IF YOU HAVE JESUS IN YOUR HEART, NOTIFY YOUR FACE

My heart is filled with gratitude this morning..gratitude to God...gratitude to all of you for coming. Every one of you have touched my life and impacted my soul in unique ways and varying degrees, going to back 25 years. Each of you have a special place of joy and affection in my heart. And I thank you all for coming today, to bless me and this church as we transition to a new phase.

After selecting me, the search committee gave a report to the church board. They wrote:

Finding the right man for the job has been a laborious process. We interviewed the following candidates, and checked their references. Here is our confidential report.
 
ABRAHAM: Good man but he was accused of child abuse. He also lied to authorities that his wife was his sister.

MOSES: A modest and meek man, but poor communicator; even stamers a little. Sometimes blows his stack and acts rashly in business meetings. Some say he left an earlier church over a murder charge.

DAVID: The most promising leader of all until we discovered the affair he had with his neighbor's wife.

SOLOMON: Great preacher, a wise man, but serious woman problem.

JONAH: Told us he was swallowed up by a fish. He said the fish spit him out on the shore near here. We hung up.

JOHN: Says he is a Baptist, but doesn't dress like one.  May be too Pentecostal. Tends to lift both hands in the air to worship when he gets excited. Sleeps outdoors, has a weird diet, and provokes denominational leaders.

PETER: Too blue collar. Has a bad temper, even said to have cursed. He's a
loose cannon.

PAUL VELIYATHIL: He is from India. He is a hospice chaplain; Totally bald. His wife is nice.

We recommend him. Besides, from the above list, he is the only one alive.

So here I am one flawed human being, standing in the shadow of the giants of salvation history. Despite their perceived weakness and shadow side, God sleeted them and used them to accomplish God's purposes for humanity.

So it is with deep humility and a little trepidation that I assume my role today as interim minister of this church today. What gives me strength is that God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called.

I thank the search committee for choosing me, the church board for approving me and the congregation for accepting me...at least for now. Who knows what the level of acceptance will be down down the road? I have heard stories of congregations turning against the pastor few months after calling him. That happens because churches often insist on denominational rigidity, and resist trying new ways of being church. Such thinking brings churches to the level of worldly entities like a city hall, or a condo board. I am grateful that our church is nothing like that. We have a wonderful congregation that is open to change and growth.

I believe that church should be a place of joy and laughter and unity in Christ. We have enough worries and cares, divisions and disharmony out there in the world. I intend to build a congregation of joyful people, who can experience the peace and joy of Christ, a peace that can transcend the troubles of the world, a joy that can supersede the sorrows of life.

A joyful congregation does not mean a group of silly people goofing around. It does not mean that we don't take the gospel seriously or live our lives intentionally. Just the opposite. A joyful congregation is the replica of the kingdom of heaven on earth. I like to dispel the misguided notion that we have to die before we can experience heaven. In that scenario, life before death is felt as a chore and a struggle, joylessly carried out in the valley of tears. In such a life, the promise of Jesus that he came that we may have life and have it abundantly is not appropriated at all.

Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding feast where he changed water into wine so that people can have a good time. The kingdom of God is about joy and happiness and fun and celebration. And we should not wait to have all that after we die and go to a far away location beyond the clouds. Jesus came to earth so that we can and should have it now, during our earthly life. It was in his birth announcement. The angel said to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy.”

That is what apostle Paul reminds us in today's reading: He says, “rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice. Do not be anxious about anything.” Is it possible that we have not believed in the good news?

One of the signs that you are a joyful person is that there is a smile on your face. Your face is the window of your soul. If your soul is at peace, it will show up on your face. I have seen church members walking around with serious faces, worrying about the salvation of non-Christians or, judging those who don't attend church. They are concerned about doing church rather than being church. In church circles, they are called the frozen chosen.

We don't want to be such a church. That is why today's message is titled “If you have Jesus in your heart, notify your face.” SMILE, is acronym for Soul Manifesting Its Life Energy.

A lack of smile on your face is a pretty good indication that your soul is dormant or absent. That is why you never see a dead person smile because the soul has departed. I walk into funeral homes few times a week, and when I approach an open casket, I look, but has never seen the person lying in it smile. They look so serious. That is where the phrase “dead serious” comes from.

So don't take yourself too seriously. GK Chesterton said that angels can fly because they take themselves lightly. If you can smile, a lot of life situations will become less stressful. For example, you cannot smile and be angry at the same time. You cannot smile and shoot another human being. You cannot smile and yell at somebody at the same time. You cannot smile and be afraid at the same time. A wise man once said that “If you are not using your smile, you're like someone with a million dollars in the bank and no check book.”

One place you don't smile is when you go through airport security. The facial recognition technology doesn't want you to smile because, when you smile 43 muscles on your face will move, which will make it hard to match your face with the photo on your passport, which by law, has to be a non-smiling photo. So it is a security issue. And security is always about fear..fear of terrorism.

So don't smile when you go thru TSA checkpoints. You won't anyway, because you are tense and scared. But please don't live a TSA life. In this case, TSA stands for Tense&Scared Always.

I believe laughter is an important sign of spiritual health. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” says proverbs 17.22. “Laughter is wine for the soul, a hilarious declaration made by man that life is worth living,”said Lord Byron. According to theologian, Karl Barth, “Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.”According to cultural anthropologist Mahadeve Apte “laughter occurs when people are comfortable with one another, when they feel open and free. And the more laughter there is the more bonding occurs within the group.” So I envision joy and laughter as a hallmark of our congregation. For starters, let me tell you the story of a new pastor.

It was his first Sunday at an aging congregation. He told them that, instead of wine, he would be using prune juice for Holy Communion. When asked why he would do that, he said,"If the Holy Spirit won't move you--the prune juice will!"

I won't do anything like that. But I have plans to do a lot of other things during my term as interim minister. But before I get to that, let me share with you what brought me to this moment.

As most of you know, I was a catholic priest for 13 years. I got married in 1988 which I was not supposed to do. Our 30^th wedding anniversary is coming up and Judy has asked for expensive diamonds. So I need this job. Just kidding.

When I got married, I was kicked out of the church because priesthood and wife are not compatible. I blame Judy for tempting me and getting me out of priesthood. No, I am kidding again. She tells me that she did me a favor by getting me out of there. What I missed the most about leaving priesthood was that I lost the privilege to preach and teach. I was depressed. There is a saying that “you can take a man out of priesthood, but you cannot take the priesthood out of a man.” We attended some local churches but no pastor would give me a chance to preach. But this church was different.

16 years ago Judy and I walked into this church with our two boys, Johnny and Tommy. We were welcomed with a warm embrace and we felt instantly at home. I liked the name of the church—Disciples of Christ—a name that is scriptural, inclusive and devoid of denominational divisions. This church is the best kept secret in Corals Springs, and I hope to change that.

Another thing that attracted me to this church is the vision of its founders. Barton Stone and Thomas Campbell, who lived in the 19^th century were both Presbyterian ministers. They became frustrated with the tribal rigidity of their denomination, and started a reform movement and called it the 2^nd reformation. Barton Stone had a following in Kentucky and Thomas Campbell had one in Pennsylvania. The two groups joined forces and founded the Disciples Church.

What fascinates me is that how these two men agreed to join together. They did it with a gentleman's hand shake. There were no elaborate discussions about rules and regulations, rituals and rubrics or creed. As a matter of fact, this church has no official creed. “No Creed but Christ” is the phrase that rings across the history of this church. The bible is taken seriously but not literally. It is not faith in the book that we hold, but faith in God as revealed through the book.

