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from FOCUS October 2020
Lessons I Learnt During COVID-19 Pandemic
GeorgeThomas, Copenhagen* During this Pandemic it is easy to see bad things happening all around us. However, with a biblical view on the present circumstances it may become clearer that what God could be doing during this time oftaking things away is actually giving us something wonderful and eternal in return. Here are the eight things that I have been learning during thistime: anything back from yesterday. Appreciate today while we have it and what we have in it. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). This should teach us a great deal about the precious value of time. Putting off a reconciling conversation until later, praying for some dear person, writing few words of encouragement to a distressed or burdened friend, or helping a needy person today, are all choices we could make right now. When that golden opportunity is gone, it is gone! 2. Jesus is our only dependable companion on this earthly journey. I started realizing that even our nearest and dearest ones cannot be with us 3. or holding our hands in our final hours or times of distress under certain circumstances beyond 4. 5. 6.
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human control. Only Jesus is our steadfast The COVID-19 Pandemic is wreaking havoc across our companion –carrying us in his arms when we world. It is an uncertain time. And yet for all the pain, the cannot walk alone. What a friend we have in Bible teaches that for Christians, these trials are not wasted or meaningless. God is at work through it all, teaching us things that we might not otherwise learn Jesus! “Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to (Romans 8:28, Hebrews 12:5-11). every city and place where He Himself was going
1. Time has one direction–forward. We cannot get
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to come” (Luke 10:1). Our sense of security or safety is a myth. I used to feel reasonably “safe and insulated” from public health-related disasters or catastrophes in a modern, advanced country like Denmark. Similarly, I have not been overly concerned about my financial security as a retired senior person. Suddenly I have been watching how some of my basic assumptions are getting overturned. Thus, I have come to discern: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches the city, the watchman stays awake
in vain” Psalm 127:1). No one is guaranteed tomorrow. I have been living my life as if I will have a longer future on this earth. I think about next week, next month, and next year like they are guaranteed dates on my calendar. This Pandemic has emphatically taught me to ponder over our own mortality with better clarity –especially not to say: “Today or tomorrow we will do this…” (James 4:13). It heightens our “death-awareness”. Yes, it’s a confronting thought. But if we combine this death-awareness with the Gospel of the Risen Christ who has overcome death, we can become more captivated by the resurrected life to come. “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that
is far better” (Philippians 1:23).
Redeeming today requires an unfamiliar pace
of life. I am convinced that we are just too busy. There are too many options to stay busy, and we have learned a pace of life that devalues the things that matter most. I can hear the words of Jesus to Martha: “You are worried and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41). We need to choose the things that cannot be taken from us and those things require a slower pace and more time than they generally get.
8.
9.
Church gatherings are somewhat undervalued
and underappreciated. This is the first time in most of our lives that we have not been able to “be” with the church every week. We have failed to recognize how important it is to be with other believers regularly. I did not realize how much I was gaining from being there every week until it suddenly was missing. “Let us not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
Prayer is vastly undervalued and significantly
underutilized. Most of us pray every day. A quick mealtime prayer or a few moments in the morning or before we go to bed are pretty common practices. But praying, and I mean really praying, is a rare effort. What might happen to our families, our churches, our countries and our world if we seized this opportunity of relative stillness and used it for concentrated, long periods of prayer? My wife and I did appreciate the opportunity, among others, during the Lent Season this year to pray for a couple of specific migrant churches in Denmark continuously for 40 days –as part of an initiative by a multicultural Christian platform. “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face continually” (1 Chronicles 16:11).
Leaning into suffering versus avoiding
suffering at all cost. There is a key difference between the typical secular response to suffering and uncertainty, and the biblical response. In the modern secular worldview, suffering (especially life threatening suffering) is to be avoided at all costs. But in the biblical view, a Christian’s suffering serves a higher purpose. Yes, suffering is painful - the Bible doesn’t deny that. But it is a key way that God achieves His purposes, namely, to make us more like Christ (“Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:2-4). That goal gives meaning and purpose to our suffering. And so, Christians can lean into suffering. We don’t have to fear it. We don’t have to avoid it. Instead, we can use it to glorify God, and serve others.
Thus we are interrelated, interconnected, and interdependent. What happens in the Americas is felt in Africa, what happens in Asia is felt in Europe, and the like. This means that the people of this world are our brothers and sisters, and that we are all one family under Almighty God. What happens to some of us will ultimately have impact on all of us. Our world today desperately needs God’s intervention and an integral solution that encompasses the whole creation.
