My sermon from this past Sunday.

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 Today, as is indicated on our bulletin cover, is Christ the King Sunday. 

Next week we will begin a new church year as we move into the season of Advent. And today we close out the old church year, doing so by celebrating the kingship of Jesus Christ. Our human lives are lived in a rhythm of years – year passes into year. And through the rhythm of our years the truth gospel gives shape to our lives. This morning, the gospel reminds us that Christ is king – the gospel reminds us that in the passage of our days and years there is no moment that is not lived under his lordship, his kingship.

In Canadian society today, of course, the idea of kingship, of royalty, is pretty distant from the thought and life of most people. I recall that just a few months ago there was a debate whether the Governor General, Michaelle Jean should be referring to herself as Canada’s head of state. The Prime Minister’s office intervened, suggesting that Queen Elizabeth is in fact the head of state and that the Governor General is simply her representative in Canada. Most Canadians, of course, heard nothing of this debate, and the vast majority of who did hear about it likely offered yawn of indifference. Whether or not the monarchy is important to our history and society, monarchy provokes a yawn of indifference.

A week or so ago I was listening to the radio program Ideas on CBC, and I heard the first part of a lecture given by Charles, the Prince of Wales, on environmental issues. But before he began his lecture, he spent a few moments speaking more informally, talking for example about the anniversary of his mother’s coronation. He also shared a funny story about an encounter he once had. He was once chatting with various people at one of the many events he attends – and he met and spoke briefly with a woman who shared with him how well she remembered the beautiful wedding ceremony of Charles’ mother and father. And the woman went on – I remember you sitting there at the wedding, your little five year old head sticking up from the pew. Now Charles thought he should try to correct the woman’s obvious mistake: “I think maybe you’re speaking of my mother’s coronation, which I attended when I was five years old.” The woman replied, “no, no no, it was the wedding…. I remember you sitting there on your pew.” [At which point Charles gave up trying to correct her.]

So in on instance we have a debate over whether the Governor General or the Queen is the Canadian head of state – and most Canadians yawn indifferently.

On the other we have an admittedly funny story from Prince Charles – but a story that is about events (a royal wedding, a coronation) which seem utterly removed from what matters in our lives and in contemporary society.

Since kingship and royalty means so little in our society, to declare Jesus as king doesn’t mean a great deal in our context. To say that Jesus is king, doesn’t do much to illuminate our understanding of who he is.

Perhaps if we could get in touch with what kingship has meant historically we would have a better sense of the significance of that title? Often the king had an absolute kind of authority – in the presence of a king there was almost invariably trembling and fear on account of his power – a power often wielded indiscriminately. You don’t mess with a king, who often has legions of soldiers at his command.

Perhaps if we understand what kingship has meant historically we would understand the significance of that tile when applied to Jesus – king Jesus. But then again, maybe not…

In our gospel reading for today from the eighteenth chapter of John’s gospel we find ourselves in the middle of Jesus’ trial – we find ourselves in the middle of the narrative of his suffering, his passion. And there in the midst of his trial we find Pilate, the Roman governor, asking Jesus: “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus are you a king?

Of course if you know anything about Jesus, you will know that he rarely provides a straight answer to a straight question. He rarely gives the kinds of answers that people are looking for – and it’s no different here. Jesus answers: “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”

In answering the question of Pilate, Jesus doesn’t say directly: “Yes, I’m a king.” At the same time, though, his answer seems to suggest he is a king. If you say that you have a kingdom, which is what Jesus says, doesn’t that make you a king? Well, perhaps it does.

But why does Jesus avoid giving a straight answer to a straight question? If he has a kingdom, why doesn’t he just say he’s a king? Well, perhaps Jesus knows that if he gives a straight answer to the question, ‘yes, I’m a king’ – if he gives a straight answer, maybe Pilate will think he knows what Jesus means, when in fact he doesn’t. So Jesus gives an indirect answer: “Am I a king – well, it depends on what you mean by king. In a manner of speaking maybe I am a king. But actually, Pilate, you don’t know what true kingship is, so I’m not sure how to answer the question. I’m a king, but not a king.”

To understand why Jesus won’t give a straight answer about his kingship, we should look at Jesus’ insistence that his kingdom is not of this world. Jesus himself helps us understand those words when he adds: “If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over.”

It seems to me that what Jesus is really saying is that his kingship explodes our understanding of kingship. In Jesus’ time and throughout much of history, kingship meant tremendous power, wealth, and honour. But Jesus seeks neither power nor wealth nor honour within human society. And neither do his disciples seek power and wealth and honour for him by trying to establish his rule on earth or by leading a revolt to set Jesus up on the throne in Jerusalem or Rome or in any other place – thus the reference to the fact that they do not fight to keep him from being handed over.

