Theme: Christian Family
Ephesians 5:22-23 “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour.”
The praise and worship hymns: “ Lungdam lua ing”, “ Aw Toupa mikhial kahi”, “Tuiduh a dangtak sakhi” were sung and a mass prayer was held followed by the hymn “Innsung maitam”.. The offertory prayer was made by Dr. Langkham
Baby dedication:Proverbs 22:6-
“ Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Baby Chinsuanmung Ngaihte s/o S.Thuamsiam Ngaihte
Baby Khawlthiankim d/o Thuamzalun Thawmte
Baby Thangsuahmawi Thawmte s/o thuamzalun Thawmte
Special number by Ms. Lydia and Richard- “Singlam teh”
The day’s topic: Christian family
The Pastor began his sermon with a recapitulation of his 2010 sermon on how a family is the peep-hole through which an individual first perceives the world. A family unit requires the union of two fundamental individual, a man and a woman who become husband and wife. Here the primary equation is the relation between a husband and a wife who build a family on a foundation of Christian faith. He quoted Herman Douglas, who defines a family as a fellowship where the mother and father are bound by Christian love and the children are cherished and trained in accordance to the commands of God in the Bible. Jesus is always the head and the measuring tape of this fellowship and as such its rewards are abundant; its members enjoy rest and comfort, they enjoy privacy and they learn to work, pray and plan together.
The two fundamental requirements of a Christian family: Ephesians 5:21-33
1) God-fearing husband-
Ephesians5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
The Bible tells us that the husband is the head of the wife, however, to be the head does not implicate a relation based on power or authority over someone but rather a nurturing relationship based on love. Here, “Love” as the Bible commands it, is of three kind-
a) Sacrificial love –Ephesians 5:25 “ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
b) Caring love- Ephesians 5:28-29 “In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—
c) Unbreakable love- Ephesians 5:31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
Genesis 2:22- “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[a] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.” The initial verse does not imply a physical separation from one’s parents but a steadfast dedication to the new responsibilities that comes when a man and woman unite to build a Christian family.
2) God-fearing wife- Ephesians 5:22 “Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.”
It is the duty of a wife to submit herself to her husband for it is the will of God. On this earth, there is no other equivalent to a family, that is why the Bible specifically compares it to the Church, for the bond of love that the members of a family share is comparable only to the love that Christ has for the church. By the church, the Bible means its congregation who must love one another and build a Christian family based on a foundation of love.
The Pastor ends his sermon with the encouragement that when a God-fearing man and woman unite to build a Christian family, there is no room for doubt. It is a never-ending companionship where there is room for all to grow in Christ. We must therefore, seek the Lord’s guidance daily, that we may be able to uphold and honour the sanctity of a Christian marriage which is steadfast and must never be broken.
The final hymn , “ Kris ka kumpipa thuchiamte a dingin” was sung by the congregation and the service was brought to a close by a benedictory prayer by the Pastor (retd.) V. Songkhothang.
By- Kimte Guite
Media Team
