Listening to the 'Gentle Whisper'

Text: 1 Kings 19: 11- 13

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak-over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Message

One of my all-time favorite movies is ‘A Beautiful Mind.’ Based on the true story of John Nash, a genius in every respect shows the depth of human vulnerabilities. He is credited for the thesis on the dynamics of human conflict which eventually revolutionized economic theory that helped him win the Nobel Prize. When youths decide which college to go, he was working on an economic theory. When one dreams of beginning a career, Nash was already a distinguished professor at M.I.T. But atthe height of his career Nash suffered a psychological break down. He started getting hallucinations. He interrupted a lecture to announce that he was on the cover of Life magazine disguised as the Pope. He claimed that foreign governments were communicating with him through the media, and he turned down a prestigious post at the University of Chicago because he said he was about to be named as ‘Emperor of Antartica.’ In the movie we see that the character hears these voices that exist only in his mind, unconnected to reality. They made him feel important, as if he was the centre of the universe. They made him feel miserable and played on his darkest fears. When he listened to these voices, they destroyed his relationships, distorted his perceptions, made him obsessive, irrational and terrified. These voices slowly led him to death while he was alive. In the times when this illness advanced for Nash, psychiatry did not have enough medicines to deal with a paranoid delusion which is one of the toughest to deal in psychopathology. This is what makes the story of John Nash very incredible. He over time learnt to discern the voices that he heard. He learned to test the voices, to find out which ones were false and which ones were true. He had to learn to not listen to the ones that lead to death. He learned how to defy these voices and resisted to do what they requested. And while he was not completely freed from his illness, he discovered that overtime their hold on his mind could be greatly weakened. The best line of the movie is when Nash describes how in a way his battle is a battle of all of us. “I’m not so different from you” he says to his friend. “We all hear voices. We just have to decide which ones we are going to listen to.”

I think that statement is a starting point for us today. I believe today the air is saturated with voices that we keep hearing. Voices that say “You are important because you have money.” “You are ugly because you are fat.” “You are useless as you have done nothing significant yet.” “You need to prove your worth. Ordinary people like you cannot survive.” “This world is favorable to the young. Old people have no place here.” “Morality has no place in the market. The mantra is to compromise and move forward.” These voices are like the powerful wind, the earthquake and the fire. All three forces that we see in the text in front of us have a very devastating effect. It is powerful and it compels our attention.These voices of spectacular effect drown out all other voices. These voices are everywhere that we go. We cannot escape them. It is common logic that the voices we hear are the voices we replicate. We are not just victims of such voices stated above. We are the perpetuators of the said voices. These voices determine our relationships. These voices determine our understanding of community and family. These voices help us decide who is worthy to be called a human and who is not. It dictates our every part of life. These voices also end up in deciding who we are. We are always at the mercy of outside voices that sets conditions based on our utility. One is judged on the basis of being productive. That is the rule of the market. Let me give you a simple example.We are in the I.P.L. season and all kinds of ads hit us. But one of the most offensive ads is by an online internet portal called Quickr. In this ad we have a presenter who points to a person in cricket outfit with his back facing the camera. The viewers can see on the T-Shirt, the name “Bopara” (or Gibbs in a different setting.Both are cricketers from England and South Africa respectively). The presenter says “This is Bopara ( or Gibbs). In the auction of IPL, no franchise bought him. But had he been a product (like a mobile or a bike), he would have been instantly sold.” Then you have crazy guys going bezerk to buy the mobile named “Bopara”or bike called “Gibbs” on this portal called ‘Quickr’. Another online portal is“OLX” which says “Sab bikta hai”.

The more we believe in such voices the more absurd our life becomes. We become an emotional wreck and competition looks like the only way to survive. It is interesting that the word ‘absurd’ is derived from the Latin word ‘surdus’ which means being deaf. So we are deaf to what? “After the fire came a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19: 12b). That gentle whisper was the voice of God. This voice says to us “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29: 11) or like I mentioned in my previous note “This is my Son/ Daughter, the Beloved,[a] with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17). But are we listening to such voices or are we turning deaf to it? The word 'obedient' has its roots in the Latin word ‘audiere’, which means to listen.Being obedient to God is to listen to his voice that is a gentle whisper. Listening to God is a discipline that we need to cultivate in the midst of the noise that we live in. The identity of Jesus’ followers are those who listen to his voice.“My sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me.” (John 10: 27).

