As the whole world had just celebrated the World Environment Day on June 5^th, 2023 let me reflect in a few lines from one of the most beautiful Creation Psalm found in our Bible Psalm 104. This Psalm invites us to contemplate the beauty and intricacy of God’s creation, emphasizing the interconnectivity between the natural world and the divine. As we reflect on this psalm, we are reminded of our role as stewards of the Earth and the responsibility we have to care for and protect the environment.

The psalmist’s vivid imagery paints a breathtaking picture of the diverse wonders of creation. From the majesty of mountains to the vastness of the seas, from the abundance of forests to the intricate ecosystems of land and water, we witness the handiwork of a loving and creative God. The psalmist’s words stir within us a sense of awe and gratitude for the beauty and harmony found in the natural world.

Yet, as we marvel at the splendor of creation, we are also called to recognize our responsibilities as human beings. Psalm 104 highlights the provision that God graciously offers to all living creatures, emphasizing God’s care for their needs. This serves as a reminder that we, too, are part of this intricate web of life. We are entrusted with the task of being caretakers of the Earth, ensuring the sustainability of God’s creation for present and future generations.

The psalmist emphasizes the delicate balance within nature, where every creature has its place and purpose. This balance serves as a reminder that our actions have consequences. As custodians of the Earth, we are called to make conscious choices that promote harmony and respect for the environment. We are urged to embrace sustainable practices, reduce our carbon footprint, reduce our plastic use, conserve resources, and advocate for policies that protect and restore the natural world.

Psalm 104 encourages us to celebrate and enjoy the beauty of creation, but it also challenges us to take action. It invites us to reassess our relationship with the environment and to live in harmony with God’s creation. It reminds us that our responsibility to care for the Earth is not separate from our spiritual journey but an integral part of it.

Let us be inspired by the profound wisdom of Psalm 104. May we approach each day with a renewed sense of wonder and gratitude for the environment around us. And may we actively seek ways to fulfill our responsibility as gaurdian of creation, ensuring a sustainable and thriving planet for future generations.

By Dr. Hrangthan Chhungi
A/D – Church, Public Relations and Resource Mibilisation

Theme: GOD’S WORD FOR GOD’S WORLD 

by The Rt. Rev. Henry Sharma Nithyanandham, Bishop of CSI Vellore Diocese

Text: Luke 4:14-30

DAY 1

On behalf of the Diocese of Vellore, I greet each one in the name of our Triune God – our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Despite all the heartbreaking situations and uncertainties happening around us, I thank God Almighty for having been with us and for helping us enter this new year.  It is our sole responsibility to be observant of God’s unending and abiding presence and grace on us. Let us be attentive to lead our lives each moment being thankful to God. Truly, I am delighted to be here on this special occasion.  I am obligated to express my sincere thanks to the Bible Society of India, the Rev. Dr. M. Mani Chacko, General Secretary, and all those associated with it for their sincere and enormous contributions. Needless to say, the impact being made by the Bible Society of India on thousands of people thus far through its noble mission of transforming the world through God’s word, has been exponential. Once again I express my deep appreciation to each one of you for your commitment to the cause.

Let us look to God in prayer:

God, our Heavenly Parent, we thank you for giving us the grace to set foot into this New Year. We, in one accord, praise you for travelling with us this far. We beseech you to continue to be with us and guide us. Now, we seek to meditate upon your living word. Kindle our hearts. Deepen our understanding. Speak to us and enable us to be doers of your word. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

The theme for today’s devotion is : God’s Word for God’s World.

The expressions, God’s word, and God’s world are inseparable.  God’s word gives a clear blueprint as to how one needs to be in God’s world.

Martin Luther once said, “The soul can do without everything except the word of God, without which none at all of its wants are provided for.” That’s why the Bible Society of India strives its best to make the Bible reachable to all in languages they can understand, in a format, they have access to because the word of God has invaluable worth.

Karl Barth’s concept of the threefold form of the Word of God gives a wider understanding.

• The Word of God is first of all and preeminently the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• The Word of God appears in written form as the Holy Scriptures of the people of God, the Bible of the Old and New Testaments.
• The Word of God is the proclamation of the church of Jesus Christ as the revelation of his Father by the Spirit of God.

I feel Gideon’s description of the Bible is very simple to understand.

The Bible contains all of these: the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise; believe it to be safe; practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

Through the Bible, we can know more about God’s character, teachings, and God’s will. The Bible is not just a book to read and forget about. Moreover, there is transforming power in the Word of God.

We can see that the Word of God broke through in David’s life when nothing else could. Time did not bring him to repentance. Conscience did not get him there. But the Word of God broke through in his life when nothing else could. Really, God’s Word can bring change in our lives when nothing else can or will.

Similarly, when Martin Luther encountered God’s Word in Romans 1:17 “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”He immediately responded to God’s word by standing against the unjust practices prevailing at that time by posting 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church, Wittenberg, Germany, which paved way for the Protestant Reformation. He says, “I did nothing, the Word did everything.”

