April 27, 2025. RESURRECTION WITNESS
The gospel reading for this Sunday is taken from St. John 20:19-31. In this reading we see Jesus meeting the disciples for the first time and providing them first the comfort, and then the disciples are commissioned, in return the disciples give their personal commitment to Jesus.
“Peace be with you” is the common greeting and probably the one Jesus had spoken to the disciples many times. But in this situation, it was more than a greeting. It was a message! It is some kind of comfort for fear filled disciples. Jesus suddenly appeared in the upper room when all the doors were locked. The disciples had already been in fear over what the religious leaders might do to them. That’s why their doors were locked in the first place.
Suddenly Jesus appeared and the disciples were scared. Jesus calms their fears by saying “Peace be with you.” That was certainly something they needed. We see Jesus provided the disciple’s comfort.
In II Timothy 1:7 we read “God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love and of power and of a sound mind.” Fear will always torment, and these disciples were being tormented by thoughts and vain imaginations. Have you ever been fearful of what might happen next in your life? I have had strange feelings at times when I would suddenly feel my gut tighten with fear. I couldn’t even associate it with any event. But I did know where it was coming from. I get strength when I remember the verse “God has not given us the spirit of fear...” That’s what the devil wants to give us fear. As Christians we are authorized to resist.
A strange thing has happened in the upper room that was locked. Jesus the Prince of Peace has come to them, and they were afraid. Jesus is the very one who can calm all their fears. Jesus already told them before his death, as we read in St. John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. But here we see the disciples are very afraid. Jesus proves to them that he is not a spirit, not a ghost. Jesus shows them his hands and side. They see clearly that this is indeed the resurrected Christ.
At that moment of Jesus' revelation to the disciple’s fears were gone. Their sorrow is turned to joy. Their hopes are revived. This is so amazing how the presence of Jesus can turn our world around? Maybe we should remember the promise in the scripture as we read in Hebrew 11:5. “I will never leave you nor forsake you” The disciples awakening to Jesus' presence is what turned their world around. Are you aware of Jesus' presence in your life today? Are you mindful of Jesus as you go through your daily routine in your life?
We may discover more peace in our lives if we learn to nurture our awareness of Jesus' presence. The more we partner with him during the day, the more we commune with him in our spirit, the more we depend upon him for guidance and strength, the more conscious we become of his presence with us. Jesus says to his disciples, “Peace be with you.” That is a powerful revelation of his heart toward disciples and as well as us.
Jesus had chosen the twelve and he was in their presence for more than three years. Jesus had cared for them and taught them. When they found themselves perishing on an angry sea Jesus came and rescued them. The disciples had told Jesus how much they loved him and would even die for him. But then when the pressure got on, they wouldn’t even pray with Jesus for an hour. Jesus asked them to pray but instead they slept. When the authorities came to arrest Jesus, he made sure they were safe and not arrested. Jesus was about to be brutally beaten and crucified. One disciple betrayed him. One openly denies knowing of him. All the disciples have run away and left him to deal with the problem alone.
How would you feel about friends like that? After Jesus victory over the enemy, his comforting word to the disciples is, “Peace be with you”? If you would like to know more about the "Resurrection Witness", please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
The gospel reading for this Sunday is taken from St. John 20:19-31. In this reading we see Jesus meeting the disciples for the first time and providing them first the comfort, and then the disciples are commissioned, in return the disciples give their personal commitment to Jesus.
“Peace be with you” is the common greeting and probably the one Jesus had spoken to the disciples many times. But in this situation, it was more than a greeting. It was a message! It is some kind of comfort for fear filled disciples. Jesus suddenly appeared in the upper room when all the doors were locked. The disciples had already been in fear over what the religious leaders might do to them. That’s why their doors were locked in the first place.
Suddenly Jesus appeared and the disciples were scared. Jesus calms their fears by saying “Peace be with you.” That was certainly something they needed. We see Jesus provided the disciple’s comfort.
In II Timothy 1:7 we read “God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love and of power and of a sound mind.” Fear will always torment, and these disciples were being tormented by thoughts and vain imaginations. Have you ever been fearful of what might happen next in your life? I have had strange feelings at times when I would suddenly feel my gut tighten with fear. I couldn’t even associate it with any event. But I did know where it was coming from. I get strength when I remember the verse “God has not given us the spirit of fear...” That’s what the devil wants to give us fear. As Christians we are authorized to resist.
A strange thing has happened in the upper room that was locked. Jesus the Prince of Peace has come to them, and they were afraid. Jesus is the very one who can calm all their fears. Jesus already told them before his death, as we read in St. John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”. But here we see the disciples are very afraid. Jesus proves to them that he is not a spirit, not a ghost. Jesus shows them his hands and side. They see clearly that this is indeed the resurrected Christ.
At that moment of Jesus' revelation to the disciple’s fears were gone. Their sorrow is turned to joy. Their hopes are revived. This is so amazing how the presence of Jesus can turn our world around? Maybe we should remember the promise in the scripture as we read in Hebrew 11:5. “I will never leave you nor forsake you” The disciples awakening to Jesus' presence is what turned their world around. Are you aware of Jesus' presence in your life today? Are you mindful of Jesus as you go through your daily routine in your life?
We may discover more peace in our lives if we learn to nurture our awareness of Jesus' presence. The more we partner with him during the day, the more we commune with him in our spirit, the more we depend upon him for guidance and strength, the more conscious we become of his presence with us. Jesus says to his disciples, “Peace be with you.” That is a powerful revelation of his heart toward disciples and as well as us.
Jesus had chosen the twelve and he was in their presence for more than three years. Jesus had cared for them and taught them. When they found themselves perishing on an angry sea Jesus came and rescued them. The disciples had told Jesus how much they loved him and would even die for him. But then when the pressure got on, they wouldn’t even pray with Jesus for an hour. Jesus asked them to pray but instead they slept. When the authorities came to arrest Jesus, he made sure they were safe and not arrested. Jesus was about to be brutally beaten and crucified. One disciple betrayed him. One openly denies knowing of him. All the disciples have run away and left him to deal with the problem alone.
How would you feel about friends like that? After Jesus victory over the enemy, his comforting word to the disciples is, “Peace be with you”? If you would like to know more about the "Resurrection Witness", please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
April 20, 2025 RESURRECTION JOY
Dear Brother and Sisters in Christ Happy Easter:
Yes the Lord is Risen!
As Christians we believe that love carried Christ to the cross, the crucifixion without the resurrection grants no forgiveness. But the Bible insists that this Jesus who is crucified, dead, buried and rose from the dead is the personification of God’s Love. Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith”.
The gospel lesson for this Easter Sunday is taken from St. John 20:1-20, this is the best news anyone could ever hear. The resurrection of Jesus is a kind of news: life-changing truth. There are many thoughts that come to my mind for our meditation, I would like to share one of my thoughts below. We Must Accept the Resurrection Because It Is True (John 20:1-10): The gospel narrates that Peter and John run to the tomb after Mary’s report of a missing body. John arrives first and stops at the doorway. Peter plunges into the cave, then John follows. They see something surprising: the burial cloths.
God provides much evidence of the resurrection: the testimonies of his apostles, the reports of hundreds of eyewitnesses, the changed character of the disciples, the manuscripts which offer many proofs of their historicity and reliability. We could also study how these accounts have marks of first-hand truth – a lack of fabricated uniformity and the willingness of the writers to admit their own weakness and failings. But let’s pay special attention, today, to the evidence of the empty tomb.
In verse 5 we read that John “saw the linen cloths.” In Greek there are several words for “seeing”; this is the most general one – John simply saw. Verse 6 tells us that Peter also “saw,” but here is a different word. More than mere observation, this includes comprehension or understanding. John saw the cloths; Peter somehow perceived they meant something. Then John enters the tomb, and (at the end of verse 8) “saw and believed.” This is a third word for “see,” and can include the idea of experiencing what is observed. What happened to John; he saw and believed – he got it, because it is true! But what precisely did John see that made him believe in the resurrection?
First, John saw the “linen cloths.” Bodies were prepared for burial first by coating them with sticky spices (including myrrh) then wrapping them tightly in cloths. Second, he saw the face cloth folded in a place by itself. Unlike the body wrappings, covered as they were with a pitch-like glue, the face and head cloth were not treated with burial spices. That cloth was clean. So, after the resurrection, Christ (or an angel) carefully folded it up.
Here is an act of deliberate, calm, and orderly behavior. Jesus is leaving clues that cannot be mistaken by any thoughtful observer. The body cloths, sticky and piled in one place, indicate that the body materialized outside of the wrappings. And the head cloth announces that this was no hurried act of theft, but the careful actions of someone leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for the disciples to find and follow. And John walks down the path in his mind, putting the pieces together, and believes. This is the resurrection Jesus spoke of; this is what the prophets meant. This Jesus Resurrection is true.
For us to be Easter people means that more than the day of celebration, it is the resurrection that is true. More than calendar observances, it is the daily realization that the very power of God, which raised Jesus from the dead, is also the very same power, which flows in and through us as followers of the Risen Lord. If you would like to know more about “Resurrection Joy” please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
May the peace and grace of our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Dear Brother and Sisters in Christ Happy Easter:
Yes the Lord is Risen!
As Christians we believe that love carried Christ to the cross, the crucifixion without the resurrection grants no forgiveness. But the Bible insists that this Jesus who is crucified, dead, buried and rose from the dead is the personification of God’s Love. Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith”.
The gospel lesson for this Easter Sunday is taken from St. John 20:1-20, this is the best news anyone could ever hear. The resurrection of Jesus is a kind of news: life-changing truth. There are many thoughts that come to my mind for our meditation, I would like to share one of my thoughts below. We Must Accept the Resurrection Because It Is True (John 20:1-10): The gospel narrates that Peter and John run to the tomb after Mary’s report of a missing body. John arrives first and stops at the doorway. Peter plunges into the cave, then John follows. They see something surprising: the burial cloths.
God provides much evidence of the resurrection: the testimonies of his apostles, the reports of hundreds of eyewitnesses, the changed character of the disciples, the manuscripts which offer many proofs of their historicity and reliability. We could also study how these accounts have marks of first-hand truth – a lack of fabricated uniformity and the willingness of the writers to admit their own weakness and failings. But let’s pay special attention, today, to the evidence of the empty tomb.
In verse 5 we read that John “saw the linen cloths.” In Greek there are several words for “seeing”; this is the most general one – John simply saw. Verse 6 tells us that Peter also “saw,” but here is a different word. More than mere observation, this includes comprehension or understanding. John saw the cloths; Peter somehow perceived they meant something. Then John enters the tomb, and (at the end of verse 8) “saw and believed.” This is a third word for “see,” and can include the idea of experiencing what is observed. What happened to John; he saw and believed – he got it, because it is true! But what precisely did John see that made him believe in the resurrection?
First, John saw the “linen cloths.” Bodies were prepared for burial first by coating them with sticky spices (including myrrh) then wrapping them tightly in cloths. Second, he saw the face cloth folded in a place by itself. Unlike the body wrappings, covered as they were with a pitch-like glue, the face and head cloth were not treated with burial spices. That cloth was clean. So, after the resurrection, Christ (or an angel) carefully folded it up.
Here is an act of deliberate, calm, and orderly behavior. Jesus is leaving clues that cannot be mistaken by any thoughtful observer. The body cloths, sticky and piled in one place, indicate that the body materialized outside of the wrappings. And the head cloth announces that this was no hurried act of theft, but the careful actions of someone leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for the disciples to find and follow. And John walks down the path in his mind, putting the pieces together, and believes. This is the resurrection Jesus spoke of; this is what the prophets meant. This Jesus Resurrection is true.
