God Guides Us Into True Spirituality

Rev. Ira Lee Rosalita

“God guides us into true spirituality” 

Colossians 2:16-23

One thing I noticed when I visit a bank is the poster on the wall giving warning to clients of the presence of counterfeit money. The public is cautioned against the use and exchange of counterfeit bills because they cause economic damage. When more paper money is circulating without corresponding reserve in the Central bank, the value of the money goes down and a lot of people will be affected. Anything that is extremely valuable will be counterfeited. Fake gems have been around for thousands of years, but as the technology for making them has advanced, fakes are now harder to detect with the naked eye.
Gem buyers today must be aware of three types of gems that are made to look more valuable than they are.

God Sets His People Free

Rev. Ira Lee Rosalita
“God sets his people free”
Numbers chapter 9:1-14

According to legend eight hundred years ago, ten Malay datus from the island of Borneo settled in Panay island. The Ati population which came earlier granted the new settlers access to the island and allowed them to cultivate the lowlands. After years of settlement, the Ati who lived in the highlands experienced famine. In order to escape starvation, the Ati decided to go down and seek help from the malay lowlanders. The malay lowlanders gladly shared their food with the Ati and the festival known as Ati-atihan started. Originally the festival was not associated with the Santo Nino, but with the harmonious relations between the Ati and the Malay. However, when the Spanish came, the festival was given religious significance. Today, I wonder if those who are celebrating ati-atihan remember the original meaning of the festival.

God’s Grace Makes Us Whole

Rev. Ira Lee Rosalita
“God’s grace makes us whole” 
Hosea 2:16-23

In medieval Japan, the Samurai held a high position in the society because war- lords depend on them to secure their territories. Feudal lords like the Shoguns, employ the services of thousands of Samurai warriors in order to keep their territories protected and keep the forces of the rival feudal lords at bay. When a feudal lord has many loyal and able Samurai warriors, he could control large areas and assert his influence and power over his subjects. The Samurai was indispensable part of the Feudal lord’s political power. At the same time, the Samurai is dependent on his lord for his honor, riches and power.

God’s Grace Focuses Our Vision

Rev. Ira Lee Rosalita
“God’s Grace Focuses Our Vision” 
Colossians 3:1-4
A story is told about a woman who lost her sight due to an accident. Doctors tried to look for a donor so that an operation could be conducted to restore the sight of the blind woman. After years of waiting, a donor was found and the operation took place successfully. The blind woman was able to see again, and she was grateful to the doctors and to the donor for allowing her to see again. However, after few days, the woman complained to the doctors that she was seeing things that she never saw before. She was scared and told the doctors to do something about her situation. The doctors did not have any explanation for her strange experience, but they had a theory; that the donor may have seen certain things that were unfamiliar to the recipient. The woman was seeing through the eyes of another person and that could explain why she was seeing strange things.

THE STORY OF MEDUSA

Many years ago there was a beautiful woman called Medusa. She lived in a place called Athens in Greece. She was a very kind and she obeyed her Greek gods and goddesses. There many beautiful women in Athens but she was the most beautiful woman among all of them. Because of this, she became vain and conceited. Every single day Medusa always boasted about herself. She says to other people she is the prettiest out of everyone in the whole wide world. On Sunday, Medusa told the miller that her skin is more beautiful than fresh white snow. On Monday, she babbled to the cobbler that her hair is brighter than the sun. On Tuesday, she commented the blacksmith's son that her eyes are greener than Aegean Sea. On Wednesday, she boasted to the public that her lips are redder than the reddest rose in the world. When Medusa wasn't busy she would brag about herself while looking in a mirror. She thought she was the prettiest woman in the whole wide world. She admired herself. On and on Medusa went about her beauty to anyone and everyone who stopped long enough to hear her. Until one day Medusa and her friends went to the Parthenon. It was Medusa's first time going to the Parthenon. The Parthenon was the biggest temple in Greece. It is the Great temple of Athena Parthenos on the Acropolis of Athens that was built in the fifth century B.C. (Parthenos, an adjective meaning “virgin”, was a standard epithet of Athena). In the Parthenon was the goddess of wisdom and beauty and that was Athena. (Athena is Zeus’ daughter that came from his head. She was born from a male.