Yes, the Bible penetrates the deepest parts of our beings – our souls, spirits, and minds.

The Bible unfolds the purposes and plans of God for the world from the beginning to the end of time. We read in Genesis 1:26 that God made humankind in his own image, to rule over the earth and all the creatures in it. The world was placed in our care, and we are to govern it on God’s behalf. We were entrusted with all God made, in the confidence that we would care for it, work with it, develop and explore it, discovering what we could do with it, in such a way that God’s glory would be revealed through all that we do. We were to bear the image of God, that is, to be as wise and loving in our rule over all the earth as God himself is. But unfortunately, we betrayed that trust. Instead of obeying God and working as his stewards, being accountable to him for all that we do, and following his commandments in everything, we have gone astray and sought to make our own rules for life. In one way, this attitude of ours has led to the formation of an unjust society.

The Word of God is relevant in a world that is in chaos.

When we read the word of God, it reminds us that our present-day situation is not unique. There have been pandemics, elections, plagues, floods, racism, and civil unrest before us, and every time God has always been faithful. When the world around us is falling apart due to uncertainty and injustice, we don’t have to lose hope. We know that God has proven Himself before. And He will prove Himself again. He has abandoned the desire to quit with us.

A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

That means we should do everything we can to have our view of God tethered to God’s Word and not our own imaginations. We must remember that the Bible is God’s divine revelation to His creation. It is how He speaks to us. It is how He teaches us about who He is.

This means, if our goal is to have a real, personal relationship with God, then it is only by immersing ourselves in His very words that we will grow in our understanding of who He is. This understanding will help us to make a just society.

God’s word makes it clear that every society that is lost needs to be reminded; has its downtrodden that need to be lifted up and has its poor to be helped. That’s what we see in Luke 4:16-21.

This text is usually known as the Nazareth Manifesto. It is also called the Mission Statement of Jesus Christ.

Here we could see that Jesus returned to Nazareth having spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan (Luke 4:1-13). The text says that Jesus went into the synagogue as it was his custom (Luke 4:16). It is said that a typical synagogue service would begin with the opening prayer. Then there would be a reading from the Law of Moses; later a reading from one of the prophets and after which a sermon would be preached by a Rabbi or a learned visitor. The service would close with a benediction.

Further in this text, we could see that Jesus identifies himself as a prophet as the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 61:1-2).

In Luke 4:16-21, we could see Jesus speaking on activities that he would do in his ministry.

• To bring good news to the poor.
• To proclaim release to the captives.
• To restore sight to the blind.
• To let the oppressed go free.
• To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

When we keenly observe the Mission Statement of Jesus, we can see that the poor, oppressed, marginalised, and neglected people were at the center of Jesus’ mission. During the first century in Palestine, where Jesus ministered, poverty seems to be a prevalent issue. There were many reasons for the existence of poverty. One major reason is heavy taxation – there were different forms of taxes laid on people such as temple tax, tax was laid for buying salt, Herod demanded tax for the renovation of the temple, Roman empire laid a tax on the poor people in order to strengthen their army. There was a class division where the majority of the people were from poor economic backgrounds. Here we could see that poverty is not a phenomenon but it is an expression of human struggle and human misery. Thus Jesus focused on the marginalised community throughout his ministry.

From the text, we could see Jesus emphasising the need to proclaim the good news, release the captives, restore sight to the poor, and let the oppressed go free.

1. To Proclaim good news to the poor.

We could see that Jesus was giving importance to the poor and good news to the poor is the only preaching Jesus wants to concentrate on at the very beginning of his mission. As mentioned earlier, the majority of the people during Jesus’ time were poor. Due to their low economic status and also due to heavy taxation, the majority of the people were poor. Thus Jesus emphasises the need to bring good news to the poor. Here Jesus strives to be the good news that the poor want to hear.

2. To Proclaim release to the captives.

As the people were poor, and due to their need, they borrowed money from the lenders, and due to their poverty, they were unable to pay the debt, and as a result of which they have become captives. Jesus reads from the book of Isaiah 61:1-2 at the synagogue in Nazareth. This is believed to be a message to the people of Israel who are going to witness the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:10), which means freedom. Further, we can see that Jesus wants to release them from their captivity, which means he wants to declare that freedom will be the main task of his mission and it will continue forever not just in a specified year of Jubilee as it is observed by the people of Israel.

3. Restoration of sight to the blind and to let the oppressed go free.

Since the people were poor, they became captives and thus they lost the meaning of life and they seemed to be in darkness. Thus they were like blind and as a result of which they had to undergo oppression from the powerful and dominant people. But Jesus wants to bring meaning to their lives by recovering what was lost in their lives and thus letting the oppressed go free. He wants to liberate people who are under any form of oppression and wants to make them enjoy freedom.

