2015 reflections

2014, has not been an easy year for most of us. Globally, the turmoil’s due to killings of women and children, accidents, ongoing wars and terrorist attacks has been quite disturbing. In our country, the recent events of communal polarization, the focus on economy and money as the driver, the changes in health care, all have been of concern. Even our own contexts have been challenged in terms of the resource constraints and other issues.

As we enter, 2015, we enter with lack of clarity, what will 2015 hold! Though the context looks challenging there is another context we need to be aware of. The context given in the verses below.

The Grand Narrative of our lives…..

“Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing, The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against Jehovah, and against his anointed, [saying], Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh: The Lord will have them in derision.” “God reigneth over the nations: God sitteth upon his holy throne. He will judge among the nations” “Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: Behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.” “For I [know] their works and their thoughts: [the time] cometh, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and shall see my glory.” “Who shall not fear, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy; for all the nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy righteous acts have been made manifest.”

The context of today and tomorrow is one where, the God we follow IS the GOD of the universe and Nations. We have confidence in entering the New Year, because we have God who is the God of the nations, and this Grand Narrative is, what we are part of. And as we see events evolving in 2015, we need to be like the Old Testament writers, people who see the world events through God’s eyes and interpret them.

May our prayer be “Lord, give me the discernment to see your hand in the events which will unfold in 2015”.

The Meta Narrative of our life…..

At the same time, we also will need to know how to respond to the changes which are happening in our midst. We need to be like “Men of Issachar”.

“And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.”

The Church and the communities that we are part of, needs people, who will not only discern and understand, but will let each other know what we should be doing!

The question is, how will we respond to situations? We cannot do mission and ministry the way we have done in the past with the changes happening around us.  We need to be reflective and not reactive in our responses. We need to be driven by compassion and not competition, and need to be submissive to where God is leading us through these events. Our planning in addition to being facts and logic based has to factor in what God is telling us and faith.

May our prayer be “Lord give me the wisdom to understand how I should respond in the situations I would face in 2015…”

The Narrative of our daily life….

But when each day, when the rubber meets the road, when changes come across, how will we live is real issue. When Jesus asked Peter and rest of the disciples what do people think he is, Peter made a statement that Jesus was Christ the Messiah. Jesus acknowledged that this was revealed fact, revealed by God the Father, and not a thought through one.

The Centrality of living in this “revealed reality” of God being with us on a daily basis is something we should hold on to. 

But within a few minutes when Jesus shared with Peter about his upcoming suffering and death, Peter tried to talk Jesus out of the same and Jesus rebuked him as – having thoughts emerging from the evil one. There is the danger of returning to the default mode of our logic and reasoning when daily challenges come across our way. That is when Jesus called his disciples and told them…

“If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

The context where we are kept need people who will live in the Discipline of daily denying self and following.

May our prayer be “Lord teach me the discipline of living each day of 2015, denying self and following you…”

And so we look ahead with confidence…. Not because we are sure of 2015, but “being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ”