Faith and Practice of the Church

The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, one of the ancient Churches of the world, is believed to have been founded by St Thomas in AD 52. It is an Eastern Reformed Church that is the visible continuation of the ancient late Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church. Most Rev. Dr Juhanon Mar Thoma, it is a Church which is a "bridge" between the East and the West. While holding the heritage of the East, it is influenced by the West in its mission mandate and ecumenical outlook. The Church defines itself as "Apostolic" in origin, Universal in nature, Biblical in faith, Evangelical in principle, Ecumenical in outlook, Oriental in worship, Democratic in function and distinguished in character. In these are a lot of strong and specific identities, full of insights and distinctiveness.

The Logo and Mission

The Logo of the Church consists of a shield with its mission statement and motto: 'Lighted to Lighten'. The cross in the centre symbolises the fact that Christ is at the centre of our faith lives; the Church and its mission. At the centre of the cross is a wheel which is an emblem in the Indian setting. As the wheel of life finds true fulfillment and salvation only in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, the lotus on the right within the wheel gloriously indicates the reflective and splendid value of Christian faith and witness to the world. While the holy chalice on the left symbolises holy living and as a stream blesses millions, the lamp in the centre indicates the sinful world we live in and our lives should radiate God's glory. The river on the left within the shield within a splendour of holy living recalls the divine invitation of water levels we too should rise above the sinful world we live in and our lives should radiate God's glory and it is an eye-opening symbol to the people of God.

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven."

Our Worship

Our Worship combines Eastern and reformed doctrines with ancient practices and forms of worship. In order to participate more meaningfully in the worship, life, witness and mission of our Church and to make it possible for us to appreciate the layers of meaning present in our liturgy; though the prayers that echo Scripture, the reflective use of idioms and metaphors and the extended use of signs and symbols; expressions of joy, the hallmarks of our ancient liturgy, it is important that one understands the distinctive characteristics of our faith and tradition. The act of worship can take many forms. Corporate worship is the most common of them, but fundamentally, worship is the act of all of us rendering our bodies as a holy and living sacrifice to the Lord. This reflects the truth that the very purpose of our human lives is to glorify the Almighty. In worship, as individuals or in larger groups, we should acknowledge, adore, acquiesce to and ask of the Almighty God. A fuller understanding of the meaning of the signs we use, the prayers we say, should lead us to the appreciation and realization that those who serve should spur us to repentance and confession, so that through his gracious mercy and forgiveness, we can do better.

The past should be cherished but it must also be relevant to the present and embrace the future. It is through true worship that worshippers are transformed and inspired as the word of God is preached. We believe in the working of the Holy Spirit and must our lives a living embodiment of our liturgy, as we bring the good news of salvation from the 'Divine Throne' to our everyday lives in our present place.

The Lectionary

The intrinsic value of the Scripture in worship is reflected in the fact that the first part of the order of worship is Morning Praise of the Word. An ordered lectionary means the scripture passages used in the liturgy is still exists. The lectionary of our Church used to be based on this, as well as on portions that reflect contemporary issues. From 2001, the scripture portions are arranged according to the ecumenical lectionary prepared by the Commission on Worship of the Communion of Churches in India.

Liturgy

The word liturgy, derived from the ancient Greek word 'leitourgia' meaning "service", is where we get the common English translation, Order of Service. Having a liturgy, we observe our need to glorify the Lord and provides structure, context and content. It is the response of a community of believers to a holy God; gathering, thanksgiving, supplication and repentance; and responding to what is heard through readings and songs are designed to glorify the Creator while giving us the comfort of the continuation of the blessedness of our historical and insights to all of our ancestors. Liturgy allows those of us to speak to life and power in the Word. The liturgy of the early Eastern Church was patterned after Jewish worship, the synagogue. Eastern liturgy has its roots in the famous city of Antioch. The original liturgical traditions of Antioch and Jerusalem. The original liturgical language used in the Malankara Church is believed to have been ancient Semitic languages; Hebrew and Aramaic. The original liturgy of the church was replaced by Syriac.

