Ecclesia – Life, Identity, and Challenges

Ecclesia – Life, Identity, and Challenges

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” (Mathew 9: 36, 37)

Church – A resurrected community for Redemption and Liberation with the power of resurrection

Life of the Church – To give life to whole creation

Identity of the Church – Carrying the marks of Crucifixion (A Living witness)

Challenges – Confronts the powers of sins and principalities, victimisation, crucifixion and experience the violence of powers of death.

Ecclesia is a divine space where Spirit of God brooding over and regulates the life in it. Ecclesia is not a structure or institution but it is a space with a great responsibility to be with God and with the rest of creation in the present realities of today in a particular historical time. This temporary space is not absolute or ‘the space’ but it is imperfect and subject to reformation, renewal and revitalisation.  Human beings who live today are called to be a part of this divine space to carry out and engage themselves towards the divine initiatives and share the vision of God in the midst of life negating forces and values.

Ecclesia is a movement which lives today with the people and creation that experience marginalisation, violence, and injustice. This movement is at the side of the victims and discriminated. Identity of Ecclesia is the identity of the victims and it is against the powers of greed, power, domination and colonialism. In the particular historical, social, political and religious realms Ecclesia becomes a movement which affirms God given life. Nature of its engagements defines the historical realities and it always in discourse with God and the life around in it. Engagements of Ecclesia formulate its identity in a particular context and time.

Ecclesia is a public sphere where we initiate discourses about life and its enhancement. It is contrary to the present world discourses where we talk much about money, power, domination and materialistic gains. But this is a community which reads Bible and express its faith and commitment to Jesus through its life and witness. This community is meant to be a community which build and maintain an on-going relationship with God and rest of the creation through worship and fulfilling God’s will through its engagements.  Ecclesia is a sphere where we talk about alternatives and shares the dream of a different world. Its language is the language of love and mercy not hatred and violence. Ecclesia initiates discourses about life, love, justice, peace, mercy, healing, empowerment, equality, forgiveness, and oneness in Christ.

Ecclesia is a theological and spiritual space where all accepts God as supreme head. Theologically this space is the living example of the Kingdom of God. Ecclesiastically this space is the space of prophets and prophetess of today. It affirms the priesthood of all and it denies all kinds of discrimination in the name of colour, caste, gender, creed, nation and ethnicity. It transcends all kinds of structural or doctrinal differences within the community of believers.

Ecclesia is an energising and revitalising movement which finds its identity with the people’s struggles and movements. In the midst of economic inequality ecclesia is a body which affirms God’s economy where the needs of all are taken care of. In the midst of discrimination (caste, gender, class, colour, etc.) ecclesia is a body which affirms God’s ethics and just relationship. In the midst of violence ecclesia is a body which is called to affirm shalom. In the midst of domination ecclesia is a body which called to affirm the servant hood which God revealed through Jesus Christ. In the midst of falsehood Ecclesia affirms truth and goodness. Ecclesia is a present reality which affirms life the fact that life is important not power, money, affluence and fame. Ecclesia lives to proclaim its faith in God by denying all ungodly things and values.

Christ is the Master of this community and this community is called to follow the teachings of its master and Lord. Ecclesia, the community of faithful servants of Christ, is united in the body of Christ and commissioned to do the ministry of the Lord today in the social, political, religious and economic spaces which we live today.

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Let me conclude this message with the following quotes

“The Church must be interested where human life is interested,” Most Rev. Dr. Juhanon Mar Thoma Metropolitan

“An obedient church stays where the Lord has placed her. We have been brought to earthly Babylon inorder that we may plunge in and thrive and not inorder to sit and weep and try to escape into ‘heavenly Jerusalem’. Jerusalem has penetrated Babylon that is what incarnation means” (Bishop Paulose Mar Paulose)

Let the people of this world say, “Your Existence Give me Hope”.

Ecclesia is a community of believers who are here to give hope to millions through the love of Jesus Christ