The Trumpet | October 2017 · occasion is the presentation of ‘first-fruits’, that season when...

The Trumpet | October 2017

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www.csicod.org

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http://www.csicod.org/

mailto:[email protected]

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its purpose is stated for us in Deuteronomy 26: 1-19. When the people entered the promised land, they were to

bring the first fruits of the land to God and give thanks to Him for all His blessings, (Deuteronomy 26: 1-11). In

the second half of the chapter the people are to use their triennial tithe to minister to the Levites, foreigners,

orphans, widows and people less fortunate that they have been (Deuteronomy 26: 12-19). The people who have

been blessed of God are to a blessing to others. From this thanksgiving, we learn greater lessons for our Harvest

Festival celebration.

Worship is a central theme in Deuteronomy. In chapter 26 we are given unique account of Israelite praise; the

occasion is the presentation of ‘first-fruits’, that season when the Hebrews brought their early and best produce as

a thank offering to the Lord. The worshipper took some of the fruits from the soil of the land, puts it in a basket

and goes to officiating priest, he can make a verbal confession of his indebtedness to God. This colorful narrative

not only describes what was to happen in an agricultural community at a time of ‘harvest thanksgiving’ it also

embodies some important spiritual principles about worship. Whenever we offer sincere worship to the Lord we

acknowledge His generosity, recall His faithfulness, honor His uniqueness, obey His commands, and affirm His

truth.

When the worshipper visits the appointed sanctuary with his basket of fruits, he is aware above all else of the

abundant goodness of God. The man who brings his gifts knows only too well that unless the Lord had been

generous to him, he would have nothing to offer. With a personal sense of gratitude each worshipper went on to

make a verbal confession of his own indebtedness to God’s power manifest in history. God who had provided the

rain to water the earth and the bright sun to ripen the fruit which they now presented in their baskets. He was

generous in what he had said, done and given and such generosity must be personally and publicly acknowledged

in adoring worship and grateful thanksgiving. The first fruit basket symbolized the whole which they had brought

with them, and represented the whole harvest yet in the field. God still claims first fruit of everything. It belongs

to Him, even before it is harvested.

In Deuteronomy 26: 12-14 Moses says to the same people that they have been blessed to be a blessing to others.

It must make some demand upon the worshipper. In offering the first fruits, they were presenting their best, and

that best must be shared with others. We find the same great truths of Deuteronomy 26 summarized in Hebrew 15:

15-16 “Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that

acknowledge His name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to

God. Our thanksgiving gives glory to God and reflects God’s generosity in us.

Jesus Christ gave a great word of encouragement to the giver, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure,

pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure, you use it will be measured

back to you.” Luke 6:38

May God bless us

Rev. K. G Thomson

Beloved in Christ,

The Christian faith and message have much to do with stewardship based on giving. The

bible is a book dealing much about God’s giving. Whatever we have is only from God.

We are only the trustees of His property and God wants us to be a good steward. We are

accountable to God. The first Thanksgiving Day took place in the promised land, and


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October 1, 2017 (Malayalam)

Harvest Festival

1st Lesson Deuteronomy 26: 1-11 Mr. Thomas John Thoppil

Psalm 65 Mr. Revin Philip

2nd Lesson 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15 Mrs. Biji Mathew

Gospel Reading – Luke 21: 1-4

October 8, 2017 (English)

Manifestation of God’s Glory in the Empowerment of the Differently Able

1st Lesson Job 5: 16-25 Mr. Shelby Thomas

Psalm 77 Mr. Alwin John Samuel

2nd Lesson 1 Corinthians 12: 6-10 Mr. Dayne J John

Gospel Reading – John 9: 1-12

October 15, 2017 Choir Sunday (Malayalam)

Mission: Good News to All

1st Lesson Isaiah 55: 1-6

Psalm 146

2nd Lesson Acts 10: 34-43

Gospel Reading – Matthew 4: 17-25

October 22, 2017 (English)

Taking Risk for the Reign of God

1st Lesson Esther 8: 1-17

Psalm 12

2nd Lesson Philippians 2: 25-30

Gospel Reading – Matthew 10: 37-42

October 29, 2017 (Malayalam)

Rediscovering and Reliving the Faith

1st Lesson 2 Chronicles 34: 8-21 Mr. Thomas M Mathai

Psalm 46 Mrs. Mariamma Varghese

2nd Lesson Revelation 2: 1-7 Mr. Bobby George Tharian


November 5, 2017 (Malayalam)

World Sunday School Day: Abundant Life in Christ

1st Lesson Proverbs 23: 15-26

Psalm 119: 33-40

2nd Lesson Ephesians 6: 10-18



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The Vicar and members of the CSI Congregation of Dallas wish the following members

a very Happy Birthday!!!

