Sunday, 9th October, was observed as Youth Sunday, with members of the Youth Movement leading various parts of the Worship Service.
The sermon* was delivered by Dr. Alan J. Alexander on the theme “Witness to transform lives : Mission to the Contemporary World”. In the sermon, he mentioned that God left us on this Earth, even after accepting Him as our personal saviour, for a purpose. Just as we have a need for Christ, Christ needs us to fulfil the purpose he has for us. Our purpose is to share the gospel with other lost sinners, something we can’t do in heaven. We are witnesses of Jesus Christ, when we live with a happy outlook that shows our faith in Him and bear testimony to others, to help others follow Him. The duty of witnessing carries a mission. The five marks of the mission, according to the Anglican communion, is to :
1. Proclaim the good news of the kingdom.
2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers.
3. To respond to human need by loving service.
4. To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of the creation and sustain and renew life on earth.
In John 15:15-16, Jesus calls us as His "friends" and not "servants", for He made known to us everything He learned from His father.
We are chosen by Him, to bear fruit that would last. In conclusion, he quoted James Hudson Taylor, the British missionary who once said, "All God's giants have been weak men who did great things for God, because they reckoned on God being with them".
Rev. Shaji Jacob Thomas, our Vicar, led the Holy Communion Service.
*The complete sermon can be watched here : https://youtu.be/PhF5FklrH50