For us to be Easter people means that more than the day of celebration, it is the resurrection that is true. More than calendar observances, it is the daily realization that the very power of God, which raised Jesus from the dead, is also the very same power, which flows in and through us as followers of the Risen Lord. If you would like to know more about “Resurrection Joy” please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
May the peace and grace of our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
April 13, 2025. INTO JERUSALEM
Dear Sisters and Brothers I believe generally human life demands a leader to be in control. Every person and every group of persons needs someone in charge. A country needs a king or a prime minister or a president. An athletic team must have a captain; an army needs a general; a ship needs a captain; a business needs a manager. Church needs a pastor. Every person needs someone in charge, someone to look up to for guidance. Without a King-God, people are confused and disorientated. Without a king, everyone does as he or she pleases. Pluralism takes over because there is no one right way to be a leader, this problem prevails in our society today.
A recent poll indicates that only thirteen percent of Christians would risk their lives for their religion. Many of us lack a king in our lives. Our gospel text St. Luke 19: 28-40, in verse 38 we read “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!” This verse tells us that our king is coming to us. As Christians we believe that the king has already come by the birth of Jesus". We can remember and recollect that during the birth of Jesus the Wise men who came from the East were asking as we read in St. Matthew 2:2 " Where is he who has been born king of Jews? Yes, Jesus has, but he needs to come to each generation. The big question is whether we in the world will receive him as our king. Our gospel text shows us Jesus is a king worth having in our life.
My first thought for this Palm Sunday is Jesus Christ is a winning King: Jesus Christ is a king worth having because he is a true king who always wins. In Zephaniah 9: 9 we read "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass". Jesus is a victorious king. Because of his divine power over nature, he overcame the forces of nature: Water was turned into wine, a storm at sea was quieted with a command, people blind from birth were given sight, and incurable leprosy was healed. Jesus was a victorious king in a way far greater than power over natural forces. Jesus had a victory over the spiritual world.
Jesus’ love conquered hatred when in his dying hour he prayed, "Father, forgive them ..." When Jesus suffered, he was the victor by his patience. He was mocked, ridiculed, falsely accused, spit upon, and tortured with a scourge. Yet Jesus opened not his mouth to protest or complain. His spirit overcame the flesh. His greatest victory was his resurrection. Sin was defeated, Satan was put to rout, and death was swallowed up. There could be no greater conqueror than him. No other had ever defeated death, man’s last and greatest enemy.
When Christ is our king, we as his subjects share the victory. His conquest becomes ours by the same spirit. Nothing - no suffering nor adversity - can get us down permanently. Being on Christ’s side, we live on the winning side of life. As Christians, we also conquer sin. Jesus broke the power of sin for us. It is not that we as Christians do not sin. Everyone knows for a fact that daily we sin in thought, word, and deed. Because of Christ’s victory on the cross, we have victory over sin in that we will not be condemned for our sins. Christ has paid the price of our sins.
In like manner, we are victors over our death. Of course, it is not a victory over physical death, for it is appointed for every person to die. The death we have conquered in Christ is death as separation from God. By his sacrifice, Christ has reconciled us to God, and Paul says nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. Death, then, has no hold on us. For Christians death has no sting for us and fear of death is non-existent. Thanks be to God for the victory we have in Christ. Please join us to worship during Holy Week.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Cell: 917-743-1574
Dear Sisters and Brothers I believe generally human life demands a leader to be in control. Every person and every group of persons needs someone in charge. A country needs a king or a prime minister or a president. An athletic team must have a captain; an army needs a general; a ship needs a captain; a business needs a manager. Church needs a pastor. Every person needs someone in charge, someone to look up to for guidance. Without a King-God, people are confused and disorientated. Without a king, everyone does as he or she pleases. Pluralism takes over because there is no one right way to be a leader, this problem prevails in our society today.
A recent poll indicates that only thirteen percent of Christians would risk their lives for their religion. Many of us lack a king in our lives. Our gospel text St. Luke 19: 28-40, in verse 38 we read “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!” This verse tells us that our king is coming to us. As Christians we believe that the king has already come by the birth of Jesus". We can remember and recollect that during the birth of Jesus the Wise men who came from the East were asking as we read in St. Matthew 2:2 " Where is he who has been born king of Jews? Yes, Jesus has, but he needs to come to each generation. The big question is whether we in the world will receive him as our king. Our gospel text shows us Jesus is a king worth having in our life.
My first thought for this Palm Sunday is Jesus Christ is a winning King: Jesus Christ is a king worth having because he is a true king who always wins. In Zephaniah 9: 9 we read "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt the foal of an ass". Jesus is a victorious king. Because of his divine power over nature, he overcame the forces of nature: Water was turned into wine, a storm at sea was quieted with a command, people blind from birth were given sight, and incurable leprosy was healed. Jesus was a victorious king in a way far greater than power over natural forces. Jesus had a victory over the spiritual world.
Jesus’ love conquered hatred when in his dying hour he prayed, "Father, forgive them ..." When Jesus suffered, he was the victor by his patience. He was mocked, ridiculed, falsely accused, spit upon, and tortured with a scourge. Yet Jesus opened not his mouth to protest or complain. His spirit overcame the flesh. His greatest victory was his resurrection. Sin was defeated, Satan was put to rout, and death was swallowed up. There could be no greater conqueror than him. No other had ever defeated death, man’s last and greatest enemy.
When Christ is our king, we as his subjects share the victory. His conquest becomes ours by the same spirit. Nothing - no suffering nor adversity - can get us down permanently. Being on Christ’s side, we live on the winning side of life. As Christians, we also conquer sin. Jesus broke the power of sin for us. It is not that we as Christians do not sin. Everyone knows for a fact that daily we sin in thought, word, and deed. Because of Christ’s victory on the cross, we have victory over sin in that we will not be condemned for our sins. Christ has paid the price of our sins.
In like manner, we are victors over our death. Of course, it is not a victory over physical death, for it is appointed for every person to die. The death we have conquered in Christ is death as separation from God. By his sacrifice, Christ has reconciled us to God, and Paul says nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. Death, then, has no hold on us. For Christians death has no sting for us and fear of death is non-existent. Thanks be to God for the victory we have in Christ. Please join us to worship during Holy Week.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Cell: 917-743-1574
April 6, 2025. SOMETHING NEW
Our gospel story for this Sunday is from gospel of St. John 12: 1-8, is located within the context of a transition in John’s gospel. Whereas the first 11 chapters of the book are concerned with Jesus' ministry for a span of about three years. From chapter 12 onwards, roughly the second half of John's gospel is focused on the last days of Jesus’ life.
More than any other Gospel, John’s account takes us into the intimate setting of Jesus’ final interactions with his disciples. This is particularly a suitable Scripture lesson for the Lent. We, just as Jesus’ first disciples, are trying to understand what it means to worship a Lord who has set his mind on death and rising from the grave. To understand the significance of the account of the gospel passage we need to know some back-story.
John reminds us that Lazarus was the one whom Jesus had raised from the dead. If you are familiar with chapter 11, you know that Lazarus had fallen ill with a mortal sickness. Lazarus sisters Martha and Mary had summoned Jesus to come heal him. When Jesus arrived Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Despite Martha’s apprehensions, Jesus commanded the rock that sealed Lazarus’ tomb to be moved. Then, in order to demonstrate that he was the Christ, he called Lazarus back to life and asked the onlookers to untie Lazarus from his burial clothes which signifies humanity being involved in the recreation of life by God. Then Lazarus reunited with his family.
The day Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead marks the transition in the gospel that I mentioned at the beginning. For some who witnessed the miracle it was an occasion for new belief in Jesus. For the chief priests and Pharisees it was a driving force for devising a conspiracy to put Jesus to death, lest, in their words, chapter 11:48 “everybody would believe in him and bring the Romans down upon us and ruin our nation.” On the same day in Bethany is Jesus’ last evening before entering Jerusalem and submitting himself to their lethal plans? And it is Mary who provides the occasion for the shift from celebration to deathly anticipation.
Mary took a bottle of perfume, about the size of a twelve-ounce bottle, which was worth a year’s wages – 300 denarii for them, and poured it all over Jesus’ feet. We are fascinated by large sums of money; we are with it because of the potential that it represents. Recently my wife Vatsala has visited some stores in Manhattan and on her return she had one very small sample bottle of perfume, which will cost minimum $500.00 for eight ounces. Certainly it is a one year salary in Asian countries. Mary felt her precious perfume was meant to be on Jesus’ feet. Mary poured it out on Jesus' feet. Judas raises the question, as we read in verses 4 & 5 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" We can be quick to dismiss Judas’ words simply because John has already incriminated him as the one who will betray Jesus, and because none of us have inherited greed as a virtue.
The fact of the matter is that we do not know why Mary anointed Jesus’ feet the way she did. Perhaps it was gratitude for returning her brother to life. Maybe it was sheer adoration. She never explains herself; she never says a word in the whole story. If you think about it, there is probably nothing she could have said that would have justified her before Judas’ critique. Christ had consistently demonstrated to them his preference for the poor, the outcast and the marginalized.
So, it is very much a surprise that it is Jesus who defends her. Jesus defends her by assigning a meaning to her action that transcends whatever significance Mary considered it to have. In effect Jesus says, “Before a body is buried it is prepared with perfume. Just as Lazarus was dead only a few days ago, so I will be dead only a few days hence. Mary has observed our custom, it is permissible.” Mary gave the devotion, Jesus gave the meaning.
As Christians we are called to give our devotion. That is what we are doing now, by gathering together for worship. We give our devotion when we partake together of the Lord’s Supper, when we baptize a child, when we tithe, pray, study and perform services in our community. These are the nuts and bolts of spiritual life. Let’s be honest, it is work, to do these things. It is not easy to discipline oneself to attend church consistently. It is tiring to work on a ministry committee. And it is scary to make a financial commitment like tithing. If you would like to know more please worship with us on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Our gospel story for this Sunday is from gospel of St. John 12: 1-8, is located within the context of a transition in John’s gospel. Whereas the first 11 chapters of the book are concerned with Jesus' ministry for a span of about three years. From chapter 12 onwards, roughly the second half of John's gospel is focused on the last days of Jesus’ life.
More than any other Gospel, John’s account takes us into the intimate setting of Jesus’ final interactions with his disciples. This is particularly a suitable Scripture lesson for the Lent. We, just as Jesus’ first disciples, are trying to understand what it means to worship a Lord who has set his mind on death and rising from the grave. To understand the significance of the account of the gospel passage we need to know some back-story.
John reminds us that Lazarus was the one whom Jesus had raised from the dead. If you are familiar with chapter 11, you know that Lazarus had fallen ill with a mortal sickness. Lazarus sisters Martha and Mary had summoned Jesus to come heal him. When Jesus arrived Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Despite Martha’s apprehensions, Jesus commanded the rock that sealed Lazarus’ tomb to be moved. Then, in order to demonstrate that he was the Christ, he called Lazarus back to life and asked the onlookers to untie Lazarus from his burial clothes which signifies humanity being involved in the recreation of life by God. Then Lazarus reunited with his family.
The day Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead marks the transition in the gospel that I mentioned at the beginning. For some who witnessed the miracle it was an occasion for new belief in Jesus. For the chief priests and Pharisees it was a driving force for devising a conspiracy to put Jesus to death, lest, in their words, chapter 11:48 “everybody would believe in him and bring the Romans down upon us and ruin our nation.” On the same day in Bethany is Jesus’ last evening before entering Jerusalem and submitting himself to their lethal plans? And it is Mary who provides the occasion for the shift from celebration to deathly anticipation.