Stone and Campbell decided that the one principle that should guide the life and deliberations of the Disciples Church should be this: “In essentials unity, in non essentials liberty, and in all things charity.” I like that.

So I liked the people of this church, the name of this church, the theology of this church and its guiding principle. It was a perfect fit. So during our second visit, we placed membership.

A month after that, Pastor Craig asked me, “Paul would you like to preach?” I could not believe my ears. So I asked him if he needed permission from the pope of his church to let me preach, and he said: “I am the pope here.” But I said, I am a married priest, I have a wife and kids. And he said, that is great. You can keep the wife and start preaching. Judy was relieved. I was delighted. I am eternally grateful to Pastor Craig for his graciousness and generosity.

During the past few weeks, some friends have asked me why do I want this job. One person told me it is more difficult than I think. People are needy. Church board members can be critical of every move you make and unforgiving of your shortcomings. When the honeymoon ends, approbation will become aggravation and adulation will turn into tribulation. You are retirement age. Why don't you get Medicare, collect Social Security and go to the beach on Sunday mornings. Besides, churches are getting empty or being closed everywhere.

I told him that members of RPCC are the nicest people I have met. The board here is the best. They will treat me nice. Right? But seriously, why do I need this job when I have an amazing job as a hospice chaplain? First of all, I don't see it as a job, and secondly, I don't need it. It is a passion.

My friend is right. Every year, about 4000 churches are being closed in the United States. Half of the churches in the US did not add any new members in the last two years. Each year, nearly 3 million previous church goers join the ranks of “religiously unaffiliated.” About 40% of the millennial describe themselves as “nones.” Religion is waning, churches are closing and the faithful are floundering.

It doesn't have to be that way.

While the number of people affiliated with religion has diminished, the number of people believing in God has not. Similarly, while the number of people attending church has declined, their love for Jesus has not. Why?

THEY LIKE JESUS BUT NOT THE CHURCH, a book by Dan Kimbal explains this phenomenon well.

I think the image of God/Jesus/heaven/hell/salvation/prayer, etc. and the identity and role of the christian, portrayed in churches are not appealing to the people of the 21^st century? I like to change that without compromising the message.

The traditional Christian narrative is about a God who is separate from us, who lives in heaven which is a location beyond the clouds. We are created to praise, worship and obey that God. We are born with original sin. As humans, we are unworthy, weak, and wretched. God sent his only son to die for our sins, and to grant us eternal life in heaven, after we die. He saves only those who confess his name. This Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God, and would come again as a triumphant king to take into heaven those who are “born again” and the rest will be dispatched into hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This narrative fosters a self-loathing, breast-beating religious portrait, a spiritually-slouchy selfie, coupled with a heart-sinking feeling and a soul-searing experience of life. It postulates a needy god with a giant ego that has to be stroked with sublime songs, an angry god that needs to be appeased with the blood of his son, a stingy god from whom blessings have to be slavishly beseeched. That narrative sounds like “good news” to me.

However, the good news about God, and Jesus and us is nothing like that! Is it possible that most Christians don't even know what the good news is about? Our country is 80 percent christian. That is nearly 250 million Christians. Had that many people lived the good news of Jesus, this country would be heaven on earth. But we know, it is anything but heaven these days.

I have explored this issue in detail in my book titled, WHY GOOD NEWS PEOPLE LIVE BAD NEWS LIVES.

The new narrative is focused on the life of Jesus rather than the death of Jesus. It is about following Jesus rather than admiring him, and about witnessing to Jesus than worshiping him. It is more about transformation into Christ during this life, rather than salvation through him in after-life.

The new narrative is about empowering our minds, enriching our souls and enhancing our lives based on the awareness of the divine within. It is about experiencing the intimate impact of the Image of God on a cellular level. It is about the exciting and life-changing discovery of the “hidden treasure” and “fine pearls” that Jesus talks about regarding the Kingdom God.

The good news about the new narrative is that it is not “new” at all. It is as old as the bible. It is contained in the bible. Once again, the key is to discover it and shape our lives based on that narrative.

It can be an exciting faith journey that will liberate us from merely meandering through the meaningless monotony of a largely lethargic life. It will awaken us from the slumbering state of a wonder-less wanderer to the magical mind of a marveling mystic. It will empower us to experience the abundant life that Jesus promised.

In the coming weeks and months, I invite you join me in a spiritual adventure, to be transformed by Christ-consciousness, and to become the best version of ourselves.

To be open to the surprises of an amazing God who can work wonders through his people.

I invite you to build a spiritual community tethered together in God's love, to create a “slice of heaven” in Coral Springs.

ONE APP...ENDLESS AWESOME

I have two sons. The oldest is autistic. His name is Johnny. He is this 3 year old child in the body of a 25 year old man. He is one of the most loving, innocent, joyful human being you will ever meet. Johnny does not have capacity for abstract thinking. He has a very limited vocabulary. His favorite word is awesome. When he was very young, every time he did something like putting on a sox, or button his shirt, his mother would say: “Johnny that is awesome.” So he knows awesome stands for something good.

Awesome is Johnny's greeting and goodbye word. Awesome is the word that settles his world.

So we bought him several T-shirts with the word awesome on them. “The definition of awesome: you are looking at it” “So awesome, it hurts”, “Anybody can be cool, but awesome takes practice”, “I brought the awesome, what did you bring?”

His favorite fast food place is Chick-fil-A. Every Saturday we take him there. It is part of his routine. Few months ago, we were eating our french fries and I noticed a phrase on the side of the paper container: ONE APP...ENDLESS AWESOME

This is what a senior manager for digital experience for Chick-fil-A said about this app:

“We know time is valuable, and we’re excited to offer this new convenience that will empower guests to order what they want, when they want it and exactly how they want it, all from their mobile device,”

So the whole purpose of this app is to make your visit to the chick file, an awesome experience.

And do you know how many apps are out there promising to do exactly that in various aspects of your life?

As of June 2016 Android users can choose between 2.2 million apps. Apple's App Store has about 2 million apps.

So we have access to millions of apps to make our life easier in ordering food, communication, education, transportation, banking, etc. You name the need. And there is an app for that. Let's say you are watching a movie in a theater and but you want to go to the bathroom so badly. But you are afraid to miss part of the movie. There is an app to help you choose the best time to go without missing the story. It is called Run and Pee.

But is there an app for life itself? Is there an app for for an awesome life?

I believe there is, because why would God create us and put us on this planet unless it is to have an awesome life? Why would our birth be for anything less than that? Why would a loving God want us to suffer and struggle?

Think of a human parent. I will share my experience. When we were pregnant, I was hoping and dreaming and praying for an amazing life for our children. Never for a moment, I said: “I am going to bring this child into this world, so that he can suffer and struggle. I can't wait to watch him writhe in pain, I can't wait to see him fall off the cliff and break his leg...I can't wait to see him depressed and kill himself.”

If o sane parent would ever want such disastrous fate for his children, then why do you think God, the source of all goodness would want us his children to live half baked lives? Why would God want us to marinate in our misery while dragging our feet thru the valley of tears and end up with a miserable existence?

God doesn't; like the owners of Chic file, God has created an app for us to have endless awesome. But where is it? How do you download that? Is it free or you have to pay for it?

Yes it is free and it is available to all of us. But you cannot download it from the App store.

The One App that can give you endless awesome is not among the 4.2 million apps that humans have created. It is not out there in the Icloud. You don't have to download it because You came into this world, pre-installed with that App.

Everybody has one. But there are 3 problems associated with this app. Denial, disregard, and ignorance. It is not the fault of the creator of the App. It is our fault. Some people deny that it exists in them; others know they have it, but don't pay any attention to it and most people don't know how to activate it.