Of course his disciples were often tempted to do just that – to see Jesus kingdom in terms of an earthly throne – earthly rule, earthly power; control over the life of the nation. Indeed, at the moment of his arrest, Jesus had to rebuke one of his own disciples who struck off the ear of the High Priest’s slave. “Put away your sword – my kingdom is not of this world. It is not defined by the values of this world.”

Jesus is saying to Pilate: I am a king. But my kingdom is not rooted in the ways of this world. If you try to understand what my kingship means by looking at earthly kingship, you won’t have the foggiest idea what the kingdom of God is all about.

Perhaps there’s something we need to clarify here. When Jesus says ‘my kingdom is not of this world’, we have a tendency to turn Jesus kingship into an other-worldly, spiritual thing – we turn it into a kingship that has nothing to do with the goings on in this world and our lives. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. While Jesus kingship is not of this world – his kingship nevertheless makes all the difference for our world. Jesus’ kingship comes to expression in our world – he is king of our world. When he says that his kingdom is not of this world he is simply saying that his kingdom is not defined by the values of earthy kingship – power, wealth, and honour.

I can think of no better way to explain and explore all of this than by turning again to a biography of faith. In the past couple of months we have considered the lives of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, of Joni Eareckson, and of Elizabeth Fry. We have considered what their lives can teach us about following Jesus. This morning we briefly consider another life in order to consider what it means that Jesus’ kingship is not of this world. We consider the life of Eric Liddell.

You will remember Eric Liddle as portrayed in the film Chariots of Fire. Eric Liddell was a young Scottish man who grew up in a Christian home and who experienced a conversion during revival meetings sweeping Scotland when he was 18 years old. Having experienced this conversion, he himself joined a traveling, tent revival meeting – doing so he encouraged others to follow Jesus Christ and to honour God with their lives.

Another thing about Eric Liddell, of course, is that he was fast. In 1921 several of his friends saw how fast he was and suggested that he try out for the Olympics. He trained for three years while also working for the revival meetings – and following his training he won the right to represent Scotland in the 1924 Olympics in Paris.

Of course a difficulty arose when it was discovered that the heats for his race – the 100 meter dash – were to be held on a Sunday. As someone who was committed to observing the Sabbath – who took seriously the principle that the Sabbath was a day for worship and for rest – and not simply for everyday pursuits – Eric Liddel faced a very real challenge. Either, give up his quest to be the fastest person alive, or abandon his Christian convictions.

We know the story – he refused to give up on his Christian convictions, and so forfeited his chance to win gold in the 100 meters. As the familiar story goes, of course, Liddel was given the chance to run in the 400 meters, which was not his race, and ran to the gold medal. Chariots of Fire has a beautiful fairytale ending.

But we do not quickly forget his refusal to run on Sunday. We remember that Eric Liddell stood up even to pressure exerted by the Prince of Wales – that he should run for the sake of his homeland. Eric Liddell stood by his conviction that Christ had invited him to a particular way of life – to a way of life that went against the grain of his culture – to a way of live that didn’t necessarily jive with what many in his society valued. And by doing so Eric Liddell shows us what it means to live under the lordship of him whose kingdom is not of this world. Christ’s kingdom is not of this world – we live according to the purposes of his kingdom, not according to the ever-changing values of this world.

We recall again that Jesus’ kingship is not defined or determined by wealth and glory and power. His throne was a cross – his way was the way of humble service and love. We recall the glory of Easter morning – that his way has been vindicated and affirmed in his resurrection and his ascension to glory.

But again, we have to remember that to say that Christ’s kingdom is not of our world is not to say that his kingdom is some spiritual realm disconnected from our world. His kingdom is not of this world, but it makes all the difference for our world and for how we live in it.

Let’s get back to Eric Liddell for a moment. Eric Liddell didn’t simply withdraw from the wider world into some merely spiritual life. Indeed, one of Eric Liddell’s most famous comments has to do with the delight he took in running. Eric Liddell once said: “I believe that God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel his pleasure.” Our physical, material world was created through Jesus Christ and he is king of this physical, material world. He is not simply king of some other-worldly spiritual realm. Our king delights in, and invites us to delight in, the world made through him. When I run I feel God’s pleasure.

