Author: V John

Advent gives hope that mourning will turn in to joy!

Published by V John on December 16, 2014

Advent gives hope that mourning will turn in to joy!

Like many of you, my day started today with a heartbreaking news of Taliban terrorists mercilessly shooting innocent little children inside a school in Peshawar, Pakistan. These children were their own people; Pakistanis and Muslims, and they had nothing to do with the Pakistani government or its policies toward Taliban. All day, I could not get this out of my mind as the gory pictures of children’s bodies and the heartrending images of their mourning mothers, fathers, and siblings kept flashing through my mind. I have so many unanswered questions for God…. Why would God let this happen? How depraved sinful human beings are! Once again, I am left without answers.

But then, as I reflected upon it, I was reminded that we are in the Advent season and just a few days before Christmas. I recalled from the Scriptures that, in fact, there was even a greater mourning and weeping after the first Christmas—the birth of Jesus Christ our Lord. After learning the birth of baby Jesus in Bethlehem, whom the visiting Magi from the East called the “king of the Jews” (Matthew 2: 2), the then king of Jerusalem, Herod, was so scared that he massacred all male children who were two years old or younger (Matthew 2: 16). Imagine the pain and mourning that ensued in Bethlehem in those terrible days for the people of God. Evangelist Matthew cites Prophet Jeremiah’s painful prophecy in describing the scene soon after the first Christmas:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted,

because they are no more” (Matthew 2: 18 NIV).

So, Christmas, which is supposed to bring joy, happiness, laughter, and a good time with our loved ones, could also be very painful and mournful for many. It has been so from the first Christmas on. However, the Advent season retells us that as we wait for the return of Christ and establishing of the Kingdom of God in its fullness, we will be comforted by none other than God himself. God is going to make his incarnation a full reality by dwelling with his people. He is also going to turn our mourning into joy and wipe every tear off from our weeping eyes. Therefore, as the people of hope, who expect the return of Jesus Christ, let’s hope in the midst of our hopeless world that God is going to fulfill His promise. Apostle John provides us that wonderful promise in Revelation 21: 3-4 (ESV):

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place[a] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Amen! Come Lord Jesus!

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Advent: Going Beyond the Ordinary

Published by V John on December 15, 2014

Advent: Going Beyond the Ordinary

Please read: Mark 1: 1-8

Advent is a preparation for the coming of the Lord Jesus. In the period before Jesus Christ, obviously, people had high expectations from the coming Messiah as they perceived him in a certain way. However, when the Messiah actually took birth through Virgin Mary, most Jews didn’t accept him as their Lord and Savior. Jesus lived for about thirty years before he started his earthly ministry. During this period, beyond the worship and adoration that the baby Jesus received at his birth, the Gospels don’t state any Jew accepting him as their God until John the Baptist comes on the scene. John tries his best to lead people to Jesus Christ. He did that in two ways.

First, John proclaimed the baptism of repentance and the need for the confession of sins for forgiveness (Mark 1: 1-8). This was a crucial step toward coming to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. The nation of Israel had sinned before the Lord. They had forgotten about their maker and savior. The Jewish nation had gone astray from their God. As Apostle Paul bluntly put it:

“There is no one who is righteous, not even one;

there is no one who has understanding, there is no one who seeks God.

All have turned aside, together they have become worthless;

there is no one who shows kindness, there is not even one.

Their throats are opened graves; they use their tongues to deceive.

The venom of vipers is under their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.

Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery are in their paths, and the way of peace they have not known.

There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Romans 3: 10-18).

If Jesus Christ was to minister among his people, they needed to prepare their hearts by confession of sins and by baptism for the forgiveness of sins. This was an absolute necessity for anyone who wanted to follow Christ. The Gospels stress that when Jesus began his ministry he demanded repentance (Matthew 4: 17; 12: 41; Luke 5: 32). This was synonymous to Jesus’ command, “You must be born again” (John 3: 7 ESV). Moreover, Jesus proclaimed in no uncertain terms: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13: 5 ESV).