Mary took a bottle of perfume, about the size of a twelve-ounce bottle, which was worth a year’s wages – 300 denarii for them, and poured it all over Jesus’ feet. We are fascinated by large sums of money; we are with it because of the potential that it represents. Recently my wife Vatsala has visited some stores in Manhattan and on her return she had one very small sample bottle of perfume, which will cost minimum $500.00 for eight ounces. Certainly it is a one year salary in Asian countries. Mary felt her precious perfume was meant to be on Jesus’ feet. Mary poured it out on Jesus' feet. Judas raises the question, as we read in verses 4 & 5 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" We can be quick to dismiss Judas’ words simply because John has already incriminated him as the one who will betray Jesus, and because none of us have inherited greed as a virtue.
The fact of the matter is that we do not know why Mary anointed Jesus’ feet the way she did. Perhaps it was gratitude for returning her brother to life. Maybe it was sheer adoration. She never explains herself; she never says a word in the whole story. If you think about it, there is probably nothing she could have said that would have justified her before Judas’ critique. Christ had consistently demonstrated to them his preference for the poor, the outcast and the marginalized.
So, it is very much a surprise that it is Jesus who defends her. Jesus defends her by assigning a meaning to her action that transcends whatever significance Mary considered it to have. In effect Jesus says, “Before a body is buried it is prepared with perfume. Just as Lazarus was dead only a few days ago, so I will be dead only a few days hence. Mary has observed our custom, it is permissible.” Mary gave the devotion, Jesus gave the meaning.
As Christians we are called to give our devotion. That is what we are doing now, by gathering together for worship. We give our devotion when we partake together of the Lord’s Supper, when we baptize a child, when we tithe, pray, study and perform services in our community. These are the nuts and bolts of spiritual life. Let’s be honest, it is work, to do these things. It is not easy to discipline oneself to attend church consistently. It is tiring to work on a ministry committee. And it is scary to make a financial commitment like tithing. If you would like to know more please worship with us on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
March 30, 2025. EMBRACING LOVE
The gospel reading for this Sunday is taken from St. Luke 15:1-3,11-32, in which we read about the parable of the prodigal son and this parable has three main characters. The father, the older son and the younger son. First, let us look at the father in this story and his rebounding love. The father represents God, our heavenly Father. The Father gives us the freedom to do what we like. The father God is compassionate but not controlling.
In this story when the youngest son approaches the father asking for his portion of the wealth, the father does not stop the son from taking advantage of him. He does not try to keep him from leaving home, nor do anything that would harm the younger son’s ambitions and desires. The father allows the son to do what he wants to do. When the younger son asks for the estate to be settled before the father’s death, which is a great insult to the family in the Jewish culture; the father says nothing. He gives him what would have eventually come to him in the estate.
God gives us such freedom in life. We can choose to live with Him and love him or go on in our own way to love and live as we like. The Bible tells us Adam and Eve were given by God the same freedom. God does not step in and stop us from doing what is wrong. We hear people say, “Why can’t God do something about the evil in the world? Why can’t He stop people from hurting other people or doing evil things?” But God has given us the awesome gift of free will. If He interfered in any way, it would no longer be free will. And we would no longer be human but puppets. Sometimes, we would like God to be more controlling when people do the right things and stop them from doing wrong things.
But when we want to do something we like, we do not want anyone, including God, to control us. We want freedom. The Father knows that the moment He forces us to do something, it won’t be from a willing heart and therefore it means nothing. If obedience is something that happens because we are forced, then it is pointless. If we do God’s will willingly from the heart, this gives Him great pleasure and God is happy. The father in this story did not want his son to stay home if the son did not want to stay.
And the father certainly did not want his son to be there just waiting for him to die so that he could get his hands on the inheritance, but the father let him go. The father did not give in out of weakness, but he was not being a permissive parent. The father was giving the son what the son wanted with the hope that someday the son would learn that it was a bad choice.
The son must learn some things on his own. Only if he saw the emptiness of living away from the father, would he want to return to the father willingly. Only if he experienced what it was like to be away from the father’s love, then would he long to return to that love. When we read the whole story, we can see that the younger boy is foolish. We should remember if we are away from the father, we are lost without a guide, we are exposed to harm without any protection. That is what the young son found out.
In the story, the father does not go to the distant country in search of his son. He will not rescue him against his will. He will let him go until the son has discovered for himself that the world is not the great and wonderful place it seemed to be. But the father is always open, and the father is longing for his son to return. It is obvious that he loves his son, and he has been looking out for him. Every day he checks the horizon for some sign that his son is on his way back home. And when his son’s shadow finally does appear in the distance, the father recognizes it immediately and runs towards him. The father can hardly wait to throw his arms around him. There is not the slightest hint of a lecture or ridicule from the Father. The father showed the son the Embracing Love, if you would like to learn more about the love of God the Father, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
The gospel reading for this Sunday is taken from St. Luke 15:1-3,11-32, in which we read about the parable of the prodigal son and this parable has three main characters. The father, the older son and the younger son. First, let us look at the father in this story and his rebounding love. The father represents God, our heavenly Father. The Father gives us the freedom to do what we like. The father God is compassionate but not controlling.
In this story when the youngest son approaches the father asking for his portion of the wealth, the father does not stop the son from taking advantage of him. He does not try to keep him from leaving home, nor do anything that would harm the younger son’s ambitions and desires. The father allows the son to do what he wants to do. When the younger son asks for the estate to be settled before the father’s death, which is a great insult to the family in the Jewish culture; the father says nothing. He gives him what would have eventually come to him in the estate.
God gives us such freedom in life. We can choose to live with Him and love him or go on in our own way to love and live as we like. The Bible tells us Adam and Eve were given by God the same freedom. God does not step in and stop us from doing what is wrong. We hear people say, “Why can’t God do something about the evil in the world? Why can’t He stop people from hurting other people or doing evil things?” But God has given us the awesome gift of free will. If He interfered in any way, it would no longer be free will. And we would no longer be human but puppets. Sometimes, we would like God to be more controlling when people do the right things and stop them from doing wrong things.
But when we want to do something we like, we do not want anyone, including God, to control us. We want freedom. The Father knows that the moment He forces us to do something, it won’t be from a willing heart and therefore it means nothing. If obedience is something that happens because we are forced, then it is pointless. If we do God’s will willingly from the heart, this gives Him great pleasure and God is happy. The father in this story did not want his son to stay home if the son did not want to stay.
And the father certainly did not want his son to be there just waiting for him to die so that he could get his hands on the inheritance, but the father let him go. The father did not give in out of weakness, but he was not being a permissive parent. The father was giving the son what the son wanted with the hope that someday the son would learn that it was a bad choice.
The son must learn some things on his own. Only if he saw the emptiness of living away from the father, would he want to return to the father willingly. Only if he experienced what it was like to be away from the father’s love, then would he long to return to that love. When we read the whole story, we can see that the younger boy is foolish. We should remember if we are away from the father, we are lost without a guide, we are exposed to harm without any protection. That is what the young son found out.
In the story, the father does not go to the distant country in search of his son. He will not rescue him against his will. He will let him go until the son has discovered for himself that the world is not the great and wonderful place it seemed to be. But the father is always open, and the father is longing for his son to return. It is obvious that he loves his son, and he has been looking out for him. Every day he checks the horizon for some sign that his son is on his way back home. And when his son’s shadow finally does appear in the distance, the father recognizes it immediately and runs towards him. The father can hardly wait to throw his arms around him. There is not the slightest hint of a lecture or ridicule from the Father. The father showed the son the Embracing Love, if you would like to learn more about the love of God the Father, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
March 23,2025 OPEN INVITATION
The Gospel lesson for this Sunday is taken from St. Luke 13:1-9, wherein we see Jesus is among a group of people, at that time someone comes to Jesus telling him about a horrible event that happened in the temple. This was about a group of Galileans who were murdered by Pilot for not paying taxes. This happened in the temple court, evidently at the time when the sacrifice was being made. Jesus' response as we read in verse 2 “And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus?”
Jesus responded to them by saying that the judgment is coming. He clearly states that the circumstances, no matter how horrible it was, were not an indication of the righteousness of the people that suffered and died. People of Jesus' time believed that bad things happen to bad people. God knows how we act and when something bad happens and someone is affected. Did God punish them, no? Bad things happen to perfectly good and righteous people all the time. In fact, it seems that this is probably a clear statement that God does not use punishment and tragedy to directly get our attention. God will use those opportunities to raise our awareness and dependence on him.
From verses 6 to 9 Jesus continues with a parable to explain God’s actions. He tells of a vineyard that has a fig tree growing that bears no fruit. Vineyards are for grapes, not for fig trees. So, for the fig tree to have been there in the first place it was probably planted there. In the culture of Jesus day’s people raised fig trees for food. The first three years they were grown in a protected place and then transplanted. The next three years any fruit which might come, that should be given as an offering to God. It was not until the 7th year that you would expect to start personally enjoying fruit from the tree.
In Jesus' parable, probably this would have been the 7th year that the tree has been cared for by gardeners. It has received water and perhaps a little fertilizer. It must have looked healthy, just not producing the expected fruit. Fig trees being in a vineyard were not too uncommon, because they did grow strong, and you could use the branches and the trunk to let the Grape vines grow. The owner wants to cut his losses. Enough was already wasted on this unproductive tree.
When we look at this parable and see who the characters are? God as the vineyard owner, Jesus as the Gardner, humankind or each one of us as the fig tree. A fig tree does not produce grapes, it produces figs, if it is healthy and if it has the right nutrients. The question for us this morning is what kind of fruit we are to bear? If we are in a relationship with the vineyard owner (God), we are expected to do as we are designed for something productive.
You are in God’s vineyard because he wants you to be. And because God wants us to be healthy and grow and bear fruits. God is always willing to offer a grace period. A time when we focus on our roots and get nutrients. Jesus is telling people that they as a nation and as individuals are in the grace period when the Gardner will do everything in His power to help them to bear fruits.
Our God has offered a Gardner Jesus Christ who tends His creations. We are only expected to do what we were created to do. What is our fruit as a church? We wish we knew exactly. What is our fruit? What is God telling you? If you would like to know more about how to bear good fruits, please join us in our worship service at 11:00 A.M on Sunday.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
The Gospel lesson for this Sunday is taken from St. Luke 13:1-9, wherein we see Jesus is among a group of people, at that time someone comes to Jesus telling him about a horrible event that happened in the temple. This was about a group of Galileans who were murdered by Pilot for not paying taxes. This happened in the temple court, evidently at the time when the sacrifice was being made. Jesus' response as we read in verse 2 “And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus?”
Jesus responded to them by saying that the judgment is coming. He clearly states that the circumstances, no matter how horrible it was, were not an indication of the righteousness of the people that suffered and died. People of Jesus' time believed that bad things happen to bad people. God knows how we act and when something bad happens and someone is affected. Did God punish them, no? Bad things happen to perfectly good and righteous people all the time. In fact, it seems that this is probably a clear statement that God does not use punishment and tragedy to directly get our attention. God will use those opportunities to raise our awareness and dependence on him.
From verses 6 to 9 Jesus continues with a parable to explain God’s actions. He tells of a vineyard that has a fig tree growing that bears no fruit. Vineyards are for grapes, not for fig trees. So, for the fig tree to have been there in the first place it was probably planted there. In the culture of Jesus day’s people raised fig trees for food. The first three years they were grown in a protected place and then transplanted. The next three years any fruit which might come, that should be given as an offering to God. It was not until the 7th year that you would expect to start personally enjoying fruit from the tree.