Lets face it. You can have the best app on your phone. But if you don't switch on the phone and activate the app it is of no use.

Do you know what is the App that is already installed in you? The answer is in Genesis 27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

The divine image within you is that amazing App that can provide you with endless awesome. God has installed it. But we have to activate it.

Humans are smart in so many ways. But when it comes to activating the divine app, they are ignorant immature, lazy, careless, clueless, bored, tired, and too busy. People have all the excuses not to activate this app and plenty of time for everything else...then they wonder they don't have an awesome life?

Nicodemus in today's gospel is such a guy. He was a pharisee who belonged to the ruling council. He was a religious man. Yet he felt he was missing something in his life. He was not having an awesome life. If he had, he would not have come to see Jesus...he was looking for something more...and he knew Jesus had the key to that.

And Jesus says to him; No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. It is important to notice that Jesus does not say, no one can enter the KG...we have this notion that KG is a place some where up there, where we can enter after we die. We rarely think of of KG as something that we can experience right now, on this earth, during this life. Jesus said; The KG is within you; but we forget that don't take it seriously.

Now Nicodemus takes those words literally and wonders how he could enter his mother's womb and be born again.

Actually the correct phrase is not “born again,” but “born from ABOVE” which means born of God...which we already are. We are all born of God. We are imprinted with the image of God at birth.

So born again means, remembering who you were at the time of your birth...a beautiful, innocent child, unaffected by the worries and cares of the world, untarnished by the shenanigans of the ego, uncontaminated by the temptations of of flesh, unattached to material possessions, untouched by the darkness of anger, envy, jealousy, pride, and greed, but with an unvarnished sense of security and an unlimited supply of love, peace and joy. That is what born again means.

So what happened? We grew up and we lost all our innocence.

Jesus wants us to go back to that sate of being...and it is possible even tho we are all grown up and in our 40s 50s or 60s. “It doesn't matter how old you are chronologically, what matters is how old you are Christologically.”

How alive is the Christ within you? How active is the Holy Spirit within you? How shining is the light within you? How tangible is the image of god within you? How vibrant is the breath of God within you? How visible is the peace within you? Those are the questions I want you to ponder today.

Let us see, you wake up in the morning and you pick up your phone to check your messages or go on face book or whats app. You press on that button, but guess what...the screen is not lighting up..phone is dead... What do you do? You don't throw the phone away...you don't blame the manufacturer. You may be little irritated, but like a responsible person you immediately go for the charger and plug it in...and viola in a few minutes, the screen comes alive...and you can use it again.

This is exactly how the divine app also works. It is inside you. But you have to activate it. For most people the battery is never charged...they are living their lives with an App inside that can provide endless awesome, but the battery has been dead for years or it was never charged.

How do we regularly charge and activate this divine image? Meditation is the best way to do it.

Another thing you have to do is inspirational reading. If you read only the National Inquirer, The People Magazine, Danielle Steele novels and social media postings, your divine image is not going to be charged and activated.

Another way to charge this divine image is weekly communal worship.

We are doing it and that is why we are here every week.

Let us pray that the whole humanity acknowledge the divine app, activate is on a daily basis and experience endless awesome every day....which is the fullness of life that Jesus promised.

DISCIPLESHIP IN DIFFICULT TIMES

Orlando, Florida — the “happiest place on earth” became the bloodiest and unhappiest place in America, last Sunday morning. All it took was a man with deep hatred in his heart and an assault weapon that gunned down 49 people.

The atrocity sends shock waves through the nation. The populace becomes angry and afraid. Some take to the social media to express their anger and frustration about these horrific events happening repeatedly. Others run to gun stores to store up ammunition to “protect” themselves.

The event evokes feelings within us — feelings of sorrow, sadness, anger, pain, revenge, hate, helplessness, hopelessness, and ultimately, fear, a lot of fear. Fear for our safety, fear for the safety of our loved ones; Fear for the future our country.

You can feel the anxiety of the people and the angst of a nation expressed through thousands of social media postings and blogs. You can read them in editorials; you can hear them in political speeches. In a week or two, the rantings and ravings will stop. Memories of the horrors of Orlando will recede into the back of our minds and we will get busy with life — until the next incident happens.

It is not a prediction, but stating a reality. Unless the leaders of our nation think seriously about combating domestic terrorism, lower the tone and temperature of our political discourse, and enact common sense gun laws, it will be only matter of time before another mass shooting occurs.

In this context, what is a Christian supposed to do? How are we disciples of Christ supposed to think? Should we join the crowd and hate Muslims? Then what happens to our discipleship which calls us to love our enemies? How does Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek” make sense in this situation?

Is God on our side when we fight the enemy? Are our national interests and divine interests the same? If they are different, how do we conduct ourselves as citizens and disciples at the same time? Jesus says: “Let not your hearts be troubled; trust in me and trust in my Father.” Can we trust Jesus to protect us or should we go out and buy some guns? Jesus says: “Be not afraid.” But the truth is that we are afraid. How do we live as fearless followers of Jesus among fearful citizens? These are difficult questions for a disciple.

Let us turn to the first disciple, Peter, for some guidance in this matter. Peter was not a courageous man; in fact he was a fearful man. That is why he denied Jesus three times, in front of a maid. Peter was also a narrow minded Jew. He was not open to the Gentiles, and he did not want to associate with them. He thought he was specially chosen by God and the Gentiles were outside the love of God.

Then Peter went through a transformation of consciousness. An awakening happened in his life that changed his whole perspective about Gentiles and the so called outsiders. Today, we call them immigrants, Muslims, Mexicans or any one who is outside our tribe. Peter’s awakening is described in chapters 10 and 11 of the Acts of the Apostles. I strongly encourage you to read it.

Let me summarize the experience that opened Peter’s eyes. Peter was staying in the house of a man named Simon, the tanner, in a town called Joppa.

At noon, Peter went to the roof of the house which was a terrace, to pray and he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open and a sheet being lowered in front of him, by its four corners. Inside it, were all the four legged creatures of the earth, and reptiles and birds of the sky. A voice said to him: “Get up Peter, kill and eat!”

Peter replied: “Surely not, Lord. I have never eaten anything unclean or impure.” The prospect of eating unclean food was against his religion. It was a horrifying thought for Peter. But then, he hears the voice a second time: “Do not call anything unclean, what God has purified.” This happened three times and then the sheet was taken back to heaven.

While Peter was still thinking about the meaning of this vision, he hears a knock on the door. He finds two men standing there. They had come to invite him to the house of Cornelius. Now, you have to remember that Cornelius was a gentile and Jews and gentiles are not supposed to mix and mingle. Peter was a bit confused, but went with them anyway.

When he arrived, Peter said to Cornelius: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or to visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. That is why I have come in response to your invitation without raising any objections.”

And then Peter said these words to the people gathered in the house: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism. But accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.”

God shows no partiality. God does not love one nation more than another. God does not love one group of people over another; God does not favor one religion over another religion. God is not a partisan. He wants all his children to be united, beyond borders, beyond nationalism beyond religions.

If you want to be a Godly people, you need to think and act like God. You cannot claim to be a Godly person and be prejudiced and discriminating towards any group of people, be they from other countries or other religions or have different pigmentation or sexual orientation.

That is what Peter, the first disciple realized; that is what, we as today’s disciples need to realize. It is a difficult lesson to learn. We will learn that lesson only if we transform our lives through Christ-consciousness. Remember, the tag line of our church is “ Transforming lives through Christ-consciousness.” Our narrow, selfish human consciousness will not change our attitudes. It will not allay our anxieties or remove our fears.

