A Message

Readings Hosea 1.2–10, Psalm 85, Colossians 2.6–15 [16–19], Luke 11.1–13 Collect Lord of heaven and earth, as Jesus taught the disciples to be persistent in prayer, give us patience and courage never to lose hope, but always to bring our prayers before you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The day before the harvest festival at Lockage, a small child asked me why I was in casuals and not in my cassock. I did answer. Last Sunday, three weeks after she came, she asked me the same question. The conversation continues, she asks the impossible – can you make tomorrow Christmas? She likes decorations and Santa bringing gifts. Why didn’t you come to my birthday? Then she comes and shows a small wound. Then she comes and gives me 20/- from her purse. She has decided to buy a gift for a friend. Cut her finger and comes and shows it. Here was a small child, not satisfied with an answer, wanting something impossible to be done, questioning, and also sharing her pain, as though s...

  We have journeyed through the church’s year with the story of Jesus and connected our own through various themes of growth. The church year or the liturgical year begins with Advent giving us the hope of the coming Messiah and ends with the Feast of Christ the King that proclaims Christ as king over the universe or the reign of Christ over the universe. Now we must remember that Advent is not Christmas. Christ the King leads us back to a new cycle which begins with Advent a season of expectation and preparation for the coming Messiah. For us who live in a world led by secularism and consumerism, today is an opportunity to remind ourselves that we are under the rule of Christ and examine our lives to see how we are living in it. Jesus, God’s anointed – the Christ, is before Pilate, the governor of the Roman province of Judea. Pilate presides over the trial of Jesus.  Through their conversation, Jesus establishes who he is. The OT and NT readings support what Jesus says ...

Jeremiah 23.1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1.11-20; Luke 23.33-43 Sovereign Lord, you restore all things in your Only- Begotten,the Ruler of the universe: give us faith to be steadfast amid the tumults of this secular world, knowing that your Kingdom shall come, and bring all people together under the gracious reign of Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God now and forever. Amen. Today is the last Sunday of the Christian year. The Christian year, begins with Advent, takes us through the events in the life of Jesus, upto Pentecost. Thereon we have a period of time known as ordinary time when the church reflects on themes of growth and life. This season ends with what is known as the reign of Christ or Christ the king. Reminding us that we live under the rule of Christ all the days of our life. Next week we begin a new Christian year with Advent Sunday, where the main theme is hope, that hope is that the one who rules over us will, return one day....

Christmas is one of the most happiest times of the year for children, adults for all Our families. It is a time for fun, celebration, special food and gifts. No party or get to gather is complete without a gift. And children anticipate gifts and there is excitement, most often hoping that they will get what they want. That can be seen when they open their gifts. Well, the highlight of Christmas is about a gift and opening it with much expectation and joy. This gift is the most valuable gift the world has received. It is a gift of God's love to this world - Jesus. Jesus is God's gift to this whole world. To every man and woman, to every child, to the youth, to the elderly, to those who speak different languages, to those who are of different social class, you name it, to everyone. Jesus is a unique gift. A gift that is useful and valuable to everyone.  Just as we open the gifts that we receive at Christmas, we ought to open the gift that God has given us - Jesus, and see what it...

Genesis 18:20 - 32; Psalm 138; Colossians 2:6 - 19; Luke 11:1 - 13 Almighty God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness and divisions, and grant that, those things we ask faithfully we may obtain effectively; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. If someone of your family were to go abroad, how will you keep in touch with them? How would you have a relationship with such a person? Would we stop speaking to them and wait until they return? Would be forget them? Would we call them only when we want? The answer I believe is a no. We would no want to lose touch with that member of our family. Now that is very much that our readings are speaking to us today. Communication. God’s people communicating with God the father. The body communicating with the head. And that is what the bible calls prayer.  Prayer is a two-way communication. Hence when you pray both get t...

Genesis 45:3-11, 15;  Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40;  1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50;  Luke 6:27-38 Merciful Lord, grant your people grace to obey your call and to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil. May we be strengthened by your Holy Spirit to be truly converted to the faith once for all delivered to the saints, and with pure hearts and minds follow you the Only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Call to Transform is our theme for this Sunday. Transformation is to undergo a change in form, appearance, or character; You let go of what is old and put on what is new. And you become a different, a new person. As a human being, the nature, attitude, character, behaviour, thinking, everything undergoes transformation. As far as Jesus is concerned transformation is a call to live differently. To live Jesus. A transformed life means people are seeing Jesus wherever a Christian is. That is how Jesus’ disciples got the name Christian (Acts 11:26). And wh...

Numbers 11: 4- 6, 10-16,  24 - 29;  Psalm 124;  James 5:13 - 20;  Mark 9: 38 - 50 God our Redeemer, to an expectant and united Church you granted the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Help us with the same Spirit in all our life and worship, to usher in justice, unity and peace in Church and society, so that we may expect great things from you and attempt great things for you (and in you may the elderly find consolation and the children their inspiration); through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. If Jesus was living in Sri Lanka today, and he had spoken the words of today's Gospel, on one side he would create confusion on the other he would have been arrested for inciting violence. Jesus' words were hard, it most of the time was.   I suppose that is why some left him saying these are hard sayings. However hard his sayings were, it was words of truth. And for most who are caught up with one kind of thinking, it is hard to accept. However hard his sayings were...

