Brown's Daily Word 9/03/09

Good morning,
I’ve been reading Jürgen Moltmann’s book, "The Crucified God". In it, he talks about the “exceptional claim of Jesus” and says, “If Jesus had appeared as a rabbi or a prophet in the succession of Moses, he would have raised no questions. Only the fact that he is, and acts as though he were, someone different from the figures which his age remembered and hoped for raises a question about him. Thus it is he, he himself, who first raises the specific question of Christ.”
In Matthew 16:15 Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?”. Who we understand Jesus to be is all important to how we relate to him. Some people demand answers, and they are usually simple answers. Some people want him to be understandable and manageable, and nearly all want him to meet their expectations of who God should be and what he should do. But it is not Jesus who is being questioned, it is us. Jesus asks us, “Who do you say that I am?” How we respond to that question tells us as much about ourselves as it reveals about him. We cannot simply respond with some glib answer. Do we come wanting to discover the real Jesus, or one that has been sculpted by the culture, even though it is the image carved out by the prevailing religious culture of our day? Or do we want the actual Jesus who is revealed in the gospels — the living, breathing, reigning, life-giving bread of the world — the frightening Jesus who is beyond our understanding, beyond our control and demands a radical obedience which is beyond what we think we are capable of giving? In spite of our confusion, disappointment and offense, will we say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” What are we hungry for? Do we seek a god who will meet our needs and help us with all our problems, who will give us every thing we want, or who will soothe and comfort us? Or do we desire to know an uncomfortable God who is bigger than we will ever be able to understand and who challenges us to have faith and live at new levels? Are we hungry for this life to be easier or to discover the life He offers? Some follow Jesus, whatever the cost, in order to be a witness to the lost. Mark Early tells a remarkable story of how truly following Jesus transforms the lives of those who follow him and the lives with whom they come into contact. “For thirteen weeks, former child soldier Ishmael Beah has seen his memoir, 'A Long Way Gone', hover in the top ranks of the New York Times bestsellers list. For a young man whose village and family were burned, who evaded capture amidst the war-torn landscape of Sierra Leone, and finally was given an AK-47 and coerced to join the government army, a best-selling book comes as quite a twist in the road. As a child soldier, Ishmael heard his commanding officer frequently tell him and his comrades, ‘Visualize the enemy, the rebels who killed your parents, your family, and those who are responsible for everything that has happened to you.’ In their drills when they did not properly bayonet a banana tree, the officer reprimanded them by saying: ‘Is that how you stab someone who had killed your family?’ As Beah’s story unfolds, one cannot help but wonder about the fate of such children, suckled on revenge from such a tender age. What is strong enough to overcome that kind of past? The answer does not come as a surprise. It is the power of forgiveness and unconditional love. When UNICEF forces showed up one day and negotiated with Beah’s commander for the release of the children soldiers in his command, Ishmael and others found themselves suddenly transported to a rehabilitation camp. One would think that these children would be grateful for release and embrace these workers for their role in their redemption. But, you’re wrong. It would take months for these children to lose their appetite for brown-brown (cocaine mixed with gun-powder), for violence, and for revenge. Day after day these young kids would lash out at the workers and the other children. Day after day, the workers would respond with forgiveness and love. Beah recounts the story of one of the workers in the rehabilitation compound named Poppay, whom the children beat, stabbed and left unconscious. Several days later, Poppay returned from the hospital, limping, but with a smile on his face. ‘It is not your fault that you did such a thing to me,’ he said. As Beah recalls, ‘Most of the staff members were like that; they returned smiling after we hurt them. It was as if they had made a pact not to give up on us.’ Wittingly or unwittingly, they were displaying the turn-the-other-cheek kind of love that Christ taught. And through their display of grace, they sent a powerful message: Revenge stops here.” Radical grace demands radical obedience. I have been talking with my brother Patel, who was put in the jail, for over a year, unjustly, falsely accused. The Lord intervened in his life. He is free now. He has no grudge or bitterness towards those who accused and conspired to put him in jail. He went to the village where the Hindu extremists burned down our home. He told me that they burned the house three times until it was completely destroyed. He told almost everyone in the village that he had no anger and resentment towards them. He had completely forgiven them. Vengeance belongs to the Lord. "The Crucified God", now Risen and triumphant, Alive forevermore, makes it all possible for us to experience His Radical Grace and His extravagant love and live in radical obedience.
In Christ,
Brown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMT_kAD6cOg
Who Needs the Better Education?
These are real notes written by parents in a Tennessee school district... (spellings have been left intact.) 1. My son is under a doctor's care and should not take PE today. Please execute him. 2. Please exkuce lisa for being absent she was sick and i had her shot. 3. Dear school: please ecsc's john being absent on jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33. 4. Please excuse gloria from jim today. She is administrating. 5. Please excuse roland from p.e. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip. 6. John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face. 7. Car! lo! s was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part. 8. Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins. 9. Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side. 10. Please excuse ray friday from school. He has very loose vowels. 11. Please excuse pedro from being absent yesterday. He had (diahre, dyrea, direathe), the runs. [note: words in ( )'s were crossed out] 12. Please excuse tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak. 13. Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust. 14. Please excuse jimmy for being. It was his father's fault. 15. I kept billie home because she had to go christmas shopping because i don't know what size she wear. 16. ! Pl! ease excuse jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it monday. We thought it was sunday. 17. Sally won't be in school a week from friday. We have to attend her funeral. 18. My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the marines. 19. Please excuse jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well. [Might be a good thing?] 20. Please excuse mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps. 21. Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover. 22. Please excuse brenda. She has been sick and under the doctor. Now we know why parents are screaming for better education for our kids. They too may be parents some day!