All us have different identities. I can think of 8 deterrent identities for myself: I am a husband, a parent, an Indian citizen, an American citizen, a hospice chaplain, a minister, a Christian, and a disciple. (Now you may wonder isn’t “Christian” and “disciple” the same? Not always. You can be a good Christian and a bad disciple at the same time. I won’t go into that now, because that is a whole new sermon)

So, I am this one individual with 8 different identities. Each one of them involve differing loyalties and allegiances. Some more than others. For example, there is very little conflict between my identity as a parent and as a husband. Similarly, my identity as a hospice chaplain and minster are very compatible.

But during crisis situations like the events of 9/11, or terrorist attack in Orlando, or a heated election season like we are having now, we may feel conflicted about our national identity and our religious identity. Your loyalties may be questioned. Your allegiances may be challenged. Your faith may be tested.

What is your primary identity? Are you an American first and a Disciple second?

Let me answer that question by using the story of Abraham, who is the called the “Father of Faith.” It is a long story that spans a total of 9 chapters in the book of Genesis (12–21). Please read it: It is a fascinating story of fear and courage, despair and hope, struggle and surrender, the possible and the impossible, of losing and finding, and ultimate transformation of his identity. Let me summarize it.

First of all, Abraham was not his original name. He had a different name (anyone knows?) His name was Abram which means (exalted father). “The Lord called Abram and said to him: “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” (Gen.12:1)

God has already asked him to give up 3 of his identities: His national identity, his cultural identity and his family identity. Leave your country, leave your people, leave your household!

Abram was 75 years old. He takes his wife Sara, his nephew Lot and leaves his land called Haran and is headed for Canan. It was a long journey full of dangers and risks. He had to deal with famine. He had to face enemies. There were quarrels between Abram and Lot and they had to go separate ways. But God kept on reassuring him: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (15:1)

After 24 years of grueling journey, when Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him again and said: “As for me, this is my covenant with you. You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram, from now on, your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” (17:4–6)

You have to remember he was 99 years old. Fatherhood at that age is impossible by human standards. Yet we know that he became the father of Issac and through him the father of the chosen people. Remember he also had to deal with God’s command to sacrifice his only son. So, on the one hand is the promise of a great nation through his progeny, but on the other hand he had to sacrifice that progeny. It made absolutely no sense. Yet, Abraham complied with God..and we know what happens when we comply with God against our human calculations. It is hard to do, but it pays off all the time.

Abraham became the “Father of Faith” through his single minded faithfulness to God. Fear and faith are related. Your fearfulness is directly proportionate to your faithfulness. The more faith you have, the less fearful you are and, vice-avers. To remain faithful to God, Abraham had to leave behind several identities behind: his national, cultural, and family identities, and finally he had to even give up his name. He relinquished his identity as Abram to become Abraham.

How many identities do you have? If you had to give up all your identities and choose just one, what would that be?

Would you choose “Disciple” as your primary identity? It is a difficult question to answer, but we must honestly answer that, especially in trying times like these.

If you dare to assume “Disciple” as your primary identity, then you may have to rethink your view on people of other religions like Islam, and other countries like Mexico. Do I support banning Muslims from entering this country and building a wall to keep the Mexicans out? You may have to re-examine your views on guns. “What is more important to me — the 10 commandments or the second amendment? The Bible or the Constitution?” These are not easy questions.

But who said discipleship is easy? Listen to Jesus telling his followers. “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”(Luke 9:23–25)

Jesus is asking you to deny your identity, your own very self, the self that you may be jealously safe-guarding. He is asking us to shed our personal ignorance and national arrogance. He is asking us to leave behind our national loyalties and worldly allegiances and make discipleship our priority.

Do you know what is the pay-off for doing that? It is huge. It is something we should all want.

Let us see what was the pay-off for Abraham for giving up so much, including his name. God said: “I will make you a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great; you will be a blessing..I will bless those who bless you..and all people on earth will be blessed through you.” (Gen12:2–3)

God stretched his name from Abram to Abraham. He expanded his name from Abram which meant, “exalted father” to Abraham which meant “father of nations.”

If you really want to be a Godly people, and true disciples, you have to be willing to undergo some “stretching and expanding” — stretching your mind to include all people in your circle of concern and expanding your heart to embrace them with love.

All “stretching” causes pain at first, but is rewarding at the end.

If you really want to be blessed by God and be a blessing to others, choose “Disciple” as your default identity. Make sure that your thinking, feeling and acting are sifted through the spiritual sieve of “Christ-consciousness.”

Any other way of living will be compromising your Christianity, diluting your discipleship and faking your faith.

• Christianity
• Religion

PARKLAND TRAGEDY; WE LIVE IN A GOOD FRIDAY WORLD BUT WE ARE AN EASTER PEOPLE

Two weeks ago, terror visited our neighborhood. Horror Jolted our hearts. Pain filled our minds and sadness soaked our souls.

Many are asking the Why question. Why such horrible things happen in the world? What makes a person so angry and evil that he could take an Uber ride to a school and gun down innocent kids?

To get flavor of how this event has affected some people, I like to share with you a face book posting from a teacher at Stoneman Douglas. I know her personally because she was Johnny's teacher at Taravella. She wrote this at 4.30 in the morning because she couldn't sleep.

Random thoughts on the state of our staff…teachers' days are not normal, we are floating around, We have too many funerals to attend, we can't make a plan, we're late for everything because there's so many extra people in Parkland and the roads are all blocked, we shake uncontrollably, We can't be alone, free food is everywhere but we can't eat, we have pounding headaches, we are wearing hats and sunglasses, we can't take the sirens and cop cars buzzing around town, we can't sleep more than a couple hours, we wonder why we can't cry, we can't send our kids to school because there are so many lock downs still going on, we pet dogs, we gather, we blame ourselves and wonder what we could have done differently, we pull over and puke on the side of the road, we can't enjoy the sunshine or the beach we don't want these helicopters above us.

We go to counseling every day, we are hyper vigilant, we drive slow, we don't comb our hair, we can't wear our contacts, we are high-fiving survival, we stink, we look like zombies, we jump straight out of our chairs when a door slams, We are sharing our Xanax, we have no idea when we will go back to work, we carry Kleenex everywhere, and walk around with heavy hearts, not knowing what to do and what to expect next.

That just gives you a glimpse into the anger, sadness, questions, frustrations, senselessness, hopelessness, and helplessness of the whole situation.

How do we RESPOND to these events and experiences as DISCIPLES? That is the central question as we gather in church. Notice two words in that question… respond and disciples. I use those words intentionally. Lets look at the word respond.

Most people are not responding to what happens to them or around them. They are reacting. What is the difference between reacting and responding? You may not have thought about it. Understanding that difference could make a big difference in our lives.


A reaction is usually immediate and on the spot without much thinking or reflection about the meaning of the event or consequences of the reaction. We have expressions like nuclear reaction., allergy reaction, chemical reaction, emotional reaction which have an immediate, automatic, instinctive and sometimes destructive quality to it. If you study face book postings and twitter feeds, you will see that most people are reacting to what they see and hear and experience. Knee jerk reactions that are often, unrelated to reality, untested by facts, hyperbolic, superficial, emotionally charged and often, mean, cruel, unnecessary, and untrue. So when we are merely reacting to events around us, we are just following Newton's 3rd law of physics…for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Unfortunately, Christian life is not based on Newton's law of physics.

Responding on the other hand, means, reacting thoughtfully, mindfully and maturely. Responding requires, taking a deep breath, digging beyond the surface, looking beyond what you see, thinking before speaking and pausing before you click that send button on an email or post. Responding involves being alert, paying attention, prayer, reflection and meditation. Responding is focused, not on what happens to you, but who it happens to.