But there’s more we can add. What you may or may not know about Eric Liddell is that he was actually born in China in 1902, to parents who were missionaries. And in 1925, after the Paris Olympics he himself went to China as a missionary. For many years he served as a teacher in the Anglo-Chinese College in Tianjin, also serving in the Sunday School of the congregation where his father was pastor. In 1941 the situation in China became difficult for all foreign nationals on account of the war between China and Japan. At that time the British government advised all British nationals to leave China – Eric’s wife (who was pregnant at the time) went, along with their two children, to stay in her family home in Toronto while he stayed on, moving to a mission station in Xiaozhang. His brother served there as a medical doctor in Ziaozhang and for the next two years the brothers served the poor of the region. In 1943, when the Japanese army captured the area surrounding Ziaozhang, all foreign nationals were confined to an internment camp. Nearly all of those interned in the camp were Christian missionaries.

Less than two years after his internment, Eric Liddell would die in that camp of an inoperable brain tumour. But even during those many months in the internment camp, he served as a witness to the way of Christ Jesus – the kingdom of Christ Jesus. He kept himself busy by helping the elderly, by teaching bible classes at the camp school, by arrandging games for the childre, and teaching them science. Even in the camp, until his deat in 1945, he continued in the spirit of love and service, the spirit of Jesus Christ, that had drawn him to China in the first place.

Langdon Gilkey, who went on to be a widely known theologian was interned with Eric Liddle at Weihsien camp. Gilkey wrote these words about the feeling in the camp after Liddell’s death. “The entire camp, especially its youth, was stunned for days, so great was the vacuum that Eric’s death had left.”

Christ’s kingdom is not of this world – it is a kingdom defined by a unique vision of human life. It is a kingdom defined by the way and truth of Jesus Christ himself.  It is a kingdom of humility and service. It is a kingdom of cross-bearing love. It is a kingdom of courageous and thoughtful service to Christ. His is not a kingdom of this world, but it is a kingdom that makes all the difference for our world, and for our life in it.

Thanks be to God, through Christ our King, Amen.

Now 100 years later, people are waking up to the fact that the “Federal Reserve Act” was just a power grab that the big banks and our own government conspired against us on.

Now, the health insurance and pharmacy companies are about to work with the U.S. government again to steal another 17% of the U.S. economy in a very obvious power grab.  They will tell us it is to ‘help people’ and it’s for the ‘greater good’ but in actuality it is another way to tax and regulate us, and force us into giving our money to private interests as well.

Only 38% favor the health care takeover but rest assured, it will pass.  The government does not care what the people want, it only cares what it’s financiers want especially if it gets to accumulate more power along the way.

Worst of all, after this bill passes and after the republicans have more control in Washington D.C. again, they will not try to turn things around.  They will not get rid of the socialized health care, just like Obama did not get rid of our wars.  Fact is Republicans and Democrats are both  bought and paid for by the same special interests and the American people are too busy watching football and American idol to notice that they are being robbed left and right.  American politics are like a Don King fight – both fighters are under the same owner.

Enjoy the email below and please research the bill for yourself.  After researching the bill, your support for it will vanish as well.

-first response

p.s. remember to study http://www.operationhealthfreedom.com/

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From: Michael Connelly – Retired attorney, Constitutional Law
Instructor, Carrollton, Texas

Well, I have done it! I have read the entire text of proposed House
Bill 3200: The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009. I studied it
with particular emphasis from my area of expertise, constitutional law.
I was frankly concerned that parts of the proposed law that were being
discussed might be unconstitutional. What I found was far worse than
what I had heard or expected.

To begin with, much of what has been said about the law and its
implications is in fact true, despite what the Democrats and the media
are saying. The law does provide for rationing of health care,
particularly where senior citizens and other classes of citizens are
involved, free health care for illegal immigrants, free abortion
services, and probably forced participation in abortions by members of
the medical profession.

The Bill will also eventually force private insurance companies out of
business and put everyone into a government run system. All decisions
about personal health care will ultimately be made by federal
bureaucrats and most of them will not be health care professionals.
Hospital admissions, payments to physicians, and allocations of
necessary medical devices will be strictly controlled.

However, as scary as all of that is, it just scratches the surface. In
fact, I have concluded that this legislation really has no intention of
providing affordable health care choices. Instead it is a convenient
cover for the most massive transfer of power to the Executive Branch of
government that has ever occurred, or even been contemplated. If this
law or a similar one is adopted, major portions of the Constitution of
the United States will effectively have been destroyed.

The first thing to go will be the masterfully crafted balance of power
between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the U.S.
Government. The Congress will be transferring to the Obama
Administration authority in a number of different areas over the lives
of the American people and the businesses they own. The irony is
that the Congress doesn’t have any authority to legislate in most of
those areas to begin with. I defy anyone to read the text of the U.S.
Constitution and find any authority granted to the members of Congress
to regulate health care.

