Christian Perspectives

Keeping the vigil of Lent in fellowship with Christ

Nayomini Ratnayake Weerasooriya

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry – Matthew 4:1

The season of Lent is a time for reflection, a deeper examination of ourselves within. Spread over 40 days of fasting, prayer and meditation on the word, Lent encourages us to choose humility over confidence, God centeredness instead of self-centeredness; committing ourselves to recognize and be thankful for everything Jesus gave us in his Ministry.

Some believe in fasting from food but it can also mean fasting from other things we consider luxuries. Watching TV and spending hours in front of it, is a habit we should ideally give up during the sacrificial days – for some, keeping track of their favorite programmes on TV is more vital than reading the Scripture. Can we give up The Box and the attention it devours, at least during Lent – can we spend the time instead on prayer and reading the Word? If we could, we would learn how much it nourishes our inner man and strengthens us to carry out His will in our lives.

With fasting comes the power of prayer – you can talk to God any time of the day but starting the day and ending the day in His presence is a priceless gift we share. During the day, particularly in Lent, we can find small occasions, fleeting moments rescued from our busy schedules, to read the Word and be empowered by it.

Personally, I have found the time spent at the wheel the best time during the day to talk to God. Not only because of the reckless drivers but also because it is just God and me in the car and I can talk to Him one to one.

Power of prayer is found not only in quiet moments spent at His feet but also in the midst of chaos. God is around us 24/7 and does not need prior appointments. Perfecting the art of prayer brings us closer to a wonderful sharing of His grace and love in an increasingly dark world.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday – smearing of ashes on your forehead not only reminds your mortality but also the humility and servitude displayed by Our Lord. The lesson is ours to keep on a daily basis and not only for Lent, humility is a virtue you must wear the higher you rise. Humility is not a mere outward cloak but one that grows within, from fellowship with Jesus.

Lent is indeed a time to spend less on outward appearances and more on obtaining deeper, more meaningful insights from Scriptures, gleaning the droplets of truth revealed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. The more time we spend in His presence, the more we learn in applying His truth to the lives we lead. Scripture comes alive in the Word, cleansing, healing, restoring and empowering us to do things otherwise impossible to do by human standards.

A Christ-centred life is our ultimate goal – one in which He renews us day by day. The period of Lent helps us to keep Him in focus than ever before, enabling us to reflect on the life of Jesus, from His birth in the Manger to the Cross, the eternal truth He revealed to us as His children and His all-encompassing grace that abounds especially when we are not worthy to receive it.

Being true Disciples of Christ in the 21st Century is tough – we face so many choices, both from technology that has enabled us to stay connected with the whole world round the clock and from an environment that seeks to constantly keep us engaged. But the secret lies in finding the time; as Mary discovered while Martha ran about with her tasks, the best task in the world is to lie at His feet and let His waters wash over you.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:29

There’s so much to learn at His feet, so much to obtain from taking his yoke, the yoke of humility and love, where we will always find rest for our weary souls, where we will be refreshed with the Living Waters. There’s nothing greater in the whole wide world than learning the true meaning of fellowship with Christ, a very personal, individual and private journey of love and compassion.

Let us find it within us to embark on that journey as we keep the Lent vigil. Let us truly understand the tremendous blessings that follow true fellowship with Christ, as engage in fasting and prayer and look forward to the powerful message Jesus gives us.

Head of world's Anglicans to step down amid rifts

Danny Kemp

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans, said on Friday he will resign at the end of the year after a decade of turmoil over female and gay bishops.

The bushy-bearded 61-year-old announced that he would return to his academic roots by taking up a position as master of Cambridge University's Magdalene College in January 2013.

He did not give a reason for standing down but his tenure was marked by a struggle to avoid a schism over the consecration of women bishops in Britain, and of openly gay bishops in the United States.

“It has been an immense privilege to serve as Archbishop of Canterbury over the past decade, and moving on has not been an easy decision,” Williams said in a statement released by his office Lambeth Palace.

Anglicans could now get their first black leader, with Ugandan-born John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, widely viewed as front-runner to replace Williams.

Williams was appointed in 2002 as the 104th holder of the post, replacing George Carey as the head of the Church of England and the spiritual leader of the Anglican communion, which says it has 85 million members worldwide.

He conducted the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton at London's Westminster Abbey in April last year.

Williams' successor will be formally appointed by Queen Elizabeth II, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England.

The actual decision will rest in the hands of a commission grouping senior churchmen and lay people, who will then forward their nomination to British Prime Minister David Cameron.