In closing, my hope and prayer are that during these strange times, we learn the lessons God would teach us individually and collectively as the universal Christian church, and as nations. And though we are locked down in our homes for a little while, take heart—Easter is coming.
Editor’s Note: Mr. George Thomas retired as Principal Industry Specialist of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group based in Washington DC. He has been serving on the Boards of several companies in the manufacturing sector wherein the IFC has equity investments. He holds a Master's Degree in Structural Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. He is settled in Copenhagen, and is a member of the State Lutheran Church of Denmark.
[The following collections are reflections of the members of various churches and its leaders who are members of the ecumenical body, Churches of Churches Together in England (CTE). It is collated by Miss Sarah Ball who is a communication assistant of the CTE. We are very grateful to CTE for allowing us to publish this because it gives us a post-COVID landscape of faith from a wide spectrum of Christian communities in the UK.]
We have received a marvellous variety of reflections to share. They range from the deeply personal response to the pandemic of an 18-year-old, via practical, technological and financial challenges, through to theological perspectives on Covid-19. Many churches are also grieving the loss of members, and in some cases leaders, during this unprecedented time. Thank you to everyone who contributed.
The Church and the world
Anticipating the future - Revd Dr Stephen Hance, National Lead for Evangelism and Witness for the Church of England
“’The World is my Parish’, or so the founder of the Methodist Church Movement John Wesley wrote in his diary. Never before have his words held quite so much weight. With our buildings closed, we are learning afresh what it might mean for us as local communities, a national organisation, and a global church –to see the whole world as our place of ministry.”
The World is my Parish - Rev Dr Joanne CoxDarling, Acting Superintendent, Wolverhampton Methodist Circuit Brewood, Codsall and Coven Methodist Churches
A place where love grows - Deaconess and Trustee in the New Testament Church of God in Willesden, Charlotte Johnson
Growing unity
“My prayer is that this ‘new normal’ will retain the ecumenical spirit we have re-discovered during Pentecost 2020, so that we may live out the call of Jesus’ message in John 17:23, ‘that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me’. Rarely has the world needed that unity more than now.”
Towards ‘a new normal’ - Rev Philip Brooks Secretary for Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations, United Reformed Church
“I think, now more than ever, working towards Christian unity is vital as we have much to learn from one another in our spirituality, mission, theology and traditions… Faced with the stark realities of inequality, climate breakdown, systemic racism and an imbalance of power and privilege, together, as one Church in Christ, we have the ability to make a difference.”
Disruption leads to renewal: God at work - Church of England Lay representative to the Churches Together in England Enabling Group, Annika Mathews
“I see the commitment of all kinds of people including Quakers wanting to connect with one another, listening carefully to wide range of views and recommitting to shared work. Alongside suffering and grief, COVID 19 has engendered astonishing creativity and compassion.” A man may look on glass - Head of Peace Programmes and Faith Relations for Quakers in Britain, Marigold Bentley.
Using technology
“Living in the midst of a global pandemic is not comfortable but it has forced the church to occupy
some space that up to now we’ve not been fully convinced it’s a space we should inhabit. Well, we’re here now. Let’s get used to it. Welcome to the new normal.”
Moving online - International Leader for Pioneer Network Canon Billy Kennedy
“May the Archangel Gabriel, patron of communications continue to pray for us!" Being Church in the time of Covid-19 - Parish priest of Saint Ambrose Barlow, Swinton and Pendlebury, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford, Monsignor Paul Smith
Positive opportunities
Coronavirus: a challenge and an opportunity? - Parish Priest of the Most Holy & Undivided Trinity, the Catholic Church in Grimsby, Cleethorpes & Immingham, Fr Andrew Cole
“Salt” - President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the British Isles, Pastor Ian Sweeney
“This crisis has come at a time when we were already considering prophetically what God is doing in the nation at this time. This is a source of reflection and prayer for us as we move forward.” Ground Level Network member and CTE Trustee, Richard Bradbury
Parish perspectives
“It was very upsetting to hear the closed doors of the Church being hit and banged by the people, who couldn’t understand or accept why they were left outside … or to see certain others “attend” the Service through the Church window.” “With the doors locked” (John 20, 19) - Parish Priest of St. Panteleimon Greek Orthodox Community in Harrow, The Very Rev Protopresbyter Fr. Anastasios D. Salapata
Covid and me - Kai Daley from the New Life Wesleyan Church in Handsworth, Birmingham
“The beginning of this pandemic brought a myriad of questions. How we will still be church if we cannot physically meet? How will congregation members be affected by this? How will we continue to fulfil God’s mission here?"
