The Walking Stick

Yohann Koder belonged to an elite family, who arrived from Baghdad a Hundred years earlier and settled in the small sea side town of Fort Cochin.
Along with his brothers they started and you might assume were pioneers in the ship chandelier business. A generation down the line, they were the recognized wealthy by the Administration.

Busy in counting his pennies, and ensuring his warehouses were always full, he

never had time for the niceties of this world. When a Death was announced in the neighbourhood, he sent for Das, his messenger, who promptly arrived at the funeral house, with Yohann's walking stick and hat in hand, to symbolize Yohann's presence.

Walking sticks are becoming a rarity these days. The kind our Grand Parents and those of their and earlier generations used when they went out, and on returning home, carefully placed in a chosen corner, or in their own special stands. Their users were not necessarily old or infirm. They just felt good having that appurtenance on them.

Initially it was understood, and later accepted by all that Yohann was busy, and could only be represented by his Hat and Walking Stick.

And then the day arrived, when Yohann breathed his last. His corpse was placed in the Town Hall for public viewing. His family gathered around him in shock, as the viewers began to arrive.

All who were associated with Yohann at some time in their lives, were represented, by their Das: all with a Walking Stick and Hat in hand.

The Binding

"The Binding" is a story from the Hebrew Bible found in Genesis 22. In the biblical narrative, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Moriah. Abraham begins to comply, when a messenger from God interrupts him. Abraham then sees a ram and sacrifices it instead.

The story of Abraham and Isaac is one of profound faith and obedience to God. When Abraham was many many years old, God promised him and his wife Rebekah, a son. Later God's promise came true when Rebekah bore their son Isaac!
As Issac grew to be a young boy, he was the dearest to Abraham, even to the extent of Abraham forgetting God. God tested Abraham by telling him to take his son and offer him as a sacrifice. Though filled with sadness and grief, Abraham obeyed God's words without hesitation and took Isaac to the mountain. Abraham had No choice, except obey the command.
At the moment that Abraham tied up Isaac, the angel of the Lord stopped him and said  “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you love God, because you have not withheld from him your only son.”

God had provided a ram for Abraham and Isaac to sacrifice as an offering. Abraham built an alter and named the place Jehovah-jireh which means "The Lord provides".

The lesson to learn here is while God accepts us having earthly Possessions he does not want us to be Possessive of these Possessions.  

The Gift of Tongues

Speaking in tongues is a phenomenon in which people speak in languages previously unknown to them. 
The language maybe the choice of communication to the locals but not to the speaker.  

The first occurrence of speaking in tongues occurred on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-4. The apostles went out and shared the gospel with the crowds, speaking to them in their own languages: “We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” (Acts 2:11). The Greek word translated tongues literally means “languages.” Therefore, the gift of tongues is speaking in a language a person does not know in order to minister to someone who does speak that language. In 1 Corinthians chapters 12–14, Paul discusses miraculous gifts, saying, “Now, brothers, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction?” (1 Corinthians 14:6). According to the apostle Paul, and in agreement with the tongues described in Acts, speaking in tongues is valuable to the one hearing God’s message in his or her own language, but it is useless to everyone else unless it is interpreted/translated.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

What we see today as speaking in tongues is mere Mockery of the Grace received from the Holy Spirit, when people pretend to be endowed and shout aloud gibberish, to have others believe they are the chosen ones and hence gifted.