Flame of Faith

One of the joys of family gatherings is the recollection of old memories of growing together, sharing intimacy, learning new experiences, enduring hardships, and reliving our achievements. These occasions are important for families to meet and to honor one another, and their customs and traditions. From outdoor barbeques to indoor banquets, birthday parties to graduations, baptisms to marriages, we enjoy food, wine, games, music, and dance as we celebrate. The strangest thing is that this is how people have celebrated special occasions from time immemorial. This is what brings about continuity in family and values. Is it possible to continue these customs and celebrations in today’s world of nuclear families? Is it possible to integrate the light of our faith with these celebrations of life’s experiences in an era that seems to function less and less on faith? Wise parents plan for the future of their families’ spiritual nurturing and remember that it is God who leads us all the way.

 Abraham took his faith in God very seriously. When Sarah died he realized that it was time to arrange the marriage of his son, Isaac. Abraham was convinced that he did not want his son to marry a local Canaanite girl. He entrusted the task, of finding a suitable wife from his homeland in Mesopotamia, to his most reliable and the oldest man in charge of his household, Eliezer. Do you have a friend who will stay closer to you than your own kith and kin? Eliezer had lived his entire life with Abraham and had seen his blessed relationship with Sarah through its peaks and valleys. He was one of Abraham’s most faithful and trustworthy servants. 

 Abraham wanted Isaac to have a married life similar to the one he and Sarah had enjoyed for more than a hundred years. He wanted to ensure that his son would preserve the same faith and traditions that he and Sarah had lived by all their lives. He was sure that a woman from his native land would ensure that Isaac lived according to the faith of his forefathers. It is no surprise that when Moses instructed the Israelites on living a devout life, one crucial instruction was the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). This was later ratified by Jesus who said that to love God and one’s fellow beings are the two greatest commandments (Mathew 22:37-39). 

 Abraham was confident that the same God who had blessed him with a child would provide a wife for his son. “Jehovah Jireh - God will provide “ was the name that Abraham gave to the mountain that he had taken Isaac to be sacrificed. Abraham was absolutely sure that with God as his guide, Eliezer would accomplish the search for a bride. Eliezer’s prayer to God was, “Help me accomplish the purpose of my journey. (Genesis 24:12)” Have you ever prayed a prayer that went like that? Where better to look for a wife than near the watering well, where the herds of animals come to quench their thirst? Isaac being the wealthy owner of many cattle would certainly need a wife who could manage and understand cattle rearing. 

What Eliezer was searching for was not external beauty, but an inner beauty that would tide Isaac through his valleys. Eliezer subjected the young woman to a test on hospitality and prayed that God would lead him to the right woman (Proverbs 31:30). Scarcely had he finished praying than a very beautiful girl offered to draw water for him and all his camels to drink. Unable to believe that his search was coming quickly to its end, he asked her who her father was. When he realized Rebekah was an unmarried granddaughter of Abraham’s brother, he knew that she was the one. His first response was to thank and praise God for answering his prayer. Do you remember to thank God when He answers your prayers? Later, when Eliezer asked her if she would go with him immediately, she showed the same faith that Abraham did when God called him to move away from his native place, and willingly agreed saying, “Yes, I will go.” Eliezer’s journey ended well with Isaac falling in love with Rebekah and finding comfort in her after his mother’s death. 

Spiritual leadership in a family always plays a key role. Often strong traditional families have matriarchs and patriarchs who hold them together. They are the ones who bring stability and structure to the families. Over time, sometimes tragically, the relationships of the family changes, with death, disease, dissent, distinction, distrust, disapproval, disgust, divorce, division of will, disinheritance, disaster, displacement, or debilitation. These are times when younger generations or others in the family should step in and try to bring order back into the family. When Sarah died, Abraham was too old to travel to Mesopotamia to find a wife for Isaac. Eliezer stepped up to set out on the mission. 