Church life in the Covid-19 pandemic - Pioneer Baptist Minister for Ebbsfleet, Rev Penny Marsh
The Reset - Pastor at Acts Christian Church, which is part of the Joint Council of Churches for All Nations (JCCAN), Lloyd-Anthony Hall
Two churches from our Pentecostal and Charismatic Forum reflect on COVID-19
Lamentation
“The church needs to restore the practice of Lamentations as a normal appropriate spiritual response. . . a time of lamenting for the grief and sorrow that the Covid-19 plague has wrought on the land and particularly on those from the BAME community.”
A Call for the Restoration of the Praxis of Lamenting - Chair for the Movement for Justice and Reconciliation, Rev Alton P. Bell.
Book Review: ‘Church and the New Normal: Ecclesial Imaginations for a New Community’ By The Rt. Revd Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Suffragan Metropolitan
CSS Publication, Tiruvalla, 2020, Pp 114. Rs. 120/-; US$10/- ISBN-978-81-7821-858-8.
‘Church and the New Normal:
Ecclesial Imaginations for a New
Community’ is a new book authored by The Suffragan Metropolitan, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius. This book consists of a series of talks and articles by the new Suffragan Metropolitan of the Mar Thoma Church, Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius. It took its present form during the quarantine period of 28 days during June 2020 when the bishop came to Kerala from Mumbai to shoulder additional responsibilities in the Church. Actually the book is a reflection of the immense experience of the bishop in his ecclesial involvement in mission in the dioceses in Kerala, Chennai, USA-UK-Europe, and Mumbai and above all with his involvement in the work among the transgender communities.
Rev. Dr. Sunil Caleb (Principal, Bishop’s College, Kolkata) has written an exciting foreword for the book and in it he states, “This challengingly relevant book is an extremely timely and exciting addition to theological and ministerial reflection on how the Church or Ekklesia should move forward in these strange and difficult times. It deserves to be read by not only theologians, but by all Christians and people of faith. By its careful scholarship and practical application, the book will challenge Christians not to sitback and wait for the work of God to be done by others, but rather to stand up and be counted in the fight against the forces of the ‘Empire’ that seek to dominate and control the world through their control of the levers of government and the economy in order to benefit the few”.
Rev. Dr. M. C. Thomas (Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, Kottayam) in his apt Prologue to the book says, “For the academe and the intellectuals, the book has genuinely challenged to voice radical questions with critical rationality and self reflexivity on the politics and diverse shades of the ‘new normal’ situation which has already been evidenced in our major universities . . . though the protests have been labeled with other names and reasons”.
The new situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic gave rise to the return of the emigrants to their native places, and has brought about a new situation in many parts of the world. The articles in the book such as ‘Locating the Other’, ‘Envisioning Hospitality’, and ‘Churching the Diaspora’ reflect the contemporary situation in many ways. Of course, talks made at the clergy conferences of the various dioceses by the author such as ‘Recreation of New Life’, ‘Pastor
Journeys with Christ’, ‘Ecclesia –a Counter Culture against the Empire’, ‘Reformation as an Invitation for Sacramental Living’ have found importance and timely relevance in this work. The work has its opening article on ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Digital World’, and the concluding ones are on ‘Family Values and Transgender Awareness’. The essay on Artificial Intelligence may be an eye-opener for many. As home is the safest place and people are advised to stay at home, the study on strengthening the family values carries great significance. The article on transgender community throws light to understanding all sections of marginalized communities. The need for the church to stand with the marginalized rather than with the Empire has been explicitly brought out. The essays include two recent articles written by the author and published in a magazine and a book respectively as well: “Coming Humanity –Culture, Politics and Theology” in Chalanam 2020, the annual magazine of the Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, Kottayam; and “Perspectives on a New Normal in South Kerala” in a book (a collection of essays) published in 2019 edited by Prof Babu Zachariah, Retired Head of the Department of English and a teacher of the Suffragan Metropolitan when he was a student at his Alma Mater, Mar Thoma College, Tiruvalla.