Prayer is that discipline that helps us listen to the gentle whispers of our God. As Henri Nouwen says “The toughest thing to do is, is to pray. Because the moment I remain silent I hear all the voices of the world that make me feel worthless. The silence makes me restless and to overcome it I start to talk to God. But I have to learn to listen to the gentle whispers of my Lord.” There are some voices that lead to death and destruction and some voices that lead to life and eternity. We are called to discern the voice of God that calls us “Beloved.” And when we listen to this voice, we spread this voice around us. We become a blessing to the people we work with and meet.Instead of gossiping, criticizing and spreading negative words, we become a blessing wherever we go. That is our calling and purpose of our life. 

Prayer- Lord you have created me and you have a plan for me. Help me to hear your voice to battle the noise that is around me. Help me to hear your 'gentle whispers.' In Jesus name i ask. Amen

Rev. Merin Mathew

Mar Thoma SyrainChurch

Guwahati

God's beloved: Are you....?

Text: Matthew 3: 13- 4: 11

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan,to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water,suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son  the Beloved,[a] with whom I am well pleased.”

Chapter 4

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered,“It is written,

‘One does not live by bread alone,

    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

    and‘On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,

    and serve only him.’”

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Message

Henri J. Nouwen says that Jesus at the time of baptism heard the words of God for our sake. “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus came to this world so that all of us can hear God say to us “This is my Son/ Daughter, the beloved,  with whom I am well please.” Jesus revealed to us God’s unconditional love for us. We are the beloved of God not because of any merit of ours but because of who God is. That is our identity. It is our song. We are God’s beloved. It is in this context that we need to see the Temptation of Jesus. The First temptation was where the ‘Tempter’ tried to convince Jesus that fulfilling desires is the most important thing. “You are hungry. If you are Son of God, turn the stone into bread.” (Matthew 4: 3) There is an ad of Limca that is doing the rounds where we have Kareena Kapoor suggesting us “Pyaas badhaao” which actually means increase your desires. We live in times that tempt us that it is not good to be satisfied.You have to increase your appetite to dream big.  What happens is we are left restless and dissatisfied. This leads us to the next temptation of Jesus where the tempter says “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down”. Here Jesus was asked to do something spectacular to prove Himself. He had to jump down to catch the attention. Prove himself. Is this not a very common temptation that we face? We live in times where we have to keep proving ourselves. Who cares how good a person you are. You have to prove your worth. You need to perform. You need to compete. What does this lead us to? We have youths who are perpetually dissatisfied. When I was in college I was depressed at how ordinary I was. It created inferiority complex that kept saying you are not good enough. I am sure many have gone or are going through this phase. The temptation to prove ourselves leads us to the third temptation of Jesus “All these I will give you,if you will fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4: 9). Temptation here is to worship not out of gratitude of life but worship so as to get something in exchange of worship.  There is a saying that in the age where market and market forces rule, one must worship any thing and anybody to get ahead in life. Ethics don’t matter, morality does not matter, being nice does not matter. Recently when I switched on the television, I saw testimonies of people who proclaimed that after coming to a particular Church, they started to prosper. One persons business expanded, he bought cars and he was high on the social ladder. And the pastor concluded with a smile, Bible says“Ask and you shall receive.” Worshipping God is not because He is the Creator but these churches proclaim it is profitable to worship. You will live your dream.

How do we overcome these temptations? Jesus overcame these temptations as He heard the voice of God that called him Beloved. We need to hear the voice of God like Jesus did. We need to know we are ‘Beloved of God.’ Being Beloved of God gives us the identity. We are not defined by our desires. Our identity is not the car that we have, or the locality that we live or the iPhone that we possess. We are “God’s beloved.” If we are sure about that we do not need to prove ourselves. He accepts us as we are.That is his grace. With all our weakness and failings we are ‘God’s Beloved.’ When we are sure about that worshiping does not become a compulsion, it flows out of our gratitude for the God who has made us His Beloved.