Secondly, John the Baptist tried his best to reinterpret Jesus for the Jews. He appealed to them to go beyond how they perceived Jesus—an ordinary young man, the son of a poor carpenter, who lived in a small village of Nazareth from where no Jew ever expected anything good. From this perception, John wanted to lead them to see Jesus Christ as their promised Messiah—God himself incarnated in flesh!

Friends, this Advent season, whatever your perception of and expectation from Jesus Christ may be, would you let the Holy Spirit to lead you to confess your sins? Would you also let the Holy Spirit to reveal afresh the divinity of Jesus Christ in your heart so you could try wrapping your mind around the full meaning of God’s manifestation in the flesh?

Come Lord Jesus!

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Advent: Joseph’s Yes to God

Published by V John on December 15, 2014

Advent: Joseph’s Yes to God

Please read: Matthew 1.

There are several characters in the Christmas story that I would like to personally meet: Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the angels, the innkeeper, the magi, King Herod, etc. Out of all these important persons, who are often talked about, Joseph is my favorite; but he remains mute in the story. Even in the Christian history, art and paintings, and in sermons, we do not often see or hear about Joseph—the foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even though we know very little about Joseph, but I believe he played the key role in the Christmas story.

Joseph, like Mary, was from a small village of Nazareth in Galilee. He was from a poor family and a carpenter by trade. The way Gospels portray him, Joseph was a godly man and who was willing to listen to God and obey him. Matthew 1:19 says Joseph was a “just” or “righteous” man. He was also a man of integrity and very considerate, as he didn’t want to disgrace Mary publicly.

Like Mary, Joseph, too, was a teenager and as such full of dreams and hopes for a married life… to start a new home with his beautiful fiancé. They were engaged for a few months and according to the Jewish custom, they could not meet often in private. There was hardly any question of premarital sex in the society they were part of. Imagine one day Joseph learning that his fiancé was pregnant and he had nothing to do with it! Imagine his place in the society…among his teenage friends, who often teased him about his forthcoming wedding. He lived in small village where everyone knew each other. There was no way to hide the pregnancy or to get rid of the baby. He could not face his friends in the village. He could not face his parents. Joseph was completely disappointed, in shock, and in disbelief. Therefore, the only option that Joseph had was to quietly divorce Mary and walk away from this shameful situation. Matthew (1:19) clearly point out that Joseph was determined to exercise this option of divorce without disgracing Mary, who would have been stoned to death for bringing shame to the family by what everyone would think was a case of adultery.

However, God interrupted Joseph’s plans just as he did with Mary’s wedding plans. God asked him not to divorce her instead accept her as his wife. What is most amazing in this story is that Joseph said yes! He said yes to God! He said yes to the impossible! Joseph said yes to the complications and consequences of saying yes to God! Joseph accepted the interruptions in his life, in his plans and schedules, and allowed God to work out something beautiful from his life—even the birth of the savior of the world!

Imagine yourself in Joseph’s place and circumstances. Would you say yes to God? If you did say yes to him today, would you be also willing to live with the consequences of saying yes to God in your life? Would you be willing to let God interrupt your plans, hopes, dreams, and expectations from your life for a greater, divine purpose?

“May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven!”

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Advent: Waiting for the Light to shine through

Published by V John on December 12, 2014

Advent: Waiting for the Light to shine through

Please read: Psalm 130

Advent is a time of anticipation and waiting patiently. The anticipation and waiting in the original Advent was an exercise in the dark times in the history of Israel. Not only due to their political bondage to the Romans, but also due to spiritual darkness caused by the lack of proper guidance. For about four centuries preceding the birth of Jesus Christ, there were no prophets in Israel. The Word of God was rare among the people of God. People groped in the darkness desperately seeking the night to be over so that the light could shine through.