This legislation also provides for access by the appointees of the
Obama administration of all of your personal healthcare information,
your personal financial information, and the information of your
employer, physician, and hospital. All of this is a direct violation of
the specific provisions of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution
protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures. You can also
forget about the right to privacy. That will have been legislated into
oblivion regardless of what the 3rd and 4th Amendments may provide.

If you decide not to have healthcare insurance or if you have private
insurance that is not deemed “acceptable” to the “Health Choices
Administrator” appointed by Obama there will be a tax imposed on you.
It is called a “tax” instead of a fine because of the intent to avoid
application of the due process clause of the 5th Amendment.
However, that doesn’t work because since there is nothing in the law
that allows you to contest or appeal the imposition of the tax, it is
definitely depriving someone of property without the “due process of
law.

So, there are three of those pesky amendments that the far left hate so
much out the original ten in the Bill of Rights that are effectively
nullified by this law. It doesn’t stop there though. The 9th Amendment
that provides: “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights,
shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the
people;” The 10th Amendment states: “The powers not delegated to the
United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States,
are preserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Under the
provisions of this piece of Congressional handiwork neither the people
nor the states are going to have any rights or powers at all in many
areas that once were theirs to control.

I could write many more pages about this legislation, but I think you
get the idea. This is not about health care; it is about seizing power
and limiting rights. Article 6 of the Constitution requires the members
of both houses of Congress to “be bound by oath or affirmation” to
support the Constitution. If I was a member of Congress I would not be
able to vote for this legislation or anything like it without feeling I
was violating that sacred oath or affirmation. If I voted for it anyway
I would hope the American people would hold me accountable.

For those who might doubt the nature of this threat I suggest they
consult the source. Here is a link to the Constitution:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

And another to the Bill of Rights:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcripthtml

There you can see exactly what we are about to have taken from us.

Michael Connelly
Retired attorney,
Constitutional Law Instructor
Carrollton, Texas

“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain
the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the
government — lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.”
– Patrick Henry

Martin Luther King once said that he became a criminal in the eyes of the FBI since his birth on 15th January 1929. Probably he never has been convinced of the contrary in his lifetime. Shortly after Martin Luther King got informed that he had won the Nobel Prize for Peace, he could read in the newspapers an interview with J. Edgar Hoover, the former FBI department chief. In this interview Hoover designated King as “the most notorious liar of the United States”. Also at a press conference Hoover spoke clearly out, what he was thinking about the black SCLC Leader. He promised that he just started with revealing “the truth” about Martin Luther King. J. Edgar Hoover wanted to uncover King as a Citizen Right Leader under the influence of the Communist Party with the aim of destroying the democratic system of the U.S.

Why was J. Edgar Hoover so sure he could inflict damage on the charismatic Martin Luther King?

After the famous “I have a dream“speech, the FBI was afraid of the “black Messiah”. They called him “the most dangerous and effective Negro leader in the country“[1]. These times are well known in the United States as the anti-communistic containment policy. The FBI feared any possible influence and believed in the domino theory. In result of that fear Hoover wanted to install bugs in King’s House and bureau. No one less than Robert Kennedy gave in 1963 the permission for the technical surveillance. Kennedy who always was shown as a great ally of King allowed the FBI to break into Kings private rooms. Moreover Kennedy added a proviso – he always wanted to get immediately informed of any pertinent information. However, at first sight the technical surveillance was not a success. No demo tape gave any proof of a communistic influence in Kings Work. Furthermore the FBI bugs “never picked any evidence that King himself was a Communist, or was interested in toeing the party line”.[2]

So the bugs couldn’t give any concrete evidence. King was not a Communist, even when he had friends and associates of the Communist Party. Stanley Leviston was one of them. He was one of the immediate advisers in Kings personal environment. Also he was under steady technical surveillance but no evidence was found. King once said about the communist reproaches that “there are as many communists in this freedom movement as there are Eskimos in Florida“. But Hoover did not believe him and searched forward to find other information to inflict damage on King. And he did. The memo tapes gave evidence that King had many affairs- probably with four other women. Maybe today nobody would make a big deal about that- not after the Monika Lewinsky affair. But at these times an extramarital affair was a pretty big scandal- moreover for a Baptist pastor. Even when King affirmed his affairs and said he would have to pass God’s judgment he also knew that the general public would not be so merciful. King and Hoover met once privately to discuss this topic. Afterward King called the meeting a friendly and understanding conversation among two people. King added that all problems should be solved right now. Most probably neither King nor Hoover believed that. J. Edgar Hoover’s private contempt for King was big and he had embarrassing and private details about Kings love life- no doubt he would reveal them.

