Anand B Krishnan

GOD CALLS US TO STAND FIRM IN OUR FAITH IN CHRIST  Luke 18:1-8 INTRODUCTION  In the year 1521, a council was taking place in the city of Worms. It was a moment when the world and the Church were waiting for a great change. The power of the entire empire and the anger of the religious leaders were pressing heavily on one man. To many people, he looked like someone who would surely fail. But in God’s eyes, that moment became a place and a time to reform the faith people had in Christ and in the Church. Standing before those powerful political and religious leaders was not a soldier, nor a high official with wealth or authority. It was Martin Luther, a simple monk. Even though he was surrounded by danger, darkness, and the threat of death, he boldly said, “Here I stand.” No one could move him. His faith in Jesus Christ kept him strong. That is the secret and the power of true faith. About a thousand years earlier, Jesus Christ told a parable to teach this same truth t...

BIBLE PORTION : 2 Kings 20:1-7 1 Corinthians 12:1-10 Luke 18:35-43 Psalm 103:1-10 BIBLICAL FOUNDATION: Psalm 103:3 INTRODUCTION  In the dictionary, one of the words least liked by human beings is “disease.” This is because disease brings countless losses and hardships. Therefore, people everywhere fear illness. In earlier times, there was a disease called cholera that came and took away lives in droves. In recent times, illnesses such as cancer, AIDS, and COVID-19 have been causing suffering to humanity. When a person is afflicted with disease, it often results in the loss of all the wealth he has worked so hard to accumulate. That is why our ancestors used to say this beautiful proverb: “A life without disease is wealth without shortage.” Our great Tamil poetess Avvaiyar expressed it thus: “Rare, rare indeed it is to be born a human; rarer still to be born without deformity, blindness, or deafness.” She thereby highlights the grave impact of disease. But does disease a...

BIBLE PORTION: 1 Kings 17:1-16 Galatians 2:1-10 Matthew 13:47-52 Psalm 107:1-15 BIBLICAL FOUNDATION: Galatians 2:9 INTRODUCTION Before ascending to heaven, Jesus Christ gave His final command — to carry out the mission of evangelization. Generally, a person’s last words are considered to be of great importance. Therefore, the disciples accepted the words of Jesus Christ and carried out the mission with dedication and enthusiasm. This mission is a responsibility for everyone. The mission is to go out into the whole world, proclaim the Good News, and baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the command given by the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples ( Matthew 28:19–20 ). The disciples stayed in Jerusalem and proclaimed Jesus Christ as the Good News. Through the experience on the road to Damascus, the apostle Paul was chosen by God to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles. Once chosen, Paul began preaching Christ to many different peoples. The...

BIBLE PORTION:  Isaiah 6:1-13 INTRODUCTION: William Temple, the Archbishop of Canterbury, defines worship in this way: “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of the mind with His truth; the purifying of the imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of the will to His purpose—and all this gathered up in adoration.” Worship is not merely about glorifying God. It is about bringing an inner transformation in the human being. Worship strengthens a person's relationship with God and transforms human thoughts to align with God’s thoughts. Not every gathering in the church is referred to as worship. Only when the essential elements of worship are present can it truly be called worship. In the Scripture passage we heard, the prophet Isaiah sees a divine vision. According to Isaiah 1:1 , he sees this vision after the death of King Uzziah. The Hebrew calendar year...

BIBLE PORTION: 1 Samuel 25:14-28 1 Thessalonica 4:1-12 Luke 10:25-37 Psalm 23 BIBLICAL FOUNDATION: Luke 10:37 INTRODUCTION  God has assigned each person a unique role in this world. When we carry out the task given to us by God with excellence, we are able to receive promotions and blessings. Whatever position we are placed in, by performing that duty with honesty and integrity, we can glorify the holy name of God. We should never underestimate anyone based on the work they do. This is because the reality is that the task done by one person cannot always be performed efficiently by another. Likewise, we should never consider any work we do as insignificant, because it has been bestowed upon us by God. Whatever the task may be, we must perform it with excellence. Our ancestors, too, gave special respect to work. That is why they coined the proverb, “The work we do is divine.” It is because people perform their assigned duties well that the world continues to function with so...

BIBLE PORTION: Luke 19:29-46 INTRODUCTION: The Hebrew word Hosanna means “Save us now” or “Grant us salvation now.” During the Feast of Tabernacles, the Jews would carry palm branches in their hands and shout “Hosanna.” On the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, this shout of “Hosanna” would become especially loud and widespread, which is why that day came to be known as “Hosanna Day.” A procession is a peaceful means of expressing our thoughts. Through processions, we can bring various issues — whether unknown to the world or known but unacknowledged — to public attention. For example, Gandhi’s Dandi March was a protest against the British-imposed tax on salt. Similarly, even today during elections, we see processions encouraging 100% voter turnout. The procession described in the Gospel of Luke emphasizes the idea that “ Jesus is King .” This is seen in the prophecy found in Luke 19:38 . A king entering Jerusalem in a grand procession was not a new event. In the past, ...