Even today, there are people around us who are poor, captives, and oppressed, who yearn to be accepted as they are. Many haven’t encountered Jesus yet. They are still in ignorance, Biblical poverty is still prevailing. When we look at  one of the most famous slokas in India,

Asatoma Sadgamaya, (means Lead me from Unreal to Real)

Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya, (means Lead me from Darkness to Light)

Mrityorma Amritamgamaya, (means Lead me from Death to Immortality)

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanthi:

• Lead me from Unreal to Real in Joh14:6. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.
• Lead me from Darkness to Light. John 8:12 says “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
• Lead me from Death to Immortality. John 3:36 says “And anyone who believes in God’s Son (Jesus) has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgement.”

It is our responsibility to spread this Good News. Many need to know about Jesus. It is high time to find ways to spread God’s Word for God’s World. As we explore together, our understanding of God’s Word and what it means to ‘translate Christ’ in our world today. ‘I am the one speaking to you’ (John 4:26) is only through a real conversation with humanity that the God of the Bible, the God we encounter in Jesus, can reveal himself, and allow the living water to flow for the healing, cleansing, sustaining and delight of humanity.

As Rev. Dr. Peniel Jesudhason Rufus Rajkumar has rightly said, “We are called not to be spectators of the Gospel but to be the script-actors. People do not watch a play as spectators but participate in the script, changing it and infusing it with new meanings and possibilities.”

I pray that the Bible Society of India continues its noble mission by looking Jesus up, the Author and the Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). May Jesus Christ, our Master, guide us and lead us in this noble mission of spreading God’s Word for God’s World. Amen.

BIBLE STUDY – DAY 2

The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry.

One of the most striking comments about the COVID-19 pandemic that I have heard recently is that the COVID-19 pandemic did not break the system, rather it exposed a broken system. We inhabit a world which is broken by corruption, conflict, capitalism, climate change, consumerism and casteism – just to name only a few.

In such a context we need to ask what is the relevance of God’s life-giving word in our death dealing world?

For my Bible study today I have chosen the ‘words’ of the ultimate Word – Jesus Christ, the eternal word. My focus today will be on Jesus’ first sermon as he assumed his ministry – popularly known as Nazareth manifesto. I think this sermon has the potential to speak to us today about how God’s words can be reinterpreted for God’s world.

God’s Word: A reminder to root Christian Ministry in the Scriptures:

Before we move further, it is significant to note that Jesus begins his earthly ministry by reading from the scriptures and reinterpreting it. This act by itself is an affirmation of the importance of the scriptures for Christian ministry. The scriptures are where Jesus turns to for inspiration as he commences his ministry.

We need to remember that the scriptures are the fountain from which we derive the power for Christian ministry. Hence the first lesson we learn from this passage is that Christian ministry should be rooted in the scriptures.

However, Jesus does not just read from the scriptures, he does something interesting. He interprets the scriptures in a way that will speak to his context in a relevant manner. He carefully chooses which passage to read and proceeds to read it in a manner which will speak to the conscience and consciousness of his hearers. This is important to note.

Jesus’s example teaches us that Christian ministry has to be rooted in the Christian Scriptures. But Christian ministers also have to cultivate what can be called as the spirit of ‘creative fidelity’ to the gospel– “where fidelity involves recognisable continuity with our scriptural faith tradition, and creativity involves an openness to the Spirit for the inspiration to interpret and ‘perform’ that tradition in ways that are life-giving”.   That was what Jesus was doing in his re-reading of the passage from Isaiah. By ending his reading with the words, “today the scriptures have been fulfilled in your hearing,” he was indicating his commitment and call to live out the scriptures through the empowerment of God’s Spirit. He was making the words of the scriptures into an embodied reality. Very often the problem with Christian ministry is that though the word of God assumed flesh through Jesus Christ, we often convert it into mere words again through our sermons and theologies that lack commitment and courage to make Christ’s promise of life in all its fullness a living reality.  We need to overcome this impediment and embody the spirit of the scriptures in our lives.

God’s Word: A constant reminder that the real centre of Christian ministry is the margins:

Nowhere else do we find such a clear emphasis of God’s preference for the margins. The very place where Jesus starts his ministry is Galilee – a rural hinterland which is on the margins of the Roman empire. Jesus chooses the margins of the empire as the starting point of his ministry. He also identifies his ministerial focus as one which focuses on the margins.

In this passage Jesus brings out clearly his commitment to those outside the page of history. He says, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’.

What is significant about the Nazareth Manifesto of Jesus  – his first public statement of mission – is that Jesus discerns that it is commitment to the poor which is the sign of the anointing of God’s Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord is discerned to be upon Jesus because he has anointed Jesus to work with those on the margins. Work with the poor, the captives, blind and the oppressed are signs of God’s anointing.

The Nazareth Manifesto passage also helps us to understand that commitment to those on the underside of history is not everybody’s preference. The moment Jesus speaks about how God privileged the widow in Zarephath in Sidon and Namman the Syrian, he meets with opposition. People want to push him off a hill. Such an orientation to Christian ministry defies expectations, and can be a risky venture. People may often reject  such an orientation to ministry.