Three main streams of liturgy in the Malankara Church

The first was a totally indigenous Order of Worship in Malayalam, which was believed to have evolved and existed up until the eighth century in the Malankara Church by the Portuguese and Syrian immigrants. The second stream even all destroyed. The second broad strain was the Syriac liturgies, some of which have been translated and is still used today.

The Liturgy of St James

This is one of the oldest complete forms of liturgy still in use and holds an important place among the other ancient liturgies because of its harmony of thought and teachings. It is supposed to go back at least to the fourth century and is traditionally believed to have been formulated by St. James, written in Greek by James, the brother of Jesus, who later became the first Bishop of Jerusalem. He is also the author of an epistle that bears his name. The Liturgy of St. James is one with which the Eastern Church with its rich cultural and artistic heritage of the later periods even up to the sixteenth century. It is India; in fact, it is filled with expressions that evoke the richness of its origin. A melding of the languages of the early "Christian Church with the rich cultural and artistic heritage of the later periods even up to the sixteenth century. It is the very Spirit that moved our ancestors through the ancient liturgies, is the same spirit that finds its expression in the life and moves and prepares us for the mission of the Church. To carry out the living embodiment Commission of Christ Jesus; bringing from the unchanging, living, divinely inspired Word of God, the ancient use of liturgy allows us to internalize God's Word and respond to His invitation to transform our lives.

The Liturgy of St. James is in the form it has today has been going on for at least fifteen centuries. The liturgy was reformed and translated into Malayalam but some Greek and Syriac terms were retained. The adaptations and modification through the years has meant to keep the liturgy relevant. The reformation helped prefaced to the Malayalam translation of the Liturgy of St. James written in 1942 by the Most Rev. Titus II Mar Thoma Metropolitan traces the history of the liturgy. It is summarized in the following information. Structure of the Liturgy of St James can be divided into three parts:

Liturgy of the Preparation (Prooayasa)

This includes prayers for the preparation of the bread and wine as well as the celebrant's confessional, solemn re-dedication and vesting prayers to prepare him to lead the Holy Qurbana Service. This may be conducted with solemnity and devotion, and may be private or public.

Liturgy of the Word (Ante-Communion)

After the Old and New Testament portions for the day are proclaimed, they are read from the congregation and sung or two verses of an invocatory or sung and the Eucharist opens. The first Hoosoyo comes and deacons in the chancel become visible in the midst of incense and light. This is an awe-inspiring moment that touches our eyes in the Spiritual realm. For those who do not have time or are not in a state of spiritual preparation for Holy Communion. This is followed by prayers of praise which express our thanksgiving and praise that this is the visible presence of the living God. Our faith is then offered to the Nicene Creed, the offering of our gifts which must surely begin with the prayers, remind us of the incarnation, baptism, public ministry and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Our faith is then offered to the Nicene Creed, the offering of our gifts which must surely begin with the prayers, blessings and mercy then become all the more apparent. This is followed by prayers of praise for the Aneema and Tuybano (blessings). Then kiss the Bible as a symbol of peace to the Eucharist, the symbol of love, and the invocation of the celebrant with the prayers and anointing moment that marks the declaration of absolution after the confessional prayer. 3. Liturgy of the Sacrament (Anaphora). This is the main section of the Eucharistic Service which begins with the prayer for peace and reconciliation, and is followed by the first Blessing and the Words of institution. Through the prayers at consecration, the bread and wine are of the Holy Spirit is the prayer for the consecration. Prayers are believed by the Second Blessing. After the second blessing of the faithful through the power of the Holy Spirit, Intercessory prayers are believed by the Second Blessing. Also, a special blessing is given. The Anaphora ends with the recitation of the Lord's Prayer and the third Blessing is given when the faithful are dismissed and sent out into the world to proclaim the message of salvation. The liturgy of the Sacrament (Anaphora) can be further subdivided into four parts: Thanksgiving, Malokas (Sections of Metropoitan St Dionysius (Athens), St Iykose the Patriarch (Rome), St Peter the Apostle (Africa), St Athanasius the Patriarch (Alexandria)). These are the four Malokas of service to be used in the home of a sick person. All three liturgies having similar structure and order of service.