Brown's Daily Word & India update12-4-08

Good Morning,
Praise the Lord for the Seasons of Advent and Christmas. Praise the Lord for the Christ of Christmas. Jesus, the Savior, invaded this world, landing at the beaches of Bethlehem and changing the world and its history for ever. What if there had never been a Christmas? "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", written brilliantly by C.S. Lewis, is all about Christmas. It’s about a snow-blanketed land called “Narnia” where animals walk and talk, and the land is ruled by a wicked witch whose magic spell keeps the entire land always winter, but never Christmas. Can you think of anything worse than that? The four children in the story, named Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, discover Narnia by walking through an old English wardrobe that is a kind of secret passageway into this alternative world. Lucy is the first to discover Narnia. When Lucy first enters Narnia, she meets a fawn named Tumnus, who takes Lucy to his home for a proper tea and a little treachery. While Lucy and Tumnus are huddled in his cave, Tumnus explains that the reason it is so cold and dreary is a spell cast by the White Witch. “The White Witch? Who is she?” Asks Lucy. “Why, it is she that has got all Narnia under her thumb. It’s she that makes it always winter. Always winter and never Christmas; think of that!” Suppose we never had Christmas? What would your life be like without Christmas? Christmas represents the birth of the Christ-child. His coming changed history. For one thing, Christmas is the largest boost to our economy each year. If there had never been a Christmas, the world would be far different than it is today – in ways you may never have imagined. The early Christian communities stressed support for widows, orphans, the sick and disabled. They organized efforts to help those who were dying. They built, staffed, and paid for hospitals. In recent times, Christ’s followers have founded virtually every charitable organization on earth, including the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, World Relief, World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Food for the Hungry, and Compassion International. Without the birth of Christ, education would be very different today. Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, and almost every one of the first 123 American colleges and universities were founded by Christians, on Christian principles. If there had never been a Christmas, much of the good in this world would be missing. Much of the good you have experienced would be missing. Without Christmas none of our great Christmas memories would have happened. But without Christmas, something far worse wouldn’t have happened: Christ would not have come. Fortunately, Christ did come. In "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe", Christ comes in a different form than that which He took when He came to our world. He comes in the form of a lion, named Aslan. One of the heroes of the story, an affable little beaver named, “Mr. Beaver”, told the children, “They say Aslan is on the move – perhaps has already landed.” He told them that Aslan was not a tame lion, but that he was good. "And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something you don’t understand, but in the dream it feels as if it had some enormous meaning – either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer. So the children journey to meet Aslan at a famous landmark in Narnia called the Great Stone Table, all but Edmund." Edmund sneaks off to find his benefactor, the witch. Only this time the witch doesn’t treat him as well as she did the first time. She’s furious with him for failing to bring his brother and sisters to her, and even more furious to learn that Aslan has entered Narnia. The story climaxes with Aslan, the children, the witch, and Edmund meeting at the Stone Table. The witch reminds Aslan that, according to ancient law, all traitors belong to her and she has the right to kill them. So Aslan offers her a trade. – His life for Edmund's. In a dramatic scene, the witch has Aslan the lion tied down and shaved and put to death on the Stone Table. The children despair. All hope is gone. How could this happen? How could One so powerful have something to awful happen to him? Just before dawn, Susan and Lucy sneak back to the now-deserted Stone Table and untie the ropes around Aslan’s dead body. His body is mangled and mutilated, but a few minutes later, they can’t believe it, as life actually returns to him, and they witness his resurrection. Aslan explains that, while ancient law dictates that all traitors belong to the Witch, an even more ancient law dictates that when a willing victim who has committed no treachery is killed in the traitor’s place, that Death will work backwards and restore the life of the innocent victim. Aslan then deals with the wicked witch, throws a huge party, and all of Narnia lives happily. Edmund, the wayward boy whose life was saved by the innocent lion, is transformed forever by the sacrifice that Aslan made for him.. Aslan brought Christmas back to Narnia. When Aslan comes into the land, the snow melts, the sun shines, and the world is delivered from the White Witch. Narnia had almost missed Christmas. This is also the author, story of C.S. Lewis’ life. Lewis wrote the story because in real life, he almost missed Christmas. When Lewis decided to follow Jesus, it was as if snow melted from his heart. He came to Christmas, and Christmas came to him. Lewis said that in Christ, he had found a “better country.” – Maybe a little town, called “Bethlehem”? His encounter with the Christ of Christmas not only changed his life, it changed his eternity. It opened a better country for him.
Have you been transformed by the Christ of Christmas? Is Christmas a season of hope, joy, and light, or is your heart frozen, unable to know the love of the Savior?
Joy to the world, The Saviour Reigns,
Brown

Wed, 03/12/2008 - 10:05pm A Dalit teenager was beaten to death in Uttar Pradesh
Rae Bareli-Utter Pradesh,3rd Dec08A Dalit teenager was beaten to death in an Uttar Pradesh village after he allegedly stole sugarcane from a field, police said Wednesday.
The incident took place in Rae Bareli district Monday evening when 14-year-old Shailendra Paswan allegedly committed the theft from the field of Ram Prasad Pathak.
"Pathak thrashed him badly and threw him on the road. Paswan was taken to hospital by his family and succumbed to injuries Tuesday night," Inspector Sanjay Maury
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, North India
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Wed, 03/12/2008 - 10:00pm killings and terror continue ahead of Christmas in Orissa
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=13918&geo=2&size=AOrissa,by Nirmala CarvalhoA woman has been cut into pieces and thrown into the forest. Another has disappeared. Both of them had returned to the village to try to harvest rice for their families. The government is incapable of guaranteeing security. So far, no arrests have been made for the violence in recent months.