When old traditions are not learned and remembered they are lost over time. Families stay together when there are clear lines of communication between the members. When spiritual leaders and parents speak to children often of the need to pray together and meet at family gatherings, over time these become part of the family heritage. Who knows? Tomorrow may be your turn to take care of your sick parent because of Parkinsonism, heart attack, cancer, or stroke. What they teach us today by way of example always comes handy as we grow older. It is those memories when remembered that bring life back into their aged bodies.  St. Paul when he wrote his letter to the Thessalonians he was aware of the pressures that society places on individuals, families and churches (2 Thessalonians 2:15). The pressures towards their Christian faith and worldly values. He encourages them to stand firm on the Christian traditions they were taught. To remember the light of Christ that shines in our hearts through his teachings on the importance of faith, hope and love.

Growing up in Christian families our parents expect us to marry Christian spouses from our community. Our parents hope that in time we will adopt the faith and traditions that they have followed, to ensure that from generation to generation we will be blessed by the presence of God in our lives. Do you recall any early encounters with your parents while they nurtured you in your faith? Some common ways in which families live faithful lives are by being part of a church or Sunday school, reading the Bible together, family prayers, singing hymns and songs of praise, and above all creating an environment of love in their homes. With the families spreading out all over the world there are so many new practices and celebrations that come into the family’s life. The need to integrate the past with celebrations of the present becomes crucial for the preservation of familial bonds. St. Paul says we are all fragile clay jars containing the spirit of Christ dwelling within us (2 Corinthians 4:5-10). We tell our loved ones what Christ has done in our fragile lives and how he has empowered us to hold fast to our faith through the hills and valleys of life.

If our children grow up in an environment where bad tempers, impatience, sulking, childishness, fault finding, grumbling, and ill nature are the norm, it is very easy for us to find ourselves swamped with similar behavior from them. Is your children’s only source of entertainment from some electronic media or do you spend time together as a family? Who are their role models? If we teach them to respect God and one another, and to care for one another’s needs, we can make them a source of blessing for many. What in the old days was called austerity, chastity, and prudence are now called self-discipline, self restraint, and self-control. Are these not some of the disciplines that we must teach our children to live by? If children are not raised by God fearing parents, it is less likely that they will desire a relationship with the Lord. Do you inculcate in them a desire for the fruit or gifts of the spirit? Or do they only crave for new age electronic games, movies, or music? When we raise our children to have faith, surety, respect, and responsibility toward God and humans, we help them develop strong characters. When we shape them to lead disciplined lives, we form them into lighthouses that others can see and aspire to be. 

Our lives are like candles with a flame burning at the end of it. One day we will all burn out. Yet our flame lives on if we have other candles to burn for us when we are gone. Such is our faith in God. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world: he that follows after me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).” The passing on of the flame of faith from generation to generation unites us with God, our spiritual ancestors, our earthly ancestors, and all the others who become a part of our family over the centuries. St. John says, “And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not (John 1:5).” We live in hope of one day being together in Christ who is the eternal light, who said, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you (John 14:2).”

Whale to Swallow

As the story goes, a pastor was on a ship from Chicago to London when they ran into some very severe turbulence. As it got worse, the passengers became more and more alarmed, and even the ship attendants began to look concerned. Finally, one of them noticed that the man of God had 'Rev.' in front of his name on the passenger list, came over to him, and said, “Sir, this is really frightening. Do you suppose you could, I don't know...do something religious?” So he took up a collection. 

 Do you know what to do when faced with a difficult situation? Do you see the streams of living water rushing through the lives of all classes and creeds of people as they live their lives as an expression of their faith in God? Sometimes we see our world becoming more violent and sometimes we see it at peace. But we all hope to see the day when we can live calm and content lives united in Christ. 

 Jonah was a prophet who lived during the time of King Amaziah (2 Kings 14:23-25). There are some today who doubt whether Jonah ever existed. His story seems to be very farfetched since it is difficult to imagine a person surviving in the stomach of a large fish. Was Jonah a coward? Was he really afraid to give the message to the people of Ninevah or was he just appalled that he had to give the message to one of his enemies? 