The book challenges us to know about the pitfalls of the new normal that the world wants us to get used to. It draws our attention to the areas in the ecclesial ministry, which needs to be strengthened in the new scenario. Can missional challenges be faced in any way better in the new normal than what used to be when things were normal? The post Covid situation and the disruption of the “old normal” way of life are well reflected through the various essays. Certainly the book reveals the academic awareness and commitment to mission of the author and the church he represents in the present scenario –the new normal. The book enlightens us regarding the changes that happen every day and tries to portray how the Kingdom of God envisaged by Jesus Christ could be realized. The need for reformation in the church and the pastoral ministry are emphasized. A disciplined sacramental living in this world draws special attention.
Ample attention is given to the changes needed for it in the praxis of the ecclesia, and not merely in its liturgy or theology. In his Acknowledgement the Suffragan Metropolitan Mar Theodosius points out that it was the Metropolitan Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma who suggested to him to publish a book while he has to go through the process of quarantine for a period of almost a month.
Openness, lucidity and straightforward utterance mark the style of the book. There is no doubt that the book will provide food for thought for all the readers in this new normal. Let me conclude with my sincere appreciation to the author for this excellent work and offer best wishes and prayer for his future ministry in the elevated position as the Suffragan Metropolitan of the Church.
Review By Revd Dr. Abraham Philip
Parolil, 27 B, CTC
OBITUARY- A MAN CLAD IN FIRE Celebrating Swami Agnivesh
Revd Dr. Valson Thampu, Trivandrum
I did not feel emotionally overwhelmed that one of the liveliest of men I have encountered in my lifetime was sinking. Instead, I felt grateful that on the very day he was hospitalized for a prospective liver transplant, he called me and said, “Valsonji, can we publish a book capturing the essence of our many discussions on the meaning of spirituality and the futility of religion?” Before I could say ‘yes’ or ‘no’, he said emphatically, “Religion has become a pestilence. It needs to be eradicated for the sake of humanity.” I agreed to undertake the task to which he had been orienting me for long. It struck me as his last wish, though his state of health was not a cause of great concern then. I embarked on the task right away, being keen that it be published in his lifetime. I sent each completed chapter to him. Swamiji read it and got back to me with his concerns and comments. The last chapter of the book was finished a week before Swamiji’s health took a turn decisively for the worse. Now, in retrospect, it strikes me as particularly significant that the last word I heard from him was ‘resist’. And the last request he made to me was to write a book –as his will and testament- that exhorts humanity to outgrow subhuman religiosity. He wanted the book to be titled, “Brethren of the Eternal Spirit, Unite!”
The last time I heard from Swami Agnivesh was a week ago. He was in hospital, sinking. In the few moments of lucidity he gained, he had his assistant connect him to me. “I had a great vision early this morning,” he said in words barely coherent. I was eager to know. I have been in continual contact with him ever since he was admitted to ILBS hospital in New Delhi two months ago. Deep inside of me, the process of disconnecting with this great soul had begun by the time he called me this time; a pattern I had experienced with every person I loved on the eve of his or her death. He was as eager to tell me- “I saw a hundred and forty million people standing together, united,” he struggled to say as his voice rose and fell in cadences of eagerness and breathlessness. “They were saying they would not take it anymore. They will resist.” What it was that they would resist, he didn’t say. His voice failed him altogether. His assistant took the phone and informed me that Swamiji could talk no more. Once, in the course of our discussions on religion, I alluded to the anomaly, given the radical nature of his views, of his being a saffron-sporting swami. “I am not in saffron,” he corrected me, “I am clad in fire. I am Agni.” I thought at once of Prometheus, the mythological hero of proto-European spirituality, who ‘stole’ fire from the gods and imparted it to humankind. He inaugurated civilization, incurring unspeakable agony. Prometheus’ rebellion was not so much against the idea of God, as against the idea of hierarchy in religion. Religious hierarchy of every kind thrives by alienating people from the fire within them. As a result, religion anchors humankind in existential darkness. Hierarchy is the poison to spirituality; whereas it is the backbone of religion. Prometheus’ heroic ‘theft’ addresses this seminal anomaly. Because Prometheus stole fire from the gods in pre-history, a Swami Agnivesh was able to wear it about him in history. Humankind shares the same destiny. What’s cooked varies; but fire is the sameuniversally.