The second part of the question is: how do we respond as disciples? Because we have the option to respond in so many ways. We can respond as a Republican or a Democrat, a conservative or a liberal. We can respond as an NRA member, we can respond as an American, as an Indian, as an immigrant, as a gay person, as a man or a woman. We can also respond as a disciple. In fact we should respond to all the events and experiences around us as disciples of Jesus. When you do that, you will see that everything that happens to you or around you - be it school shootings, car accidents, cancer diagnosis, job loss, divorce or death - doesn't matter what it is, takes on a new meaning and significance.

I like to share with you, how my faith which, definitely gets challenged by tragic events, is restored. How, after experiencing anger, denial, bargaining, depression and sadness and horror, my sanity is restored. My discipleship kicks in.

As a disciple I know that destruction and restoration are two sides of the same coin. Death and resurrection are two aspects of the Christ-mystery.

Let me explain. What happened in Parkland on Valentines day , was a horrific event. Shattered lives, broken hearts, deferred dreams. No question about the horror of that day. There is no denying the reality of that event. It happened in real time, to real people.

But plenty of other things also happened immediately after that. I think of the heroism and self sacrificing mentality of coach Aaron Weis, geography teacher Scott Beigel and coach Chris Hixon who literally sacrificed their lives to save the lives of children. I look at the courage and tenacity of the police officers. I am inspired by the passion and determination of students like David Hogg, Emma Gonsalez, and Cameron Kasky who are willing to fight for a worthy cause like gun control. Seeing the love and compassion overflowing thru the veins of thousands of people who stood in line for hours to donate blood, brings tears to my eyes. I am humbled by the generosity of thousands people who donated to Go fund me, raising 2 million dollars in two days. There is so much good that is mixed with so much bad.

That is the mystery of life; that is the meaning of the Chinese symbol of yin and yang. Two aspects of the same reality, inter-related yet distinct, one flowing into the other, creating a rhythm of complimentary wholeness. We have to learn to live in the midst of the mystery of life, and also at the edge of it, resisting the temptation to find all the answers and control all events.

>Life is messy. Our messy lives and crazy world can never be contained in a nice bottle of acceptable answers to difficult questions and, easy solutions to complex problems. That is where inner processing is needed. That is why our discipleship matters.

If you want to live on the face of this earth, there is no escaping the reality of polarity. All of us want happiness; but we won't know what happiness is without experiencing sadness. We won't know what light is without encountering darkness; we won't know what a mountain is, without looking at the valley; we won't know what peace means in the absence of war; we cannot experience life without accepting death. Good and bad, darkness and light, death and life, despair and hope come in pairs.

That is how life is designed by the Creator. We cannot avoid it, or circumvent it; We cannot go around it; we have to go through it so that we can accept it and deal with it. The good news is that, day always follows night, light always follows darkness, hope always transcends despair, and life ultimately wins over death.

Apostle Paul understood this dual aspects of life so well, and that is why he wrote to the Corinthians:

We are hard pressed on every side, but we are not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed; we always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. We who are alive are given over to death for Jesus' sake so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body; so then death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

In another place, in the same letter to the Corinthians, Paul guarantees them that the bad and the good, the wounding and the healing will merge together in their lives, through the sufferings and the comfort that comes from Jesus. 2Cor 1: 5 says, "for just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also thru Christ, our comfort overflows."
Notice that Paul uses two contradictory words, in the same sentence. "suffering" and "comfort." He places them side by side, showing us the undeniable bond between the two.

As humans, we don't want them together; we want them separated; we only want comfort; We like to avoid suffering. But it doesn't work that way. As disciples, we should learn to put them together and find meaning and mystery inside that.

In the aftermath of the enormous suffering caused by the school shooting, comfort may not be easy to find. But it is there. It is inbuilt into our souls by the Creator. We need to go within to find it. To feel it, we need to attach our lives to the other side of the cross of Jesus.

We are disciples of a man in whom tragedy and triumph were blended together: Crucifixion and resurrection. The tragic part did not destroy Jesus, but elevated him to a new level of being as the Risen Lord.

That is our model. To be steadfast and peaceful in the midst of the tragic and the painful experiences of life, whether they happen to us or around us. To find that place within us that is unaffected by the turmoil of the world.

That will happen when we place Jesus in the center of our lives, Jesus who suffered but was also glorified; Jesus who died, but rose again. Let us pray for the grace to understand and accept this irony and mystery of life.

Let us always remember that we live in a Good Friday world, but we are an Easter people.

JESUS OF NAZARETH versus JESUS CHRIST

Is there a difference between Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ? I think there is..and knowing the difference could make a difference in your spiritual life. It did for me.

The difference is huge.

Understanding the difference between the two and following the former will transform your life by the power of the latter.

Let me explain this by using an analogy.

How many of you heard of Joseph Ratzinger? Do you know who he is?...How many of you heard of Pope Benedict XVI? You heard of him, you have seen him on TV. You know who he is..the pope before Francis..the only pope who resigned.

Joseph Ratzinger and Pope Benedict are the same person. But then again, they are not. They are hugely different especially in their roles. Very few people know him as Joseph Ratzinger, but the whole world knows him as pope Benedict.

Ratzinger is this diminutive cardinal from Germany who was the head of the Congregation of Faith in Rome for many years. He used to live in an apartment in the Vatican complex. During my visit to Rome in 1984, I saw him walking from his apartment to his office in the Vatican square. A tiny man with gray hair walking, holding on to a little bag.

But on April 19, 2005 everything changed. He was elected pope by his fellow cardinals. Immediately he was whisked away to a special room and his black cassock and red hat were removed and he was dressed in white and a white hat was placed on his head and a special papal ring was placed on his finger. His name changed from Joseph Ratzinger to Pope Benedict the XVI. He was called His Holiness.

He sat on a special white chair. Other cardinals walked up to him, knelt in front of him and kissed his ring and pledged obedience to him. Then he came out to the window, flanked by cardinals, and greeted the crowd and blessed them as pope. He was elevated to the role of being the head of 1.2 billion Catholics world wide.

He was the same person, yet his role and position and persona had changed dramatically.
Joseph Ratzinger was transformed into Pope Benedict.

What happened in the case of Jesus of Nazareth is somewhat similar. Jesus was transformed into Jesus Christ. The carpenter from Nazareth became the savior of the world. The carpenter from Nazareth is Jesus the man, the savior of the world is, Jesus the Christ.

As humans, we need to get to know the human Jesus. God became man to show mankind what God is like and make mankind a “godly people.” (Mt: 5:48)

When Jesus says to us: “Follow me” he is asking us to follow him into his full humanity which grew into divinity. He is telling us that, if we follow him, we can get rid of our human problems, deal with our human struggles and grow into our inborn divinity and live much happier and peaceful lives.
Most Christians haven't paid attention to the humanity of Jesus. They only know him as the savior of world. And that is the problem. Let me tell you a story:

A baptist minister was once baptizing his flock on the river bank. A drunkard walked into the scene and preacher asked if he wanted to be baptized. He said yes, and he was taken into the water and the preacher asked: “Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
Guy: Who is that?
Preacher: Your Lord and savior.
Guy: You mean the guy who died on the cross?
Preacher: Yes
Guy: “He is OK, I believe in him” and the preacher baptized him in the name of father and of the son and of the holy spirit.

When I was in India, I stayed with my brother's family. His grandson Kevin is going to receive his first communion in March. It is a big celebration. He is already in a special catechism class preparing for holy communion. So I asked this little kid, what is it about. What happens at first communion? “I am going to receive Jesus for the first time” he said.“Who is Jesus?” “Jesus is God” and who is God? “God is Jesus?” He gave me this circular answers.