After King came back from Oslo he received anonymous and ominous letters. “You are a colossal fraud and an evil, vicious one at that.” Or “The American public (…) will know you for what you are — an evil, abnormal beast,” (…) “Satan could not do more.” (…) “King you are done.” Some people have the theory, which says that the intent was to get King to commit suicide. “King, there is only one thing left for you to do,” (…) “You know what it is … You better take it before your filthy, abnormal fraudulent self is bared to the nation.”[3] A draft of one letter was later found in the FBI files. King did not commit suicide but continued his work. Maybe at first sight Hoover did not win the fight with King but surely at the second sight. When King planned the march in Memphis he booked a room in a hotel of a better standard than usually. Hoover immediately began his harassment once again. From his point of view it was hypocritical to fight for the poor and to live in a well-standard hotel. Furthermore Hoover approved an FBI plan to use “friendly press contacts” to pressure Martin Luther King into staying at the Lorraine Motel.

Dr. Martin Luther King bended to Hoover’s will and moved to the Lorraine Motel. At exactly that place he got assassinated- less than 24 hours later.[4]

written by Agnieszka Goździelewska©2009

Further Reading (extract):

Presler G., Martin Luther King, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1984.

Waldschmidt-Nelson B., Gegenspieler, Frankfurt am Main 2000.

Zitelmann A., Keiner dreht mich um, Berlin 1985.

[1] Christensen, Jen „FBI tracked King’s every move” on cnn.com http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/03/31/mlk.fbi.conspiracy/index.html [31.03.2008].

[2] Ibidem.

[3] Ibidem.

[4] More Information at http://www.africawithin.com/mlking/assassination.htm.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV)

When I think of a throne, images from films or storybooks come to my mind. I see a room where those present are either in awe or in fear of the king seated before them.

When I find myself seeking the Lord, I visualize the man, Jesus. He is more recognizable as I know him as a human being who once lived on earth. He is also my Savior who sent me his Holy Spirit. His Spirit turns my attention to Jesus, and guides me to him.

Jesus now sits interceding for me at the right hand of his Father, my Creator. All of God is available to me. I have come to know that he wants me to come to him, not in fear but with expectation, for he alone knows me in the depths of my being. He is capable of knowing my deepest longings. Awe of his majesty is certainly a fitting feeling for me to have.

This verse says, “. . . approach the throne of grace with confidence.” As I have asked God to reign in all parts of my life, then my heart is the place where I go to draw close to him and find him. It certainly is not a long journey for me to reach him. I find my King in his splendor making this place where we reside together a holy sanctuary.

If I have done wrong, he is ready to forgive. If I have known joy, we rejoice together. If he wants to guide me with his direction for my life, I must be quiet, listen, and respond as best I can. When my physical or emotional pain is heavy, he asks that I rest with him. He understands how I feel.

The King and I – what treasured times we share.

Prayer: Thank you, my Lord of lords and King of kings for dwelling within me. I rejoice that you are spiritually within me. When I choose to seek you, you are readily found by me. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynn Severance is a retired elementary classroom teacher. She lives in Lynnwood, Washington. She writes to encourage others as God has encouraged her during 26 years of living with daily physical challenges.

I am not really sure how I feel about yesterday’s sermon. I did say that Christ the King Sunday is the hardest one for me to preach each year. Some years I just skip it! The response from the congregation is fascinating. Some think it one of the best sermons they have ever heard and others think completely the opposite. Ah, the life of preaching! This is the kind of sermon that is worth blogging about, though. I hope you can appreciate the diversity of thought and opinion in this church!

The greatest showman of our times was undoubtedly, Micheal Jackson. ‘The King of Pop’ as he was and will be refered to. And indeed, a king he was in his domain. His video albums revolutionised the way music was being heard. Great  video channels took birth by the support of his art.

But how was he to fall!! Such a timid death for such a great man!! All through his life he had been at the receiving end of controversies. But his unusual circumstantial death can written off as the most controversial. One of the theories supporting the claims of his murder is, where is the person who called up 911 informing michael’s death.?

Also it is well-known that he was at the last stage of his practise for his comeback show. A normal rehearsal would have been filmed on normal cameras but his final dress rehearsal was filmed with high definition cameras. Was something boiling behind his back?

Whatever be the reasons for his deaths, will never be known as the legend of Pop lies in his final resting place.

May his soul rest in peace.

Since making the previous post about Jamai Thakur, I felt inspired to learn more about Banamali Raibahadur and the history of Tarash mandir. Unsure of how to proceed, I approached my office mate Partha for help.

Born in Braja to a Bengali family, Partha is an enthusiast of Brijwasi culture, language and folk arts. He had previously scheduled an interview for me with a descendent of Jayadev Gosvami, but before the date of the interview arrived Gosvamiji entered nitya-lila while lecturing on Gopi Geet in front of an audience here in Vrindavan Dham. I knew if I wanted to interview someone from Tarash Mandir, Partha was the one to ask. As it turned out, Partha knew the current owner of the Tarash estate, so we made a plan to go there.