God’s Word: Continually Challenging us to Re-route our Ministry through the Paths of Justice:

Earlier I spoke of a ministry that is rooted in scriptures. Now I want to use a similar sounding word – route. An effective Christian ministry for our times should be routed through the paths of justice.

There are two things important about the Nazareth manifesto that I want to mention… Both are related to the question of justice – Firstly, the idea of justice which emerges in the sermon of Jesus, is a justice which takes the form of preference. Jesus makes no secret of his preference for the poor, captives, blind and oppressed. God’s preferential option for the poor and marginalised is a regular feature of Luke’s gospel. We see this in Mary’s song (Luke 1), where she proclaims with praise:

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;​ He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

In a similar tone in Luke 3 at the height of the Roman empire, John the Baptist calls people to repentance using the  following words: “Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill shall be made low” – this is the language of structural transformation, where the poor and the marginalised become the centre of God’s plan.

We live in a thoroughly unjust world. This world can only be transformed by a complete structural transformation. Anything else will be only cosmetic. This structural transformation will upset and uproot the system. However, structural transformation is inevitable, if change has to happen for the better. We need to change the landscape of power by being in solidarity with the poor and the marginalised. Otherwise the Church risks losing its identity as an instrument of the divine reign of justice and peace. As Deenabandhu Manchala reminds, ‘If the Church does not participate in the ongoing revolutionary struggles of the victims of injustice … the Church will lose an opportunity to participate in the reign of God unveiling itself among the excluded and despised people of the world’.  It is time for the churches to follow Jesus and be in complete solidarity with those at the margins.

The second way in which the Nazareth manifesto makes justice more holistic and complete is, that it helps us to focus more on ‘inspiring the construction of positives’, rather than merely focusing ‘on removing negatives’. The focus is on positive and constructive possibilities – proclaiming good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and letting the oppressed go free. It gives us a restorative dimension of justice. St. Iraeneaus of Lyon stated in the second century that ‘the glory of God is a human being fully alive’ . Poverty and discrimination prevent people from living a life which is fully alive – a life in all its fullness. In such a context the Nazareth manifesto of Jesus offers a prototype of justice which ensures ‘life in all its fullness’ for the poor and the marginalised.

The Nazareth sermon of Jesus pushes the Church to embody an alternative imagination’ and become what the feminist theologian Letty M. Russel calls a ‘Church in the Round’ without sides and edges? This idea of the Church in the round is also given further shape in a hymn by Fred Khan which speaks of the Church as a table that is round: According to this hymn.

The Church is like a table, a table that is round. It has no sides or corners, no first or last, no honours; here people are in one-ness and love together bound.

In order to be bound in true oneness and love and truly become a Church in the round, there is a serious need to disrupt the politics and strategies of our institutional thinking which sustains this top-down model of leadership. The churches in India face many challenges that prevent them from becoming a Church in the round. This includes casteism, nepotism, corruption and cronyism. It is high time that we uproot these evils from the life of the Church and re-route ourselves in the paths of justice.

Today as the churches move forward to a new future, the challenge for us is that our churches may grow more stronger in our service to the transforming God. To this end may we learn to invest in transformation in both small and great ways.

We all recognize that for change to happen, our convictions should be translated into committed action. But we are often reluctant to act. I am reminded of the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu who reminds us of God’s call to be change-makers in this world. He says ‘All over this magnificent world God calls us to extend His kingdom for shalom-peace and wholeness-of justice, of goodness, of compassion, of caring, of sharing, of laughter, of joy, of reconciliation and of forgiveness. God is transfiguring the world right this very moment through us because God believes in us and because God loves us. As we share God’s love with our brothers and sisters, God’s other children, there is no tyrant who can resist us, no oppression that cannot be ended, no hunger that cannot be fed, no wound that cannot be healed, no hatred that cannot be turned into love, nothing that cannot be forgiven, and no dream that cannot be fulfilled’.

The challenge for us has been to respond to this call and let God work through us. And as we prepare ourselves to take up this call, I am reminded of a verse from the gospel of Matthew 10: 39 which says:

Those who find their life will lose it and those who lose their life for my sake will find it’.

May God help us to find our life in living the way of Christ. Let us be prepared to lose our lives in resistance to the world, which even thought of pushing Jesus over the top of a hill as it did not agree with his preferences and priority, and gain it by living lives that reflect the justice and love of God. Brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to communicate nothing but Christ and Christ’s love for all. The only reward for our work is the glory of Christ. Sometimes there is a need to deny ourselves so that Christ can be glorified. Let us seek not to be self-centred and seek our own glory in all that we do. Let us all join together with Paul and the Church of Ephesians in giving glory only to Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith and say with confidence:

‘Now to the one who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen!’ (Ephesians 3: 20-21).

