to examine our situation, reflect on the economic, political, sociological, and spiritual issues, and to act justly and rightly to restore one’s dignity, integrity and faith in God and fellow human beings.  This will enable us to be the bearers of hope, good will and God’s love in the world.  May our examination and analysis lead us to concrete actions to eradicate social, religious and spiritual injustices of our culture and society. 

What about those who are not at the table?

I have been following the discussion on the proposed changes to the Marriage Canon of the Anglican Church of Canada fairly closely.  I was encouraged to note the special consideration and care afforded to our Indigenous brothers and sisters in this discussion and the willingness of the governing bodies of the Anglican Church of Canada to ensure that their cultural practices and religious values are honoured and protected during the process and in the Marriage Canon.  It is indeed an important realization, as we work towards reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples of Canada.  This, in my humble opinion, is a departure from the culture of assimilation and the dominant culture imposing their will, theology and biblical interpretation on others.

While I applaud, rejoice and take comfort from this; I am equally disturbed, despondent and disillusioned by Church’s indifference to Non-Caucasian members of the Anglican Church of Canada.  I am disappointed that the church has not made any effort (at least to my knowledge) to consult with and more than that to acknowledge the discomfort and angst of visible ethnic minorities in our churches.  It seems to me that we are expecting them to accept the outcome of the discussion and to follow the lead of the dominant culture in the church.

As you know, Christian Missionaries closely followed the empire to various parts of the world to preach the gospel.  The basic premise was to convert the heathens and to make them in the likeness of the state and dominant religion.  To this end, the cultural and religious practices were condemned and presented as witchcraft and the converted were taught to live in accordance to the moral code of the bible.  This moral code was presented as the wishes of and from God.  As a result of this, polygamous, polyamorous, metrosexual and pansexual communities morphed into the likeness of missionaries and their interpretation of the bible.  Whether it was good or bad is a conversation for another day.

What is pertinent to today is to think about and reflect on the spiritual trauma ethnic communities are dealing with in our own churches.  The trauma is rooted and embedded in a simple inquiry about the moral code of and the interpretation of the bible.  One of the common comments that I have heard from visible ethnic members is; they told us that it was bad and we had to change our ways and now they are telling us that all of this is fine.  Their objection and discomfort is neither acknowledged nor appreciated by their own church.  I appreciate this at various levels as I am a visible minority whose family  (five generation ago) was converted from Sikhism and who did grow up with a strict and narrow biblical moral code.  Incidentally, I have personally wrestled with this particular issue and through my passionate interaction and dialogue with others support equality in  marriage.

Perhaps the only way to deal with this is to invite diverse voices to the conversation learn about one another.  This will perpetuate trust which will allow us to honour our differences and to seek a common ground and a way forward.

Fun with Flavour

I was eight years old when I started to cook.  It happened because of necessity and morphed into a hobby and passion; to the point that I would have friendly cooking competitions with a couple of my friends.  In my teen years, I cooked extensively for church functions and my family.  Since immigrating to Canada, I started to experiment with spices and cuisines of different cultures in traditional Indian cooking to create an array of taste.  It is my hope that I will be able to share recipes of my favourite meals with you on a fairly regular basis.

Following is a recipe for Roasted Chicken, I created last night.

Roasted Chicken in Mango and Pomegranate Sauce:

Ingredients:

1 Medium Chicken quartered with Skin on it.

1 tsp of Coarse Salt.

2 tsp of Chilli powder.

1 tsp of Paprika.

1 tsp of Montreal Chicken spice.

1 Tsp of Lemon Pepper.

½ tsp of cumin powder.

3 Tsp of cooking oil.

2 Tsp of honey.

1 Medium Mango (slightly on the hard side as it will have sweet and sour taste).

1 cup of Pomegranate Arils.

¼ cup of Cilantro leaves.

Instructions:

·         Mix salt, chilli, paprika and Montreal Chicken spice in a dish.

