Monthly Newsletter of Horeb Mar Thoma Church
Message from Rev. Larry Varghese, Vicar
Dearly Beloved in Christ,
Hallowed by thy name…
Jesus continued teaching his prayer by saying, “Hallowed be thy name”. This second line of the Lord’s Prayer is one of those lines that are likely recited without much clue about what is being said. Hallow – It sounds so similar to hollow. What a difference one letter makes. Hollow means empty, resonating, dull. A vapid motivational speaker can be said to have a hollow message, or head. On the other hand to hallow something or someone means to revere, respect, or bless. After addressing God as Father, Jesus adores and gives due honor to the Father. Prayer, and worship, always begins with adoration. In our Qurbana (Holy Communion) liturgy the first words from the congregation are “We magnify you, O Lord our king, only begotten Son of God…” It’s important that we start this way. Everything hinges on our adoration of God. We first establish the truth of his magnificence. This is the reason we come to him in prayer. Imagine if we thought our boss ineffectual. Then we would not report our concerns to him. If our teacher is incompetent then we wouldn’t bother asking any questions. If God is not as big as he should be then we would take our problems somewhere else. If we thought God to be less worthy then we wouldn’t come to him. (Unfortunately this can be seen in our lives at times) If we do not respect and honor him in our hearts then our prayers for help to him are superficial. If we do not hallow him, then our prayers are merely hollow.
The world nowadays give little respect to God. He hardly receives credit for abundance but reaps all the blame for the misfortune. If an engine fails but the flight lands safely, then society praises the pilot. If an engine fails and the plane goes down, then a renewed hatred of God rises. His name is dragged through the mud by people who despise the faith. We are to counter to the world’s incredulous attitude. Jesus’ prayer reminds us that we are the chosen vessel to radiate his glory. Read what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7, 15: But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. … For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
As we recite the Lord’s Prayer, let us remember that we are to give glory to God and bring honor to his name. This is the mark of one who is now in tune with God’s will, which we will take up next month.
This month, as our 50 day Lent gravitates towards the resurrection climax, I urge you to participate in the ancient practice by giving up something so as to focus that energy on Christ and what he has done for us.
Rev. Larry Varghese.
Worship Service
Sunday School
All Sundays – 1:30 pm
Praise & Worship
All Sundays – 2:30 pm
Service Times
All Sundays – 3:00 pm
First Sunday Holy Communion Service (English)
Second Sunday Holy Communion Service (Malayalam)
Third Sunday Holy Communion Service (English)
Fourth Sunday Holy Communion Service (English)
Fifth Sunday Divine & Witnessing Service (English)
(when applicable)
Lectionary
Bible Lesson Readers & Deacons
News, Events & Monthly Meetings
Parish (Edavaka) Mission
Tuesday Evening Meeting @ 7:00pm
4/1: Mr. & Mrs. Saji Baby
4/8: Mr. & Mrs. Isaac George
4/15: Passion Week Evening Service: Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Mammen
4/22: Mr. & Mrs. Mathew Koshy
4/29: Mr. and Mrs. Juby Mathew
Fasting and Prayer
Friday, April 25 at 7:30pm
at the residence and Dr. Thomas and Susan Mathew
Passion Week Service
Sandhya Namaskaram – Evening Service @ 7pm – 8:30pm
Mon, April 14: Philip & Anna Jacob, Yorba Linda
Tue, April 15: Thomas & Thankamma Mammen, Long Beach
Wed, April 16: Isaac & Ann George, Buena Park
Maundy Thursday Service, April 17
– Place to be Determined
Good Friday Service, April 18 at 6:30P
At Garden Grove United Methodist Church
Easter Fest
Saturday, April 19, 9am – 2pm
At Garden Grove United Methodist Church
https://www.horebmtc.org/hp_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/HMTC-Easter-Fest-Flyer-2014.pdf
Also, additional info at events page at HorebMTC
https://www.horebmtc.org/events/
Sevika Sangham (Women’s Ministry)
Monthly Meeting
Friday, April 4th – 7pm
At the residence of Mrs. Reni John
Young Family Fellowsip
Monthly Meeting
Saturday, April 26 – 4PM
At the residence of Rajan and Naomi Abraham
Youth Fellowship
Outreach
Saturday, April 12
TBD
Bible Study
Sunday, April 27
Location: GGUMC after service
Birthday and Wedding Anniversary
https://www.horebmtc.org/anniversaries/