In Jesus' parable, probably this would have been the 7th year that the tree has been cared for by gardeners. It has received water and perhaps a little fertilizer. It must have looked healthy, just not producing the expected fruit. Fig trees being in a vineyard were not too uncommon, because they did grow strong, and you could use the branches and the trunk to let the Grape vines grow. The owner wants to cut his losses. Enough was already wasted on this unproductive tree.
When we look at this parable and see who the characters are? God as the vineyard owner, Jesus as the Gardner, humankind or each one of us as the fig tree. A fig tree does not produce grapes, it produces figs, if it is healthy and if it has the right nutrients. The question for us this morning is what kind of fruit we are to bear? If we are in a relationship with the vineyard owner (God), we are expected to do as we are designed for something productive.
You are in God’s vineyard because he wants you to be. And because God wants us to be healthy and grow and bear fruits. God is always willing to offer a grace period. A time when we focus on our roots and get nutrients. Jesus is telling people that they as a nation and as individuals are in the grace period when the Gardner will do everything in His power to help them to bear fruits.
Our God has offered a Gardner Jesus Christ who tends His creations. We are only expected to do what we were created to do. What is our fruit as a church? We wish we knew exactly. What is our fruit? What is God telling you? If you would like to know more about how to bear good fruits, please join us in our worship service at 11:00 A.M on Sunday.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
March 9, 2025. WILDERNESS COMPANIONS
Today is the first Sunday of the Lenten Season, a 40-day period, in which we can reflect on our lives and make changes. During the Lenten Season we as Christian’s exam our relationship with God? King David lifestyle and his relationship with God is a right example for us during the Lent. We read in Psalm 40:1-2 “I waited patiently for the Lord, and he heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Daivid also stated in Psalm 103:4,5 “[He] redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and good things.”
The Holy Gospel for this First Sunday in Lent is taken from Luke 9: 28-36, we read about the temptation of Jesus Christ. We do not know precisely how all the three temptations did come to our Lord. However, we do know that our Lord was tempted all through his life. Of all those temptations, the most troublesome ones had to be the kind of temptation he experienced in the very beginning of his ministry.
The very first thing Luke records is that our Lord was involved in this encounter with Satan, because he was Led by the Spirit. The Spirit was the force of God's presence in the lives of heroic people. It was the same Spirit God had conferred upon his creatures at the creation. In the life of Jesus, the Spirit of God was operating with full force and with power as God had intended God's Spirit should have been operative in people.
The second observation Luke mentions is that "the Spirit led Him (Jesus) out into the wilderness." The wilderness recalls that the Children of Israel were in the wilderness. That suggests two different kinds of experiences. On the one hand, the wilderness was the scene of God's revelation to his people. In the wilderness God had made a covenant with his people at Sinai. In this wilderness was the place where God cared for and fed his people with manna.
The wilderness was the land where God forged his people into a strong nation who could go up and take the Promised Land. At the same time, the wilderness was the scene of many open rebellions against God. The wilderness was the arena where one could sense dramatically the presence of both God and Demon. The wilderness was a huge set where the desert storm of the battle of the godly and the demonic could take place. That is precisely why Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness.
Luke cites the fact that Jesus was in the wilderness "forty days." More than likely, what comes to your mind is the fact that the Children of Israel were in the wilderness forty years. The forty days could, therefore, be reminiscent of those forty years and symbolic of that era of God's grace for God's people. What is probably more significant is the fact that Moses had been in Mount Sinai for forty days. Likewise, Elijah's flight from Jezebel lasted forty days when he went to Mount Horeb. In each of these cases these men of God emerged from their experience and greatly strengthened.
Luke reports quite simply, Jesus "was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by the devil, that there were three major temptations. Having been commissioned by the Heavenly Father for his ministry, Jesus had to determine in what form he would carry out this ministry. Having received the approval of his Father, "This is my beloved Son," Jesus had to contemplate how he could best continue to please his Heavenly Father. It took the full forty days to think through and imagine what kind of entanglements he was likely to face.
In the first temptation, Satan tells Jesus to turn stones to bread. There is nothing wrong with wanting to take care of our hunger. But what Satan was asking Jesus to do was to use divine power to care for his hunger. In the second temptation Satan asks Jesus to worship him. Here Jesus was to turn His back on the Father to worship Satan. Jesus reminds us of the importance of this when He quotes Scripture to Satan saying, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him." The third temptation was for Jesus to throw himself from the highest point of the temple, because God would rescue him. Satan wanted Jesus to test God. Jesus knew that. Each time Satan comes to Jesus with a temptation, Jesus responds by quoting Scripture. If you would like to learn more please join us in our worship service at 11:00 A.M. on Sundays.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Today is the first Sunday of the Lenten Season, a 40-day period, in which we can reflect on our lives and make changes. During the Lenten Season we as Christian’s exam our relationship with God? King David lifestyle and his relationship with God is a right example for us during the Lent. We read in Psalm 40:1-2 “I waited patiently for the Lord, and he heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire, he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Daivid also stated in Psalm 103:4,5 “[He] redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and good things.”
The Holy Gospel for this First Sunday in Lent is taken from Luke 9: 28-36, we read about the temptation of Jesus Christ. We do not know precisely how all the three temptations did come to our Lord. However, we do know that our Lord was tempted all through his life. Of all those temptations, the most troublesome ones had to be the kind of temptation he experienced in the very beginning of his ministry.
The very first thing Luke records is that our Lord was involved in this encounter with Satan, because he was Led by the Spirit. The Spirit was the force of God's presence in the lives of heroic people. It was the same Spirit God had conferred upon his creatures at the creation. In the life of Jesus, the Spirit of God was operating with full force and with power as God had intended God's Spirit should have been operative in people.
The second observation Luke mentions is that "the Spirit led Him (Jesus) out into the wilderness." The wilderness recalls that the Children of Israel were in the wilderness. That suggests two different kinds of experiences. On the one hand, the wilderness was the scene of God's revelation to his people. In the wilderness God had made a covenant with his people at Sinai. In this wilderness was the place where God cared for and fed his people with manna.
The wilderness was the land where God forged his people into a strong nation who could go up and take the Promised Land. At the same time, the wilderness was the scene of many open rebellions against God. The wilderness was the arena where one could sense dramatically the presence of both God and Demon. The wilderness was a huge set where the desert storm of the battle of the godly and the demonic could take place. That is precisely why Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness.
Luke cites the fact that Jesus was in the wilderness "forty days." More than likely, what comes to your mind is the fact that the Children of Israel were in the wilderness forty years. The forty days could, therefore, be reminiscent of those forty years and symbolic of that era of God's grace for God's people. What is probably more significant is the fact that Moses had been in Mount Sinai for forty days. Likewise, Elijah's flight from Jezebel lasted forty days when he went to Mount Horeb. In each of these cases these men of God emerged from their experience and greatly strengthened.
Luke reports quite simply, Jesus "was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by the devil, that there were three major temptations. Having been commissioned by the Heavenly Father for his ministry, Jesus had to determine in what form he would carry out this ministry. Having received the approval of his Father, "This is my beloved Son," Jesus had to contemplate how he could best continue to please his Heavenly Father. It took the full forty days to think through and imagine what kind of entanglements he was likely to face.
In the first temptation, Satan tells Jesus to turn stones to bread. There is nothing wrong with wanting to take care of our hunger. But what Satan was asking Jesus to do was to use divine power to care for his hunger. In the second temptation Satan asks Jesus to worship him. Here Jesus was to turn His back on the Father to worship Satan. Jesus reminds us of the importance of this when He quotes Scripture to Satan saying, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him." The third temptation was for Jesus to throw himself from the highest point of the temple, because God would rescue him. Satan wanted Jesus to test God. Jesus knew that. Each time Satan comes to Jesus with a temptation, Jesus responds by quoting Scripture. If you would like to learn more please join us in our worship service at 11:00 A.M. on Sundays.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
March 2, 2025. SIGN OF THINGS TO COME
This Sunday is the Transfiguration Sunday - a day that we celebrate and see how God reveals His glory - to the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. As we look at this Sunday’s gospel text, St. Luke 9: 28 - 36 and meditate on how God reveals His Glory; it is interesting to note that in the Scriptures we see in many ways God reveals Himself.
In the gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus simply calls this transfiguration as a vision as we read in St. Matthew 17:9 “Tell no one about the vision”. This Transfiguration experience is very important that Mark has put it at the very center of his gospel. Luke tells in a different way that Jesus went to the mountaintop to pray. It follows the high hour and a low hour of Simon Peter in particular. In Luke gospel the transfiguration is the supreme movement of identification, validation, and confirmation of Jesus as Christ. What follows this mountaintop experience is a dark journey for Jesus to Jerusalem and His death.
We are surely intended to see in the transfiguration a prefiguration of Jesus’ resurrection. Mark says clothes were whiter so that anyone on earth could bleach. We also ask why only Moses and Elijah why not Father Abraham or king David? Our future is shaped by our pasts, how memory and hope are inseparable, and how the meaning of tomorrow is best seen against the backdrops of yesterday. Just as our lives are stories, with parts that must remain connected, so also is God’s involvement with the world. It is a story in which the past, present and future are connected. That is why Moses and Elijah appear at the transfiguration.
Judaism has two sources of authority, the Law and the prophets. It was prominent in the Jewish mind that Moses personified the Law and Elijah the prophetic tradition. The vision of Jesus’ glorification in the company of Moses and Elijah was a profound confirmation of his messianic identity and mission. It was also a dramatic expression of the unity and consistency of God’s purpose throughout the history of redemption.
The transfiguration shows us that what God is doing, and what God will do, is of a piece with what God has been doing all along. This is why the Old Testament is so important to our Christian faith. The apostle Paul, for example, did not discover the idea of salvation by grace through faith. He rediscovered it.
Peter James and John, the three disciples apparently closest to Jesus were on the mountaintop. James and John have a smaller part, Peter has an outstanding role. If Moses and Elijah represent God’s word in the past, Peter stands for the future of God’s purpose. We see Peter always majoring in enthusiasm rather than in insight. He was borderline out of control most of the time. Peter suggests pitching three tents as a dwelling place for Moses, Elijah and Jesus. Peter personified the church as Moses and Elijah personified Law and prophets. Jesus has told Peter on this rock I will build the church. Jesus also asks Peter after his resurrection to take care of his sheep.
Transfiguration is the history of redemption compressed into a transcendent and resplendent moment, and it is God’s own unveiling of Jesus, not just as the Messiah but as redemptive history’s being fulfilled. Jesus said it was the time of silence; the disciples were to tell no one about what they had seen. Jesus was following God’s timetable and was not working with a divine sense of timing, which involved mysteries the disciples were not prepared to understand. Jesus probably didn’t want these three to start talking until they had some idea what they were talking about. We are called to be Christ proclaiming church and must look to Christ’s own Spirit for guidance. If you would like to learn more about the love of Jesus Christ, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Cell: 917-743-1574
This Sunday is the Transfiguration Sunday - a day that we celebrate and see how God reveals His glory - to the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. As we look at this Sunday’s gospel text, St. Luke 9: 28 - 36 and meditate on how God reveals His Glory; it is interesting to note that in the Scriptures we see in many ways God reveals Himself.
In the gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus simply calls this transfiguration as a vision as we read in St. Matthew 17:9 “Tell no one about the vision”. This Transfiguration experience is very important that Mark has put it at the very center of his gospel. Luke tells in a different way that Jesus went to the mountaintop to pray. It follows the high hour and a low hour of Simon Peter in particular. In Luke gospel the transfiguration is the supreme movement of identification, validation, and confirmation of Jesus as Christ. What follows this mountaintop experience is a dark journey for Jesus to Jerusalem and His death.