By Archbishop Anil J.T. Couto, Archbishop of Delhi & President, North West India Auxiliary, Bible Society of India

 Dear members of the Central Council of the Bible Society of India,

[I thank Rev. Dr.  M. Mani Chacko, General Secretary for this honour accorded to me to deliver this message Keynote Address on the occasion of the 28^th Ordinary Meeting of the Central Council of the Bible Society of India and the privilege to be President of the North West India Auxiliary]

Our Christian faith which is rooted in and founded on the Holy Bible and the Christian Tradition tells us that our world and whole of creation is the handiwork of God, created in the power of his eternal Word – God spoke and it came to be. The two creation accounts of the Book of Genesis (Gen. 1 & 2) make all the difference between a faith perspective and a non-faith perspective. To a believer it is God who is the creator of the world and the whole of the universe; and in this act of creation he has revealed himself as the source of all love and goodness and mercy. Human beings created as male and female and in the image of God himself are at the summit of creation. They are to rule over God’s creation, use it and sustain it by respecting God’s laws and commandments; and God saw that everything he had made was ‘good’. Therefore ‘goodness’ is intrinsic to creation.

However, our first parents disobeyed the command of God and fell to the temptation of the serpent i.e. evil one who deceived them into eating the forbidden fruit. With that sin of disobedience, came disorder into our earth. Humanity began to disobey the laws of God. Consequently, the harmony God had always intended with his creation – in the relationships between humans and their relationship with the whole of nature was deeply wounded. Nevertheless, when God asks Adam ‘where are you?’, it was not to condemn him but to redeem him.

The first crime described in Genesis i.e., the killing of Abel by Cain (Gen 4) is a result of the rupture that disobedience brought about in God’s world. Cain allowed himself to be dominated by the evil one, therefore negativities began to rule his emotions and the result was the murder of his brother Abel. Yet, even in this heinous act, God has mercy on Cain the murderer.

The Book of Genesis (Gen 6) describes so poignantly how wickedness and sin had increased on the earth: “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them” (Gen 6: 5-7).

God was determined to “make an end of all flesh” (6:13) because “the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and the earth was filled with violence” (6:11). This is what disobedience to God’s will had done to humanity. Is it any different today, is it the same or is it worse?

Yet God finds one man Noah who has “found favour in the eyes of the Lord” (6:8) and he is commissioned to build the ark and be the founder of a new humanity.

Then follows the terrible punishment humanity brought upon itself in the form of the flood which destroys the whole earth. However, in the midst of this complete destruction of the earth, God shows his infinite love, his mercy and his kindness towards humanity. He makes a covenant with Noah that he will never again destroy the earth: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease”(8:22). The rainbow in the clouds is the sign of “the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth” (9:16).

The history of humanity’s sin continues with the story of the tower of Babel (cf. Gen. 11). It is the story of the early thirst for power, exclusiveness, pride, arrogance and open flouting of God’s laws and commandments written in the heart of every person, passed on to us by our first parents.

Yet, God is merciful and, instead of punishing humanity, he calls Abraham to be the father of a great nation; makes a covenant with him so that in him “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).

Thereon begins the saga of Israel’s election as the covenant community to bring into this world the Messiah, the true King who will establish on this earth the kingdom of justice, righteousness, truth and love and seal the promised new covenant in his blood. The Book of Isaiah carries some of the most captivating prophecies regarding the prophetic and priestly ministry of the Messiah as King, Shepherd, Judge and the Suffering Servant who would be pierced for the transgressions of the world, crushed for the iniquities of humankind, who will bear our griefs and, carry our sorrows upon him. He will be our chastisement but this chastisement will bring us peace because through his wounds we will be healed. For instance Isaiah 2 speaks of the ‘word’ that Isaiah the son of Amoz ‘saw’ concerning Judah and Jerusalem: “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills, and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths’. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore”.

Thus, through the particular religio-political history of Israel, God unfolds his mighty plan to redeem the world from the clutches of the evil one and defeat the power of sin forever.

Yet, in the Old Testament, we only hear the voice of the Word. [And here I would like to refer to the Final Message of the 12^th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church held in 2008] on the theme: “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church”].

In the New Testament we see the face of the Word – in Jesus Christ Our Lord and Saviour. Therefore St. John says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn 1:1). This Word “became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth … For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (Jn. 1: 14-18). Every page of the Gospel of John is a testimony to how the Eternal Word is ‘grace and truth’ as against the injunctions of the ‘law’.

The early Church proclaimed this faith so beautifully: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:15-20).

This Word – Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ –came into this world to open for the whole of humanity the doors of God’s Kingdom closed for us due to the sin of our first parents. He came anointed in the Holy Spirit to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and to set at liberty those who are oppressed (cf. Lk 4: 18-19). He began his ministry by announcing the coming of God’s Kingdom and clearly declared that the door to God’s Kingdom is repentance. He has called the whole of humanity to enter into this new life of the children of God by walking on the path of salvation laid out in his teachings. Anyone who came to him with a contrite heart begging for healing – whether of body or mind or spirit – received all three with spiritual healing or forgiveness of sins being in the first place. He went about proclaiming the infinite love and mercy of God as all the Gospels testify and especially the Gospel of Luke.

