To be ... and ... ever TO BE...

"Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors--has sent me to you.
This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations."
 Exodus 3:15 (NLT)

Reading
Exodus 3

'Yahweh' is the most sacred of all names for the Jewish people hence it is represented as YHWH. Etymological exegetes have given the name a derivation as "Ehyeh asher Ehyeh" where "hayah" means "to be*."Which could be read as YHWH as someone who is "to be" which could be interpreted as a complete opening towards an ever expanding horizon to the future of multitude of possibilities.

In reading through the whole narration, we encounter a God who is willing to reveal himself to Moses in order to liberate the people of Israel. Now, let's closely watch the word "I AM" in the narration. At first Moses responds to the calling from the burning bush as "here I am" (Ex 3:4). And he goes on to say "who am I" which could be an intriguing reversal of his question to God which is underlying as "Who are you." Finally Moses gets the name of God as "I AM Who I AM." Which is both presenting of Moses as "here I AM" and the questioning as "who I Am." Now the naming of God which is rendered as "I am Who I am" in English is actually Hayah or Yahweh which means "to be."

Moses stands in the presence of the Divine who has revealed himself in history and time to liberate the oppressed. And the calling of Moses is not a singular calling but a constant everlasting call which is continues for everyone who thirsts for the liberation of the other. Thus the calling "Moses, Moses" which is continues and echoes throughout history (Ex 3:4). The calling brings the called to the presence of the "to be." Here YHWH is the presence of the future which is liberating and with full of potential for future which is brimming with vigour.

Divine name is the possibility of future for all humankind. The future which liberating and ever-widening brightness of hope. This God is the God of all "to be's", which is yet to be and fullness to be. People in bondage were the given the name of God as "to be.." which is actually "to be liberated", "to be set free" and "to be-come." This is God is our God who is willing "to be" with us and to possibilize a future full of freedom. In Richard Kearney's words God is the "God of the Possible*."

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* - cf. Meaning and Etymology - http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14346-tetragrammaton
* - Kearney, Richard. The God Who May Be A Hermeneutic of Religion. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001.

A Short Kiss Good Night

"he went up to him ... and kissed him ..."
Mk 14:45

Reading
Mk 14:43 - 15:1

How do we judge this kiss? What did the receiver and the giver of this kiss experience at that moment? These questions have haunted many, however this could be easily voted for a very sensational kiss in history given the volumes of commentaries and arts that had tried to comment as well as freeze the moment of that kiss. 

This infamous betrayal story deserves a rereading in and through the apocalyptic context of the gospel of Mark. In which, preceding to the whole passion narrative we encounter the apocalyptic sayings of Jesus in chapter 13. Among these sayings the real 'night' appears in Mk 13:24-26 where Jesus foretells the coming of an apocalyptic total darkness before the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds. This apocalyptic discourse gives us one keyword that is Mk 13: 5, 9, 23, 33, 35, 37 "Watch."This word echoes down to the last moment of Jesus' arrest in the garden (Mk 14:34-38).

A close 'watch' to this event is of paramount necessity because this is Apocalypse which is immediate and which is happening in the here and now. Listen to Jesus in Luke where he says it is "your hour and the power of darkness" (Lk 22:53). The power of darkness is the now, which is the Apocalypse, an end of history. A total end of history which is also a irreversible, which is the end of the present world and beginning of a new, total new history and world.

Biblical history begins with a separation, cursing, nakedness and fleeing in the garden. Now this cursing, separation and fleeing in nakedness everything culminates into total darkness in the garden of Gethsemane. But this apocalypse will bring in to force a new world and beginning. Separation begins with a kiss to the master (Mk 14:45) and shame, nakedness and fleeing shown by a apparition that flees the scene into darkness (Mk 14:51,52). But true apocalypse spirals into abyss of darkness by the final and ultimate cursing of Peter.

Peter 'began to curse and swore an oath' (Mk 14:71) which parallels the beginning of history in Genesis. That history which begins as profane history which will face its apocalypse in the new beginning with a crowing of the cock (Mk 14:72; 15:1) and it was morning. This new morning is the new beginning of the new world. Where in this new beginning Jesus goes into oblivion and Barabbas will be released. This is the hope of Apocalypse which brings a new dawn.