October 1 Miss. Reema Varghese Rejoy

October 1 Mr. Kumar Anmol Agrawal

October 3 Mr. Cherian Varghese

October 4 Mr. Ethan Varghese

October 5 Mrs. Biji Mathew

October 10 Mrs. Mercy Kurien

October 10 Mr. M.K. Raju

October 12 Mr. Bobby George Tharian

October 18 Mr. Dayne J John

October 20 Mr. Thomas Thoppil John

October 21 Mr. Shelby Thomas

October 22 Mr. Jerlin George

October 24 Mrs. Smitha Cherian

October 26 Mr. Prestin Cherian

October 28 Mr. Renosh Varghese Rejoy

October 28 Mr. Revin Philip

The Vicar and members of the CSI Congregation of Dallas wish

the following families a very happy and blessed wedding

anniversary…

October 2 Mr. George Kurien & Mrs. Aleyamma Kurien

October 20 Mr. Thomas M Mathai (Thampi) & Mrs. Saramma Thomas

October 21 Mr. Thomas Thoppil John (Kunjumon) & Mrs. Delfy Thomas


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Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and

petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6

Fill in the blanks.

1. City in which Jesus lived as a boy (Luke 2:39-40) __________________________________

2. Who is called the "Weeping Prophet"? ___________________________________________

3. Name of the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:54-60)_ __________________________________

4. The place where the ravens fed Elijah (1 Kings 17:5-6)_______________________________

5. Names of the two people who were never born _____________________________________

6. Names of the two people who never died __________________________________________

7. Which books of the Bible is God's name not mentioned in? ___________________________

8. Who told Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again"? (John 3) _____________________________

9. Who turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back? (Genesis 19:15, 26) _______________

10. What is "quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword"? (Heb. 4:12)________

Each word is described or defined to help you guess a word that has five letters and begin

with the letters”RO”. You may check your answer by looking for the word in the Bible

verse given.

1. Large stones (Jeremiah 4:29) ____________

2. Parts of a house (Matthew 23:6) _________

3. Certain nationality (Acts 22:29) ___________

4. Garments (Luke 20:46) _________________

5. A way to cook meat (1 Sam 2:15)__________

6. Parts of a tree (Mark 11:20) ______________

7. To awaken (Gen. 49:9) __________________

8. The opposite of smooth (Isa. 40:4) _________

9. Kingly (Esther 5:1) ____________________

10. Large twisted cords (Acts 27:32) _________

How are the following Bible characters related?

1. Cain and Abel (Gen. 4)________________ 6. Eunice and Lois (2 Tim. 1:5) ___________

2. Abraham and Isaac (Gen.21) ___________ 7. Peter and Andrew (Matt.4:18) __________

3. Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-39) _______ 8. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5)__________

4. Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:2) _________ 9. Joseph and Benjamin (Gen. 42:3, 4) _____

5. Moses and Aaron (Exodus 4:14) ________ 10. David and Absalom (2 Sam.18:33) _____

**Submit your answers to Annu Vinod by Sunday, October 29, 2017**


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Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example

for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

Be Still

Luke 10: 38-42

Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha

welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the

Lord’s feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations;

and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to

do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”

But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered

about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good

part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

In the same way Jesus explained to Martha how Mary had chosen the good part as she

herself was busy at work, obsessing over tasks, we are to learn to be still. We are

called to not become so overtaken by "doing" and learn to just "be" at the feet of Jesus.

Youth Upcoming events:

Scripture study- Sept 29

Regional youth retreat- Oct 28th


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Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Perhaps all hymns are to some extent autobiographical in that they reveal something of the

author’s spiritual experience. In some hymns, the autobiographical thread is stronger and more

obvious. Such is the case with British Baptist hymn writer Robert Robinson (1735-1790), who as

a barber’s apprentice, fell under the powerful influence of George Whitefield’s preaching.