Before his passion and death, he gave us the great commandment of love as the centre of our discipleship and instituted the Eucharist as the perennial memorial of our salvation in him. He suffered and died on the cross to atone for the sins of the whole of humanity but before surrendering his soul into the hands of his Father. He completed his earthly mission by passing on to us the final divine legacy of forgiveness, which completely liberates us from the clutches of the evil one.

As St. John tells us, the world in which the Eternal Word took flesh is his own: “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (Jn. 1: 10-13).

This very world – rather the sin in the world – tried to annihilate him by nailing him to the cross; but Christ has proved in his death that the cross is the “power of God and the wisdom of God” (1Cor. 1:24); therefore “the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25). And Christ himself is our “wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). For the sake of the world “God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God“ (2 Cor. 5:21).

In his death and resurrection, he defeated sin, the evil one and death itself. This is the Good News of salvation of the whole world in the paschal mystery of Christ which is the foundation of the Church’s life and mission. At his ascension he gave the Great Commission to his disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:18).

In the power of the Holy Spirit poured on the Church at Pentecost the disciples are energised, inspired and emboldened to live the new life of the resurrection, be witnesses of the Gospel and proclaim it in word and deed so that the world may believe and be saved. The Good News they are commissioned to preach to all the nations as witnesses of the death and resurrection of Christ is not one of hatred and revenge but of God’s infinite love in Jesus Christ for the whole world: “and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Lk. 24:47).

This can be achieved only by a personal and ecclesial experience of the Risen Lord and by abiding in him as he abides in us -the mystery explained to us in the parable of the ‘Vine and the Branches’ (cf. Jn 15).

If Jesus Christ Our Lord and Saviour is the face of the Word, the Church is the house of the Word as the Acts of the Apostles testify. How important it is, therefore, that the Christians are united as the one Body of Christ in living the Word and proclaiming it in season and out of season (cf. 2 Tim. 4: 2). Our witness will not be credible if we are divided among ourselves as the Body of Christ. [I am so glad and thankful to God that the BSI is trying to walk the ecumenical way and has invited me to deliver this address!].

In the house of the Word our faith is centred on the Holy Bible not only as the Book but on the very person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, man and history. Precisely because the capacity of the divine Word embraces and extends beyond the Scripture, the constant presence of the Holy Spirit who “will lead you to the complete truth” (Jn. 16:13) is necessary for those who read the Bible.  The Catholic Church has always held that “sacred tradition and sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God, which is entrusted to the Church. By adhering to it the entire holy people, united to its pastors, remain always faithful to the teaching of the apostles, to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (cf. Acts 2:42)” (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum of Vatican Council II, No. 10).

Finally, the mission of the Church can be termed the roads of the Word. The Word of God walks along the roads of the world to encounter the great pilgrimage that the people of the earth have taken up in search of truth, justice and peace. “In fact, even in the modern world secularised city, in its squares and in its streets – where disbelief and indifference seem to reign, where evil seems to prevail over good, creating the impression of a victory of Babylon over Jerusalem – one can find a hidden yearning, a germinating hope, a quiver of expectation. As can be read in the book of the prophet Amos,  ‘The days are coming, declares the Lord God, when I shall send a famine on the country; not hunger for food, not thirst for water, but famine for hearing the Word of the Lord (Amos 8:11). The evangelising mission of the Church wants to answer this hunger” (Message, No. 10).

This is precisely the mission of the Bible Society of India for all these years and it has to intensify day by day. We give thanks to God for all that has been achieved so far and pray that the Word of God may reach every home, Christian and otherwise, and every individual, Christian and otherwise through the written word and all means of communication available to us today. Only the Word of God can bring healing, love, joy, peace and hope in our broken world today.

However, in the work of evangelization we can never ignore the inter-religious dimension. I would like to quote verbatim from the message: “The Christian also finds common harmony with the great religious traditions of the Orient that teach us, in their Scriptures, respect for life, contemplation, silence, simplicity, renunciation, as occurs in Buddhism. Or, like in Hinduism, they exalt the sense of the sacred, sacrifice, pilgrimage, fasting, and sacred symbols. Or, as in Confucianism, they teach wisdom and family and social values. Even to the traditional religions with their spiritual values expressed in the rites and oral cultures we would like to pay our cordial attention and engage in a respectful dialogue with them. Also to those who do not believe in God but who endeavour to ‘do what is right, to love goodness and to walk humbly’ (Mic. 6:8), we must work with them for a more just and peaceful world, and offer in dialogue our genuine witness to the Word of God that can reveal to them new and higher horizons of truth and love” (Message, No. 14).

I wish to conclude with my humble prayer for God’s abundant blessings on this chosen instrument in God’s plan, i.e., the Bible Society of India, to spread his Word everywhere and especially in our motherland. May the Bible Society of India work with ever greater zeal and commitment for this great mission Christ Our Lord has entrusted to his Church.