Today, we live in a world not very different from the first century Israelites. Of course, human beings have taken giant steps in terms of technology. We are certainly in a far better situation and live far better lives than the first century Middle Eastern people. However, nothing has changed at the level of our sinful humanity. I’m sure you are aware of the unfortunate events resulting in the death of unarmed Black men by the police in Ferguson and in New York, USA. You may have followed stories about the Ebola crisis in some parts of western Africa. What you may not have heard is that it is a pretty dark time for Christians in India under the new Hindu nationalistic party’s regime. Several cases of forced conversion and re-conversion to Hinduism are being reported from all across India. Recently, the Hindu fundamentalist parties and their local outfits announced the conversion of more than 15000 Christians and Muslims to Hinduism, in Aligarh, North India, on Christmas Day. This will be followed in other parts of India. What is even worse, these so-called “Ghar Vapasi” or re-conversion to Hindu fold events are not only led and attended by democratically elected Members of the Parliament of a nation whose Constitution declares it as a secular nation! Not only are these events widely publicized, but they are unabashedly asking for donations from people setting a price for each conversion! In such a world, I’m reminded of Psalm 130, where the psalmist, giving us a sense of the prevailing darkness, cries:

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.

Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to the voice of my supplications!” (Psalm 130: 1-2).

Desperately waiting for the Messiah to come, the psalmist actually closes the song with an exhortation that’s relevant for us today:

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord

more than those who watch for the morning,

more than those who watch for the morning” (Psalm 130: 5-6).

Yes, believers need to watch for the coming Messiah as those who watch for the morning to break through the clouds of darkness and see the bright and morning Star, even Jesus Christ our Lord!

May you find encouragement in your dark hour. May you find Jesus Christ, the hope of glory!

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What are we waiting for in Advent?

Published by V John on December 11, 2014

What are we waiting for in Advent?

Please read Amos 5: 18-27

Advent has for long been associated with waiting. We have been talking about waiting for the past one week or so. But what exactly do we wait for this Advent season? What does Advent promise us that we are looking forward to?

I recently read something on the Incarnation or the Word made flesh that helps clarify what we should be waiting for:

“The Word that took root in the darkness of Mary’s womb, that took flesh and walked around in this world, that emerged not only in the laboring of a woman but also in the laboring of generations to follow, the ancient Word that springs forth anew—this Word seeks to dwell deeply in us, to be born into the world through us in this and every season.” –Jan Richardson, “The Luminous Word: Living the Advent Hours”.

The Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah, the Redeemer, who would deliver them from the Roman Empire, establish the government of their own people, and fulfill the promises received through their prophets. However, most of us today live in a free world and aren’t expecting the Messiah. In fact, we do have the living Messiah with us now. However, what the world is waiting to see is that the Messiah, the Word who became flesh would dwell deep inside us. By the indwelling of the Word in us, let a new, transformed life may emerge. May Christlike life be born in and through us this Advent so that the world around us may be amazed to see the mighty work of God in each one of our lives.

The Kingdom that the Word came to inaugurate must now be expanded through you and me. What Prophet Amos imagined must now be fulfilled through our actions:

“But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5: 24 ESV).

What Prophet Isaiah wished for must become a reality in our lives:

“Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea” (Isaiah 48:18 ESV).

Furthermore, could we say that Isaiah’s prayer be answered now in our days when,

“The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert, his righteousness live in the fertile field.” (Isaiah 32: 16 NIV).

Will we work together to make that highway a reality which Prophet Isaiah dreamed of:

“And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray” (Isaiah 35: 8 ESV).

Until these promises are fulfilled, we wait in vain. We go through the motion and routines of Advent and Christmas celebration without paying attention to what we’re expecting?

Come Lord Jesus!

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Advent: So the Lord waits for you!

Published by V John on December 10, 2014

Advent: So the Lord waits for you!

Please read Isaiah 30

For a couple of days now, we have stressed on the importance of waiting upon the Lord. Today, a particular verse in Isaiah grabbed my attention. There is a reason the Bible stresses so much on the theme of waiting upon the Lord and waiting for him. Isaiah 30: 18 points it out for us when he says,

“Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you;

therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you.

For the Lord is a God of justice;

blessed are all those who wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18 NRSV).