A favorite line in the last stanza, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love,”

is thought to be particularly autobiographical, referring to Robinson’s early life, when his mother

sent him to London to be an apprentice. It was during this time, according to hymnologist Kenneth

Osbeck, that “he associated with a notorious gang of hoodlums and lived a debauched life” until

he came under the spell of Whitefield.

Turning to the young Robert Robinson, the bleary-eyed gypsy fortune-teller pointed a quivering

finger and said, “And you, young man, you will live to see your children and your

grandchildren.” Robert Robinson suddenly paled and said, “You’re right. She’s too drunk to

know what she’s saying. Leave her alone. Let’s go.” But her words haunted him the rest of the

day. “If I’m going to live to see my children and grandchildren,” he thought, “I’ll have to change

my way of living.”

That very night, half in fun and half seriously, he took his gang to an open-air revival service

nearby where the famous evangelist, George Whitfield, was preaching. “We’ll go down and laugh

at the poor deluded Methodist,” he explained. Two years and seven months after hearing that

sermon, twenty-year-old Robert Robinson made his peace with God, and “found full and free

forgiveness through the precious blood of Jesus Christ.”

Joining the Methodists, and feeling the call to preach, the self-taught Robinson was appointed by

John Wesley to the Calvinist Methodist Chapel, Norfolk, England. And there, for the celebration

of Pentecost (Whitsunday), in 1758, three years after his marvelous conversion, he penned his

spiritual autobiography in the words of this hymn.

1. Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above;

Praise the mount—I’m fixed upon it—

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

2. Here I raise my Ebenezer;

Hither by Thy help I’m come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Oh Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock

of our salvation.

Psalm 95: 1


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Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wand’ring from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

3. O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let that grace now, like a fetter,

Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it;

Seal it for Thy courts above.

Are we touching any soul with the God given talent? One day an elderly gentleman, tall and so thin he was almost gaunt, approached a choir member

and asked to speak with him. He was wearing a dark suit and dark brown fedora. It was March

14, 2014 and the Choir had just finished their Sunday morning rehearsal for their weekly

broadcast.

The old man extended a bony hand and introduced himself.

“I need to tell you,” he said with a slight tremor in his voice. “I’ve been going through a really

rough time in my life lately. My wife has dementia. I’ve been her sole caretaker for two years

now. I came down here today, hoping to meet you. Every Sunday, when I watch ‘Music and the

Spoken Word,’ I watch you. You sing with such joy and enthusiasm. You have literally saved my

life several times.”

The choir member was stunned and could only mutter a ‘thank you’ as he gripped the man’s

shoulder. It was a very emotional broadcast for him, who looked for the man in the audience, but

couldn’t pick him out. The experience has stayed with him.

“I know we do well as members of the Choir. We touch lives and hearts. But this sacred experience

brought that home to me in a very personal way,” he related. “We each affect those around us,

people we love, our neighbors, co-workers, co-church members, or even total strangers. It might

be a deliberate act of kindness or just a smile and a friendly word. Or it could be just singing your

heart out. And in most cases, you will never know whom you have touched and how.”

Arguably, choirs are the most visible aspect of a church service. There’s one minister,

preacher, or pastor, and dozens of choir members. There they go, a troupe of vocally

choreographed and colorfully clad (purple, red, gold, white, royal blue) songbirds, claiming

the best seats in the house, but let me ask you all, are we utilizing the real benefit of it?

Let me leave you with these questions in mind, are we touching any soul with the God given

talent and are you up to the par of been a choir member?


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Who is richer?

Someone asked Bill Gates, "Is there any person richer than you?"

He said, "Yes, only one".

Many years ago, I had been dismissal and I had gone to New York airport. I

read titles of newspapers there. I liked one of them and I want to buy it. But I

didn't have change (coin). I abandoned, suddenly, a boy called me and told, “This

newspaper for you.”

I said, but I don’t have change.

He said, “No problem, I give you free”.

After 3 months, I went there. Coincidentally, that story happened again and

that same boy gave another free newspaper again.

I said, I can’t accept. But he said, “I give you from my profit.”