·         Rub the spice mix on the chicken and let it sit for an hour.

·         Blend mango, pomegranate and cilantro, honey, cooking oil, cumin and lemon pepper in a blender to make a thick sauce.

·         In a frying pan (preferably cast iron) heat ½ cup of oil. 

·         Put pieces of chicken face down in the oil to fry.  Use weight on the chicken pieces to flatten them a bit and to make sure that the char is even.  For weight, I cover either the bottom of a pot or frying pan with aluminum foil.  For maximum results, I hold the handle of the weight with one hand and with the other press down on the chicken.

·         Turn chicken over after five minutes or until the skin is crispy.

·         Fry with the weight on for five minutes or until the chicken is nicely charred.

·         Remove the chicken from the frying pan and generously rub Mango and Pomegranate sauce on it.

·         Place the chicken (skin side up) in the roasting pan and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes on 375 degree Celsius.

·         Broil each side of the chicken for five minutes each.

·         Enjoy with nice salad and mashed potatoes or rice pilaf or side of your own choice.

  

Giving Witness to the presence of God

Since December 13, 2008, I have been dealing with the basic and intrinsic question about the presence of God in the midst of suffering and pain.  The privilege to journey with the families of the fallen soldiers from the conflict in Afghanistan instigated, once again, the desire to find an answer or resolution to this important question.  Quite a few of us have asked this question in the midst of suffering and pain.  In my opinion, the question emanates from the feeling of isolation from the presence of God.  Grief can be so profound and debilitating that a person in the midst of it cannot recognize and feel the presence of God.  Along with the isolation, as we have been told by some individuals, that they felt betrayed by the loving,  all controlling and knowing God who allowed those calamities and tragedies to happen in their lives.  Regardless of the reasons for this question, suffering and pain not only changes our lives but also shakes the foundations of our faith.  I saw and witnessed the presence of God, in spite of the raw grief and emotions, in the above mentioned aspects of my life.  There were indeed moments of grace and peace in the midst of awful tragedy and grief.  Some of the examples of those moments, I remember, are:  immediate family and friends able to have a chuckle while they shared the stories of the deceased with one another, community coming  together to support the family, youth openly expressing their sorrow and taking initiatives to acknowledge the supreme sacrifice on their own and everyone setting aside their differences and their faith tradition coming together to support the family and one another.  In those moments of grace and compassion and the outpouring of endless love strengthened my faith that God is present in the midst of suffering through the common actions of kindness, love, and support of one another.  We may struggle to see and feel the presence of God; however, we should know and believe that empowers and blesses us in many ways.  Archbishop Rowan Williams was in Manhattan conducting Parish Mission at Trinity Episcopalian Church on September 11, 2001.  He shared his experience and insights into a book titled, “Writing in the Dust.”   In that book he wrote, “And in the face of extreme dread, we may become conscious, as people often do, of two very fundamental choices. We can cling harder and harder to the rock of our threatened identity--- a choice, finally, for self-delusion over truth; or we can accept that we shall have no ultimate choice but to let go, and in that letting go, give room to what’s there around us---to the sheer impression of the moment, the need of the person next to you, to the fear that needs to be looked at, acknowledged and calmed (not denied).  If that happens, the heart has room for many strangers, near and far.  There is a global hospitality possible too in the presence of death.”  The feeling of isolation from God must be acknowledged, respected and worked at but while all of that is happening the presence of God is in our desire to reach out and extend hospitality, love and support to everyone in our midst.