But whoever replaces Williams will have the thorny task of healing the growing rift between the liberal wing of the Church of England and conservatives in the wider Anglican communion.

In 2010 five Church of England bishops said they would convert to Catholicism under an offer from Pope Benedict XVI to welcome Anglicans disaffected by moves to ordinate women. Moves to ordain gay bishops have meanwhile alienated the Anglican church in Africa.

Williams said on Friday that the disagreements had been a “major nuisance” but insisted they had not clouded his tenure as archbishop.

“The worst aspects of the job, I think, have been the sense that there are some conflicts that won't go away, however long you struggle with them, and that not everybody in the Anglican Communion or even in the Church of England is eager to avoid schism or separation,” he said.

He added that his resignation comes ahead of a number of “watersheds”, including a vote by the Church of England this year on whether to give final approval to women bishops.

Sentamu, 62, said he had heard the news of Williams's resignation with “great sadness”.

“The last decade has been a challenging time for the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. Thankfully, Archbishop Rowan is a remarkable and gifted leader who has strengthened the bonds of affection,” he said. Appointing Sentamu would have a whiff of controversy, however, as he last month agreed to write a weekly column for Rupert Murdoch's new Sunday edition of The Sun, Britain's top-selling tabloid.

Murdoch launched the paper to replace the News of the World, which he closed in July last year after a scandal over phone-hacking.

Cameron described Williams as “a man of great learning and humility” who had “guided the Church through times of challenge and change.

Williams was born in the Welsh city of Swansea in 1950, the son of a mining engineer, but his prowess rapidly took him into academia, first at Cambridge and then Oxford, where he became the youngest professor at the time at 36.

AFP

Walk beside my wheelchair Lord

Walk beside my wheelchair Lord
As I wheel myself each day,
All about my little world
Crossing hurdles on the way.

Walk beside my wheelchair Lord,
As I wheel myself to class,
Just to share my knowledge Lord
That’s my little task.

Walk beside my wheelchair Lord
As I go to prayer
Just to be with others Lord
In your presence there

Walk beside my wheelchair Lord,
When I go for meals,
Let me always thankful be
For food that fills and heals

Walk beside my wheelchair Lord,
As I go to recreate,
Stay then in our midst dear Lord,
Help us in Love relate

Walk beside my wheelchair Lord,
Stay with me always,
When the little storms arise
I’ll put my hand in Yours

When my brokenness looms large
And shadows haunt my view
Your arm around my shoulders Lord
Assures me of Your love

Walk beside my wheelchair Lord
As up the hill I wheel
Your hand upon the handle Lord,
Will take the weight off me

On Calvary’s height the Cross stand still,
Attracting, drawing me,
What else can with that love compare,
The love on Calvary

And when the last lap you have wheeled,
Across the ‘final’ line
Embrace me in Your love dear Lord
For all Eternity

Late Rev. Sister Inisia A C

Late Rev. Sister Inisia A C was a very sincere devoted personality dedicated to God and profession. She was an eminent teacher, a devoted nun who knew the essence of divine teachings – a person of rare quality who is said to have believed in the honest performance of her duties. She dedicated herself to the wellbeing and happiness of her children at Sacred Heart Convent, Chilaw, where she rendered a great service.

She was a very knowledgeable person who had read widely. Among her many talents she was a good writer who had expressed her sincere wishes bravely and impartially. Her powerful personality and charm had a great influence on everybody around her. She stood as a shining example of an intellectually gifted genius which is evident from the above composition.

She was in perfect health until she met with an accident which confined her to a wheelchair. She was well looked after with extra care by her near and dear ones. The fragrance of her beautiful life lives in their memory. She has left them very valuable memories which will not fade away with the passage of time which could be seen from this composition, which was found among her documents after her demise. Her memory will certainly live as one of those who spent a very noble, holy and a meaningful life. Let this be a tribute to her.

Rupa Banduwardena

Weekly Devotion :

Temptation of Jesus Christ

Eve Failed but Jesus Triumphed......read on to find out the secret of His success! Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and was led up of the Spirit into the desert to be tempted of the devil. Adam and Eve fell into temptation in a garden filled with beautiful plants and fruit trees God had created with His own hands for their pleasure. They were not in want of anything, they could eat and enjoy of everything that this garden produced except of the produce of one tree ‘The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil'.

Adam and Eve need not have given into temptation if in their hearts they fully desired to please God and trust His word, instead you find that their focus shifted. Alas! Eve was enticed by this forbidden fruit, which brought about this slip-up - disobedience to the word of God as a result of the lies that Satan spoke. ‘Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?’