We are surely intended to see in the transfiguration a prefiguration of Jesus’ resurrection. Mark says clothes were whiter so that anyone on earth could bleach. We also ask why only Moses and Elijah why not Father Abraham or king David? Our future is shaped by our pasts, how memory and hope are inseparable, and how the meaning of tomorrow is best seen against the backdrops of yesterday. Just as our lives are stories, with parts that must remain connected, so also is God’s involvement with the world. It is a story in which the past, present and future are connected. That is why Moses and Elijah appear at the transfiguration.
Judaism has two sources of authority, the Law and the prophets. It was prominent in the Jewish mind that Moses personified the Law and Elijah the prophetic tradition. The vision of Jesus’ glorification in the company of Moses and Elijah was a profound confirmation of his messianic identity and mission. It was also a dramatic expression of the unity and consistency of God’s purpose throughout the history of redemption.
The transfiguration shows us that what God is doing, and what God will do, is of a piece with what God has been doing all along. This is why the Old Testament is so important to our Christian faith. The apostle Paul, for example, did not discover the idea of salvation by grace through faith. He rediscovered it.
Peter James and John, the three disciples apparently closest to Jesus were on the mountaintop. James and John have a smaller part, Peter has an outstanding role. If Moses and Elijah represent God’s word in the past, Peter stands for the future of God’s purpose. We see Peter always majoring in enthusiasm rather than in insight. He was borderline out of control most of the time. Peter suggests pitching three tents as a dwelling place for Moses, Elijah and Jesus. Peter personified the church as Moses and Elijah personified Law and prophets. Jesus has told Peter on this rock I will build the church. Jesus also asks Peter after his resurrection to take care of his sheep.
Transfiguration is the history of redemption compressed into a transcendent and resplendent moment, and it is God’s own unveiling of Jesus, not just as the Messiah but as redemptive history’s being fulfilled. Jesus said it was the time of silence; the disciples were to tell no one about what they had seen. Jesus was following God’s timetable and was not working with a divine sense of timing, which involved mysteries the disciples were not prepared to understand. Jesus probably didn’t want these three to start talking until they had some idea what they were talking about. We are called to be Christ proclaiming church and must look to Christ’s own Spirit for guidance. If you would like to learn more about the love of Jesus Christ, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Cell: 917-743-1574
February 23, 2025. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
The gospel passage for today is taken from St. Luke 6: 27-38, in which we read Jesus is telling his disciples to love your enemies, bless your enemies, and pray for your enemies. For our meditation I will be focusing on Love, Mercy and Giving. Luke Chapter 6 is some of the difficult chapters to follow, but if we are true followers of Jesus Christ, the teaching in this chapter can be practiced.
My first thought will be to understand how we can show “Love in action”. We read in verses 27 & 28, "But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you”. The truth is that it is impossible to love our enemies. We tend to find satisfaction in hating our enemies and we like to enjoy that hatred, the less likely we are to desire to love our enemies.
As we all know it is impossible for light and darkness to exist together, it is impossible to love those we hate. But all things are possible if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus tells us the only way to love our enemies is to forgive them. Once we learn to forgive, we can love anyone.
We all know, it was not enough to just say you love someone, Jesus explained to the disciple’s that love is an action. During the time that Jesus taught this lesson to His disciples, the Jewish people were being oppressed by the Romans and therefore they hated them. When Jesus told the people to love their enemies, many could not do it and chose to stop following Him. It is much easier to hate than it is to love. But we must understand that Jesus was not talking about having “affection” for enemies, He was talking about an act of the will.
Please note love is a choice, an act of our will. Just as we can choose to hate, we also make the choice to love, and this is what Jesus was talking about. We cannot simply follow this kind of love; we should make a conscious effort. Loving our enemies means acting in their best interest. While forgiveness is a requirement of God to live obediently for Him in this world. The greater the wound and the pain, the longer it may take to forgive and forget. Yet we do not get tired of carrying this on our back? We do not get weary of stepping around this.
The first step is to ask God to help you have a change of heart toward the person or persons that we conflict with. The person(s) that you need to forgive. Jesus says in Matthew 6:15 “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Of all the things Jesus commanded, loving our enemies is perhaps the most difficult. I may not love God like I should, but I am determined to get a handle on it. I may not love my neighbor as I should - but I have nothing against trying. BUT love my enemy? How many of you have had enemies? How many of you would find it difficult to love them?
Of course you have difficulty loving them, they are your enemies! If you could love them, they would not be your enemies anymore, now, would they? They have hurt you. They have spoken out against you. They have threatened your self-worth, your standing in community, your finances, and your job. They have subjected you to mental cruelty and perhaps even caused you bodily harm.
If there is a change of heart in you, forgiveness will begin to freely flow. It is the kind of change that will allow us, through the power of God. I am reminded of the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: "Lord make us instruments of your peace, where there is hatred, let us sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. All we need to allow and obey God as we need to and let Him have His way in our heart and life today. If you would like to learn more about the love of Jesus Christ, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Cell: 917-743-1574
February 16, 2025. SURPRISING TEACHING
The gospel lesson for this Sunday is taken from St. Luke 6:17-26. Many theologians debate whether this sermon is another version of the Sermon on the Mount which is recorded in the gospel of St. Matthew chapter 5. We see many common themes in both these gospel passages. If we compare these two sermons of Jesus, the one St. Matthew's account is longer, in detail and on a mountain, which is termed as “Sermon on the Mount”. The sermon recorded by St. Luke is brief and on the plain land, which is called Sermon on the Plain.
This sermon seems to have been delivered in the proximity of Lebanon, as we read in verse 17 “And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;”
The Sermon on the Mount gathered people from Galilee, Judaea, Decapolis and people from the other side of Jordan. So, we can see that we are talking about two different locations and two different groups of people, what is in common is that both Jews as well as Gentiles had come to hear Jesus and to be healed by Him.
Jesus, who had prayed all night on a mountain and had come down to a level place. The text goes on to say that Jesus was healing. He was healing those who were possessed by unclean spirits. The people in the crowd came up and tried to touch Him. When they did touch Him, power was coming out of Him, and they were all healed. Jesus always considered His teaching to be more important than His ministry of healing. He came to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD. We see that the desire to hear Him precedes these miracles of healing an exorcism.
It is interesting to know that this sermon is addressed by Jesus to his disciples and not to the crowd which had come. Many people might have heard the words of Jesus who were not his disciples. This did not concern Jesus, only those who were truly disciples could understand the meaning of the words of Jesus. The same is true today. Many think that they have heard the words of the gospel, but without faith, all those who hear are nothing but words.
People take the words of Jesus in all kinds of ways. To some, Jesus is the ultimate person to establish peace and justice. To others, Jesus is a victim of religious prejudice. To others, Jesus is the supreme liberator who overthrows the rich. The Sermon on the Plain is a favorite of those who seek economic justice. People read the words of Jesus and come up with all kinds of different ideas of what Jesus was about. If they are not disciples of Jesus Christ in the judgment of God and not of man, they do not understand Jesus at all.
Jesus begins with a series of blessings. Luke has only four of them, which is less than the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes. The first of these blessings is quite like the first beatitude in Matthew. The difference is that Matthew says, “poor in spirit” and Luke simply says, “the poor.” Is Luke talking about the economic poor? Are all poor people going to heaven? Is it a blessing to be impoverished?
In verse 20 we read “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God”. So, it seems better to understand that Jesus is referring to our attitudes about wealth and not the wealth itself. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil, not money itself. Hoarding wealth and depending upon it for one’s sense of security rather than the LORD is what is sinful. In the Christian context, physical wealth goes along with spiritual gifts as means by which the Christian church was to care for each other. If you like to learn more about the teaching of Jesus please join us in our Sunday Worship at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Cell: 917-743-1574
The gospel lesson for this Sunday is taken from St. Luke 6:17-26. Many theologians debate whether this sermon is another version of the Sermon on the Mount which is recorded in the gospel of St. Matthew chapter 5. We see many common themes in both these gospel passages. If we compare these two sermons of Jesus, the one St. Matthew's account is longer, in detail and on a mountain, which is termed as “Sermon on the Mount”. The sermon recorded by St. Luke is brief and on the plain land, which is called Sermon on the Plain.
This sermon seems to have been delivered in the proximity of Lebanon, as we read in verse 17 “And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;”
The Sermon on the Mount gathered people from Galilee, Judaea, Decapolis and people from the other side of Jordan. So, we can see that we are talking about two different locations and two different groups of people, what is in common is that both Jews as well as Gentiles had come to hear Jesus and to be healed by Him.
Jesus, who had prayed all night on a mountain and had come down to a level place. The text goes on to say that Jesus was healing. He was healing those who were possessed by unclean spirits. The people in the crowd came up and tried to touch Him. When they did touch Him, power was coming out of Him, and they were all healed. Jesus always considered His teaching to be more important than His ministry of healing. He came to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD. We see that the desire to hear Him precedes these miracles of healing an exorcism.
It is interesting to know that this sermon is addressed by Jesus to his disciples and not to the crowd which had come. Many people might have heard the words of Jesus who were not his disciples. This did not concern Jesus, only those who were truly disciples could understand the meaning of the words of Jesus. The same is true today. Many think that they have heard the words of the gospel, but without faith, all those who hear are nothing but words.
People take the words of Jesus in all kinds of ways. To some, Jesus is the ultimate person to establish peace and justice. To others, Jesus is a victim of religious prejudice. To others, Jesus is the supreme liberator who overthrows the rich. The Sermon on the Plain is a favorite of those who seek economic justice. People read the words of Jesus and come up with all kinds of different ideas of what Jesus was about. If they are not disciples of Jesus Christ in the judgment of God and not of man, they do not understand Jesus at all.
Jesus begins with a series of blessings. Luke has only four of them, which is less than the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount begins with the Beatitudes. The first of these blessings is quite like the first beatitude in Matthew. The difference is that Matthew says, “poor in spirit” and Luke simply says, “the poor.” Is Luke talking about the economic poor? Are all poor people going to heaven? Is it a blessing to be impoverished?
In verse 20 we read “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said: “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God”. So, it seems better to understand that Jesus is referring to our attitudes about wealth and not the wealth itself. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil, not money itself. Hoarding wealth and depending upon it for one’s sense of security rather than the LORD is what is sinful. In the Christian context, physical wealth goes along with spiritual gifts as means by which the Christian church was to care for each other. If you like to learn more about the teaching of Jesus please join us in our Sunday Worship at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Cell: 917-743-1574
February 9, 2025. SURPRISING CATCH
The gospel passage for this Sunday is taken from St. Luke 5: 1-11. In this passage we see Jesus calling his disciples ordinary people to do the extraordinary work. This is the story of the call of Peter, John and his brother James. Later Peter John and James become Jesus’ inner circle. As we learn from this passage, they were simple fishermen. They were not men of great learning, they were not men of wealth and power, not men of any particular importance as far as the world was concerned, but just simple fishermen.
As we meditate on this passage, I want us to examine Jesus Christ’s invitation to Peter and to the others to follow Him, and especially Peter went through various stages to accept Christ’s invitation. If you are planning to change your career, like Peter, you may find yourself at the end of one of those invitations to follow the Lord Jesus Christ into some deeper place of service.
According to Luke, as Jesus taught the people, they crowded Him to the point where He was teaching from the banks of the Sea of Galilee. The Bible doesn’t say how large this crowd was, but it was large enough to press upon Jesus. As He is teaching, let us see what these fishermen are doing. They were out in the water by the boats washing their nets. They didn’t drop their work and listen to the teaching. They did not put their nets up and thought they could clean them later. They kept on working.