Language: Everyone could understand

Reginald Bibby, a sociologist, whose research interest for the  past thirty years or so  has been in  religious tendencies and trends of the Canadian population, conducted several surveys from 1975 - 2000, and has  written three books on the results of his surveys.  Last year, Bibby published, The Restless Gods.  The book deals with the major perceptions or myths surrounding Canadian people and their relationship to God either through the Church or some other form of spirituality.  The common myths, until the publication of the book, were that people are not interested in God.  Religion seems to be on decline, churches will not survive, people  have no loyalty to a  tradition and shop randomly searching for spiritual beliefs in a spiritual market place.  All in all, this painted a pretty bleak and depressing picture for the future of churches and more than that, was a terrible and gross reflection on the Canadians.  The Restless Gods, negates all of the above myths as  Bibby through surveys of Canadians, discovered that  religion and spirituality is on the rise in Canada.  The news astounded everyone and has raised the possibility for churches to engage in ministry with renewed confidence, enthusiasm and trust in God.

Bibby postulates that religious renaissance in Canada could be because restless gods are stirring the people.  Along with it, one can speculate, that it could be that Canadians have learned that nothing can be taken for granted.  A relationship with others and God  has to be critically examined and evaluated to observe growth, that the consumerism is leading towards the destruction of mind, body and soul, and are realizing that only the word and the way of God can provide enough inspiration to bring meaning and adjudication into the complacent and longing lives.

Reginald Bibby further claims that the people are restless in Canada and are seeking spiritual homes and religion to quench their spiritual thirst.  Every other attempt in Canada to find inner peace, it seems, has failed to satisfy the spiritual quest of the people.  Those who walked away from religion and God, to look around, and construct and develop their own gods, have admitted their failure.  They are searching, looking to meet God, to be committed to him and find peace and refuge from the consumerism.   The present day Canadians live with the oppression of globalization and a rat race to outdo one another.

This research presents churches with an extremely exciting opportunity to reach out and engage in ministries which can ensure the return of Canadians to churches.  The intention of the series of articles is to share with readers certain thoughts on Congregational Development with hope that they will establish biblical, theological and practical framework to engage with Restless Canadians.  This article’s intention is to reflect biblically on the basis of congregational development.

The account of the day of the Pentecost, from the Acts of the Apostles (2:1-10), is the fulfilment of the promise Jesus made to his disciples (John 16:7:13).  The Spirit, who is the advocate, descended upon the disciples and worshippers, and gave evidence of the universal nature of the gospel and their ministry in the world, as everyone heard them speak in their own language.  Those who did not belong to the chosen nation (Deuteronomy 7:1-6) were now part of the covenant God had made with Jesus’ disciples and through that were part of the kingdom of God.

The event takes place in the city of Jerusalem.  The population of Jerusalem at that time was 250,000 people of various race, origin and creed.  The city became diverse and cosmopolitan,  because of the trade between Rome, Greece, India and China and also being a part of the Roman Empire which stretched from today’s Scotland to Saudi Arabia.  Thus the most incredible aspect of the day of the Pentecost is that the inhabitants of the city heard the message in their own language.  It was indeed a moment of Grace and eminent discovering of the nature of God for the disciples.  The Spirit revealed that their ministry had to be inclusive of all people in the world and that they had to strive towards the unity and integration of every facet of their culture and environment.  The apostles comprehended the message and went out to share the good news with the nations of the world.  To this end,   Saint Bartholomew’s missionary activities  near the border of India and in Armenia, Saint Paul’s missionary journeys to Syria, Cyprus, Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece, are an example of missionary activities of the disciples and the apostles.

This passage encourages the members of our churches to engage and develop the language which everyone can understand through their respective ministries.  The language could be the outreach ministries into our communities or ways to encourage people to be involved and engaged with the church.  This has to be initiated with great imagination, intuition and care for the restless Canadians in our communities who are looking and searching to find restless churches to enter into a relation so they can foster their understanding of and relationship with God, themselves and the members of their communities and find comfort, solace and refuge from the busyness of life. 