There is a tribe Sierra Leone  called the Himba Tribe where the birth date of a child is counted not from when they were born, nor from when they are conceived but from the day that the child was a thought in its mother’s mind.And when a woman decides that she will have a child, she goes off and sits under a tree, by herself, and she listens until she can hear the song of the child that wants to come. And after she’s heard the song of this child, she comes back to the man who will be the child’s father, and teaches it to him.And then, when they make love to physically conceive the child, some of that time they sing the song of the child, as a way to invite it. And then, when the mother is pregnant, the mother teaches that child’s song to the midwives and the old women of the village, so that when the child is born, the old women and the people around her sing the child’s song to welcome it. And then, as the child grows up, the other villagers are taught the child’s song. If the child falls, or hurts its knee,someone picks it up and sings its song to it. Or perhaps the child does something wonderful, or goes through the rites of puberty, then as a way of honoring this person, the people of the village sing his or her song. In this African tribe there is one other occasion upon which the villagers sing to the child. If at any time during his or her life, the person commits a crime or aberrant social act, the individual is called to the center of the village and the people in the community form a circle around them. Then they sing their song to them.

The tribe recognizes that the correction for antisocial behavior is not punishment; it is love and the remembrance of identity. When you recognize your own song, you have no desire or need to do anything to prove yourself or usurp what is not yours. 

This practice of the Himba tribe is very poignant to us. Psalmist says “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.” (Psalms139: 13). God formed us in our mother’s womb. We are His beloved. When we face a tragedy in life, when everything seems lost, like the Himba tribe that sang the song to the person to remind his/her identity, Let us hear the Voice of God that says, ‘This is my Son/ Daughter, the Beloved,[a] with whom I am well pleased.’ When people question our worth and make us feel worthless just remember that we are God’s Beloved. My identity is that I am ‘God’s Beloved,Merin Mathew’. What is yours? 

Rev Merin Mathew

Mar Thoma Syrian Church

Guwahati

Encountering Pain: Resignation or Resurrection?

Text: John 21: 15- 19

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,“Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do youlove me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.  Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you andlead you where you do not want to go.”  Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Message

There are some people on the dinner table who are called the fast eaters. As soon as the grace for food is said the morsel is in their mouth and the food is over. Some are the conventional slow eaters who eat less and talk more. They take ages to finish the food testing the patience of hosts and guests alike. I belong to the latter category where I have had the most intense conversations regarding bible, faith and world affairs over a dining table having breakfast, lunch or dinner. Friends in seminary have had dried hands talking to me, patiently waiting for me to finish my task of eating. But the conversations over the dining table have been vital in cementing relationships and friendships.  In the text above we are at a breakfast table hosted by Jesus after his resurrection. Dining has been very important to Jesus ministry pre and post resurrection. After the Last Supper where Jesus had fellowship with his disciples, we had one of the disciples betray Jesus and one who denied Jesus 3 times. Let us turn to John 18: 17 and 18. The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. What is interesting here is in vs 18 we see a Charcoal fire where Peter denied Jesus. Here after the resurrection where Peter and the rest of the disciples come to the shore after having caught 153 fishes,what do they see? “When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals therewith fish on it, and some bread.” (John 21: 9) Here before sitting for breakfast we have burning coals. It is in the background of the burning coal,that Jesus after the breakfast asks Peter 3 times “Do you love me?” It is in front of a burning coal that he denies Jesus 3 times and now it is in front of the burning coal that he affirms his love 3 times for Jesus.