Unfortunately, most adults are also only capable of giving such circular answers. For most adult Christians, their religious knowledge has not progressed much from their religious education days as children.

For the past 17 centuries, the Church has been focusing on Jesus as son of God or Jesus the Christ. The first 3 centuries were different. It is in the fourth century, when emperor Constantine became a Christian, that Christianity became a religion. Until then, it was considered a way of life. A life based on the way of Jesus of Nazareth.

Constantine convened the bishops of the Church in a place called Nicea for a Council and the creed of the church was formulated during that council. This is the section abut Jesus.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

I was taught that creed when I was about 8 years old. It was mandatory learning prior to receiving first communion.
So according to the creed this is the bottom line:

Jesus is this big guy. He is the son of God. He has very little in common with me. He is divine and I am human; He is God, and I am a poor sinner. He has easy access to God, and I don't. If I pray to him he will tell God the father about my request and my prayers may be answered, or may be not, if it is not “God's will.” Since he died on the cross to save me, I need to thank him and praise him.

He rose again on the third day. He ascended into heaven which presupposes that heaven is somewhere up there. He is sitting now at the right hand of the father, which means that God has two hands...but then again, we say God is Spirit...

And of course, he is going to come again at the end of the world on golden chariots...and he will take a select group of people with him to heaven and the rest will be sent to hell for eternity.
Believing all that and repeating it is never going to change your life. It won't have any impact on your daily lives when you have to deal with the challenges and struggles of life.

When he was born, Jesus was not Jesus Christ, he was just Jesus. In the birth announcement, the angel told Mary that she “was to give him the name Jesus (Lk:1:31). He didn't say his name shall be “Jesus Christ.” In fact, according to the gospel of Mathew (1:23) his name is “Emmanuel” which means, “God with us.” So, what did we do? We took the “God with us” and made him into a “God for us,” put him on a pedestal and began worshiping him, rather than following him.

Listen to these words of the creed again: “He was born of the virgin Mary” and look at the next phrase: “He was crucified under Pontius Pilate and died and was buried.”
What happened to his 33 years of life, his teachings, his message? What happened in between his birth and his death? Who was he? What were his values? How did he live? How did he deal with life situations? How did he deal with people around him? What did he teach?

Let me give you a nugget from the gospel of Luke: (Read Luke: 6:27-36)

It is my opinion that that majority of Christians don't know Jesus the man who lived..or what he really taught or don't want to know what he taught, because, it is too hard to follow those teachings...and that is why the world is the way it is, even though half of the world is “Christian”...they are members of the religions of Christianity..not necessarily followers of the way of Jesus...big difference.

Story about worshiping and following.

This is the story of two patients on one of our hospice teams. Jane and Lisa were in their 70s. They were diagnosed with cancer. They lived together in a house in Tamarac. Being traditional Catholics, they wanted to receive the “Sacrament of the Sick” (Last Rites) before they died. So the team chaplain, who is a Protestant minister, contacted the local Catholic parish.

The priest agreed to come to the house and give the women Last Rites. The chaplain showed up at the house few minutes before the priest arrived. Both of them walked into patients' bedroom. The priest spoke to the women for a few minutes and excused himself from the room along with the chaplain.
And the priest told the chaplain that he could not give the sacrament to the women..because, they were gay... and living in sin. And the priest left.

Jane and Lisa have been in a committed relationship for more than 50 years. I personally don't believe that being gay is sinful. But for arguments sake, let us say it is.

Had this priest known the human Jesus who let the prostitute wipe his feet with her hair,
the Jesus who did not condemn the woman caught in adultery,
the Jesus who visited the house of Zacheus, the tax collector.
the Jesus who touched and healed the leper, the Jesus who forgave the thief on the side of his cross,
the Jesus who said, “Woe to you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to ( Mt: 23:13)
the Jesus who said: “Do not judge”,
the Jesus who said: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice, for I have come not to call the righteous but sinners” (Mt. (.13)
would have been extremely loving and compassionate to Lisa and Jane and would have given them the sacrament and comforted them in their dying days.

This priest was praising Jesus and worshiping him as the son of God in the church, but had forgotten who Jesus of Nazareth was.

I want you to get to know Jesus. I want you to shape your lives based on his teachings. I want you to see the world thru his eyes. I want you treat the people around you as he would have treated them. I would rather you follow him rather than worship him.

Jesus the man who grew up to become Jesus the Christ. Here is a human being, who was born in a family, raised by parents, and did carpentry work who became the anointed one.

In other words, the humanity of Jesus was transformed into divinity. That is my attraction to Jesus. That gives me hope that my humanity has the potential to grow into divinity when I follow in his way.

The seed of divinity is ingrained in your humanity. When you become conscious of that truth and bring forth that divinity from within...you are on your way to become Jesus-like..

… and the whole purpose of the enterprise called “Church” should be exactly that...

THIRD SUNDAY OF AWAKENING: "8 Words that Could Change Your Life"

This year, we replaced the word Advent with awakening. The reason for doing that is advent means coming or arrival of Jesus. We should no more wait for the arrival of Jesus because he arrived 2000 years ago. What we need to do is, instead of waiting for Jesus, we need to wake up to him.

To help you do that, today's sermon is titled, from constipated consciousness to cosmic Christ. Let me explain what I mean I by that.

You know what physical constipation is. In hospice care, we deal with that quite a lot especially with elderly patients in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. They sit in their wheel chairs or lie in bed all day. They don't drink enough fluids. They take a lot of medications. I have patients who are on 15 different pills. Combine all that with the aging of the body, and you get a plumbing system, that is stuck. Physical constipation can be extremely uncomfortable.

How about spiritual constipation? If you have any of the following symptoms, you are spiritually constipated. Fear, anger, jealousy, anxiety, prejudice, judgmentalism, unwillingness to learn new things, unwillingness to let go of the past, feelings of superiority, close mindedness, refusal to change your opinions inspire of new evidence, lack of flexibility, getting stuck in your ways.( pardon the pun)

One of the top symptoms of a constipated consciousness is fear and there is plenty of it around these days. The other day, I was having breakfast with a friend of mine who said:” Paul, I am walking around with this terrible anxiety in my heart. After the events of 9/11 I have been on edge. But over the years, it had subsided. But the rise of ISIS and the recent events in Paris and California have shaken me up again.”

I am afraid, something like that could happen here. He said, imagine, a busy Saturday in December at the Saw Grass Mills Mall. A crazy person with a home made bomb could walk in there and easily kill hundreds of people. It could happen in the American Airlines Arena when a basket ball game is on or at the Dolphins stadium when a football game is on. My friend is living with a constipated consciousness. He does not experience the joy of living and it is a sad way to live.

I refuse to live like that regardless of what is happening around me now or what might happen in the future. That is not the abundant life that Jesus promised. That is not the peace that the angels promised at the birth of Jesus. Remember that announcement to the shepherds: “Glory to god in the highest, and peace to men of good will.” What happened to that.?

How can we experience that peace today in the middle of ISIS threat? How can we enjoy that peace while living in an apparently hostile and unpredictable world?

We can do that, if we are willing to wake up to a different way of celebrating Xmas.

I see 3 ways of celebrating Xmas. The first is based on the shopping mall. Most of the western world follows this model. Its focus is to buy the right stuff for yourself, and to find the ideal gift for your loved ones. It is centered around black Friday and Cuber Monday. You put all those stuff under the Xmas tree, open them on Xmas morning, have a great Xmas dinner with family and friends and the day after Xmas is just like nay other day. I owe, I owe, therefore off to work I go.

