A Message

A community living in the wild in mud or bamboo huts with thatched roofs built in a circle with the embers of the previous nights fire smouldering, dark people dressed in garments made of leaves or hay. This is what came to mind when I was told that I will have to spend my three month internship with the adivasi’s of Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka. With the first staff meeting that I participated in CORD where some of the tribal leaders were present that perception changed, they were no different to us. However I was eagerly anticipating my first visit to the hadi [i] . ...

Jeremiah 31:1-6, Acts 10:34-43, John 20:1-18 Jesus said to her “ do not touch (hold on to) me, for I have not yet ascended (returned) to my Father, but go to my brothers and say to them ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God ’ ”. It was still dark when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb of Jesus. In Jewish culture, they took the first seven days of mourning very serious for Jewish culture was serious about expressing rather than repressing grief, and mourners went to the tomb to bestow final acts of love. However to her surprise MM finds the stone rolled away. She immediately goes to Peter and the disciple who loved Jesus and said that the body of Jesus has been taken away. And the two disciples run to the tomb. Whether they ran to see for themselves out of shock or not taking MM’s words seriously since the witness of women in Judaism was not taken seriously. They saw and they went back believing that the tomb was empty yet they did not understand the scriptu...

Exodus 12:1-4, 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John13:1-17 For, I gave you an example, that as I did to you, you also should do. John 13:15 Maundy Thursday is traditionally remembered for the institution of the Holy Eucharist. It is also a day on which Jesus turned the servant concept on its head, a concept which very often has become a mere symbol. To the Jews the Passover was an important festival, the day on which they remembered their bondage in Egypt and their liberation from it. It is at such a time that Jesus has a meal with his disciples. At a Jewish feast people reclined on couches which would be arranged around the table, with the upper part of each person’s body facing the food and their feet away from the table. And in this portion of scripture we find Jesus getting up from his position, removing his outer garment, tying a towel around his waist and going around washing and cleaning the feet of his disciples. One of the basic aspects of hospitality in bible times was the was...

Another year comes to an end and we are on the threshold of another new year. So much has happened around the world as well as our own land. So much has been said as against less being accomplished. How ever many preparations are underway to usher in 2011. Dancing, drinking, crackers and fireworks and parties will be most of the ways how some would usher in the New Year, whilst most Christians will be in church. As all these happens a majority of people will begin the new year in a state of hopelessness just as they began 2010 – without food or a home, some in refugee camps and in prison, wondering if the new year will be anything different from the last? To many this section of people are immaterial or even don’t exist in this world. However as Christians we fail to understand that every human being is created in the image of God. It is the actions of human beings which have brought division and segregation within the human community. So can this situation change. Will there be more ...

The hot topic we face today is justice. But there are a few questions that I would like to ask. What is justice? And if we say that there is injustice around how can we as citizens of a countr, members of an organisation followers of a faith stand up for justice? Is is possible to stand up for justice? What are the consequences that we will face?