Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus
Wishing you all a very happy and blessed New year and a blessed start of a new decade.
As I was pondering on a topic that I would like to take up as blog post, I thought it would be best to learn the essential elements of any Christian life. The thoughts that I’ll be sharing as blogs will be representations from a recent book that I have been reading – “Being Christian” by Rowan Williams. Hoping that these thoughts will be helpful for you as it has been for me.
What are the essential elements of the Christian life?
I’m not thinking of in terms of individuals leading wonderful lives, but just in terms of those simple and recognizable things that make us realize that we are a part of Christian community. The blogs are written to help us think about four of the most obvious of these things: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist and prayer.
Christians are received into full membership of the Church by having water poured or sprinkled over them (or, in some traditions, being fully immersed); Christians read the Bible; Christians gather to share bread and wine in memory of the death and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth; and Christians pray. Though there is a huge and bewildering variety in Christian thinking and practice about all kinds of things, these four basic activities have remained constant and indispensable for majority of those who call themselves Christians.
In the following blogs, we shall be looking at what those activities tell us about the essence of Christian life, and what kind of people we might hope to become in a community where these things are done.
Kindly keep me and my family and our ministry in your prayers.
Your brother in Christ Jesus
Jobin George