The second way of celebrating Xmas is based on the gospel of Luke. What do I mean by that? Only Luke writes about the baby Jesus being born in a manger. Only Luke tells us about the angels making birth announcement to the shepherds. Xmas songs like “silent night holy night”, “Joy to the world”, “O little town of Bethlehem”, and “O come all ye, faithful” would not have existed without the gospel of Luke.

For majority of Christians, their Xmas is centered around the events described in the gospel of Luke. Most of the third wold which is economically poor, celebrates Xmas the Lukan way. When I was growing up in India, we celebrated it that way. We had a small manger at home with statues of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, the three kings and a few ceramic sheep. We had no black Friday madness in the malls, because we had neither the malls nor a Thanksgiving weekend. We had no Cyber Monday shopping because we had no computers. It was very basic.

If you really want to experience the peace and joy promised at the birth of Jesus, If you really want to experience Christmas joy beyond Xmas day, you have to wake up to celebrating Xmas using a third way. It is based on the gospel of John.

The gospel of John, does not mention the angels or the manger. It does not mention the shepherds or the three wise men from the east. There is no holy family of Joseph Mary and Jesus and there is no virgin birth. None of the external paraphernalia that we associate with Xmas is in the gospel of John.

John describes Xmas in just 8 simple words.

“The word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (Jn 1:14)

The implications of those 8 word are huge. If you can wake up to the real meaning of those 8 words your life will change.

In Greek, the language of the Bible, word is Logos which means God. Logos is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient God who is creator of everything. John begins his gospel with this declaration. “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.”

We see the same phrase in the first verse of the first chapter of the book of Genesis “In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.” By using the same phrase, John is saying that Jesus is God.

Then he makes a startling statement: This all powerful God, this Logos, became flesh and dwelt among us. It doesn't say God became a holy man and dwelt among us, God became a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, a Muslim, an American, a Canadian or a Cambodian and dwelt among us. But ..God became flesh.

In other words, anybody who is in flesh, which is everybody on this planet, 7 billion people belonging to 400 different regions, 38000 Christian denominations, living in 200 plus countries, speaking thousands of languages—every one of them, men women and children, black white and yellow, straight and gay, is an incarnation of god...every one them is God made flesh...in varying degrees.

When you start thinking like that, your constipated consciousness about nationality, ethnicity and religiosity, loosens up, you expand your heart so wide to include all those people, which by the way, includes the ISIS terrorists, and the refugees too—you start experiencing the joy and peace of Xmas.

You cannot experience the peace of Xmas by excluding people from your circle of concern. Mother Teresa once said that we don't have peace because, we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

You cannot celebrate the birthday of the God made man, if you can't celebrate mankind with all its flaws and flavors. You cannot experience true Xmas joy if you cannot extend your hands wide and embrace the entire humanity which is 7 billion pieces of God made flesh spread around the planet.

Let me tell you a story. Few weeks ago, I was co-officiant at a Hindu-Catholic wedding. The bride was Catholic and and groom was Hindu. The bride had tried all the local Catholic churches in Broward and Palm Beach counties to find a find a priest. No priest would join the Hindu priest because that would give the false impression that both religions are the same.

In the mind of the priest, Christianity is a better region than Hinduism. By the way, if you harbor feelings of superiority with regard to other people or religions, you are downgrading the God made flesh in those people.

So, this bride sitting in her apartment in Chicago, clicked on a website called “rentapriest.com” where I am listed as a wedding officiant. She sends me an email asking if I was available for a Hindu-Catholic fusion wedding on Saturday November 28th. I replied yes. All I am thinking at that point is, I am going to be part of the life journey of two people whom I have never met and what a blessing that is.

I never thought about the superiority of Christianity over Hinduism. I didn't say to myself: “According to John 3; 16, the bride is saved because she believes in Jesus, but the groom is doomed to hell because his is a Hindu..these are all thoughts coming from a constipated consciousness.

I had none of those thoughts. I am going to be a witness to the love of two souls and thank you Jesus for making me a part of it. Period. End of story.

As soon as I replied yes my phone rang. It was the bride. Her name was Anona. As we began talking, I came to find out that her parents who live in Boca, are from the same state in India where I come from. In fact, her mother and I grew up in the same town.

The next day, her father called me and I went to visit the parents in Boca.

As soon I saw then, I recognized them. I had met them in 1988 at the house of a mutual friend in Coral springs. At that time, the bride was just 5 years old. I had no memory of the girl but I remembered her parents.

Fast forward 27 years, this girl who is 31 years old, is connecting with me to officiate her wedding. And I am connecting with her parents after a 27 year gap. The mystery of the circle of life.

It was a huge wedding with about 250 invited guests..more than half of them were Hindus. There were statues of Hindu Gods all around the wedding venue. The Hindu priest and I stood side by side on the podium. There were three readings from the Bible. I talked about the sacrificial love of Jesus as the basis of Christian marriage. The Hindu priest did several rituals invoking the name of Rama and Krishna in prayers.

I was totally comfortable and at ease, being with a group of people who were celebrating one of the most joyful events of life. There was so much joy, and laughter and love in that room.

The 250 people in that room regardless of their faith, or the gods they prayed to, the customs they practiced, the holy books they read from, were all—at the end of the day, children of the same God and part of a world God so loved.

At the end of the ceremony I said this. “My presence here today is no coincidence. I don't believe in coincidence, I believe in “God-incidence.” In the world wide web of humanity, all of us are connected by an invisible, but real bond. Very often, we are not conscious of that bond,because we place veils of separation such as religion, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation etc. and hide behind them.
But every now than, God lifts that thin veil of unconsciousness and gives us an opportunity to see that bond. This event is one such moment.”

Every interaction with another human being is an encounter with the Word made flesh. There is an invisible bond between you and all other humans on this planet. Awareness of that bond will help you see the Cosmic Christ in everything and in everyone.

We cannot meaningfully celebrate the birthday of the God-made-man, without acknowledging, accepting and celebrating humanity in its entirety. Anything less is dishonoring the “Word-made-flesh.”

SECOND SUNDAY OF AWAKENING: "Awaken to John 3:16"

This year we are preparing for Xmas in a different way. Instead of waiting for the coming of Jesus which is what advent means, we are talking about waking up to Jesus who has already arrived. He arrived 2000 years ago. The tragedy of Christianity is the lack of awareness of his arrival. So today I like to talk more about awareness, which is the same as consciousness or waking up. I also will talk about the importance of waking up and the process of waking up.

But before that, let me share with you a conversation I had last week with a friend of mine who is a priest. I told him that I am replacing the word advent with awakening. His first question was who gave you permission to do that. Because in his thinking, he has to get permission from his bishop to do anything like that.

It is usually children who need permission to do something. If you want your child to go on a school trip you have to sign a permission slip. Permission is also about control. You want to be in control of your child's whereabouts at all times. But true spirituality will never flourish in a childish, controlled environment. The holy spirit is a free flowing reality. That is why Jesus said, “the wind blows where ever it pleases. Your hear its sound. But you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with every one born of the spirit.(John 3:8). So, if you are constrained, consigned and cocooned in our life, the Holy Spirit may not be working in you.

So when I put the permission issue to rest, he raised another point-the issue of tradition. For 2000 years, the church has designated the four weeks before Xmas as the season of advent. The word advent is printed on all calendars. We have advent candles, advent wreath, advent liturgy. Who gave you the authority to change that. So, it is actually permission issue related to control.