The first thing I wanted to bring to our attention is doubt in the mind of Peter. Jesus decided to teach from the bow of Peter’s boat. Of course, it was no accident that the Lord chose Peter’s boat. If Peter was not that interested in Him then Jesus would come to Peter, see something that Peter did not even see. Putting up his clean nets, he thrusts out so the Lord might continue His teaching.
We read in Verse 4, Jesus saying, “And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” I like Peter’s response: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and have not caught anything…” Can you imagine what must have been going through his head? Maybe Peter is thinking “What do you know about fishing? You’re a carpenter!”
Do you honestly think Peter felt any differently? They had been working at it all night. They knew that lake better than anyone and here’s a preacher telling them how to fish, so you can hear the doubt in Peter’s voice when he said, “nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.” “We’ve been working at this all night, but if you say so.”
Listen, this is not just about fish. How many times have we thought we knew better than God? I know it won’t work! Whether it’s marriage, raising kids, finance, work relationships, issues of integrity and honesty or a multitude of other things, we doubt what God says. “You can’t love your enemies! I tried that many times, and I remember every time I just got hurt and worse.” “You can’t just forgive people that hurt you. They will take advantage of you.” “You can’t be honest and make it in business. That’s a good way to starve.”
I know. There are a thousand ways we express our doubt, but just as the Lord engaged Peter that day by entering his boat and stretching him, Jesus is here today trying to engage you as well. Today He says to you, “Launch out into the deep!” And while everything in you wants to say that you have toiled all night and have not been successful yet, why not just say, “nevertheless, at your word I will let down the net?”
The second thing is Belief. When Peter put that net down, he was thinking to himself that he was wasting his time and would rather have been getting rested for the next night, but it wasn’t long before he changed his mind! Whatever he thought about Jesus when they cast off was completely changed now.
We read in verse 6, which is amazing! “And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking (RSV).” They caught so many fish that they got the other boat to come to help them, and then the catch nearly sank both boats! If you like to learn more, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Cell: 917-743-1574
The gospel passage for this Sunday is taken from St. Luke 5: 1-11. In this passage we see Jesus calling his disciples ordinary people to do the extraordinary work. This is the story of the call of Peter, John and his brother James. Later Peter John and James become Jesus’ inner circle. As we learn from this passage, they were simple fishermen. They were not men of great learning, they were not men of wealth and power, not men of any particular importance as far as the world was concerned, but just simple fishermen.
As we meditate on this passage, I want us to examine Jesus Christ’s invitation to Peter and to the others to follow Him, and especially Peter went through various stages to accept Christ’s invitation. If you are planning to change your career, like Peter, you may find yourself at the end of one of those invitations to follow the Lord Jesus Christ into some deeper place of service.
According to Luke, as Jesus taught the people, they crowded Him to the point where He was teaching from the banks of the Sea of Galilee. The Bible doesn’t say how large this crowd was, but it was large enough to press upon Jesus. As He is teaching, let us see what these fishermen are doing. They were out in the water by the boats washing their nets. They didn’t drop their work and listen to the teaching. They did not put their nets up and thought they could clean them later. They kept on working.
The first thing I wanted to bring to our attention is doubt in the mind of Peter. Jesus decided to teach from the bow of Peter’s boat. Of course, it was no accident that the Lord chose Peter’s boat. If Peter was not that interested in Him then Jesus would come to Peter, see something that Peter did not even see. Putting up his clean nets, he thrusts out so the Lord might continue His teaching.
We read in Verse 4, Jesus saying, “And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” I like Peter’s response: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and have not caught anything…” Can you imagine what must have been going through his head? Maybe Peter is thinking “What do you know about fishing? You’re a carpenter!”
Do you honestly think Peter felt any differently? They had been working at it all night. They knew that lake better than anyone and here’s a preacher telling them how to fish, so you can hear the doubt in Peter’s voice when he said, “nevertheless at your word I will let down the net.” “We’ve been working at this all night, but if you say so.”
Listen, this is not just about fish. How many times have we thought we knew better than God? I know it won’t work! Whether it’s marriage, raising kids, finance, work relationships, issues of integrity and honesty or a multitude of other things, we doubt what God says. “You can’t love your enemies! I tried that many times, and I remember every time I just got hurt and worse.” “You can’t just forgive people that hurt you. They will take advantage of you.” “You can’t be honest and make it in business. That’s a good way to starve.”
I know. There are a thousand ways we express our doubt, but just as the Lord engaged Peter that day by entering his boat and stretching him, Jesus is here today trying to engage you as well. Today He says to you, “Launch out into the deep!” And while everything in you wants to say that you have toiled all night and have not been successful yet, why not just say, “nevertheless, at your word I will let down the net?”
The second thing is Belief. When Peter put that net down, he was thinking to himself that he was wasting his time and would rather have been getting rested for the next night, but it wasn’t long before he changed his mind! Whatever he thought about Jesus when they cast off was completely changed now.
We read in verse 6, which is amazing! “And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking (RSV).” They caught so many fish that they got the other boat to come to help them, and then the catch nearly sank both boats! If you like to learn more, please join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Cell: 917-743-1574
February 2, 2025. PROPHET ON THE EDGE
Last week’s gospel reading gives us an account of the arrival of Jesus into the Synagogue, he chose his own reading from a passage from Isaiah. We heard that Jesus was basically introducing himself as the long-awaited messiah stating what he was about to do, and his mission. This passage is also called Jesus's “Nazareth Manifesto: Jesus’ Mission Statement”.
The reading for this Sunday is from St. Luke 4:21-30. We will be focusing on Jesus's sermon which proceeded from last week's reading; a sermon not recorded in full, but with just enough to give us an idea, what Jesus was basically saying, is that “He is God’s salvation to the world”. Back then, this is not what the people wanted to hear.
Yes, as we read in St. Luke 4:22 they “all spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth”, at first, but this is not how it ended. Because somewhere in Jesus’s sermon he really annoyed them, to the point where he enraged them fully, and to get people that angry Jesus must have spoken with authority. He must have belittled or humiliated them, and he must have said something that hurt them to the core.
Yes, I am sure Jesus spoke confidently, and I am sure His sermon was good, but I am also sure it was radical, a sermon unlike they had never heard, for some reason, their eyes were suddenly turned to the fact that this was Joseph’s son, the carpenter, the kid they had watched grow up, and now that kid, was a man, and he was telling them, that he was the son of God.
We can imagine how they felt, as they stood there looking at him, seeing nobody special; just a carpenter with his regular appearance, in fact the bible tells us in Isaiah 53, “that Jesus did not have any external features or beauty that would attract or draw people to Him”. So, to them He was simply ordinary.
When Jesus said he was the Messiah, they were all looking at a young man they had known all his life, a man who had no army, nor wealth, instead he had 12 ordinary, probably dirty looking men who followed him. So you cannot blame the people when they began to question Jesus as to who he really was, particularly after he told them that he was going to bring God's salvation to earth, and only through him.
They just could not see how this could be, just like many people today. You see, most people, particularly the shallower ones, (and that is the majority), generally look at the physical, and make judgments based on what they see. Some people can see beyond the physical, and see the soul of a person, you know the intellect, the mind, the will, and the emotions of a person, and then make judgements based on that.
But very few people look at the spiritual side of a person, and see the powerhouse behind them, and that was what Jesus had, that was where his strength lay, why? We all know the answer, Jesus had the Holy Spirit in him, and there is nobody more powerful as I have said a few weeks ago. This is what the crowd did not get; because there was no way the people could see he is the Messiah, or know he is the Messiah but that is God’s plan, to work through the common, ordinary things of life, from which he reveals the spectacular.
God takes pride in working through the ordinary things in life. He does not need great wealth, or a big army, he does not need fame nor presence, and he just knows where to tap the right thing, at the right time, without making a show of it. All God needs are the ordinary people in life, with ordinary things like water, and bread and wine, from which he can do amazingly powerful things, like bringing true forgiveness of sins from which captives can be set free. If you would like to know more about it, please join us in our Sunday worship on Sunday at 11:00 A.M.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Last week’s gospel reading gives us an account of the arrival of Jesus into the Synagogue, he chose his own reading from a passage from Isaiah. We heard that Jesus was basically introducing himself as the long-awaited messiah stating what he was about to do, and his mission. This passage is also called Jesus's “Nazareth Manifesto: Jesus’ Mission Statement”.
The reading for this Sunday is from St. Luke 4:21-30. We will be focusing on Jesus's sermon which proceeded from last week's reading; a sermon not recorded in full, but with just enough to give us an idea, what Jesus was basically saying, is that “He is God’s salvation to the world”. Back then, this is not what the people wanted to hear.
Yes, as we read in St. Luke 4:22 they “all spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth”, at first, but this is not how it ended. Because somewhere in Jesus’s sermon he really annoyed them, to the point where he enraged them fully, and to get people that angry Jesus must have spoken with authority. He must have belittled or humiliated them, and he must have said something that hurt them to the core.
Yes, I am sure Jesus spoke confidently, and I am sure His sermon was good, but I am also sure it was radical, a sermon unlike they had never heard, for some reason, their eyes were suddenly turned to the fact that this was Joseph’s son, the carpenter, the kid they had watched grow up, and now that kid, was a man, and he was telling them, that he was the son of God.
We can imagine how they felt, as they stood there looking at him, seeing nobody special; just a carpenter with his regular appearance, in fact the bible tells us in Isaiah 53, “that Jesus did not have any external features or beauty that would attract or draw people to Him”. So, to them He was simply ordinary.
When Jesus said he was the Messiah, they were all looking at a young man they had known all his life, a man who had no army, nor wealth, instead he had 12 ordinary, probably dirty looking men who followed him. So you cannot blame the people when they began to question Jesus as to who he really was, particularly after he told them that he was going to bring God's salvation to earth, and only through him.
They just could not see how this could be, just like many people today. You see, most people, particularly the shallower ones, (and that is the majority), generally look at the physical, and make judgments based on what they see. Some people can see beyond the physical, and see the soul of a person, you know the intellect, the mind, the will, and the emotions of a person, and then make judgements based on that.
But very few people look at the spiritual side of a person, and see the powerhouse behind them, and that was what Jesus had, that was where his strength lay, why? We all know the answer, Jesus had the Holy Spirit in him, and there is nobody more powerful as I have said a few weeks ago. This is what the crowd did not get; because there was no way the people could see he is the Messiah, or know he is the Messiah but that is God’s plan, to work through the common, ordinary things of life, from which he reveals the spectacular.
God takes pride in working through the ordinary things in life. He does not need great wealth, or a big army, he does not need fame nor presence, and he just knows where to tap the right thing, at the right time, without making a show of it. All God needs are the ordinary people in life, with ordinary things like water, and bread and wine, from which he can do amazingly powerful things, like bringing true forgiveness of sins from which captives can be set free. If you would like to know more about it, please join us in our Sunday worship on Sunday at 11:00 A.M.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
I January 26, 2025. GOOD NEWS, GOOD WAY
The gospel passage for this Sunday is from St. Luke 4: 21-30, Jesus was in a Synagogue, took the scroll of Isaiah and after reading, he expounded on the passage. This passage is also called Jesus's “Nazareth Manifesto or Jesus’ Mission Statement”. We will be focusing this Sunday on what Jesus was basically saying, “He is God’s salvation to the world”.
We heard that Jesus was basically introducing himself as the long-awaited “Messiah” stating what he was about to do in His ministry and mission. As we read in verse 22 “all spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth”. But this is not how it ended. Because somewhere in Jesus’ sermon he really annoyed them, to the point where he enraged the people in the Synagogue fully, and to get people that angry Jesus must have spoken with authority. He must have belittled or humiliated them, and he must have said something that hurt them to the core.