 Jonah was placed in a very difficult situation, one that would not have brought him any comfort or pleasure. The more he thought about himself, the less he wanted to do what God was calling him to do. When our focus shifts from what God wants us to do to what we want, or what our neighbor has, we get agitated and start to grumble or feel sorry for ourselves. 

 When Jonah turned away from what God wanted him to do, he found himself in a ship in turbulent waters. Ordinarily men of God are calm and content in these situations. However, Jonah was burdened with the guilt of having moved away from God. He admitted his guilt to his shipmates and asked to be thrown overboard. When he found himself in the stomach of a big fish, he began to desire the presence of God. His prayers were to seek and know God’s will. He prayed for forgiveness. God in His abundant mercy forgave Jonah and set him back on his mission to Ninevah. Do you do the same when faced with a situation that you lack wisdom or understanding for? Do you see God as your heavenly father? Do you confess your trespasses to God and to those you have wronged? 

 Jonah 3:4 & 5 Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “In Forty days Nineveh will be destroyed!” So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. 

 Here we see God as one who loves both Jews and Gentiles, so much so that He asks Jonah to spread the message of repentance to the people of Ninevah. The fact is that if they repent God would forgive them. How many of us really pray for our enemies to be blessed or forgiven? How many of us readily confess our transgressions when we realize we have done something wrong? How many of us are ready to listen to God when He asks us to do something? 

 God said, "What's this? How is it that you can change your feelings from pleasure to anger overnight about a mere shade tree that you did nothing to get? You neither planted nor watered it. It grew up one night and died the next night. So, why can't I likewise change what I feel about Nineveh from anger to pleasure, this big city of more than 120,000 childlike people who don't yet know right from wrong (living in spiritual darkness), to say nothing of all the innocent animals? (Jonah 4:10-11) "

 We see God in a new light when He questions Jonah as to why He cannot delight in and take pleasure in the people of Ninevah. Scarcely had Jonah been rescued from the perilous sea, and successfully accomplished his mission, than he began to grumble and protest. Like the elder son of the prodigal son’s father, he was unhappy that God so easily forgave the people of Ninevah (Luke 15:11-31). Did Jesus not say,” I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”(Luke 5:32) 

 Does God have to prove his powers through miraculous signs to us humans? Did the Jews look upon Christ as a sorcerer or wizard? We see Christ as a loving and caring God, yet there were times in the life of Christ when he was harsh with his critics (Mathew 12:38-41).When some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you", He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” The sign that Christ was speaking about was that just as Jonah spent three days in the belly of a fish, so will Christ be buried in the heart of the earth for three days. He went on to say that even the people of Nineveh, who were lived in spiritual darkness, would stand up on judgment day and condemn those who do not repent when the gospel message is preached to them. 

 Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15: 14 & 19, that if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all people. This is our hope, that in Christ we inherit eternal life. Believers know that Christ is the resurrection and the life. For 2000 years Christians have followed in the way set for us by Christ. Just like Jonah preached to the Gentiles, we also have been invited to God’s table to share the joys of our new lives in Him. May Christ be our resurrection and life.

Oaks of Mamre

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: 

for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 

Hebrews 13:2 (King James Version)

The Bible takes us to probably a hot sunny afternoon in the life of Abraham when, as he was probably relaxing under the shades of the Oaks of Mamre, he sighted three weary travelers walking towards him. Being a man of faith he sensed God speaking to him through these three strangers. He showed the depth of his love through his hospitality to the strangers. Abraham washed the feet of the feet of the strangers, just like Christ did to the disciples before the last supper 2000 years later. Does Abraham’s hospitality later become a benchmark for the faithful to follow in his footsteps (Hebrews 13:2)? Did Abraham know that the strangers were angels? Or was it on later reflection that he realized that he had unwittingly entertained angels? Yet deep down in his heart was this longing to care for the strangers. Was it because he himself had been a stranger in many places and been recipient to the hospitality of kind souls? Or did the inhospitality of people like those in Sodom and Gomorrah generate in him a need to be kind and loving to strangers? 