Fire explains the essence of this great man, dying all alone, forgotten and unsung in a hospital ICU. He had been murderously attacked a couple of years ago at Pakhur, Jharkhand; an outrage from which he never recovered. He was attacked, a month later, in New Delhi. The circumstances are irrelevant from a cosmic viewpoint. What is important is that Prometheus-like, Agnivesh too needed to be tormented, if only to authenticate the eternal pattern. Metaphoric vultures preyed on his liver for the rest of his life. It failed. He was to undergo a liver transplant; but destiny willed otherwise. His time had come.
To me, Swamiji was a child. It is an aspect of his personality that few know. He came to his true, playful self when he was with children. The poor, for him, was children of sorts. They were God’s children. So, spirituality made sense to him only as social spirituality: the relentless struggle for securing a modicum of justice to the harijan -children of God. Yes, he was brave, as very few were; but his bravery was the bravery of children. He was brave, because he knew no danger; as children too don’t. This made the first multi-religious pilgrimage in the history of India possible. When, in 1999, the Australian missionary Graham Steins and his two sons were burned alive in Manoharpur, Odisha, and his bereaved wife, Gladys Steins, captured the conscience of India by forgiving the assassins, I suggested to Swamiji that we visit the site of the tragedy. He turned that tiny idea into a massive event; and the first multi-religious pilgrimage was born. A group of 55 leaders from diverse religions visited, first, the leprosarium in Balasaur and, thereafter, the church in Manoharpur where, in the two jeeps the missionary and his sons had slept, they were burned alive at night. We held a meeting in the church. Swamiji spoke. By the time he finished, there wasn’t an eye that was not wet with tears. He spoke like a child; and the children in us responded in the spontaneity of our emotions. We wept together over what humanity had come to. By the time we emerged from the church, a crowd of Santhals had gathered outside. “Our father is no more,” they said. They sang for us the songs that Graham had composed in Santhali, set to music, and taught them. They sang zestfully, as if to assert their spirit over a tragedy that was too vast for them to understand.
What is it that makes a man renounce all he has, and become one with the poor and the downtrodden? Why bear the cross of calumny, personal loss and hardships, when a contrary option is readily available? Swamiji had climbed the political ladder. He was the minister of education in Haryana; but lasted only six months in that capacity. He ceased to be a matri and became a missionary. He was instrumental in releasing and rehabilitating over two hundred thousand bonded labourers. The quarries and brick kilns became his temples of worship; wiping the tears of the oppressed, his pooja; and speaking truth to power, his Githa-paraayan.
If the impact a man has on others is the yardstick of his greatness, I bear witness today: here was truly a great soul. I changed inside out under his influence. His greatness was mired in the grime of the world with which he did battle till the end. You don’t take on systems and men of might, and remain unsullied or intact. Bearing witness to the truth, history tells us, is a lonely journey that winds its stony way up the mountainside. What awaits at the mountaintop is martyrdom. Swami Agnivesh may have died in a hospital bed, but he is a martyr. And like a martyr, he held his spirit unbroken till the last. He died with a vision of people becoming one in resistance. Goethe’s last word was light. “A little more light!” he muttered feebly, as he breathed his last. Swami Agnivesh was not a star of enlightenment. He was agni, fire. Appropriately, his last word was “resist”. In that word is captured, the essence of a life lived in fierce and unapologetic resistance. There are times in history when the courage to resist becomes the essence of philanthropy. Swami Agnivesh was destined to live in such a time. He lived it well.
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Revd Dr. M. J. Joseph, Kottayam
Look at the tiny ant on your shelf, It is a miracle It can climb any dizzy heights!
I am indeed surprised by joy when the entomologists say: “An ant can lift up to 50 times more than its weight! It is indeed remarkable.” I am indeed surprised When Solomon, praises ants:
“O you lazybones, go to an ant Consider its ways, and be wise. Without having any chief or officer or ruler, It prepares its food in summer, And gathers its sustenance in harvest. How long will you lie there? O lazybones? When will you rise from your sleep?”
I am indeed surprised by joy When the botanists say: “The wild fig tree has roots more than 100 meters long” It is unbelievable!”
I am indeed surprised by joy When I am told: “Pre-historic dragon flies were as big as pigeons” It is indeed unimaginable...”
I am indeed surprised by joy When I am told: “Ants give a warning to the symptoms of diabetes! It is indeed remarkable!”