Yes, I am sure Jesus spoke confidently, and I am sure his sermon was good, but I am also sure it was radical, a sermon unlike they had never heard, for some reason, their eyes were suddenly turned to the fact that this was Joseph’s son, the carpenter, the kid they had watched grow up, and now the same kid, was a man, and he was telling them, that he was the son of God. We can imagine how they felt, as they stood there looking at him, seeing nobody special; just a carpenter with his regular appearance, in fact the Bible tells us in Isaiah 53, “that Jesus did not have any external features or beauty that would attract or draw people to Him”. So, to the on looker on that day, Jesus was simply ordinary.
The second part of Jesus' message is made clear, Jesus reminded the Jews (his audience) that all people on this earth were to receive God’s salvation, note all people, and not just the Jews. Jesus reminded them of the Old Testament stories where Elijah and Elisha brought food and healing to a widow and to a leper, both of whom were not Jews. Now this may sound innocent enough, and shows compassion, but in context, there was a great famine throughout the land of Israel at that time, with many Jewish widows and lepers going hungry and dying. Many Jews saw God was ignoring them and bringing food and healing to the Gentile widow and a Gentile leper.
And the Jews knew this story well, they did not like this story, and Jesus reminded them of this story, because it really hit their nerve; after all, they were God’s chosen people, and not these gentiles who they always looked down on. This story really angered the Jews, in fact it angered them so much that they all drove Jesus out of town to a cliff, where they tried to kill him.
Jesus was saying that God wants salvation for all people, and Jesus wants all people to understand his gospel. I think as we look at this passage and try to see how this passage fits our situation in life. We need to dwell not on the fact that Jesus surprised his synagogue audience with the remarkable statement that he was God’s salvation, but today I think we need to concentrate on what it means that Jesus is our salvation, which is the gospel truth.
The gospel is to be preached to all, so that all can hear the good news; and there is so much more good news in the Bible that we are called to share. If you would like to know more about it, please join us in our Sunday worship at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Cell: 917-743-1574
The gospel passage for this Sunday is from St. Luke 4: 21-30, Jesus was in a Synagogue, took the scroll of Isaiah and after reading, he expounded on the passage. This passage is also called Jesus's “Nazareth Manifesto or Jesus’ Mission Statement”. We will be focusing this Sunday on what Jesus was basically saying, “He is God’s salvation to the world”.
We heard that Jesus was basically introducing himself as the long-awaited “Messiah” stating what he was about to do in His ministry and mission. As we read in verse 22 “all spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth”. But this is not how it ended. Because somewhere in Jesus’ sermon he really annoyed them, to the point where he enraged the people in the Synagogue fully, and to get people that angry Jesus must have spoken with authority. He must have belittled or humiliated them, and he must have said something that hurt them to the core.
Yes, I am sure Jesus spoke confidently, and I am sure his sermon was good, but I am also sure it was radical, a sermon unlike they had never heard, for some reason, their eyes were suddenly turned to the fact that this was Joseph’s son, the carpenter, the kid they had watched grow up, and now the same kid, was a man, and he was telling them, that he was the son of God. We can imagine how they felt, as they stood there looking at him, seeing nobody special; just a carpenter with his regular appearance, in fact the Bible tells us in Isaiah 53, “that Jesus did not have any external features or beauty that would attract or draw people to Him”. So, to the on looker on that day, Jesus was simply ordinary.
The second part of Jesus' message is made clear, Jesus reminded the Jews (his audience) that all people on this earth were to receive God’s salvation, note all people, and not just the Jews. Jesus reminded them of the Old Testament stories where Elijah and Elisha brought food and healing to a widow and to a leper, both of whom were not Jews. Now this may sound innocent enough, and shows compassion, but in context, there was a great famine throughout the land of Israel at that time, with many Jewish widows and lepers going hungry and dying. Many Jews saw God was ignoring them and bringing food and healing to the Gentile widow and a Gentile leper.
And the Jews knew this story well, they did not like this story, and Jesus reminded them of this story, because it really hit their nerve; after all, they were God’s chosen people, and not these gentiles who they always looked down on. This story really angered the Jews, in fact it angered them so much that they all drove Jesus out of town to a cliff, where they tried to kill him.
Jesus was saying that God wants salvation for all people, and Jesus wants all people to understand his gospel. I think as we look at this passage and try to see how this passage fits our situation in life. We need to dwell not on the fact that Jesus surprised his synagogue audience with the remarkable statement that he was God’s salvation, but today I think we need to concentrate on what it means that Jesus is our salvation, which is the gospel truth.
The gospel is to be preached to all, so that all can hear the good news; and there is so much more good news in the Bible that we are called to share. If you would like to know more about it, please join us in our Sunday worship at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Cell: 917-743-1574
January19, 2025. EXTRAVAGANT SIGN
This Sunday’s gospel passage is from St. John 2: 1-11, the story of Jesus turning water into wine is narrated and this is the first recorded miracle Jesus ever performed. If we want to analyze the meaning of a miracle, I believe and think that God, through infinite wisdom, created natural processes. Like a seed grows into a plant, which then bears fruit, which contains seeds, which can then produce another plant. This is considered a ‘natural’ process, and I believe it was instituted by God. By natural I mean that there are certain laws that govern nature that God has set in order.
What are miracles? I believe that a miracle is when God intervenes in the natural process He created and makes something supernatural. This is what is so intriguing to many people about miracles, they cannot be studied because they break scientific laws.
The miracle at Cana is one of my favorites in scripture, not so much because it was Jesus’ first, or that He was ‘keeping the party going’, but because the miracle of turning ordinary water into perfectly fermented wine is a great picture of the many other miracles found within the scriptures.
The miracle first relates to the “Creation miracle”, many scientists contest the story of creation because of the time factor. They argue that it would be impossible for the world to be created in six days because it takes time to form elements and cells and matter
I often use the miracle at Cana to rebut this argument. Does it not take time for wine to age? In fact, the older the wine, the more valuable it is. Jesus took ordinary well water and, in an instant, He produced perfectly aged wine
Coincidentally He also used six clay pots, and there were six creation days. Jesus, who we know according to John’s gospel made all things, proves His power over the natural elements with a simple miracle, which had a profound meaning. I think where scientists fail when looking at the creation story is that they forget that the God of this universe created natural laws and is not bound by them. Jesus, who is God the Son, proved time and time again throughout His ministry, that He was not bound by scientific laws.
God did not have to take ‘time’ to create anything. He spoke all things into existence. First light, then the firmament, then the land, then the herbs and trees, then the sun, moon and stars, fish, and birds, then the cattle, creeping things and beasts
In fact, the only thing God did not ‘speak’ into existence was man. The Word of God declares that man was fashioned from the dust of the ground. Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” The word ‘formed’ is the same word used in scripture to describe a potter shaping pots. Though God spoke the worlds into existence in an instant – He took the time to fashion man according to His own image.
The miracle at Cana not only represents the creation miracle, but also Christ’s Miracle: Christ used six water pots, which not only parallel for the days of creation. We can take an allegorical look at the water pots and imagine ourselves as being them. Man was created from the dust of the ground, much the same way as the clay pots came into being. Romans 9:21 refers to us as ‘vessels of clay’: “Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?”
Jesus did not change the pots on the outside; He changed what was inside. Jesus took that ordinary water and instantly changed it into the best wine. This is a picture of what Christ does in our lives. He takes ordinary people and gives them a changed life. II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come (RSV).” Please join us in our worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
This Sunday’s gospel passage is from St. John 2: 1-11, the story of Jesus turning water into wine is narrated and this is the first recorded miracle Jesus ever performed. If we want to analyze the meaning of a miracle, I believe and think that God, through infinite wisdom, created natural processes. Like a seed grows into a plant, which then bears fruit, which contains seeds, which can then produce another plant. This is considered a ‘natural’ process, and I believe it was instituted by God. By natural I mean that there are certain laws that govern nature that God has set in order.
What are miracles? I believe that a miracle is when God intervenes in the natural process He created and makes something supernatural. This is what is so intriguing to many people about miracles, they cannot be studied because they break scientific laws.
The miracle at Cana is one of my favorites in scripture, not so much because it was Jesus’ first, or that He was ‘keeping the party going’, but because the miracle of turning ordinary water into perfectly fermented wine is a great picture of the many other miracles found within the scriptures.
The miracle first relates to the “Creation miracle”, many scientists contest the story of creation because of the time factor. They argue that it would be impossible for the world to be created in six days because it takes time to form elements and cells and matter
I often use the miracle at Cana to rebut this argument. Does it not take time for wine to age? In fact, the older the wine, the more valuable it is. Jesus took ordinary well water and, in an instant, He produced perfectly aged wine
Coincidentally He also used six clay pots, and there were six creation days. Jesus, who we know according to John’s gospel made all things, proves His power over the natural elements with a simple miracle, which had a profound meaning. I think where scientists fail when looking at the creation story is that they forget that the God of this universe created natural laws and is not bound by them. Jesus, who is God the Son, proved time and time again throughout His ministry, that He was not bound by scientific laws.
God did not have to take ‘time’ to create anything. He spoke all things into existence. First light, then the firmament, then the land, then the herbs and trees, then the sun, moon and stars, fish, and birds, then the cattle, creeping things and beasts
In fact, the only thing God did not ‘speak’ into existence was man. The Word of God declares that man was fashioned from the dust of the ground. Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” The word ‘formed’ is the same word used in scripture to describe a potter shaping pots. Though God spoke the worlds into existence in an instant – He took the time to fashion man according to His own image.
The miracle at Cana not only represents the creation miracle, but also Christ’s Miracle: Christ used six water pots, which not only parallel for the days of creation. We can take an allegorical look at the water pots and imagine ourselves as being them. Man was created from the dust of the ground, much the same way as the clay pots came into being. Romans 9:21 refers to us as ‘vessels of clay’: “Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?”
Jesus did not change the pots on the outside; He changed what was inside. Jesus took that ordinary water and instantly changed it into the best wine. This is a picture of what Christ does in our lives. He takes ordinary people and gives them a changed life. II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come (RSV).” Please join us in our worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
January 12, 2025. AFFIRMED BY LOVE
Our gospel lesson for this Sunday is from St. Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22, it is the story of Jesus’ baptism. As Jesus used this event to understand his ministry - his mission among us. The first lesson from Isaiah 43: 1-7, and the second reading from Acts 8: 4-17, are a commentary on the life of Jesus as he was seen as the servant of God among the people calling them into righteousness and hope. The Baptism of the Lord reminds us to be faithful to his calling. In Jesus’ ministry, he calls all people into a relationship with him. He calls them as equals into a fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ, and then asks each one to live responsibly as they seek to love Him and their neighbor.
We are going to see what it means to be in the baptized community of faith, what it means to be brothers and sisters in Christ. As baptized children of God, we can say about ourselves that God has included all people as his children. Each of us are in God’s picture of salvation, not by our merits but by his request, his claiming us in baptism.
After this event, our lives are a response to God’s saving grace in baptism. A response, not an insurance policy. Baptism brings us into God’s picture of salvation, but unlike real paintings, we can take ourselves out of the picture by living a life, which does not respond to God’s act of grace. God brought us into salvation by His power through our baptism. It is a picture of beauty however we can make salvation something less than beautiful if we remove ourselves from it by rejecting God, his word, his supper, his grace by removing ourselves from the community of faith.
Baptism is not an insurance policy to heaven, but baptism is our boarding pass to a lifetime with Jesus. Baptism begins a relationship with Jesus, which is nourished, fed, strengthened, enriched, and kept alive by faithfully availing oneself to God’s means of grace, the word and the sacraments, especially communion. Our journey through life with Jesus needs the encouragement, the strength, and the lasting power of a faithful presence in and with the community of believers.