As a member of the NCCI Body, on behalf of the BSI, Rev. Dr. (Mrs.) Leelavathi Vemuri, the President of the BSI shared Greetings at the 29^th General Assembly of the National Council of Churches in India at the Henry Martin Institute in Hyderabad on April 22, 2023. Two of our BSI Auxiliary secretaries – Rev. John Basy Paul (Telangana Auxiliary) and Rev. K. John Vikram (Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary) had accompanied our President at the Assembly. The NCCI General Assembly was grateful for their presence.

The Bible Society of India Kerala Auxiliary Kodukulanji Branch annual meeting was held at CSI Church Kodukulanji.

Rev. Philip Varghese presided over the meeting. Mr. T. M. Mathew, Treasurer, presented the account, and Mr. K. M. Mathew, Secretary, presented the branch report. New office bearers are elected on this day.

The Bible Society of India, Kerala Auxiliary, held the 20th Annual meeting of the Gudallor Branch at Gudallor Marthoma Church on 14th April 2023. Mr. Jacob John, our branch secretary, cordinator for North America, and auxiliary committee member, presented the report and accounts.

For the very first time, Tày people will be able to study the Word of God in their own language and strengthen their faith in Christ.

Tày Christians expressed an urgency to have a Bible written in their language, for their people. Only approximately 1% of the 1.6 million Tày people are Christians, and those Tày Christians will now be equipped to take the Word of God to their friends, family, and neighbours.

Like many other Vietnamese ethnic groups, the Tày traditionally practice a form of polytheism and believe that supernatural powers have an impact on their life. As a result, they are more open to Buddhist beliefs than to the Christian faith.

In addition to ensuring that the Tày people hear the Good News, this translation is expected to help them keep their language, culture, and identity. Younger Tày speakers often need help finding ways to practice and maintain their mother tongue.

Translators are very pleased with the clear, simple, natural translation they were able to produce – a text that Tày people can read and understand, regardless of age. This was a challenge as pure Tày language is often used by the elderly, with no common orthography (spoken slightly differently among different groups) and limited vocabulary. With much perseverance, the translation team were able to collaborate to find the right words for this translation.

Prof. Dr. Hoang Van Ma, renowned Tày linguist and reviewer of the first Tày Bible, speaks fondly of his time with this project: “It is my great privilege to be able to see the Tày Bible in written form. This translation is deeply valued and appreciated by the Tày community and it will become a heritage for them. I am thankful that I was given this opportunity to partner with the UBS to review this translation and has helped me learn more about the Good News.”

Alongside the clarity of language, the visual elements used on the cover and throughout have proved to be a welcome addition.

Kent*, a Tày man, after seeing this copy of the gospel of Mark, has exclaimed: “Any Tày, regardless of gender or age, will surely pick up this book if they see it. It speaks to us. The patterns are very familiar and beloved. So, I think with a cover like this, along with the well-presented content, many Tày people will never hesitate to read the gospel. And thanks to that, many will get to know about God and slowly immerse themselves into the faith.”

While predominantly located in Vietnam’s northern highlands near the Chinese border, the Tày people can now be found throughout all 63 provinces and cities of Vietnam.

The Tày Bible project was originally part of a larger project that sought to translate the Bible into other languages of minority people groups in North Vietnam, including the Nung, Muong, and Black Hmong Languages. Each of these translation projects are still underway and the Black Hmong project is expected to be complete in late 2024.

It took less than ten years to complete the Bible translation – comparatively quick for a project of this scope. (Source – UBS news)

The Bible Society of India released the first Monsang Naga Bible on 19th March 2023 at Liwa Sarei Baptist Church, Chandel. The Monsang tribe are one among the indigenous tribes of a Tibeto-Burman ethno-linguistic group of the North-East India, inhabiting the south-east part of Manipur state border to Myanmar particularly in Chandel district. Monsangs were originally known as ‘Sirti’. Formerly the Monsang are the “Old Kuki” sub-branch of the South-Central or Kuki-Chin languages. There are an approximate 2,000 native speakers of Monsang who live across six villages in Chandel District.

The Koireng people are one of the indigenous peoples living in the highland of Manipur state in North-East India spread across Myanmar. They have a shared common ancestry, history, cultural traits, folklore and dialects with their kindred people like Aimol and Kom. Their ancestors were from the East Land (as their name said it all – Koi means ‘east’ and reng means ‘men’). Koireng Tribe of Manipur is very rich in custom and culture which has been preserved on for ages. The Koireng is a very vibrant community with a population of 2500. The Koireng New Testament was released on 8th December 2022 at Longa Baptist Church, Manipur.