Tarash Mandir´s old gate

The current gate

A curious bakri (goat)

Tarash mandir and surrounding area

On our lunch break we headed over to Tarash mandir. After taking darshan of Jamai Thakur we went to the owner´s private residence which is on the same property. As soon as I walked in the gate I was struck by the abundance of greenery. Tall trees, short palms, hedges and lush vines lined the grassy lawn in front of the old but well-kept building. At the top of the creeper-decorated staircase we met Sri Udayan Sharma. Udayan Ji is tall and as fair as I am: an impressive presence dressed in raw silk, with a yajnopaveeta over his shoulder, pronounced features and abundant chandan decorating his forehead.

Udayan Ji´s home

Partha went to school with Udayan´s little sister and there was visible affection between them. We were immediately brought inside the house and offered a seat. The building is large: with 110 rooms it is possibly the largest private residence in Vrindavan. We sat in the first room, painted vibrant peach, on wooden sofas with tasseled silken cushions. We were asked to wait for a few minutes and I took the time to look around. The next room was painted orange, and the kitchen was violet. Potted plants lined the verandah. An old and probably very valuable painting of Sri Radha-Krishna on bamboo hung prominently over the sofa. I also noticed an antique-looking sword hanging in the corner, and wondered if it was Banamali Rai´s. (It turns out to have belonged to one of Banamali Rai´s guards). When Udayan Ji returned and sat down with us, the awkwardness I felt being in a stranger´s home dispelled quickly. I had wondered if we would have trouble communicating, but Udayan Ji is quite genial and speaks English well.

Sri Udayan Sharma

His family is into politics. His father was the late Magan Lal Sharma, the former governer of Brindaban whose statue graces the crossing of Vrindavan´s main thoroughfare. Udayan reckons it is the only public statue of a human being in Vrindavan. He says, ¨My father was very popular for his love of Vrindavan, seva, devotional mood and honesty. Despite being a politician he was not corrupt. In 1965 he donated 18 acres of land to Ramkrishna Mission to build their famous charitable hospital. When speaking about Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu he used to cry.¨ Udayan shows me a black-and-white photo of his father having tea with the King of Kashmir.

Magan Lal Sharma (left) with the King of Kashmir

He asks my name, and seems pleased with my answer. ¨Visakha is nondifferent from Yamuna devi. Her father is the sun, the governor of time, and her brother is Yamaraj (the god of death). When someone crosses the Yamuna river to enter Sri Vrindavan Dham, there is no more time or death. We enter into a realm governed by divine time. Another amazing thing about Sri Vrindavan Dham has to do with its vastu.

¨India has very bad vastu; it is a peninsula with the sea on the west, south and east, and mountains to the north and northeast. But Sri Vrindavan Dham has perfect vastu! We have Giriraj in the west, and Yamuna Maharani in the Northeast. Vrindavan´s perfect vastu corrects the bad vastu of the whole Indian subcontinent. Whatever bad things may be going on in India, the remedy lies in Sri Vrindavan Dham. All success lies here and nowhere else.¨

I could tell from his answer that he is really enthusiastic about Sri Vrindavan, and I was eager to hear more about Radha Binod Ji from him. He says, ¨For me, there is no image of Krishna as beautiful as Jamai Thakur. Jamai means ´son-in-law´. He is called that because he married the Raja´s daughter.¨

Udayan Ji tells the story of the deity´s marriage differently than the way OBL Kapoor tells it. In Udayan´s version, the story began when the Raja´s daughter came to him weeping. Pointing at a scratch on her forehead, she cried, Thakur plays too rough! This time he hurt me.¨ The Raja thought she meant their pujari whom they called Thakur Mosai. The Raja went to the mandir and started to scold the pujari severely, but the pujari had no idea what he was talking about. He offered, ¨let´s call the girl and ask her exactly what happened.¨ But when she came she pointed to Thakur in the mandir saying, ¨Thakur Mosai is always nice to me. It is this one who is so cruel!¨

The Raja was terrified by his daughter´s strange behaviour. He felt she was was getting too absorbed in bhakti and was on the verge of madness. He decided to marry her off as soon as possible, to drag her mind back into the material world. But his daughter agreed to marry only if she were allowed to marry the deity first. Her father reluctantly agreed and arrangements were made for both weddings to be held on the same day. When the day came, her marriage to the deity was sanctified. But at the end of the ritual, the Raja´s daughter placed her head at Thakur´s feet in obeisance and left her body on the spot.