On the Table after having breakfast, Jesus and Peter have the most important conversation. The question Jesus asks is what Peter would have loved to avoid. Peter always liked to avoid pain and this is evident from his response to Jesus at Caesarea Philippi where he rebuked Jesus for talking about suffering and crucifixion. (Mark 8: 31- 33) His 3 times denial also indicated this trend. So Jesus questions to Peter of “Do you love me” evoked pain. It caused deep hurt to Peter. But this pain was necessary. After every question Jesus commissioned Peter as “Feed my lambs”(21:15), “Tend my sheep”(21:16)and “Feed my sheep”(21:17). His commission was to be a Shepherd. This should be read in conjunction with the Good Shepherd Discourse by Jesus in John Chapter 10. “and I lay down my life for the sheep”(10:15b). So when Jesus said “Follow me”, it was a commission for Peter to lay down his life. An invitation to engage with pain and death. Today we have made Resurrection very commercial. Walter Fernandes says that “Trouble with faith in the market oriented faith is that we have become consumers. We are interested to follow Christ because we believe we will receive his blessings. It is a deal where prosperity of the self is the main concern.   Peter Collins says “I deny the Resurrection when I see poverty, anguish and pain all around and do nothing about it.” It is an indictment on our faith that encourages a self centred life style.  But resurrection is the call to engage with pain. It is a call to be messengers of resurrection. It is a costly call of sacrifice. We are not called to be consumers but co- workers with the Risen Christ to bring about Resurrection in situations of pain, poverty and tragedy. John 21: 18 and 19 signifies the sacrifice that Peter had to give where he was crucified upside down for his faith.

In some ways we are like Peter. We would choose to avoid pain and painful situations. In our culture even talking about disease or death is a taboo. We dread hospitals. With so much of injustice and poverty around us, we live in total denial of it. We have enough entertainments to help us forget about these things. Huge malls and online shopping has helped us live in a parallel world. For us, the virtual looks more real and consequently real has become distant and virtual.  We all are guilty of this. But resurrection is a call to engage with the pain and struggles of the people. 

Recently I met an incredible person in a Conference on Globalization conducted by North East Social Research  Centre (NESRC), Guwahati. I got to know her even more over a conversation at the Dining table during the Lunch break. Her name is Sister Mary Scaria. She told me “I was a teacher. I love teaching. My turning point came when one of my tribal students was raped. This disturbed my conscience. I was deeply troubled. I had to do something. I just could not be a spectator. That is when I decided to enroll myself for law.” Today Sr Mary Scaria is an Advocate with the Supreme Court. She champions the cause of women who face atrocities. Her clients are those who cannot afford legal aid. She encountered an event in her life that caused immense pain. She chose to behurt. She decided to be the wounded healer.

It is a challenge in front of us to respond to injustice that we encounter in our society. Sometimes we become so helpless and bitter that we resign to the circumstances. We tell ourselves that nothing can be done. As a people who believe in Resurrection, we are called to sacrifice to bring the hope of resurrection for people who are voiceless and suppressed.Or else like Peter Collins says “We deny Resurrection by remaining silent on issues that cause pain.” Martin Luther King Jr said it well “Our Lives begin to end when we become silent about things that matter.” Let Resurrection be evident through our actions of faith. Let us hear Christ say Loud and Clear “Follow Me.” Are you ready to follow this costly commission? May God give us courage to bring Resurrection where the forces of death have conquered. In the wake of the rape of a 5 year old child in Delhi we are burning with anger. But i also see a sense of resignation that is becoming paramount. We cannot stay silent. We cannot just accept the reality as it is. Let us ask ourselves how we plan to respond to this collective pain. May the Holy spirit guide us. Amen.

Rev Merin Mathew

Mar Thoma Syrian Church

Guwahati

"You Are My Refuge": The Experience of Resurrection in the Midst of Pain

Text: Psalms 142: 5

I cry to you, O Lord;

    I say, “You are my refuge,

    my portion in the land of the living.”

Message

This Psalm is written by David when he was being chased by Saul and his men. David was running for his life.  David had quick victories, one after the other before this. From a shepherd he became a hero of the masses after killing Goliath. He was trusted by the King Saul and had his favour. But once jealousy took over Saul, David was on the run. He lost his wife Michal. On the run David wanted to be with his mentor Samuel. But Samuel was too old. In his escape he had the comfort of a never ending friendship of Jonathan. But he still had to run  Last he came to the cave. All that he had near and dear to him were lost.He was in this cave called Adullam.(1 Samuel 22) Death roams free outside the cave. He is completely helpless. In one sense he is bitter. In this Cave of failure he sits and writes this beautiful Psalm. If you look at this Psalm in entirety,we see the words of desperation in this. Everything is lost. There is no hope.In such a point he encounters the cave. He realizes cave is not his refuge. In the cave he realizes “You are my refuge.” God is our refuge.