I am indeed surprised by joy When I am told: “A certain species of night- flies Can detect sugar contenteven in a large quantity of water.” It is indeed a miracle!
Nature is the greatest miracle. The ant is a miracle. The fig tree is a miracle. The night fly is a miracle.
A bee is a miracle. A butterfly is a miracle. A spider is a miracle. A planet is a miracle.
I am indeed a miracle. My birth is a miracle. My death would be a miracle too. My life after death is a greater miracle! Each moment in my life is a miracle. Wonder, praise and gratitude.
“O Lord, how manifold is your works. In wisdom you have made them all” (Ps 104:24).
The Next Great Global Event in POST COVID –19 A Biblical Perspective
Revd Dr. Martin Alphonse, Portland
Introduction:
It has been six devastating months since the whole world Prophecies, nor should we be obsessed with it by paying got locked down by the COVID-19 pandemic. While we attention to nothing else all around us. A balanced biblical thank God for the current gradual decline of its impact view of the Post Pandemic era urges us to ask the that has ushered in a bit of sigh of relief, no one is exactly question: “What if COVID-19 is a forerunner of the series sure as to when exactly will the ultimate “Post-COVID-19” of End Time Prophecies?” If it is, then what is the next era completely free of the pandemic will begin. The world great global event for which we should prepare is longing for the day to cry out in the historic words of ourselves? Dr. Martin Luther king Jr.: “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are Free at last!” Experts in the field End Times as the Possible Next Great Global Event anywhere from the World Health Organization to the local Post COVID-19 national governments differ in their opinions and All the three Synoptic Gospels (synoptic means having a estimates on an exact time frame of the possible demise common view or perspective) describe in detail the signs of the pandemic. It is contingent upon the discovery of of the End Times, namely Matthew 24:1-51, Mark 13:1-37 the magic vaccine. Some say it could happen by the end and Luke 21:3-36. Apostle John took a different of the year and so 2021 will be a fresh, secure, restperspective in writing to his Greek readers. In two of the assured Post-COVID-19 New Year! Others are not so three synoptic narratives, the Lord Jesus Christ pointed optimistic. They say it could linger on for another year or to the outbreak of “pestilences in various places” it may take even up to five years to vaccine every person (Matthew 24:7 KJV; Luke 21:11 NIV) along with famines, in the whole world! Hence, they say we must accept the earthquakes etc., as a forerunner of the End Time or as New Normal and learn to live with it! We are told that life the “beginning of labor pain”. Lest anyone wonders why will never be the same again. They say we can never Evangelist Mark did not mention it, a reasonable return to the old normal we were so used to enjoy in every explanation for it is that Mark was the first one to write sphere of human activity especially the social and the the gospel in 55 AD, followed by Luke in between 59 to religious, although the economy may somewhat bounce 63 Ad, and Matthew in 70 AD. Hence, Matthew and Luke back. were able to gather more materials on several things than A Biblical - Faith Perspective Mark’s. While the secular and scientific world is busy speculating on its theories and earnestly searching for a global Pestilence is an endemic, which is a localized plague that medical solution, Christendom is busy raising questions affects a few groups of people, communities or countries. on the connection between COVID-19 and the fulfillment It is much less in its severity and damage to life in of prophecies pertaining to the End Times. Could COVIDcomparison to what a huge fatality rates a pandemic 19 be a forerunner in the fulfillment of a series of End which is much greater in its magnitude and intensity Time Prophecies? A lot of Christians seem to strongly could cause humankind at a global level. Hence, the believe it is a sign. Others seem to dismiss it. Those who question arises if COVID-19 is a forerunner of the series are in the middle seem to be totally confused. Hence, at of End Time Prophecies that the Lord spoke about? If it this juncture it is good for us to give serious thought to is, then can we afford to ignore it? COVID-19 being a possible sign and that of the Second Mark. That explains why their gospels are lengthier than Coming of Christ as the Next Great Global Event. When the Lord said, “... there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in various places”, did He However, as we do so, I also would like to be cautious in mean that they shall occur simultaneously or approaching this enquiry as wisely warned by C. S. sequentially? We are not sure of that. However, we do Lewis, a great global Christian thinker of the 20th century know that the fourth quarter of the 20th century and now when he said in relation to Christian belief in Demonology: the 21st century has been witnessing recurring tragedies “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our of famines in different parts of the world especially in the race can fall about the devils. One is their disbelief in their great continent of Africa and several parts of Asia, not to existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an mention floods and Tsunamis. There has been a constant excessive and unhealthy interest in them” (In ‘The increase in the frequency of earthquakes in various Screwtape Letters’ 1942). places, which by and large have not been noticed by a lot of people unless they strike with a devastating intensity. As such we should neither totally dismiss the possibility And of course, for decades in a row we have been living of COVID-19 being a forerunner of the series of End Time in a world full of “wars and rumors of wars”.