The New Living Translation is even more emphatic by adding the word “must”:

“So the Lord must wait for you to come to him

so he can show you his love and compassion.

For the Lord is a faithful God.

Blessed are those who wait for his help” (Isaiah 30:18 NLT)

I agree with most of you who wince when you hear one more exhortation on waiting upon the Lord, wondering how long? You grouse thinking why it is you who is always left waiting for the Lord and then nothing happens. Trust me, I have felt the same way many a times. I have often wondered why I am the only one left waiting when everyone else around me get ahead and finds what they have wanted. Why only my prayers are not answered when everyone else rejoices over things they have not even prayed about. So, today, if you’re in the mood of complaining, I want to urge you to listen to the words of Prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah makes it so clear that rather than me waiting or even before I wait, it is the Lord himself who is waiting for me. Even before you could learn to wait upon the Lord and for the Lord, the Lord himself is the one who waits for us; rather, “the Lord must wait for you to come to him.” The Lord waits so that he could be gracious to us. The Lord waits for the sinners to return to him. The Lord waits for us to repent from our sins so that he could forgive us. The Lord waits to show his love for us…to take us in his loving arms to comfort us. The Lord waits patiently to show… nay to shower his unlimited grace upon us. It is one of the attributes of a kind, loving, long-suffering God to even wait for the sinner to repent and turn to him and find grace. The Lord waits for the sinner until s/he decides to come near him seeking his love and forgiveness.

So, my waiting upon the Lord is never in vain. Therefore, instead of being grouchy today, will you instead be grateful that we have a God who waits for us! Will you come to him who must wait for you to show his love and compassion as long as you have the opportunity? Will you take advantage of the offer of a God who has waited for you to come to him and receive this Advent season the blessings he has stored for you? In doing so, will you be one of those who is called “blessed” just because you wait for God’s help as he waits to bless you!

May the Lord draw us closer to him.

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Advent: Wait for the Lord!

Published by V John on December 9, 2014

Advent: Wait for the Lord

Please read: Psalm 27

We’ve seen that Advent is a season for waiting upon the Lord and it comes with its perks. Today, my attention was drawn to Psalm 27. It’s a psalm of David. In the last verses (13-14) of this psalm, the Psalmist declares,

“I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (NIV)

Obviously, not everything was alright in the days of David. Even when he was the king, David had to fight a lot of wars, and attend to various challenges to his kingdom and to his kingship. There were internal conflicts and external threats to the kingdom. Verse 2 makes this clear that he had to deal with enemies. Verse 3 makes it clear that he even feared his own armies besieging him. Verse 5 shows that he had or feared he would face days of trouble, which are multiplied in verse 12 where David’s apprehensions and anxieties come to the fore.

However, what’s most encouraging is David’s confidence in the Lord and the invincible attitude he displays in the midst of adversity and hopelessness. This comes out clearly in the last two verses cited above where David declares that he chooses to remain confident of this that he will see the goodness of the Lord. Even though the clouds of doubt and hopeless situation may hide the unchanging goodness of the Lord from him, his faith is firm that one day the clouds will disappear and God’s goodness will be clear as day. What is more, David says it will be here and now even during his own lifetime. But in order for this to realized, one must “wait for the Lord”. Not just waiting upon the Lord for him to act on our behalf and to fulfill his promises, but wait for the Lord means not to go ahead of the Lord. Waiting for the Lord means to live in full confidence that God is alive…that he is still on his throne…that God is good…that God is still interested in us…that God still wants the best for us…and that God will act for us. It also means that we don’t want to rush God as and when we want him to act, but that we let God be God, for he knows the best timing for us. Even as we continue to wait and trust, David also encourages us to be strong in the Lord and to take heat or be courageous while we wait for the Lord to act.

Our days are not much different from the days of David. Just a glance at the daily newspaper or hearing the news on the television and we know what kind of days we all are living in. We’re prone to lose hope and feel helpless. If you’re in that situation, please take courage from David’s psalm and wait for him with renewed strength and hope for that’s the message of the Advent season.

Come Lord Jesus!

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