After 19 years, I had been rich and I decided to find that boy. I found him after

one and half months searching.

I asked him, do you know me?

He said, “Yes, you’re famous Bill Gates.”

I said, you gave me free newspaper in 2 times many years ago. Now, I want to

compensate it. I am going to give you everything that you want.

Black young man replied, “You can’t compensate it!”

I said, "why?"

He said, "Because I gave you when I was poor.

You want to give me when you are rich. So, how

do you compensate?"

Bill Gates said, I think that young man is richer

than me.

You don't have to be rich or wait to be rich to give.

Like in the scripture, Luke 21: 1-4

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.

He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,”

he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people

gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had

to live on.”


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Greater happiness is making others happy

Two men, both seriously ill, were lying in a hospital room. One of them

was able to sit upright in bed for half a day. His bed was next to the only

window in the room. the other man spent every day lying on his back.

Every day when the first man sat by the window after lunch, he described

everything he saw for his neighbor. The second man looked forward to

this.

The window looked out on a park with a beautiful lake. Swans swam in

the lake, children placed toy boats on the water. There was a beautiful

landscape stretching into the distance. The man by the window described

everything in vivid details, and the second man lay in bed and imagined

the scene.

Days passed.

One morning, a nurse entered the room and saw that the man by the

window had died peacefully in his sleep. The second man asked to have

his bed moved next to the window. The nurse moved the beds and left the

man alone.

He lifted himself on to his elbows with difficulty, trying to look out of the

window. But all he saw was a blank wall! He called the nurse and asked;

"How could my neighbor see all the things he told me about?" The nurse

answered that his neighbor had been blind, and couldn't even see the wall.

Perhaps he simply wanted to cheer the other man up.

There's no greater happiness than making others happy, regardless of

your own problems. Because when you share happiness, it doubles.


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1. Harvest Festival

Our Annual Church Harvest Festival will be held on October 1st Sunday 2017. Holy Communion service

will begin at 9:30 am followed by auction after the service. All are encouraged to attend the service, auction

and all other activities associated with the Harvest Festival this year. Please prayerfully consider the needs

of the church and contribute generously.

• Please do contribute at least one item for auction

• Please do buy at least one item through auction

• Please do contribute the tithe of one-month salary of all earning members

2. Choir Sunday

Choir Sunday will be celebrated on October 15th Sunday. Those who wish to join the choir, please inform

the Choir Secretary or the Choir Director, the dedication of new choir members will be conducted on Choir

Sunday.

3. Tele Prayer

We will have Tele prayer every Friday at 8pm to 9pm. Tele Prayer conference number is 515-604-9057, the

access code is 539672 followed by the “#” sign. Please find time to join the tele prayer.

4. Snack Sponsorship

If you are interested in sponsoring snacks on Sundays after church service, please sign up on the snack

sponsorship list posted on the church bulletin board.

5. Cottage Prayers

Please sign up for cottage prayers, we humbly request you to open your homes for prayer and to provide

only light snacks. Following are the cottage prayers for the month of October.

• October 21st – Residence of Mr. Shelby Thomas and Elizabeth Mathews.

Address: 4510 Grantham Dr, Garland, TX - 75043

6. Regional Youth Retreat

The Regional Youth Retreat will be held on October 28th at the St. Thomas CSI Church of greater Houston

from 8 am to 4 pm.

7. Special Fund Raising for Church & Parsonage Maintenance

As per the decision of the Half yearly general body meeting held on 08/20/17, all families must contribute

generously to the maintenance work of the church & parsonage. Our target is to raise at least $35,000 for the

various maintenance work.

• The minimum amount is $500, please contribute more than the minimum amount.

• All Pledges must be fulfilled by November 30th 2017.

8. Prayer Requests

Please pray for those who are sick and recovering, especially

• Annamma Eapen (Eapen Achen’s Kochamma)

• Reshmi Abraham

• Mathew Mathew

• Susy Joseph

• George Thomas (Thampichayan)

• John Thomas’s (Deepu) father

God Bless you!

- Shelby Thomas


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No Matter what happens…. Some memories can never be

replaced

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The Trumpet | October 2017 · occasion is the presentation of ‘first-fruits’, that season when...

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