Lent A time of Transformation TRANS VISION 2019 Expanding the Horizon of Youthfulness National Girl Child day special worship www.csi1947.com 2 February 2020 Fast unto Justice! EDITOR’S DESK ent is one of the important temptation, a clear vision about having the pharisaic elements, try seasons in the life and what he was going to do and what to occupy the space that belongs Lfaith of Christians across would be his achievement. The to ‘others’ and keep them away in the world. For the Christians in lenten season should be a time for the peripheries. The need of the the Church of South India, it is Christians to have a vision about hour is cleansing such kind of a a season of fasting and praying future and reiteration about their mentality. before Easter. Lent means ‘to own lives that it is different than of spring forth’ which means that it the routine worldly life. The kind Have you ever imagined that Jesus is a time when all of us are called of fasting that Jesus had observed would be challenged by Satan, to bloom and blossom in our eventually resulted in liberation. asking Jesus to jump from the top faith and partake in the legacy Prophet Isaiah in Chapter 58: 6- 7 of the temple? What would have of the liberative actions of Jesus raises the pertinent points: been the scenario? My imagination Christ. Fasting in Lent has been goes like this: because of his one of the spiritual features of the “Is not this the fast that I divine power, Jesus will land on followers of Jesus and has been choose: the ground without any casualty. a highly important aspect in the to loose the bonds of injustice, But people watching this miracle nurturing of their faith. Fasting for to undo the thongs of the yoke, will compel him to jump again. many of us is denouncing food for to let the oppressed go free, More people will gather from other certain times, or certain food for and to break every yoke? places on hearing this! Eventually, the Lenten period, but we normally Is it not to share your bread Jesus will be forced to repeat this fail to think beyond food when we with the hungry, miracle and thus he will be tied up fast. Why are we not considering and bring the homeless poor in the four walls of the temple! But fasting as abstaining from immoral into your house; Jesus overcame that temptation. activities, excessive use/misuse when you see the naked, to Fasting and prayer should help us of social media, bigotry, pride, cover them, to go out of the four walls of the communal mindset, casteist and not to hide yourself from church and become salt in society. mentality, male chauvinism, and your own kin?” The Lenten season should lead us greed? We are always content to take up a fast that God expects with the fasting for the forty days These verses lucidly suggest that from us. and cease to lead a similar life in fasting and prayer are not merely the rest of the year. Instead, this personal choices and experiences, Have a meaningful Lenten season! season should be considered as a but they have a collective pointer to the rest of life. dimension too. Personal cleansing Adv. C. Fernandas Rathina Raja and salvation can become too General Secretary, CSI. Jesus Christ, as he fasted for selfish a motive if they are not the forty days after his baptism, in tune with justice, equality gained strength and the needed and peace. We see in the New spiritual enlightenment to Testament that the continuation overcome the temptations of of the fasting of Jesus was the Satan. His fasting gave him cleansing of the temple. Jesus took the new vigour to preach and up the whip mainly because the practise the values of the reign space provided for the ‘gentiles’ of God. Fasting coupled with was occupied by the Jewish prayers helped Jesus to attain the vendors. We may fast and pray, power to face the challenges of but many of our actions, mainly www.csi1947.com February 2020 3 Bible Study Friendship and Communion of People in Faith. (A Bible study during the 36th Session of the Synod of the Church of South India) leader or a worker, one of Moses’ intervention to rescue the most difficult thing – to some weaker persons, recorded A maintain love and unity, in Bible. In the first event, when friendship and fellowship. It can Moses saw an Egyptian abusing be both long term and short term. a Hebrew, he was overcome by When there is a lack of trust, a passion for his fellow Hebrew, grace, generosity of spirit and the quickly murdered him and buried ability to respect and recognize him. Second time, when he others, there is divisiveness, saw two Hebrews engaged in a rancour, back-biting, resentment, quarrel , one of whom is beating internal politics and a lack of the other, he takes authority in coordination. We must always put his hands, and tries to arbitrate the interests of the group (people) among them. Moses acts as a above those of any individuals judge in a polarized world filled in the group. We must care for, with aggressors and victims. His and inspire others to care for, the intervention as an individual on common good. behalf of the abused parties only shows that the protection he When Bible says, ‘Love your God’, offers is as much a protection he “Love your neighbour’, it is said needs. Where there is no justice, in a social context. When the nothing can be done. Without people were suffering from the authorization or appointment, tyranny of the Pharaoh, Moses his role is presumptuous, his teaches them that the only way to authority is disputable, no less get freedom was to Love God and than an encroachment than the the fellow brothers and sisters. one he thinks of him. Jesus will reiterate the same in the fierce Roman oppression. In the first episode, Moses kills Prophets were teaching these the Egyptian because the Hebrew words in their context. Love, in Egypt had lost his civic status, Rev. Dr. John Samuel friendship, fellowship will have the rights or obligations one might Ponnusamy has been to be determined in their social appeal on behalf of the Hebrew. serving as the Principal setting. The collective unity, In order to protect his people, of the Gurukul Lutheran love among the members of the if he is to follow the unforgiving Theological College in community, will be necessitated Kenite Lamech, who want to Chennai. He is an Old by an external factor. The book of avenge seventy and sevenfold Testament scholar and a judges will show how the tribes (Genesis 4:24), If that Is the case, well- known orator, who come together again and again Moses might have to kill all the has his ordination from the in order to confront a common Egyptians for the sake of his Church of South India. enemy. Judges were leaders who people. In the second episode, brought the people together to Moses tries to bring the necessity keep their freedom alive. of unity among the Hebrews, the right state of mind that should be Moses engaging with his people: exhibited, where one Hebrew will There are atleast three events of not rise against the other Hebrew. www.csi1947.com February 2020 4 The story does not tell us how land. Moreover, he asserts the be given to your servants as our rights are got or from where rules worker’s rights to the fruits of possession. Do not make us cross of conduct derive their authority. their labour. For Moses, Moses is the Jordan” (Num. 32: 5). only in an interim place. He will In the third event as narrated go to Egypt only to come out of Moses was instantly alert to in Exodus 2:11-22, Moses is Egypt. He will walk towards the the danger. The two tribes were trying to defend the rights of the promised land only not to enter putting their own interests above women who were vulnerable in into it. In the meanwhile, Moses those of the nation as a whole. that situation. Moses has not engages in the potential conflicts They would be seen as abandoning given up his passion to defend the happening around him and tries the nation at the very time they suffering ,it is the women. Moses to defend the weak. Moses does were needed most. There was a still feels that he should take not belong to any one. But he war – in fact a series of wars – to up the role of defender, but this understands about himself that be fought if the Israelites were time, his action seems to convey he belongs to every one. The to inherit the promised land. As that he is more successful. He daughters of Reuel simply said, Moses put it to the tribes: “Should secures the use of the well for after all his deliverance from the your fellow Israelites go to war the daughters of Jethro. We shepherds, “An Egyptian delivered while you sit here? Why do you suspect that the shepherds are the us” (Exodus 3:19). discourage the Israelites from habitual offenders, because Reuel crossing over into the land the questions the early return of his Moses resolving in a crisis: The Lord has given them?” (32: 6-7). daughters. He implies that it takes Israelites were on the last stage of a longer time to water the flock, their journey to the promised land.