A brief meditation on 2 Samuel 23, 13-17 (RSV)
- 13 And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
- 14 David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.
- 15 And David said longingly, “O that some one would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!”
- 16 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured it out to the LORD,
- 17 and said, “Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
A short biblical reflection on Luke 16,1-9 (RSV)
- 1 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.
- 2 And he called him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’
- 3 And the steward said to himself, `What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.
- 4 I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.’
- 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, `How much do you owe my master?’
- 6 He said, `A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, `Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’
- 7 Then he said to another, `And how much do you owe?’ He said, `A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, `Take your bill, and write eighty.’
- 8 The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.
- 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations.
My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
We have entered into another season of Lent with devotional presence and a penitent heart. To experience this Lenten season means to “feast at the feet of the Lord”. What a magnificent possibility!
Our visit to Canterbury and Lambeth Palace in January this year has been one of blessing and beneficial. The relationship of CSI with the Anglican Communion is unique and has been there for a very long period. Our present status comes under the heading “Churches in Communion with the Anglican Communion”. Through this affiliation the CSI is represented by our Moderator at the Primates meeting of the Anglican Communion that was held recently in Canterbury between 11th and 15th January 2016 which occasioned much comment and even more misrepresentation but was an indication and an icon of unity. In an effort to maintain the fraternity and fellowship of this special relationship, we have to get closer with good understanding and friendship with each other. The Moderator, CSI, had nominated Bishop Reuben Mark and Bishop Timothy Ravinder to participate in the Conference for Bishops organized by the Anglican Communion held in Kent in Canterbury from 29th January to 8th February 2016.