Along with being included and wanted in God’s family, baptism allows us equal access to God’s grace. The good news of God through Christ, God is no respecter of persons. In God’s eyes all are equal.
Because we are brothers and sisters equally in Christ, as the faithful community of Christ we care, help, pray for, support, those brothers, and sisters in the community as if they are indeed "blood relatives." Also, we pray for, minister to, and evangelize those who are not members of the body so they might know the love and grace we have experienced in Christ. We do not hoard the good news of Christ but give it freely to others.
We are in the Epiphany season where we emphasize the light of Christ, the light, which shines in the darkness. Christ is a light which shines in our individual lives and at the same time a light, which is spread to others. Think about a candle for a moment. A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. In fact, it gains, because there are now two candles in which to see in the darkness. Instead of one light piercing the darkness, now there are two. Each light gives strength and courage to the other. Each soul, each person in the body of Christ gives strength, courage, faith, and hope, to the others as they walk together in the darkness of this world.
Our light does shine in the darkness of this world. Our baptism which we have seen includes each person and is equally given to us to be responsible to each other as we walk the journey of faith. The body of Christ, the church, the community of faith is God’s gift to us through Baptism. Because it is a gift, we have no right to limit God’s gift, or restrict it, or somehow believe that it is ours. The body of Christ, the church knows no bounds. It is the gift of God to those who have experienced God’s grace in Baptism as our faith and trust in God’s grace might grow and mature. Join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
Our gospel lesson for this Sunday is from St. Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22, it is the story of Jesus’ baptism. As Jesus used this event to understand his ministry - his mission among us. The first lesson from Isaiah 43: 1-7, and the second reading from Acts 8: 4-17, are a commentary on the life of Jesus as he was seen as the servant of God among the people calling them into righteousness and hope. The Baptism of the Lord reminds us to be faithful to his calling. In Jesus’ ministry, he calls all people into a relationship with him. He calls them as equals into a fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ, and then asks each one to live responsibly as they seek to love Him and their neighbor.
We are going to see what it means to be in the baptized community of faith, what it means to be brothers and sisters in Christ. As baptized children of God, we can say about ourselves that God has included all people as his children. Each of us are in God’s picture of salvation, not by our merits but by his request, his claiming us in baptism.
After this event, our lives are a response to God’s saving grace in baptism. A response, not an insurance policy. Baptism brings us into God’s picture of salvation, but unlike real paintings, we can take ourselves out of the picture by living a life, which does not respond to God’s act of grace. God brought us into salvation by His power through our baptism. It is a picture of beauty however we can make salvation something less than beautiful if we remove ourselves from it by rejecting God, his word, his supper, his grace by removing ourselves from the community of faith.
Baptism is not an insurance policy to heaven, but baptism is our boarding pass to a lifetime with Jesus. Baptism begins a relationship with Jesus, which is nourished, fed, strengthened, enriched, and kept alive by faithfully availing oneself to God’s means of grace, the word and the sacraments, especially communion. Our journey through life with Jesus needs the encouragement, the strength, and the lasting power of a faithful presence in and with the community of believers.
Along with being included and wanted in God’s family, baptism allows us equal access to God’s grace. The good news of God through Christ, God is no respecter of persons. In God’s eyes all are equal.
Because we are brothers and sisters equally in Christ, as the faithful community of Christ we care, help, pray for, support, those brothers, and sisters in the community as if they are indeed "blood relatives." Also, we pray for, minister to, and evangelize those who are not members of the body so they might know the love and grace we have experienced in Christ. We do not hoard the good news of Christ but give it freely to others.
We are in the Epiphany season where we emphasize the light of Christ, the light, which shines in the darkness. Christ is a light which shines in our individual lives and at the same time a light, which is spread to others. Think about a candle for a moment. A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. In fact, it gains, because there are now two candles in which to see in the darkness. Instead of one light piercing the darkness, now there are two. Each light gives strength and courage to the other. Each soul, each person in the body of Christ gives strength, courage, faith, and hope, to the others as they walk together in the darkness of this world.
Our light does shine in the darkness of this world. Our baptism which we have seen includes each person and is equally given to us to be responsible to each other as we walk the journey of faith. The body of Christ, the church, the community of faith is God’s gift to us through Baptism. Because it is a gift, we have no right to limit God’s gift, or restrict it, or somehow believe that it is ours. The body of Christ, the church knows no bounds. It is the gift of God to those who have experienced God’s grace in Baptism as our faith and trust in God’s grace might grow and mature. Join us in our worship on Sunday at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
West Center Congregational Church
101 Pondfield Road West
Bronxville, NY 10708
January 5, 2025 ANOTHER ROAD
On this Epiphany Sunday, we see the promise fulfilled in the story of the Wise men. The Wise men are our examples of discernment. They believed the promise from Isaiah 60:1"Arise, shine, for your light has come." They saw the star and followed it. They went first to Jerusalem, where they were disappointed. The newborn king was not in the capital city.
Epiphany is the Gentile feast of faith. We celebrate not only the faith of the Gentiles, as symbolized by the Wise men; we also celebrate the mission to the Gentiles. But who are the Gentiles today, now that the church is a Gentile church? The Gentiles are the ones on the outside looking in, the ones who are powerless, the ones who are shunned and scorned. If our light has come, it is a light to be shared, not hidden.
We are to stand in solidarity with people who are poor, powerless, and excluded, to dispel the thick darkness, which covers their lives. We are to fulfill our baptismal promise as we read in Matthews 5:16: "Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven." Nowhere is the truth of Epiphany more evident than in the Eucharist. We gather around the Lord's Table as members of the same body of Christ, heirs together of the promises of the gospel. We see the faces of our fellow Christians, and we see the light of Christ.
The festival of the Epiphany of Our Lord is a celebration that has reminded Christians since the second century that the light has already reached us. The light has already come in Jesus Christ. His light has vanquished the dark nightmares in our souls. "Arise, shine;" declares Isaiah, "for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you". Nightmares exist. Evil lurks around darkened corners of our lives, "but the Lord will arise upon you and his glory will appear over you". Did you catch the language of both Christmas and Easter here? The Light has come. The Glory of the Lord has risen.
It is no coincidence that early Christians selected this text to be read on Epiphany Day, the day on which the appearance of the Light of Christ is celebrated. The Light, born in Bethlehem, rises and shines brilliantly from the empty tomb outside Jerusalem. Epiphany, the Day of Light, connects birth, passion, and resurrection in the Church year. The Light has reached us. The Light shines in our lives today and everyday.
One of the things I love about Christmas is that it is traditionally a time of celebration. For some reason, at Christmas time, people suddenly start thinking about family and friends and love and peace, about giving and sharing and helping those in need. I am not sure why we wait until December to begin being this way, but that’s the way it is. When you go to the stores and restaurants, it seems that people in general are friendlier and more cheerful. When I think of all of it, I cannot help but wish that people were like that all year round.
The gospel passage we are going to read this Sunday, is a passage of celebration and a passage of worship. We are going to follow the journey of the wise men as they seek this newborn King of the Jews. As we follow them, there are some lessons I think we can learn from their experience, and the result should be the same as theirs.
God will lead those who are truly seeking Christ: The gospel lesson St. Matthews 2: 1, of our text says that there were wise men who had traveled from the east. The word from which we get wise men is the word magi, from which we get the word magician. Most people assume there were three of them, an idea that probably came from the fact that there are only three gifts mentioned, but the fact is that we don’t know how many of these wise men there actually were. There could have been two, a dozen, or several dozen.
These Wise men had come from the east, from the area in or around Babylon, which is present day Iraq. While we do not really know where they got their information, I think it is safe to speculate that they had the writings of Daniel as a guide. Remember that Daniel had been in Babylonian captivity most of his life, first as a servant of the king, but as the Lord blessed and prospered him, he became one of the wise men of Babylon – one of the magi. As Daniel wrote and studied, he left important information that would later, several hundred years later, guide these magi to the King of the Jews! In fact, Daniel’s prophecies practically told them when the Messiah would be born – it just didn’t tell them where. If you like to learn more please join us in our worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister
On this Epiphany Sunday, we see the promise fulfilled in the story of the Wise men. The Wise men are our examples of discernment. They believed the promise from Isaiah 60:1"Arise, shine, for your light has come." They saw the star and followed it. They went first to Jerusalem, where they were disappointed. The newborn king was not in the capital city.
Epiphany is the Gentile feast of faith. We celebrate not only the faith of the Gentiles, as symbolized by the Wise men; we also celebrate the mission to the Gentiles. But who are the Gentiles today, now that the church is a Gentile church? The Gentiles are the ones on the outside looking in, the ones who are powerless, the ones who are shunned and scorned. If our light has come, it is a light to be shared, not hidden.
We are to stand in solidarity with people who are poor, powerless, and excluded, to dispel the thick darkness, which covers their lives. We are to fulfill our baptismal promise as we read in Matthews 5:16: "Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven." Nowhere is the truth of Epiphany more evident than in the Eucharist. We gather around the Lord's Table as members of the same body of Christ, heirs together of the promises of the gospel. We see the faces of our fellow Christians, and we see the light of Christ.
The festival of the Epiphany of Our Lord is a celebration that has reminded Christians since the second century that the light has already reached us. The light has already come in Jesus Christ. His light has vanquished the dark nightmares in our souls. "Arise, shine;" declares Isaiah, "for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you". Nightmares exist. Evil lurks around darkened corners of our lives, "but the Lord will arise upon you and his glory will appear over you". Did you catch the language of both Christmas and Easter here? The Light has come. The Glory of the Lord has risen.
It is no coincidence that early Christians selected this text to be read on Epiphany Day, the day on which the appearance of the Light of Christ is celebrated. The Light, born in Bethlehem, rises and shines brilliantly from the empty tomb outside Jerusalem. Epiphany, the Day of Light, connects birth, passion, and resurrection in the Church year. The Light has reached us. The Light shines in our lives today and everyday.
One of the things I love about Christmas is that it is traditionally a time of celebration. For some reason, at Christmas time, people suddenly start thinking about family and friends and love and peace, about giving and sharing and helping those in need. I am not sure why we wait until December to begin being this way, but that’s the way it is. When you go to the stores and restaurants, it seems that people in general are friendlier and more cheerful. When I think of all of it, I cannot help but wish that people were like that all year round.
The gospel passage we are going to read this Sunday, is a passage of celebration and a passage of worship. We are going to follow the journey of the wise men as they seek this newborn King of the Jews. As we follow them, there are some lessons I think we can learn from their experience, and the result should be the same as theirs.
God will lead those who are truly seeking Christ: The gospel lesson St. Matthews 2: 1, of our text says that there were wise men who had traveled from the east. The word from which we get wise men is the word magi, from which we get the word magician. Most people assume there were three of them, an idea that probably came from the fact that there are only three gifts mentioned, but the fact is that we don’t know how many of these wise men there actually were. There could have been two, a dozen, or several dozen.
These Wise men had come from the east, from the area in or around Babylon, which is present day Iraq. While we do not really know where they got their information, I think it is safe to speculate that they had the writings of Daniel as a guide. Remember that Daniel had been in Babylonian captivity most of his life, first as a servant of the king, but as the Lord blessed and prospered him, he became one of the wise men of Babylon – one of the magi. As Daniel wrote and studied, he left important information that would later, several hundred years later, guide these magi to the King of the Jews! In fact, Daniel’s prophecies practically told them when the Messiah would be born – it just didn’t tell them where. If you like to learn more please join us in our worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM.
Peace!
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj
Minister