Realizing the Kingdom

"The kingdom of God does not come with observation ... "

Luke 17:20-21

Kingdom of God does not come with observation, that is observation in the level of mere looking for external signs this cannot bring us to vision of Kingdom of God. Any sign based Kingdom is Satanic and adulterous (Mk 8:12). When signs and wonders are becoming norms for an display of the so-called Kingdom of God for others, but, for Jesus who was the inaugurator of Kingdom of God the only sign possible is looking into yourself. "Kingdom of God is within you" (Lk 17:21).

Kingdom of God is something we need to realize and reflect upon from within ourselves. It is the vision of Jesus which inaugurated the Kingdom of God in the proclamation of (Lk 4:18-19). This vision of Kingdom of God is enactment of this vision within the community through us and nothing apart from this. Kingdom begins with the embodiment of this vision in our own bodies.

Call as Apocalypse

Every original call from God carries with it a force that is death and life all at once. A definite Call brings with it an Apocalypse of historical now and an eschatological hope for a radical newness of future, which is not new of the old rather it is a definite new of new.

In that newness there could be no returning back to the old in any form. Primarily it is an Apocalypse of the present historical reality, the evidence for which is seen in the apocalyptic language of Jesus Christ who was giving out a genuine Call towards advent of Kingdom of God for which the present historical reality or the present world should pass away. Mk 13:24-26

This Apocalypse will be incomplete if it just annihilates the present and leaves a vacuum. Rather this Apocalypse should pass on in to a emerging of a eschatological new world. This in the vision of Jesus is Kingdom of God.

Once we have received the call in the form of the primordial Logos then Apocalypse becomes imminent and real, a shattering of the world begins, until it becomes impossible to retrace to the original or the old. But this call also that which makes all things new begins to usher in a new world which cannot be in any sense former. Thereby pushing forward severing every old tie that binds us to the old. Therefore after the Call there would be no world as in the former sense of the world. Therfore no returning to the past. Hence a new creation and old things have passed away.

The call of Noah resulted in an Apocalypse and a new world also in the call of Abraham and Moses. This call is directed towards us in the form of "FOLLOW ME".

What do these stones mean ?

Reading: Joshua 4:4-7

While people of Israel were about to enter the land of Canaan they were about to cross the river Jordan. As per the instructions of YHWH priests carried the ark of the covenant and the river was split into two and all the people crossed over. Here the interesting thing is Joshua instructed few people to carry stones from the midst of the river for rememberance and as memorial.

There are few stones in our life we need to pick up from the bottom of the river of tribulation for remembrance and memorial. Those scars in our life that are left behind by our struggles are memorials not for our strength or endurance but for the power of God in display.

We can boldly say that we have been there and HE has done that.

What do these stones mean? Joshua 4:6

Hope against. ..

Reading: Romans 4:18-20

Abraham hoped against hope and it was credited to him as righteousness. He hoped with a hopeless body, he hoped on God who performs the unbelievable.

It's a challenge today as believers to hope against hope. Lets say believing when odds or against us, contrary to hope. But genuine faith is when our odds don't matter in the face if God's glorious hope. Maybe our bodies may be weak but our minds strong in faith, hoping contrary to hope.

Abraham had a weak body but a live faith. Our weaknesses does not matter when we believe in the one who has given us his word.

Ruler and the widow

Reading Luke 21:1-4; 18:18-30

The world we live in has a materialistic overdose everything is measured by how much we own materially. But in reality materials don't matter much for an optimistic life. In the gospels we meet a young man who was rich, young and he was a ruler of some sorts. Many would agree that this Person has best of the possibilities. But sadly he Could not rise up to the challenge of life. Jesus called this young man to share in life in a grand way.  

However world is not without a hope. There is another amazing story which talks about a widow with two coins and nothing to lose. Look at the difference between them, one was rich with material but the other was rich in attitude towards life. She was the one ng man to Share in life in a grand way. 

Look at the difference between them, one was rich with material but the other was rich in attitude towards life. She was the one who went home to sleep peacefully, I bet.  

Talking about sleeping, remember Jesus who was sleeping when everything and everyone was sinking. Jesus was fast asleep,  that was his confidence in his father.   Dear friends we are called for this attitude of life. To live our life to the fullest enjoying each moment and trusting in God.   Just thank God for all the blessing and be filled with Thanksgiving.