In connection with Banamali Raibahadur, Udayan Ji says, ¨Banamali Rai was a British-educated barrister (lawyer). His family was very aristocratic, and during the British Raj they had British guards to protect their more than 52 bighas (32 acres) of property. Banamali Rai was a great advocate of women´s rights including widows´ right to marry. He was friends with Raja Rammohan Roy.¨

¨Banamali Rai began his spiritual life as a member of bramho samaj, but by Jagadbandhu Prabhu´s kripa he had a change of heart and totally dedicated himself to the path of bhakti. It was Jagadbandhu who gave Banamali Rai the title ´Rajarshi.´

¨Among the world´s saints Jagadbandhu was pretty special. In childhood he had already attained perfection. Actually, that was not attained by any sadhana but by the special mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu he had it. In later life Jagadbandhu stayed alone in a room for 16 years in deep contemplation. When he finally came out he acted just like a small child, talking to himself happily, playing with toys and eating laddus. We have to research more on Jagadbandhu. Banamali Rai was the first to give him the title ´Jagadbandhu Prabhu.´ He is also known as Jagadbandhu Sundar for he was very, very beautiful. Jagadbandhu was very close to Jamai Thakur and Banamali Rai´s family.¨

Udayan Ji says Banamali Rai first brought Jamai Thakur to Radhakunda where he built the famous Rajbari temple. But later, Jamai Thakur came in Banamali´s dream and gave him a suprising message.

Binodiji told Banamali Rai, ¨I am not happy in Radhakunda anymore! Let us go to Vrindavan.¨ So Banamali Rai bought land from the administrators of Rangaji Temple, and built Tarash Mandir there. Since then the estate expanded further. Tarash estate has seven temples including the newer Gopijanavallabha temple. Radhakunda´s northern ghat, where Raghunath Das Gosvami´s samadhi is located, is also part of Banamali´s Rai´s private estate.

¨This is the sanskar of many births, to have so much money but to use it in the service of the Vaishnavas and humanity. So many holy and rare places, it costs lakhs to maintain and it is very difficult for me to manage all this alone.¨  Udayan Ji kindly offered us refreshments, and then takes us for a tour of his house. He shows us rare manuscripts, paintings, photos on the computer and his private Thakur ghar (deity room).

Kalapataru Maharaj

Udayan Ji showed us this photo of a tree on his property and explained thus:

¨Sur Das wrote:

sur kito jiya sukh pavat hai, dekhat shyama tamal

´The easiest way to get real happiness is to behold a ¨Shyam Tamal´

The tamal is the tree form of Shyam. Whenever Radharani sees a tamal tree she feels the same ecstatic symptoms in her body as when she sees Krishna. We have three tamal trees on our property. Once there were whole forests of tamals in Vraja; now they are quite rare. One of our tamal trees has a branch twisted three times around the trunk. That is a very special tree. It is a kalpavriksha (desire-tree). Actually all the trees of Vrindavan are divine. Most of them are saints that have taken the form of trees to do bhajan peacefully. If you take shelter of them they will help you.¨

Natal Chart of Banamali Rai´s brother, with hand-painted images of the navagrahas, rashis, and more.

Detail: Navagrahas

An antique palmleaf manuscript of ¨Radha Sudhanidhi¨ by Hit Harivamsh

Sword used by one of Banamali Ray´s guards

Udayan Ji has some projects in the works for everything from planting trees, to restoring old temples, to feeding homeless residents of Vrindavan.   According to him, it is a not a lack of funds that stands in the way of change, but a lack of people willing and ready to share the burden of maintaining such projects.  He says he dreams of a day when not one child in Vrindavan will have to grow up in a slum.  I hope Jamai Thakur will grant his desire.

Min att-läsa-hög växer oroväckande fort och efter förra veckans köpglädje så är det nästan löjligt mycket att läsa. Nu pratar vi om böcker på fritiden, jobbets böcker ligger i en egen liga. Bästa köpet får nog vara Nightshift av Stephen King för 2 kronor hos en lokal lumpbod. Sugen på mer King så tog jag mod till mig och beställde IT, har inte läst den tegelstenen och hoppas att den håller. Sen blev det en hel del fantasy i serier som jag inte vill köpa som inbundet eller storpocket, Bloodheir av Brian Ruckley, Dragonfly Falling av Adrian Thaikovsky, Rats and the ruling sea av Robert V.S Redick och Painted Man av Peter Brett.