Master and the Master Plan

The intention of this article is to posit three basic and simple ways for a congregational member to engage effectively in developing the profile, and effectiveness of ministries in their churches.  So far, I have submitted that the universality of the gospel and the acceptance of people of various ethnic backgrounds presented and preserved in the  account of the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-12) should be a biblical basis and model for congregational development.  I have also postulated that obedience to Jesus’ commandment to love others as he has loved us, will liberate and empower the adherents to create an environment of respect, acceptance and unconditional love.  In the last article, I surmised that Keeping Christ in the Centre of all ministries and encouraging the faithful to employ their gifts in an appropriate and productive ministry will certainly involve people and consequently will bring forth results in the congregations.  In this article, I am intending to share with you some thoughts on the Master and His Plan for the church.

The Lord and Master of the Church is Jesus, the Son of God.  The gospels are an account of the life, teachings, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Luke 5:1-11 is an account of Jesus calling his first disciples.  Luke along with Mark and Matthew remembered Jesus calling his disciples with an assurance and commandment to be the fishers of people.  In other words: to be the missionaries, disciples, apostles and messengers of Jesus to the people of the region.  In the subsequent passages particularly Luke 9:1-6 (Jesus commissions the twelve) and Luke 10:1-12 (Jesus sending seventy disciples in pairs), to various towns to proclaim the kingdom of God through their actions and words.  The disciples obeyed the Master’s commandment and assumed it to be the Master Plan for the mission and ministry of the church.  The Acts of the Apostles, the second book of Luke, gives a vivid and detailed account of the missionary movements of the early church, under the leadership of the apostles, and the results of their efforts, which were, no doubt, the direct result of the work and the grace of the Holy Spirit in their lives.  The Acts of the Apostles also underscores and accentuates the imagination and concern of the disciples and the early church for their members.  They had a common purse, they addressed the physical needs and wants of one another; they were diligent in praying for one another and were open, available and willing to travel with one another to proclaim the gospel in different parts of the world.  The above examples portray a community concerned for one another and willing to lay aside personal and individual wealth, possessions and ideologies for the obedience to the Master plan and the common good of the church.  Three lessons to be learned from the example of the apostles are: First. Jesus is the Lord and the Master of the church.  Second, the Master plan is to proclaim the kingdom of God to the world.  Third, execution and obedience of the Master Plan demands and expects creativity, imagination and concern for the members of the community.

The following are the three simple measures for the active members of the congregations to consider and implement as presuppositions for congregational development. 

First: to have an acute understanding of the demographics of the community.   This is extremely important, as it will dispel the myths and assumptions and will give a clear and realistic expectation to the members.  It is important to carefully evaluate the demographics of the congregation, i.e., the faithful members of the congregation and then the lapsed members.  This will accentuate the age groups, ministries, social activities, social issues, needs, expectations of the members of the congregation.  It can be achieved through a door to door parish census.  The questionnaire or form for the survey should include some pointed questions such as their specific interest, talents, ministry, and expectation(s) from the church.  The careful study and gleaning of the questionnaire will not only accentuate the new initiatives, if any, for the congregations but will also furnish them with an inventory of the gifts and talents of the persons in their pews.

The second step is the commitment of the active leadership of the church to let go of their pride, control, and preferences.  It simply means and implies the letting go of one’s control on the liturgy, ministry, fellowship and future directions of the church.  It will not only liberate and rescue the congregation from their comfortable pew but will also transform them to be daring, adventurous, risk taking and trusting of the movement of the Holy Spirit to perpetuate hope and expectation of new growth, vision and mission.

Third: to utilize all meanings of communication to spread the word around about the ministries and new initiatives of the congregation.  The age of communication and technology has blessed humanity with several tools to communicate with one another.  However, the most efficient and effective is the personal invitation.  Therefore, after all is said and done through every conceivable form of communication, feel free to personally invite another person to take part in the ministries of the church.  It could very well start with an engagement and participation in a project or a committee of a parish and with time translate into a regular attendance at the worship service.  The key is to meet the person where he or she is without judgement and to create a place for them in a church.

Another fundamental element of congregational development is patience, because it is long process, to be persistent in efforts to invite and encourage others and to be loyal to the Master and the Master Plan.