Basically what he was asking was who gave you permission to think outside the box? How dare you Paul V. paint outside the frame? My answer to that is if you don't think outside the box, you will always live inside the box and such a life is a limited,controlled, constricted existence., a life devoid of spirit.

Let us say, you purchased a refrigerator. It was delivered on a Saturday morning. The guys installed it in your kitchen. And left the huge box in your garage for you to dispose of on garbage collection day. Instead of putting it on the curb, imagine you get into the box and living in it.

Your heart muscles will grow weak because it doesn't need to stretch to pump blood for a body that is actively living in the world. You will never know the beauty and elegance of the larger world out there. It is a suffocating existence smeared with drudgery, boredom and predictability. Religious life is like that for many people. There is no excitement or feeling of abundance in a choreographed life punctuated with rules, rituals, rubrics and traditions.

Speaking of traditions, I am always inspired by these words of Jeroslav Pelican who was a Lutheran pastor. He said; “tradition is the living faith of the dead and traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.” Now think about it for a moment. What we call tradition is something that was done in the past by our forefathers. Notice the words, past and forefathers.

They lived in the past and they did things that they found meaningful then. It was their living faith then. They are dead now. We cannot and should not just cut and paste their traditions into our life without examining and understanding it. When we do that it is called traditionalism and it becomes dead faith of the living. A lot of that is happening in religion and that is why even though the world is filled with religious people the world is not a paradise. The ISIS terrorism is an extreme example of this. They want to establish a caliphate based on the customs and traditions established by Mohamed in the 7th century.

A lot of people are going thru the motions. They are sleep walking thru life. They need to wake up. There is a famous 18th century bedtime prayer for children that goes like this:
I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
Bless me Lord my soul to take.

I think we should change one line of that prayer. Instead of "If I should die before I wake" we should pray: "Wake me up before I die." Waking up in the morning implies, opening your eyes, shaking off the blanket, sitting up in your bed, then standing up and walking to the bathroom or kitchen or where ever you wan to go. So waking up requires a little shaking up. It requires coming out of the safety and comfort of the so called security blanket and out into the open. There is some discomfort involved in that. Unless we are willing to undergo that discomfort, we can't wake up and do what needs to be done such as get ready for work and go to work and earn a living and maintain a family.

Spiritual life is not any less different than that. If you want to have a vibrant spiritual life that brings love and peace and joy and hope into your life—which by the way, are represented by the four advent candles, be prepared to wake up and be open to some shake up. It is a good thing. It is a sign of life. Because the only place there is no movement, no sign of life, is when you are in the coffin.

Awakening is so important in life because, you are only affected by what you are aware of. You are only influenced by what is within your awareness or consciousness. Nothing else matters regardless of what it is or how much it is. It is like 2 trillion dollars circulating in the US economy any given day. What matters is what is in your savings or checking account. Awareness is like that. If you are not aware of something, it makes no difference for you.

If you are not aware that Jesus has already arrived but you are still looking for him on Xmas day, nothing changes for you. If you are unaware that the person standing in front of you is Jesus in disguise, you are unlikely to treat him with love or respect.If you are unconscious about the availability of abundant life now, you wont experience it now. You will expect it only after you die.

Let me tell you a story to prove to you that unless you are conscious of something, it has no no impact on you. In other words, only what you experience, understand and are conscious of can affect your thinking and behavior and ultimately your life. That applies to all areas of life-physical, emotional and spiritual.

We have a dog. Her name is Sally. She is a young, energetic, beagle mix who loves to run. If she gets a chance she will bolt thru the door and run wild thru the neighborhood. When that happens, and it has happened a few times until I put up a fence in the back yard- we become very anxious. We are worried that she would bolt across the street and get hit by a car or she would bite somebody and we will get sued.I am not a happy camper when that happens.

My wife would get into her ca and drive around the neighborhood looking for Sally. She will spot her somewhere, stop the car and call her ...the dog will come close and as soon as my wife tries to grab her, she would bolt again. She is playing. What do you expect from an unconscious animal? Every time it happens, it is a forty five minute to an hour of anxiety, anger, frustration and pure pain in the neck experience. And it is no fun.

A few months ago, I was home alone. My wife and son had gone shopping on a Saturday afternoon. I hear this noise outside the door and I see Sally standing there panting heavily..apparently she had escaped thru a hole in the fence and was gone for a while...running around the neighborhood. Since I had no awareness of her escape, I had no heart palpitations, no anxiety, no anger..I was just relaxing and watching TV the whole time. The point is that only what you are conscious of can make a difference in your life.

So on this second Sunday of awakening, I like you to wake up to the purpose of Jesus's birth as it is stated by Apostle John. Because that is the one you are most familiar with. Jn 3: 16. Every Christian, knows that phrase by heart. You see them as bumper stickers. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Have you seriously thought about it or are you just repeating it? If you are just repeating it without understanding what it really means, if you are not conscious of its meaning, it won't transform your life and that seems to be the case with a lot of Christians. They will put it on their cars and proudly drive around town, but if you stop and ask them what it really means, they are unlikely to give a conscious answer.

Very often it is used as a statement of exclusivity..that Jesus is the only son God. If you don't believe in him, you will perish. But if you do, you will have eternal life. Believing in him is usually understood as believing in certain doctrines about Jesus..that he was born of the Virgin Mary, that he is the son of God, that he died on the cross for our sins, that he rose again and will come again to judge us at the end of the world. And if you believe all that, you are eligible for eternal life, which his usually life after death.

If that is all you know about that verse, you are unconscious. Understanding John 3.16 like that will not give you the Xmas experience of love, peace joy and hope.

You have to wake up to the real meaning of that verse. First of all, focus on the first line: It says,God so loved the world. It doesn't say, God loved America, Israel, India, Canada or God loved the Christians, the Jews, the Muslims;God loved the world which means the whole world with its 7 billion people and the entire creation. If your love is exclusively for only certain group of people, or let us say, you dislike some religions like Islam or some groups like the gays, you cannot have full Xmas experience of love peace and joy.

If you think that those who don't believe in Jesus will perish as as John 3.16 implies, you won't enjoy the Xmas experience because more than half of humanity does not believe in Jesus. If you take john 3.16 literally, you will have to sent 1.2 billion Chinese into hell because they don't believe in Jesus. What kind of Xmas experience of joy and peace do you expect to have after consigning the entire Chinese population to hell?

Look at the current refugee crisis in light of john 3.16. The Syrian refugees who flee their homes with the clothes on their back and the kids on their shoulders are part of the world that God so loved. We know that 31 state governors including ours have told the president, we don't want them here, because we are afraid of them..some of them could turn into terrorists...

How can we celebrate the birth of the son god of we are afraid of other sons and daughters of God who are suffering in this world that God so loved? If you are unsympathetic to the refugee crisis you will sleep walk thru the advent season. I like you to wake up to the fact Jesus is the son of refugees.Mary and Joseph were like refugees in Bethlehem because they had no place to go. They ended up in a manger and gave birth to Jesus. But he was not safe there because King Herod wanted to kill him like Asad is killing hundreds of Syrians now. So Mary and Joseph had to pick up Jesus and escape to Egypt.

The irony is that during the Christmas season, Christians will display manger scenes in front of their homes without realizing that they are displaying a refugee family...

They will pay homage to baby Jesus in the crib who is the son of refugees and at the same time oppose admitting Syrian refugees into the country.

It is that disconnect that makes our Christmas so meaningless. That is why I am talking so much about the need for awakening.

When we wake up to the truth that every human being—all 7 billion of them-that includes the terrorists and the refugees-- is part of a world that God so loved and we open our hearts to love them as God did, you will start experiencing Xmas in a whole new way... and that is my prayer for our congregation this year.