 What did St. Paul mean when he said, Abraham is the father of us all (Romans 4:13-16)? God promised Abraham that he would be a blessing to all the nations (Genesis 12:2-3). Abraham’s righteousness was described as being based on his faith and not on the law. For the law only brings forth the wrath of God, while where there is faith there is no transgression. Thus to all who have faith in the God of Abraham the grace of God has been abundantly provided. God called Abraham even before he circumcised himself and his household. Rituals and ceremonies did not have precedence over his faith. They were just outward signs of his inward commitment. God looks at the heart of a person – is it the heart that longs to be close to the Lord and do His will?

 In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus said that the Priest and the Levite, both men of God, passed the wounded traveler by. However, the Samaritan’s hospitality was commended, because he showed mercy toward the wounded traveler. Samaritans were considered to be enemies of the Jews, yet it was a Samaritan who tended to the wounds and paid for the lodging and care of the injured traveler (Luke 10: 29 – 37). Jesus said that it is on such as these that the favor of God is said to rest. There is a close correlation between the actions of the Samaritan and Abraham. They both acted expecting nothing in return. They acted although the people involved were strangers. It does not matter whether it was 4000 years ago or 2000 years ago or today, there are always people who are in need. We as Christians are called to do what we can to ease their burdens and provide for their needs. 

 Whatever the emotions may have been that were touching Abraham’s heart, he clearly saw God speaking to him through these strangers. Abraham was greatly blessed for his kind hospitality. The prophecy of the birth of a child was received with mixed emotions. These were the very words of assurance Abraham had been waiting for. Sarah laughed but denied it when questioned about her reason for doing so. Sarah’s denial was received disapprovingly. Fear of discovery has caused countless people to lie. Sarah too, human as she was, lied. Abraham on the other hand, was truthful about the reason for his laughter. For Abraham this was an affirmation of the promise given to him by God earlier in Genesis 17:7, following which he had circumcised all the males in his household including himself and Ishmael. So in his own spiritual realm he felt it was God that was speaking to him through these very strangers. Even though Abraham may have had his doubts (Genesis 17:17) about the promise of a son, he continued to obey God by doing exactly what was asked of him (Genesis 17). Have you found yourself laughing incredulously when you are led by God to do certain acts of faith? This faithful commitment to God made him one of the leading men of righteousness (Romans 4:3). 

 Abraham and Sarah had no children until the ripe old age of almost 100 years and there was very little likelihood of them bearing a child. Yet they stand under the Oaks of Mamre like shinning examples of strength and endurance. They were like Oak trees thriving in the house of God. Their trust was completely in the unfailing love of God forever and ever. We have to realize that God does not place a trial or difficulty that he thinks we cannot handle ourselves. We have to wait for God's mercy and time when He will fulfill His plan and purpose for our lives. The omnipotent power of God is revealed in the question that is posed to Abraham, “Is anything too hard for God?” (Genesis 18:14) This has been the basis for the faith of many who face impossible situations. 

 Who were the strangers? Were they angels? Was Christ one of them (Mathew 25:35-36)? The ability to hear the still small voice of God speaking separates us from the rest of the world. If we listen to God and His word, we can do that which is impossible in the eyes of humans, as all things are possible with God. However, like Sarah, if we doubt, we may never see God’s plan and purpose fulfilled in our lives. Jesus said "Everything is possible for him who believes. (Mark 9:23)" 

 Christ in the Stranger's Guise 

A Scottish Hospitality Prayer 

 I met a stranger yest're'een;

 I put food in the eating place, 

Drink in the drinking place, 

Music in the listening place; 

And, in the sacred name of the Triune, 

He blessed myself and my house. 

My cattle and my dear ones, 

 And the lark said in her song, 

 Often, often, often, 

Goes the Christ in the stanger's guise; 

 Often, often, often, 

Goes the Christ in the stranger's guise.