Life is God's gift to this world. First to a family, then to a community and then to the world. Today we are gathered as family, friends and community to remember, celebrate and give thanks to God who gives life. Today we remember with gratitude and thank God for lives of Rev. Canon John Isaac & Mrs. Kamala Isaac and their service. The two of them were God's gift to the church, the Diocese of Kurunegala and to Mowbray College respectively. It is 25 years but it is as though it was just yesterday. That’s what memories do, they keep people living in our hearts long, long after they have returned to their maker. Very specially when they are good people, when they impact our lives, when they leave their mark, in people's lives, in communities and in what they have been doing. That is because they were true and committed to their calling and vocation. Fr. John and Mrs. Isaac, or to me John Isaac uncle and aunty kamala, never disappointed the one who called them. Fr. John...

Amos 7:7 - 15 /  Psalm 85:8 - 13 /  Ephesians 1:3 - 14 /  Mark 6:14 - 29 God most high, you have given us in the Church a new Commandment through your only Begotten that love fulfills the law. May we love you with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength, and may we love our neighbour as ourselves and persevere in the truth through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. Truth is a virtue that is invaluable. It cannot be purchased. It is earned over a period of time, through a person’s character, behaviour and actions. When fear for truth is replaced by dishonesty, deceit and lies, truth is lost. Once lost it is hard to earn back.   Today’s Sri Lanka presents an environment where truth is lost. It has led to confusion, the abuse of people's rights, discrimination, and brings into question the functions of those who have been tasked to lead and govern us, the law enforcing officers and most often the judiciary too. But In truth we don’t have to look far, but right within...

Li ving God, your Only-Begotten our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the Eucharist as the memorial of Christ’s life, suffering, death, resurrection and session in glory. As we give thanks for having made us one body in Jesus our Lord by water and the Holy Spirit, renew in us that mystery in bread and wine taken, blessed, broken and shared together to proclaim your glory until the Lord comes, who with you and the Holy Spirit, is one God, forever and ever. Amen. Readings Exodus 24: 3 - 8  Psalm 116:12 - 13, 15 -18  Heb. 9:11 - 15 Mark 14:12 -16,22 - 26 Good Morning to you. Covid is asking us to do the opposite of all what we were doing. We said come together now maintain 1 meter distance, we told children not to use a phone and now it is thrust into their hands, we had gatehrings and now we cant gather as a group. In the same way  and when we are not able to travel from our homes and not able to join together at the Lords table, we are called to remember and celebrate the Institut...

Some important names in the bible experienced extraordinary failures. Moses was a murderer, David an adulterer, Peter denied knowing Jesus, while Paul described himself as the chief among sinners.             Whilst one side people struggle with sin and its effects on the other hand there are many who are living with failures, fears and problems in life. There are those who make many attempts to fulfill life’s dreams and ambitions and fail. There are those whose experiences of the past, place upon them suspicion and fear in the future. And then there are those who have a lot of struggles in life – relationships, finances, employment, education, family, health and the list goes on. In this week's epistle, Paul describes a fierce struggle in his deeply divided self. He does things that he hates, and fails to do the good. He experiences covetous desires and sinful passions of every sort. Rather than doing the good he desires, he co...

With the Corona virus our life has changed, the environment around us has changed, life is different, there is uncertainty, there is also an amount of fear. In such a situation are you feeling close to God? or do you feel that God is far away? How do you feel about the new environment we live in? Do you long for the days before Corvid – 19? In such situations how do you keep your relationship afresh with God?   Maybe these questions have gone through our mind, maybe we have just got along with the present context.               Psalm 77 can be split into two parts. V1-12 is about the Psalmists doubt. V 13-20 is an expressions of God’s love. In the first part v1-9 the Psalmist is in deep trouble, and is searching for God. He is looking upto heaven and pleading, he is too distressed to sleep. And then he thinks of the good old day. And then is questioning God. Why does the Psalmist raise question?   Look at the ques...

Christmas 2019 St. Mary's Church, Middleton Isaiah 52 7-10, Hebrews 1 1-4 and John 1 1-14. Coke - the original taste of Christmas shouts an advertisement on large advertisement boards in the city. Burn burry - what is love? Amazon - Everybody miss somebody. Ikea – where ornaments in a house start talking, this place isn’t blessed, it is a mess……             Over 2000 years ago when the world was a mess, when the world did not know what is love, and there was something missing, God sent his only son Jesus into the world, which is the original taste of Christmas. The story of Christmas is so familiar, that most often we cannot distinguish between the birth of Jesus and the Christmas that the world celebrates.             Christmas is a celebration of God’s gift to this world, the birth of Jesus, which is the result of God’s love.      ...