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As such, we should not take COVID-19 singularly as “the” forerunner of the fulfillment of End Time Prophecy but take it in combination with the other related prophecies. Perhaps, the most prominent among them is the current political development in Israel.
Current Political Development in the Middle East as a Positive Sign of the End Times
The current political development in Israel in conjunction with the End Time Prophecy is a huge subject. The scope of this article doesn’t permit me to delve into it. Let me point out to just one most significant development and its relevance for our observation here. As a sure sign of the End Time and His Second Coming, in Matthew 24:15-16 the Lord said: “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’, spoken of through the prophet Daniel- let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains”. The reference here ‘the abomination that causes desolation’, is to the audacious sacrilegious action of the Anti-Christ who according to Daniel 9:27, 11:31, and 12:11 will set up his own statue in the Temple of Jerusalem (Holy Place), declare himself as God and order the whole world to worship him. This prophecy by Daniel was also emphasized by Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 as a sure sign of the End Time.
The crux of the prophecy here is, first there should the temple or the holy place for this prophecy to be fulfilled because as foretold by the Lord in Matthew 24:2, Mark 13:2 and Luke 21:6 the Temple of Jerusalem was totally destroyed by the Roman Army in 70 AD and was reduced to Ground Zero. It has remained that way for 1950 years until today. In what is being called the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where the Temple stood magnificently 1950 years ago, there are now only two Islamic holy buildings, namely the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of Rock. Hence, unless the Third Temple is rebuilt on the vacant Ground Zero first, this prophecy of Daniel, which was strongly endorsed by the Lord and by the Apostle Paul cannot be fulfilled. The important question is, given the centuries of continuing enmity between the Jewish and the Muslim communities, and especially the number of intense fights between the Arab/Palestinian Muslims and the Jews since the rebirth of the nation of Israel on May 14, 1948 and the escalation of fights between them almost on a daily basis, is the building of the Third Temple on the site even possible? The current positive Political Developments in the Middle East seem to suggest that it could be a fast approaching possibility.
If the Arab Muslim Nations and the Nation of Israel can come to a peace treaty with each other, then there is a strong possibility for the reconstruction of the Third Temple. Two major Islamic nations immediately surrounding Israel, namely Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994 have signed a peace treaty with Israel. On August 13, 2020 the United Arab Emirates declared its decision to sign the Abraham Accord with Israel. Now Bahrain has also joined the peace accord. Both these Islamic nations are expected to sign the peace accord with Israel in the White House on September 15, 2020. There is a political speculation and expectation that Saudi Arabia, the most important Arab Muslim nation is likely to sign a peace accord with Israel soon. If Saudi Arabia does so, then it is most likely for smaller Arab Nations in the region are likely to follow suit. With this kind of rapid development in the peace process, the rebuilding of the Third Temple seems a fast approaching possibility. According to Daniel’s prophecy, the countdown of the End Time will begin with the construction of the Third Temple. It is just a matter of time, but no one knows exactly when it will be.
Should we be Alarmed?
No true Christian should be terrified by the turn of these events. On the one hand, if it will happen soon in our own generation, can anyone stop it? So, let it be as the song goes “que sera sera –whatever will be will be”. On the other hand, aren’t the End Time and the Second Coming of Christ an integral part of the Confession of Christian Faith that we have been declaring Sunday after Sunday in the Holy Qurbana of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church when we affirm: “His crucifixion we commemorate, His resurrection we celebrate, His Second Coming we await!” Recently I had the privilege to preach in the Revival Meetings of the St. John’s Mar Thoma Church, London, UK. I noticed that in the Order of the Divine Service, we repeatedly and emphatically express our earnest hope in and our eager expectation of the Second Coming of Christ. For example, - KAUMA: “Blessed is He that has come and is to come again in the name of the Lord. Hosannas in the highest”. - Second Sunday SEDRA: “Make us worthy to meet you joyfully at your Second Coming”. - Second Part of Prayer: “Make us worthy at your coming again”. - NICENE CREED: “He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead ... - In the congregational response in the LITANY: “Remember us O Christ when you come”. (Four times). It is possible that the Grand Finale of the End Times climaxed by the Second Coming of Christ which the founding fathers of the Church had eagerly looked forward to in their lifetime could be actually fulfilled in our own generation.