Blatant lie, God had said no such thing - He said you can eat of every tree but.........

Jesus on the other hand was taken into a desert place by the Holy Spirit as He had to face the tempter, there was no beautiful garden but this was done in harsher surroundings, a dry parched ground, and He had to face Satan because Adam and Eve had failed. Eve initially failed because she doubted the word of God and Jesus had to pass the test on this score. Whatever Eve did wrong Jesus had to put right that was part of His salvic duty to destroy the work of the devil that had brought about the fall.

Before starting His Ministry, the first step was to defeat Satan in his initial tactic as always, to make us doubt God's Word. Eve's first temptation was to do with the lust of her eyes. Satan played on her senses to make this ordinary fruit to look so luscious and attractive. Eve's eyes were absolutely focused on this fruit, although there were better fruits around her, The Tree of Life, which bore the Fruit of Eternal Life was right next to it but Eve was blinded to this and her focus was on the wrong fruit! Her senses were away from God's word of warning ‘should you eat of this tree you shall surely die'. Satan managed to convince her that she will not die, that God was just exaggerating - Satan brought about ‘Unbelief in God’s Word’.

Let us turn to the first temptation of Christ:

‘Turn these stones into bread'. Satan knew Jesus was hungry - He was almost at the end of His 40 day fast. His human tendencies were playing on Him. After all He was 100 percent human and 100 percent God. Satan thought he will trick Him into using His power to satisfy His human needs. The fast Christ had undertaken was to focus on the salvic duties He had accepted to do for the world - He knew that life was more than ‘what shall I eat or what shall I put on’ Jesus’ focus unlike Eve was on the Word of God.

‘It is written thou shal not live by bread alone, but every word that proceedeth out of thee mouth of the Lord'. Secondly, Eve failed by her lustful fleshy feelings. She felt that the fruit was good for consumption, her sense of taste was oozing and she had to take a bite. The second temptation of Jesus Christ was that Satan takes him to the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem. ‘If thou be the Son of God, cast yourself down. It is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning thee.

Satan here tries to make Jesus stumble over the Word of God itself. Satan many times uses the Word of God, twists it and speaks half truth about it, uses it out of context to make us confused.

He did this with Eve - he told her ‘You shall not surely die, for God knows that in the day that you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be like God.

One of the sins we humans commit is not fully believe in God's word. We easily doubt God's word as Satan twists it and turns it and uses our partial knowledge of it and even works round our five senses. Therefore it is imperative that we study God's word and understand the inspired Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit, so that Satan's subtle lies can be spotted and one could turn away from it even as Jesus did by using scriptures to show the evil one that we are firmly gripped in the Inspired Word of God.

Jesus says:

It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God'. In other words ‘I trust Him fully in whatever circumstances He places me, no matter what'. I will not test His words.

The third temptation of Eve was ‘eat this fruit and you will be like God.’

Here we find, that Eve forgets her true status - she was a created being and she could never rise up to the level of The Creator - God. Satan lies and convinces her that God is preventing her from eating this fruit as He does not want what is best for her.

Eve is even more attracted to the fruit now, as the pride of life takes over her. She is convinced that by disobeying God she and Adam can rise up and be as powerful as God

Pride and power finally brings her fall together with Adam - the same sin that brought the devil down! Satan tries the same trick with Jesus, ‘Again the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘All this I will give you’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me'.

Jesus mind was firmly fixed unlike Eve's to follow the pathway shown to Him by His Father's Word. No power or easy short cuts attracted Jesus.

Get thee hence Satan, for it is written, ‘Thou shall worship the Lord thy God and Him only shall thou serve.’ Satan tried to make Jesus stutter over the first and the greatest commandment, not a chance did Satan have with the Son of God.

Adam and Eve did not have the scriptures then but God spoke to them face to face and they were both sinless as Jesus was in His human form - but they did not give heed to God's word.

Jesus put it right by His complete obedience to the Word of God and chasing the devil away. Conclusion

John 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for all that you underwent to save me, a fallen being attracted by the lies of the devil. Lord Jesus Christ, the anointed one, the lamb of God who made Himself available to die on the cross to take away the sin of the world, I bow down before you, even as you are seated at the right of God the Father after redeeming the world. Lord, I will never know how much of suffering you underwent to save me but I do know that you love me as no one has ever done to sacrifice yourself so that one day I can be with you and enjoy eternal life. Accept me as I believe in your word and follow you as this is all that you require of me. In the name of Jesus name…Amen.

Sunitha Sahayam