Bhubaneshwar (AsiaNews) - There is still widespread terror in the district of Kandhamal (Orissa), where for months attacks and killings have continued against the Christians. The government of Orissa is forcing Christians to return to their villages, but is not guaranteeing them any security.
In recent days, two Christian women have been killed in the district. They had returned to the village to try to harvest rice from their fields, hoping to provide food for their family.
One of them, Bimala Nayak, 52, was hacked to death with axes and thrown into the forest. Her body was found in three pieces, outside the village of Gubria. She had left the refugee camp of Nuagaon to harvest the rice from her plot of land.
The other, Lalita Digal, 45, was killed in Dodabali last November 25. She was staying in the refugee camp of K.Nuagam, and on November 21 she had left to return to the village and harvest the rice. She was staying with some Hindu friends in the village. Witnesses say that the woman was taken away from the house where she was staying. Her body has not yet been found.
Other episodes of violence have taken place in the village of Tiangia. On the night of November 25, two homes belonging to Christians were burned, as was one belonging to a Hindu who had dared to welcome Christians. On November 25 in Tiangia - the birthplace of Fr. Bernard Digal, who died months after being beaten and tortured - the authorities of the district had gathered the residents of the village, where six Christians were killed, and celebrated a "peace encounter," at which they guaranteed the return of the Christians who have fled.
The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) is accusing the local government of being unable - and perhaps unwilling - to stop the violence. Speaking to AsiaNews, Sajan George, the president of the GCIC, says that "fear still lurks in the Christian community in Kandhamal, and as Christmas approaches, they are traumatised not only by the memory of the anti-Chrsitian violence last December, but also by the failure of the administration to contain the larger scale violence unleashed upon the Kandhamal Christians after the unforturnate murder of Swami Laxamananada."
The killing of the Hindi leader of the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad), which took place last August 23 on the part of a Maoist group, was the spark that ignited the pogrom against the Christians of Orissa. Sajan George says that "after three months, no arrest has been made of those responsible for the violence," although the administration is forcing the Christians who have fled - about 54,000 of them - to return to their villages. He recalls that more violence was seen against the Christian communities in recent years and in December of 2007, when three people were killed, and 13 churches and hundreds of homes belonging to Christians were burned.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Wed, 03/12/2008 - 4:29pm First Christmas celebration in the Himalayam Kingdom of Nepal
The Himalyan kingdom of Nepal is all set to celebrate first ever Christmas in its long history.Gloria Deo, a world class music group is performing in the first Christmas celebration. The Hon. speaker of the Parliament will launch the christmas programmeThis year Gloria Deo have initiated a Gloria Deo World tour '08 which began at Berlin on the 15th of November, moving across Kathmandu on 6th of December and finally having its finale in the city of New Delhi on the 7th of December. This is the first of its kind international event in the city of New Delhi for the Christmas season; bringing ahead a wide range of musicians, singers, bands, prominent actors, actresses and sports stars. Gloria Deo World Tour '08 is ready to capture Delhi by storm.GCIC jointly with Gloria Deo held a concert during Christmas in the city of Bangalore
posted in: Current Issue, Beliefs, East India
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Wed, 03/12/2008 - 12:36pm Pastor attacked in Delhi
Pastor M. S Jeblin an Independent Pastor of the St. Pentecostal Capstone Church was attacked by a group of Hindutva extremists on November 30 in Gayartri colony, Baljeet Nagar in West Delhi
On November 27 Joth Ram a police constable of Anand Parbat police station along with others entered the church premises and carried out the act of vandalism by demolishing its wall and damaging the window panes. He, then, threatened Pastor Jeblin of dire consequences.
Around 11 am, on Nov 30th a group led by a person identified as D.K Singh along with four policemen barged into the damaged church using abusive language and again ordered the pastor to stop the service.
The perpetrators took away the guitar and other musical instruments, Bibles and important document of the church.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, North India
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Wed, 03/12/2008 - 7:14am Kandhamal violence: 10,000 people named in 746 cases
Bhubaneswar: An estimated 10,000 people have been named in 746 cases lodged during Kandhamal violence this year with 598 accused put behind the bars, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed the Orissa Assembly.
All these cases were being investigated and those arrested had been forwarded to court, Patnaik told the House on Monday replying to a question.
In 2007 violence, about 800 families were affected and all were given compensation, he said. The evidence of involvement of 1,453 have been obtained by the investigating officers in 127 cases, and 193 of the accused have so far been arrested, the Chief Minister said.
To another question, Patnaik said that the Government has received reports of 4,215 houses either damaged or burnt in the flare-up in 2008 which had taken place after the killing of VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati.
While as per the preliminary reports, 252 prayers halls and other religious places had been damaged, the detailed report was still under progress.
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India
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Tue, 02/12/2008 - 10:09am Bimala Nayak axed and buried alive in Gubira,Baliguda,Orissa
Phulbani (Orissa), Nov 28:
Mrs Bimala Nayak(52) was axed and buried alive in Gubria village,under Baliguda police station limits.She has gone from Nuagaon relief camp for harvesting standing crops in her small land holding in GuriaKandhamal administration was forcing the refugees to return to homes, GCIC had apprised the central Minister's team the apprehension of Christians living in relief camps still feel "insecure" in their villages even three months after the violence erupted on August 24.Murder of Mrs Bimala Nayak confirms the callousness of the Orissa administration
posted in: Current Issue, Persecution, East India