As such, could COVID-19 be a forerunner of the series of End Time Prophecies? What if it is? Then, we could possibly be living now in a time of the great hope to which we have been called. If it is not, then let us continue to live our life of Christian Faith in love, peace and justice, and faithfully carry out our God given responsibilities by being true witnesses of Christ’s redemptive love on the cross to the world until His Second Coming whenever that might We know that one day the Lord will come again!
Congratulations to Mr. John George Chirapurath –Microsoft Vice President
It is indeed a great pleasure and privilege for FOCUS to congratulate Mr. John George Chirapurath on his prestigious appointment as one of the Vice Presidents of the Microsoft Corporation. We also thank God for the dedication and service of his family for generations for God’s mission and establishing God’s kingdom values.
He hails from Kottayam, Kerala, India. He belongs to the ancient Chirapurathu family. His grandfather was late Revd C. V. John of the Mar Thoma church who contributed much to the life and growth of the Church in the 20 th Century. As the Principal of the Mar Thoma theological Seminary, he upgraded the Seminary to Provide BD and postgraduate degrees; He contributed much to the theological education in India. Mr. John George’s father, late George John (Georgie) and his mother, Grace, were loyal members of the Mar Thoma Church and builders of the Mar Thoma parishes in Kuwait and Bahrain. Georgie was a Sabha Council member and represented the Mar Thoma Church in the Eighth Assembly of the WCC in Harare in 1998. Georgie was also a founding member of the FOCUS Movement and gave leadership for the seminars at Santhigri from 1999 to 2003. For these and many other reasons, it is right to congratulate Mr. John George for following the footsteps his ancestors in having exemplary qualities, which the business community also appreciates.
Prior to this appointment, Mr. John George had a long distinguished career record in software companies in the USA and occupied senior management positions in the Microsoft Corporation and other software companies. He is settled in Seattle in Washington State. He is married with Jessica and has two children George and Sara. He believes that a person should be humble and work hard to succeed; he has super work ethics. We wish him well in this new assignment and may God continue to bless him and his family.
FOCUS EDITORIAL BOARD 40 | Page Dr. Abraham C. Thomas, Tampa, Florida
Dr. Abraham C. Thomas, (Babychaan), Karackattu Chruvazhakunnel House, Mannamaruthy, Ranny, member of St. Mark’s Mar Thoma Church, Tampa, Florida and founder of Karnataka Navajeevvana Samithi (KNS Mission) was called to eternity. Prior to settling down for his retirement life in U. S. A., he has donated the entire property, buildings belonging to KNS Mission to Chennai –Bangalore Diocese of the Mar Thoma Church. He also served as Sabha Council member of Mar Thoma Church and also received the Manava Seva award from Mar Thoma Church for his services to the community.
He was married to late Grace M. Thomas, Mannakunnil, Kottayam. He is survived by children, Abe C. Thomas and Thomas Karakad, and grandchildren Valeska Grace Thomas, Abey Emilio Thomas, Nathan Abraham Karakad, Rebecca Grace Karakad. He was 93 years old.
Rtd. Judge O. N. Ninan, Thiruvalla
Retired Judge, O. N. Ninan (93) of Ooraipadikal family, Thiruvalla was called to eternity. He was the son of famous late Advocate O. C. Ninan, who was the legal advisor to Mar Thoma Church, late Alexander Mar Thoma Metropolitan, Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan, Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan, who was also member of the Kerala Legislative Assmelby from Kallooppara constituency in 1955. His father also served as the lay trustee of Mar Thoma Church for several years.
Judge Ninan is survived by his wife Nalini,
Panampunnayil, Kottayam and children Suresh Ninan (Senior General Manger, Malayala Manorama Publication
Division), Justice Satish Ninan, (High Court of Kerala,
Ernakulam) and daughter in laws Meenu, Vadakedathu,
Kallely, Elizabeth, Valiyaveettil, Thiruvalla. Funeral was held at St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church (SC Church),
Thiruvalla on Sep. 24, 2020.
