Letters

This year, the Methodist theme for Lent is Unbounded Love. God’s love does not stay within the boundaries. We are reflecting on God’s love for us and for all, beyond the lines. As we prepare our hearts and minds for the mystery of the Resurrection, we are more reliant on God’s unbounded love in our day-to-day lives. We need to experience God’s sacrificial love in our lives bytrusting in Him alone. Where there is God’s divine love, there is forgiveness…

Dear friends, As we approach the sacred season of Lent, I am deeply grateful for theopportunity to share this transformative journey with each of you. Lent is a time of reflection, self-discovery, and spiritual renewal- a period during which we draw close to God through prayer, fasting, and acts of kindness. Lent beckons us to pause and turn our hearts toward God in the busyness of our lives and the myriad challenges we face. As we embark on this Lenten…

Welcome to the Advent season! I am sure we are all busy with the seemingly endless preparation of Christmas and you all will agree with me that it is one of the most chaotic times of the year for those who are celebrating Christmas. And why should it not be – it is the time of the year we are celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Advent season brings a time of joy, hope, happiness, and…

“Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon” John 4:6 Life is a journey of self-discovery where individuals are constantly trying to come to terms with who they are as a person. Through this journey, individuals can find their calling or vocation in life, discover their potential, know themselves, and even just make sense of life. Everyone’s journey in life is different so to speak; we…

26 Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Matthew 6: 26-34 (NSRVA) Greetings from the Gujarati Methodist Fellowship. For the last couple of months, in our Bible study, we have been focusing on the Gospel of Matthew and covering the basic topics of Christian life, while reflecting on the topic of ‘Do not worry’ from Matthew 6:25-34.…

In the previous week’s reflection, we noted the need to draw ourselves into the presence of God. This suggests we may have moved away and fallen from God’s grace. Sin is the obstacle that separates us from the love of God. In general, sin must be acknowledged and confessed in order to be forgiven. Several testimonies from the Bible make clear that God uses His Word to convict us of our sins and sinfulness. The Holy Spirit opens our heart for the reality of…

“let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water”. (Hebrews 10:22) In this scripture there is one main, straightforward command, namely, “Draw near!” That is what the writer wants you to do. Draw near. It is a directing of the heart into the presence of God who is as distant as the…

We all have to go through times of temptation, as no one is immune to temptation. Jesus experienced temptation of every kind and was able to overcome. His example teaches us what we need to know in battling temptation and rising above it in our own lives.  In the first temptation of Jesus (vs. 3-4), one would wonder what was the underlying need Satan was trying to manipulate?  Jesus must have been really hungry after 40 days in the wilderness. The…

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Don’t be afraid;  you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:6,7 NIV)  In such times as the time we are living in, some people tend to think that no one understands them, no one cares and therefore there is nothing worthy to live for. What the world only seems to offer is…

Dear Friends, “I will make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” . Isaiah 43:19 (NRSV) Greetings and blessings to you.  Have you ever struggled with fear, insecurity, or doubt? You are not alone. The early believers of the church, found in the book of Acts, certainly did! I am sure most of us do so today. Hence, my reason for writing this  letter to you my dear friends, brothers, and sisters in Christ to give you  a message of hope…

Dear Friends, Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go Joshua 1:9 (NRSV) Greetings to you all in the love of Christ who joins us as one family in the kingdom of God. I am writing to wish you a spirit-filled and spirit-guided season as we begin yet a new Connexional year. September is a new year for the Methodist community. The year is usually characterised with…

Dear Friends,  When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:32 (NRSV) Most people hate delays. I am sure you would do everything you could to avoid them. During the season of lockdown we have had lots of appointments cancelled- from hospital appointments, booked holidays and school examinations postponed or cancelled. This implies a delay in accomplishing what…

Dear Friends,  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit” John 15:1,2 (NRSV) Blossoms are blooming and bees are buzzing…Spring is here and summer is around! I enjoy spending some time in my garden- often between weeding, tending my young plants and of late picking some ripe strawberries. This practice has kept me rejuvenated especially this time…

Dear Friends,  “PEACE I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”  John 14:27 (NRSV) It is almost two months since the country went into lockdown and I am extremely aware that this has created a complex and challenging environment in which to operate. It has been a time of great trials and troubles. I am confident that God…

Dear Friends, Watching over one another in love (Week 11)  “…I am about to do a new thing;  now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness  and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 (NRSV) This letter is coming to you shortly after Aldersgate Sunday and before Pentecost Sunday, two significant events both in the history of Methodism and the Christian church. On the 24th  of May 1738, John Wesley had a great turning point in…

Dear Friends,  “…Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.” Romans 12:11-13 (The Message). A friend of mine is a passionate football fan. He shared with me how much he has missed watching his much-loved game, either a live match or on TV, during this lockdown. He went on to tell me that he recently watched…

Dear Friends,  “…what are human beings that you are mindful of them, or mortals, that you care for them?  You have made them for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned them with glory and honour, subjecting all things under their feet.” Hebrews 2:6-8 (NRSV) This is the day that the Lord has made…waking up to the shining sun, a blue sky, and a chill in the air, yet still faced with the threat of COVID 19. The path may not be easy,…

Dear Friends,  “…Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” Philippians 4:6 (NIV) I have often heard people say, “You are in my thoughts and prayers” which is as good as saying ‘I will pray for you’. This is so encouraging and assuring to anyone who needs prayer. I can ascertain that this promise is made with good intention but most of the time we delay the…

Dear Friends,  …and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. 1 Kings 19:11,12 (MSG) In this letter I am inviting you to listen to God and to take heed of His directions about your life. It is easy to get wrapped up in what we want, especially because our culture tells us that we should always be happy, that we’re in charge of our own happiness, and that we hold…

Dear Friends,  “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4 (NRSV) I am reaching out to you again in this lock down, a hopeless and uncertain situation! This reminds me of a certain family who was once in isolation as we read from Genesis chapter 7. Noah and his family (total of eight) were shut in the ark during the floods. Unlike Noah who was told by God that the floods would take 40 days and 40…

“But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour” (Isaiah 43:1-3a) I am writing to you during this time of Holy Week facing the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic…

Dear Friends, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand”. (John 10:28 NIV) Friends, the COVID-19 turbulence has caused a lot of fear, panic and confusion. “Yes, there is fear. But there does not have to be hate. Yes, there is isolation. But there does not have to be loneliness,” wrote Richard Hendrick (Irish Priest). Hence the reason for my keeping in touch, through this letter, to offer continued…