Son of David i.e. Jesus Christ lost all his credibility. The friends and disciples deserted him. The people who glorified him when they witnessed his miracles called him a fraud. His enemies got the better of him.They crucified him. After crucifying him they disposed his body in a cave(tomb). Here they thought that they had defeated him. But in the Cave where everyone thinks all is lost, God resurrects the dead. When we feel everything is lost and there is no hope, that is where in the cave of failure God brings about a resurrection. This is the truth and power of resurrection. God is our refuge. When we are in the cave of devastation, where we feel all is lost, we feel like the disciples where they too closed the doors in fear of the Jews.  It was a cave experience for them. (John 20:19- 23). But in the midst of the cave experience the Risen Christ comes to them and says “Peace be with you.” It is in such cave experience we realize God is our refuge.

If anybody who is troubled today, feels like he is in a cave, my brothers and sisters, God is talking to you. Everything is not lost. God is our refuge. He is our strength. You may be disturbed and devastated, but in this cave,  like David, let us too realize “You are my refuge.” This is not just fake optimism or power of positive thinking. This is the promise of God that is experienced by his saints.  God is ready to hold us. The power  of Resurrection is awaiting us. It will be our experience as well. 

Let me introduce you to a man that by providence became friends with me on Facebook. His name is Father  Michael Lapsley. I got curious and researched about this incredible man. Fr Michael was born in New Zealand and was Ordained as a Priest in Australia on 2 June 1949. He is an Anglican Priest who joined the religious order of Society of the Sacred Mission (SSM). In 1973 he arrived in Durban, South Africa, as an undergraduate student. Soon thereafter, during the height of apartheid repression, he became chaplain to students at bothblack and white universities in Durban. In 1976, he began to speak out on behalf of schoolchildren who were being shot, detained and tortured.

 Fr Michael, as he is known, was taking a stand against apartheid in his role as national chaplain to Anglican students, a position he held at the time. Because of his position against the ruling government of South Africa, in September 1976, he was expelled from the country. He went to live in Lesotho, where he continued his studies and became a member of the African National Congress and a chaplain to the organisation in exile. During this period he travelled the world, mobilizing faith communities, in particular, to oppose apartheid and support the liberation struggle of Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. After a police raid in Maseru in 1982 in which 42 people were killed, he moved to Zimbabwe. It was here that in 1990, three months after ANC leader Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, he was sent a letter bomb by the Civil Cooperation Bureau, a covert outfit of the people who were against him because of his anti- apartheid stands. The letter bomb was hidden inside two religious magazines. Thanks to the letter bomb Fr Michael lost both hands and the sight in one eye , and was seriously burnt. This was his cave experience. His enemies thought they had defeated him. But Cave is the place of resurrection. This vibrant priest did not stop. He carried on.

In 1993, he became Chaplain of the Trauma Centre for Victims of Violence and Torture in Cape Town, which assisted the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). This work led to the establishment, in 1998,of the Institute for Healing of Memories (IHOM) in Cape Town. Father Michael knew the danger of devastation and wounded memories. This man who was in a cave became the wounded healer. Today the Institute of Healing of memories plays a pivotal role in helping people cope with traumas. The people who feel they are in a cave. This institute is pivotal in promoting religious and racial harmony.

It is when we read stories like this that we experience the power of resurrection. Such people who are wounded and bruised in life direct us to the Resurrected Christ who had wounds. ‘Redeeming the Past: From Freedom Fighter To Healer’ is an apt title for an autobiography of an incredible man who in the midst of devastation showed the world the power of Resurrection.

“You are my Refuge”

Rev Merin Mathew

Mar Thoma Community Centre

Guwahati