Although India obtained its independence on 15 August 1947, it did not yet have a permanent constitution; instead its laws were based on the modified colonial Government of India Act 1935, and the country was a Dominion, with George VI as head of state and Earl Mountbatten as Governor General. On 28 August 1947, the Drafting Committee was appointed to draft a permanent constitution, with Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar as chairman. While India’s Independence Day celebrates its freedom from British Rule, the Republic Day celebrates the coming into force of its constitution.

To mark the importance of the occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, New Delhi, from the Raisina Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President’s Palace), along the Rajpath, past India Gate . Prior to its commencement, the Prime Minister lays a floral wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti, a memorial to unknown soldiers at the India Gate at one end of Rajpath, which is followed by two minutes silence in the memory of unknown soldiers. It is a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defence of sovereignty of their country. Thereafter he/she reaches the main dais at Rajpath to join other dignitaries, subsequently the President arrives along with the chief guest of the occasion. First he unfurls the National flag, as the National Anthem is played, and a 21-gun salute is given. Next, important awards like the Ashok Chakra and Kirti Chakra are given away by the President, before the regiments of Armed Forces start their march past. The President comes forward to award the medals of bravery to the people from the armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also the civilians, who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations.

For more information on Republic day please refer to Wikipedia.

Mark 2:13-17

The second conflict with the religious leaders is introduced by the story of the calling of Levi. As Jesus walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee he taught the crowd. He probably encountered Levi(Matthew was his apostolic name) at a tax-collector’s booth on the major international road that went from Damascus through Capernaum to the Mediterranean coast and to Egypt. Employed by Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee put into power by Rome, and ritually unclean from his dealings with Gentile traders, Levi would have been despised by his fellow Jews for being a traitor and extortioner. Ostracised from Jewish society, neither he nor his family would be allowed to attend synagogue.

Levi took an enormous risk in responding to Jesus’ call. There would have been little possibility of his returning to his occupation, as tax-collecting jobs were greatly sought after as a sure way to get rich quickly. But it is Jesus that is the big surprise here. He goes against every cultural norm of the day. Surely if he was the Messiah he was going to set them free from Rome, not include among his followers known collaborators with Rome? There is worse to come: he accepts Levi’s hospitality, attending a meal to which all Levi’s friends with dubious reputations are invited. In so doing, Jesus powerfully demonstrates friendship with them. Unconcerned for his reputation, Jesus chooses to spend time with those who need him most. ‘If we dared to live beyond our self-concern; if we refused to shrink from being vulnerable; if we took nothing but a compassionate attitude toward the world; if we were a counterculture to our nation’s lunatic lust for pride of place, power and possessions…the walls of indifference to Jesus Christ would crumble.

Discuss and pray with others how to practise hospitality amongst people on the margins that goes to where they are. And have a go!

Mark 2:1-12

Today’s passage is the start of a separate section in Mark’s Gospel(2:1-3:6), describing five incidents where Jesus comes into conflict with the religious leadership. Those who would have been expected to recognize and welcome him were rapidly moving into direct opposition. Their motives for this are unclear. It seems to be a combination of jealousy and feeling threatened by his popularity, deep concern about what they saw as his blasphemous claims, and prejudice about his background. Whenever Jesus went he evoked strong responses from people–either for or against him–and we see as Mark’s account progresses how Jesus doing good in God’s name increasingly met criticism, resentment, or outright opposition from those who should have known better.

Mind you, Jesus’ words would have sounded outrageous to the Pharisees, or at the very least have been profoundly bewildering. This situation had for them deep theological roots. No one but God can forgive sins, yet this person from an insignificant background stood there proclaiming forgiveness of sins over a paralyzed man. His authority to do this is then seemingly authenticated by the man being fully healed. In addition, Jesus’ reference to himself with the Messianic title of ‘Son of Man’ would have made matters much worse in their eyes. There was no middle way or third option:either he was God, or he was a blasphemer. Part of their problem was their view of God. Their view was incomplete and their minds largely closed, with God reduced to the size of their expectations. Anything that threatened those views and their status as guardians of them was to be resisted at all costs. Sound familiar at all?

Pray for leaders of churches and Christian organisations for faith to risk trusting God to be and do more than they expect. Pray for yourself too.

Mark 1:40-45

If you’re honest, are there particular types of people that you instinctively want to avoid? Maybe you find it difficult to look at them without feeling awkward or equally they hold a peculiar fascination that makes you want to stare if passing them in the street. Perhaps people severely disfigured by scars or a disability or perhaps those who are so clinically obese that they can hardly walk. Or maybe there are categories of people that evoke a negative emotional response such as illegal immigrants, ‘welfare scroungers’, or even city bankers!

People with chronic infectious skin diseases were regarded in Jesus’ day as untouchable, to be shunned and treated as outcasts. This was not just individual prejudice but also tied up with ritual religious cleanliness and acceptance before God. To touch someone with such a skin disease was anathema and for a rabbi such as Jesus to do so intentionally was literally horrifying to his onlookers. But it also brought hope. If he could do it for this man in these circumstances, then he could do it for others, and as a result ‘the people still came to him from everywhere

The fact that Jesus healed him is a vivid reminder of God’s transformational power, and the way in which Jesus healed him not only speaks of hope but also brings challenge to those of us who only speaks of hope but also brings challenge to those of us who want to ‘live as Jesus did’. In our hearts, there can be people on the inside and those on the outside. We may never articulate that there are those who are less acceptable to us than others, but if you notice which new people coming into your church or workplace get lots of attention and which never get asked to take any public responsibility, it can speak volumes about our collective prejudices.

Ask the Holy spirit to show you your area of inner prejudice. Repent, and ask him to help you ‘live as Jesus did’ instead

Psalm 4

This is a psalm about finding inward peace when it could easily be snatched away. The background is probably the same as in Psalm 3, that of Absalom’s betrayal. As night draws in, the psalmist has much to brood about–his humiliation at the hand of his son(v 2), being unable to rely on those around him because of heir deceit and deluded thinking, being immersed in circumstances that make him angry, and a general gloom that overshadowed everything. Disappointment and betrayal dog his footsteps, and lying before him is the threat of a very uncertain future.

The feelings here are common to us all. One of the enduring attractions of the psalms is their expression of our common humanity in a way that is relevant whatever age the readers live in . They are about the stuff of life, and because of that their words can bring both challenge and extraordinary hope. Opposite extremes of emotion, of distress and anger and great joy, are described. The psalmist tells it like it is, with no attempt to hide how he feels or indeed to deny how others are behaving. He lives in the real world. The emotions are raw, and the struggle to possess trusting faith demanding.

There is engagement here with his inner self, the issues around him and with God in the light of all this. His exhortation not to sin in the midst of being angry is echoed by Paul in the New Testament and along with the rest of this psalm stands in direct contrast to our often tidy and moderately toned expressions of faith. How honest are we with ourselves, others, and God about our struggles? Are we responsible for fostering a church culture that is more about respectability than authenticity?

Try keeping a written journal in which you write prayers, tell God how you feel, and record what you believe he’s said to you.