Now is the Right Time

            Several years ago, one pastor was officiating a wedding. When the time came for the vows, the groom was rather nervous, as many grooms are.

            “Do you, J, take K for your wife…” At that point, the anxious groom interrupted by saying “I do”. The Pastor, obviously not finished with the entire reading of the vows, looked at him and said, “Not yet”. The Pastor, started again, “And do you promise before God and these witnesses to love her….” Again the groom anxiously said “I do”. Pastor, “Not yet!”. This went on a couple more time until finally the Pastor got to the last question- “…and forsaking all others to keep thee only unto so long as you both shall live?”. He paused and looked at the groom, who by now was so shy that he didn’t dare say a word. After what seem like an eternity, the pastor turned to him and said, “Now!” To which the groom belatedly and sleepishly replied “ I do”. Well, its all a matter of timing.

            When I began writing this article, I realise how difficult is our time. The difficulty has really not in knowing what to do, but in knowing what not to do. Philosophically, you can believe anything as long as you claim it to be true. Morally, you can practice everything as long as you claim it to be right. Socially, you can live according to your will so long as it doesn’t hamper the growth of your neighbour.   Religiously, you can follow any creed as long as you said it is true. The Reverend Zairema, in his article ‘Whither Friend?’ has mentioned that many religious teachers maintain that ‘All religions are the same, practice yours well and then you will go to heaven’. Continuing with his article, ‘such seemingly true but false teaching has lulled many into complacency, and alas to their own destruction. This is true with my experience as well. My University friends think about it and many of them concluded that all the religions lead to the same place.  According to Reverend Zairema again, ‘The Lushais were a famous headhunters, the practice of which formed part of their religion. To get to heaven, a Lushai must kill a man, cut off his head and perform a ceremonial dance to it. That was a part of his religion’. If we were to practice our grandfather’s religion, we have to commit a series of murders to go to heaven! There can be wrong religions as there can be a wrong road to a town. But that doesn’t meant that all the attributes and principles of every religion are all wrong. Not at all. Moods, by the sociologist Clifford Geertz was the underlying factor for every faith. Mood change, truth doesn’t.

            We live in the world of ‘haste’. We are living in a high geared, high tension age. The tempo of our times is one of speed and hurry. We have a great deal of leisure and we want to have ‘some more’. Many people make themselves miserable by wanting more than they can ever have, they suffer from ‘thingithis’, the insatiable desire for more, better and newer things.  Have you ever came across how many people (especially youth), out of their desire for better things sold their bodies, that is very desperable especially in Mizoram. At the end of it, they were the one who suffers.  

            One famous historian has written, “The material history of man is an account of the progress from a tool-less state to the present state of complicated machinery.” The present affluent society and state offers a great deal of leisure…with a sense of adventure and entertainment. We were entertained by the so-called ‘media’ that has a deep social, psychological and political impact, and philosophical as well. I remember, on the last day of Feb, 2011 when the conductor of the popular Bawngkawn Pastorate Choir  by the name of Elbethel, saying that our media has left a deep impact on us. ‘Koreanism’ or ‘Korean culture’ or whatever it is has left a negative impact or reaction on our youth today. He said so, because, their recently conduct questionairre told that one of the girl amongst the many wanted to become the wife of the famous Korean filmstar. This may sounds wholly absurd or illogical among the grown-ups. But this is our world, you and I cannot deny the fact that our world is filled with such wave of influence. Technology improved, Science is on the march, true, there is no way to turn the clock of our history face. Have you ever really look to your world and notice how many have commited suicide out of desperation. Sin, anxiety and heart-hunger will be the same as it is today and Christ will still satisfy.

            Bill Williams in his article, ‘Man in the Future’ mentioned about ‘Traffic Jams in the sky’. According to him, “Just like our modern vehicle traffic jams, there will be traffic jams in the sky. Learners flyers will be fired for rising vertically after they have signalled to turn left; careless flyers will run out of fuel and so on. In any case it will not last long, for most transport will become unnecessary. Factories will be run by computers, and so will offices. When I have to go a meeting, I shall not travel to London or Aberdeen ; I shall go to a room in my house set aside for the purpose, a room largely consisting of a television screen, and I shall dial the map reference of my meeting, physical meeting between people will be rare; only our images will meet. Shall we continue to write? No, even today, handwriting is dying out”.   We live in this kind of world, after all, with your material advancement, there will be a time when you may feel that you do not need your neighbour or fellow human beings. But all these advancement has to be accompanied by a clear realization that man is after all a spiritual being.   

We became adept in religious practises but unclear in what to do with our religion. We evidently have seen caricatures of christianity and that is unfortunate. Consequentlly, there is a spirit of defeatism in the world, a pessimism born of fear and uncertainty. Youth today need a creed to follow, principle for every way of life, a song to sing and I believe Christ offers all this and more.

            Inspite of success and failures, ups and downs, the most important thing we have to settle in this life is our soul’s salvation. First priority must be given over every other matter. The Bible says: “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” The more we are looking for something, failure punctuate our lives sometimes. Just as other important decisions cannot be deffered until  after death, this most crucial decision of all should not be delayed until it is too late. We came to him because we did not know which way to turn. We came to him longing for something we do not have. We came to him as a stranger. We remain with him in the most intimate of friendships. We came to him unsure about the future. Many atheists, depressed as well as successfull men took their lives since they could not find the answer. Even though commiting ourself to Christ…we do not know the answer in a difficult circumstances. We do not know why either. But it is enough to put trust in the Lord who knows why?

            In the year of gospel centenary 1994 Mizoram, we had seen in signboard ‘Gospel is the foundation of Mizo society.’ The man who is ‘the gospel’ ask you and I to come back to him. Looking at our world right now, wounded as a civilisation, we see both order and disorder in every dimension of life. But if you try and look at both of them in the Great Orderer…you will see the differences with that.

            The victory and success in life lost its luster when measured against the deeper yearnings of life. We live in a place where temptations are so real and passions which are so real and wisdom must be applied and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The hands and arm of the great boxer soon lost its glory, strength and eclipsed and defeated by the great counterpart competitor. But beyond all those physical abilities, there is emotional stance and spiritual struggle which we all have. And Christ who made the biggest claim by claiming himself to be God in the scripture saying ‘ I am the way, the truth and the life, No one comes to the father except through me’ offers you the truth to St. Thomas, Pontius Pilate and all of the humanity. Do you think now is the right time to go back to Christ?

Endnotes:

Articles and Sermons:

1.     The Right Thing at the right time : Chuck Warnock

2.     Sermon by Elbethel, Conductor of Bawngkawn Pastorate Choir: 28^th February 2011 at Chanmari West Kohhran.

3.     Why I believe in God : Cornelius Van Til

4.    Man in the Future : Bill Williams

Books:

1.    Jesus Among other gods : Ravi Zacharias

2.     Billy Graham Answers your Questions: Worldwide Publications

3.     Isua Rilru : A Collection of sermons by Rev. Zairema. (English and Mizo)

4.     The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version.

Shillong MSU Annual Magazine 2011-a Magazine theme ‘Now is the right time’ tiha ka ziak a ni.