“Hold Fast to What Is Good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Fr George Varghese Vayaliparambil
Glory be to the Almighty God
My dear children respected parents and teachers very Good morning to all of you. I am very proud to present our VBS Theme in front of you. I think all of you know the word which we took for our study and meditation this year. Can any one say the theme? “Hold Fast to What Is Good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Can you say guys what is good that we have to hold fast…? Let us think what is the word of God says about the good that a Christian need to hold? or what is good before God?
In the book of Micah Chapter 6 : 8 it says that “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Can you say again what is good?
1. To Act Justly
2. To love mercy
3. To walk humbly with God
To Act Justly. It shows our relation with God. Am I standing for God? Am I standing for truth that is just?
What is injustice?
Injustice means unfairness.
Can you say an occasion when you stood for justice even though you were forced to do injustice?
In the life of our Mahatma Gandhi we can see there was a situation that he stood for justice when he was a student. Do you know who Mahatma Gandhi is? He is the father of our India. After his primary education he joined the Kattyawar High School at Rajkot in October 1880. The name of the school was changed to Mohandas Gandhi Vidyalaya. This change of name was done in order to honour and cherish the memories of Mahatma Gandhi.
One day an incident took place at the school which Gandhi could not forget till his end. Giles, the Educational Inspector, an English man had come on a visit to inspect the school. In India such visits made by Educational Inspectors in order to check the proper functioning and dissemination of knowledge is a usual routine till date. Mr. Giles entered Gandhi’s class in order to inspect the learning and teaching process. He gave five words and asked the boys to spell it on a slate. This test given by the Educational Inspector Mr. Giles was the unexpected part of the examination. One of the words given by Mr. Giles was ‘kettle’. Gandhi had misspelt the word ‘kettle’. This was noticed by the class teacher. The class teacher tried to prompt Gandhi with the point of his boot to copy the Spelling from his neighbor’s slate. Gandhi did not want to do anything against his conscience and he knew that this act of copying was evil and untruthful. Gandhi also thought that the teacher was there to supervise the students and to see that none of the students copied. Thus Gandhi did not copy from the neighbors’ slate which was against his conscience and reason. When the results were announced Gandhi was the only boy in the class who had not spelt that word correctly. All the students had written all the five words with correct spelling. Even though Gandhi felt embarrassed and shy due to the poor score which he had received, he never learnt or did the foul act of copying in the days of his life. When Gandhi grew older he became famous. He recollected that it was this concept of Truth and the act of being truthful to oneself, to others, and to God made him rise to such heights. It was from this inner strength that he was able to overcome all the hardships, trials, and tribulations. And it was the conscience of Truth and of his act of being truthful to the human community that made his life a light to shed away the darkness in the life of millions of people even in the twenty first century. We can say injustice is do what you are not allowed to do and don’t do what you are supposed to do
To love mercy. It shows our relation with our fellow being. How I am in my relation with my fellow being.
What is injustice?
Injustice means unfairness.
Can you say an occasion when you stood for justice even though you were forced to do injustice?
In the life of our Mahatma Gandhi we can see there was a situation that he stood for justice when he was a student. Do you know who Mahatma Gandhi is? He is the father of our India. After his primary education he joined the Kattyawar High School at Rajkot in October 1880. The name of the school was changed to Mohandas Gandhi Vidyalaya. This change of name was done in order to honour and cherish the memories of Mahatma Gandhi.
One day an incident took place at the school which Gandhi could not forget till his end. Giles, the Educational Inspector, an English man had come on a visit to inspect the school. In India such visits made by Educational Inspectors in order to check the proper functioning and dissemination of knowledge is a usual routine till date. Mr. Giles entered Gandhi’s class in order to inspect the learning and teaching process. He gave five words and asked the boys to spell it on a slate. This test given by the Educational Inspector Mr. Giles was the unexpected part of the examination. One of the words given by Mr. Giles was ‘kettle’. Gandhi had misspelt the word ‘kettle’. This was noticed by the class teacher. The class teacher tried to prompt Gandhi with the point of his boot to copy the Spelling from his neighbor’s slate. Gandhi did not want to do anything against his conscience and he knew that this act of copying was evil and untruthful. Gandhi also thought that the teacher was there to supervise the students and to see that none of the students copied. Thus Gandhi did not copy from the neighbors’ slate which was against his conscience and reason. When the results were announced Gandhi was the only boy in the class who had not spelt that word correctly. All the students had written all the five words with correct spelling. Even though Gandhi felt embarrassed and shy due to the poor score which he had received, he never learnt or did the foul act of copying in the days of his life. When Gandhi grew older he became famous. He recollected that it was this concept of Truth and the act of being truthful to oneself, to others, and to God made him rise to such heights. It was from this inner strength that he was able to overcome all the hardships, trials, and tribulations. And it was the conscience of Truth and of his act of being truthful to the human community that made his life a light to shed away the darkness in the life of millions of people even in the twenty first century. We can say injustice is do what you are not allowed to do and don’t do what you are supposed to do
To love mercy. It shows our relation with our fellow being. How I am in my relation with my fellow being.
We are called to show mercy to the fellow being and break ourselves to the world as the God let himself to break through the holy Qurbono.
In the book of Hosea Chapter 6: Vs 6 our Lord says “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.”
In Mathew 5: 5 God says blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. It is the promise of the Lord that those who love mercy will inherit the earth
To walk humbly with God. It says how we should be our self before God.
What does it means? Keep humbleness in life. Keep simplicity and straightforwardness in life.
For what we are give importance in our life. For me or God? For my intention or for the will of God.
To walk humbly with God. It says how we should be our self before God.
What does it means? Keep humbleness in life. Keep simplicity and straightforwardness in life.
For what we are give importance in our life. For me or God? For my intention or for the will of God.
For what I am giving priority in my life is important thing. St John the Baptist says. In the Gospel of St John 3: 30-31 He must increase, but I must decrease.
Dear kids it should be our attitude in all our thoughts our words and actions. Jesus must Increase and I must decrease. St Luke 1: 52 He has put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
Let me conclude by pointing out the word of God pronounced through the wiser of wises Solomon the great.
From the book of proverbs chapter 14:22.
Beloved! Let us not walk in our own ways but walk in the ways of the Lord. The ways of the Lord are good and they lead us to righteousness and blessings. So, let us wait on the Lord for His guidance in everything and holdfast to what is good. God will help us and bless us.
Once again wish you a Happy and Merry VBS
Dear kids it should be our attitude in all our thoughts our words and actions. Jesus must Increase and I must decrease. St Luke 1: 52 He has put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
Let me conclude by pointing out the word of God pronounced through the wiser of wises Solomon the great.
From the book of proverbs chapter 14:22.
Beloved! Let us not walk in our own ways but walk in the ways of the Lord. The ways of the Lord are good and they lead us to righteousness and blessings. So, let us wait on the Lord for His guidance in everything and holdfast to what is good. God will help us and bless us.
Once again wish you a Happy and Merry VBS
May the Love of the Father the grace of the only begotten son and the fellowship and descent of the Holy Spirit be upon you for ever and ever and ever. Amen