Every conversation on faith has to be relooked at in the light of how we addressed ourselves amidst a global shift during Covid. It took a sojourn into the deepest darkness for us to recognize and appreciate the light. A phase when we were clouded with more questions than answers, enquiries that ultimately drew us closer to the heart of God. It takes me back to the disciples caught in the storm asking Jesus the question don’t you care if we drown? In some way or the other didn’t we all ask that question more than once being engulfed with death, destruction and decay? Aren’t those intimidating numbers escalating each day where tomorrow I may become a statistic enough to move you to action dear God? In subtle ways we have probably echoed the words of Jesus from the cross, my God my God why have you forsaken us!

Have we questioned God’s love because of our storm? “Carest thou not that we perish? How can you sleep when I am troubled? You ought to be doing things when I am feeling unsafe.” Sometimes a moving Jesus doesn’t build your faith like a Jesus who is asleep.

We learn some things about obedience and discipline that only the storm can teach us. Let’s face it, it took a few years of loss, re arranging of jobs, lives, churches and relationships to enable us to tune our ears to listen more closely to the voice of God than we did before.

Storms are built into God’s plan for our lives: You will get into a boat with Jesus, you will hit a storm, life will get rough, why are you afraid? Jesus is with you in the boat and will get you to the other side, the problem is storms are noisy, and sometimes it becomes difficult to hear God’s voice. But he can hear you. Jesus will stop to turn even when he is busy attending to other people’s needs, he will always hear our voice.

The storm is not yours to fix, it is yours to survive: One of the areas we get nervous is when we lose control over things, we certainly lost control of the pandemic and things went out of our hands. Not everything is ours to fix, the storm was ours to survive.

Storms don’t always warn you that they are coming: you and I don’t get to pick the storm. No one sits with God and says ok I’ll pick blood cancer, or I’ll choose prostate cancer over HIV. Would you rather lose your memory or lose both your feet? You don’t get to pick what life is going to hand over to you.

Over and over again from the OT to the NT there is a phrase and it came to pass, after many days and it came to pass, what we don’t realise is that every storm that ever hit the planet came to pass. No matter how fierce no matter how many people died they always come, we give them new names label them differently, but it is still a cyclone no matter how many lives are lost, people lose homes are robbed of families, it still came to pass. In hurricane Katrina one of the saddest pictures is of a father holding up his baby up on the dresser with his hands and both died.

Everything that I know about God that matters I learned it not in a concordance, I learned it in a storm. I learned it on the edge of a cliff, wondering if I would live, everything I learned about what life mattered, everything I learned about life I never learned through a promotion or through difficult relationships, but, I learned when life shut the door on me.

David needed his Goliath because Goliath announced to David you have arrived. Goliath is not there to kill you he is there to introduce you, until Goliath comes David is just a shepherd boy, but Goliath put David’s talent on full display he separated David’s talents from every other shepherd boy. Maybe David should have paid Goliath because the king would have paid David no attention if it weren’t for the Goliath he fought. The only reason for this storm was for Jesus to cross the shores and bring the gospel to the gentiles; the greater the storm the greater the assignment if God trusts you with that level of trouble you’ve got to be somebody.

We are living in uncertain times If we are all going to be destroyed by a virus or by a war or an attack, let that destruction when it comes, find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reaching out to those in need, not found wanting, not found lacking or lazing or giving directions but doing.  

We often quote the 23^rd Psalm of walking through the valley of the shadow of death and fearing no evil, there is a background to it. In the holy land in the valleys of the shadows of death were Lions and Bears that knew the pattern of the sheep, they would thus hide in the shadows because every time they knew they would use the same route and come the same way,  no wonder David said in 1 Samuel 17, I have taken my father’s sheep out of the jaws of the Lion and the Bears so what he would do was leave the sheep behind and go into the shadows looking for the Lions and Bears to kill them before the sheep arrived preparing the way, so after he kills all of the Lions and Bears then he would go up the mountain and clear the area. God’s love for us is so deep that he removes that which will destroy us out of the way; certain things in life, if it wasn’t for God I would have been gone. 

In his book Doubting, Alister McGrath, goes on to present a powerful illustration. He reminds us that if we desire to see the stars or catch a glimpse of the Milky Way, we cannot do it in broad daylight. We have to wait until it is dark. The stars are still there during the day; we just can’t see them. Our eyes aren’t discerning enough to pick up their light during the day. The stars don’t need darkness to exist—but we need the darkness if we are to see them and convince ourselves that they are still there! 

My faith today is relevant only when it makes sense to the changing times, if I am able to comprehend that am never promised in God’s word that God will still the storms around me, but God will certainly still me. It is only through the darkness I will be better able to comprehend the light.

It is said that during the American civil war, eight soldiers met in a tent to pray. They were all worried about their lives that they decided to send a message of comfort to their families in case they died. They all copied the final stanza of the hymn which each one signed. The next morning seven of the soldiers were killed. The hymn was:

My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Saviour Divine…
While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread…
Be Thou my Guide;
Blest Saviour, with Thy love,
Fear and distrust remove;
O bear me safe above
A ransomed soul.

Rev. D. Anand Peacock
Pastor, Circular Road Baptist Chapel, Kolkata 
Committee member – Calcutta Auxiliary