Rats and the ruling sea är nog den boken som känns mest spännande, första boken The Red Wolf Conspiracy var riktigt skön med fokus kring ett enormt skepp på uppdrag. Bloodheir och Dragonfly Falling hoppas jag är bättre än respektive bok nummer 1 i serierna.. Painted Man har jag hört mycket gott om och hoppas att hypen stämmer. Alla 3 är debutanter och väldigt lovande, hoppas att det håller i sig. Läsfest!

/karl

Recently visiting Olso, the capital city of Norway, I decided to look at the background information of the city as I wasn’t wow’ed by the scenery. Due to this disapointment I decided to look elsewhere for the wow-effect of this place.

According to Norse sagas, Olso was founded in 1048 by King Harald III of Norway. However, archaeological research has uncovered Christian burials from before the year 1000, meaning that there were earlier urban settlements. My disapointment about this location was the fact that it looked like a third-world “modern” city with little history. I was expecting more a Stockholm look into it. However, from background reading this can be understandable as big part of the city was destroyed by a fire in 1624.

The name “Oslo” originates from the Old Norse and it was probably the name of a large farm at this site. The meaning however has caused much debate. One of my favourite theories (due to my interest of Old Norse) is that Olso used to be spelled as Álso, later becoming Óslo during the Middle Ages. The earlier  spelling suggests that “ás” refers either to the Ekeberg ridge southeast of the town or to the Aesir. In other words, this can be interpreted as “the meadow beneath the ridfe” or “the meadow of the gods”.

After the 1624 fire, Danish-Norwegian king Christian IV moved the city westwards, restored it, and named it after himself; Christiania or Kristiania. This was the name of the capital of Norway since then and until 1925, when the original name “Oslo” was restored. The original place of Oslo, before being moved westwards, is now known as Gamlebyen (Old Town).

One thing I found very interesting was a tiger outside the city hall. For what reason would there be a tiger in the northern europe, where there is no tiger and the animal is not symbolic for power? From background reading it was understood – the city was once referred to as Tigerstaden (the City of Tigers) by the author Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson around 1870. The reason why he named it Tigerstaden was because he perceived this location as a cold and dangerous place. The name Tigerstaden has over the years nearly become an official name, so on it’s 1000-year anniversary tiger sculptures were placed outside the city hall as of celebration.

In more recent times, Olso has started being called Tiggerstaden (the City of Beggars) instead due to the increased amount of beggars and homeless people in the capital. This is probably the reason why the city looks so degraded and poor like a third world country. Apparently police men give money to drug addicts so that they don’t disturb other people. Not something I find very ethical. The picture of “the City of Beggars” later became amplified by the novel Sult (Hunger) by Knut Hamsun in 1890.

What possibly made me believe that Olso seems more like a third world “modern” city was the amount of immigrants there, which consist of 26% of Olso’s population. Honestly, it didn’t feel much like Norway to me.

If you are interested in going to Oslo one day, go there in the summer or during the first months of the year when there will be more snow. Even though Olso didn’t reach my expectations it doesn’t mean it isn’t special. Considering that it is located in a fjord makes it quite an experience; from any location of the city you see a vast sea with islands in front of you. The nature side of the city is breathtaking. The arquitecture is beautiful; there is an obvious mix of old and new buildings, some being of such an equisite design that you become wow:ed, such as the Opera house. Make sure however, to read about Olso before arriving there, so you understand many of the unexpected scenery.

1944 — For two years, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King has been hedging about introducing conscription. But heavy Second World War casualties in Europe, combined with pressure from English Canada, results in the Resources Mobilization Act to conscript 16,000 soldiers for the war effort.

Opposition from French Canada is immediate, but support from King’s Quebec lieutenant, External Affairs minister Louis St. Laurent, helps to dull the impact. Fewer than 2,500 conscripts actually reach the war theatre and 79 are dead by war’s end.

This article has nothing to do with Gang Stalking, but I felt it was worth commenting on.

I came across this article the other day, and the wording of it surprised me. It was not vulgar, the language was not racist, yet it’s one one of the most hard hitting critiques of the American President I have come across.

I am at times not too bad with checking the temperature of the net, and this article surprised me. It was a recap of what the writer felt was an unforgivable action and that is the American President bowing to the Japanese Emperor and Empress.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/17/

[quote]A little traveling, like a little learning, can be a dangerous thing. Barack Obama on the loose in a foreign land is enough to frighten protocol officers and embarrass the rest of us.[/quote]

I did notice that American’s were upset with his bowing before foreign royalty.

See I think Americans see the president in their own way as royalty. Sure the ties to monarchy on the outside have been removed, but inside American’s want to feel proud, they want to feel that the person that is representing them will do so well. They want to know that American views and values will be upheld.

I was surprised by some of the comments, but the general consensus on some of the forums is that the President should bow to no one.

I think in my personal opinion a bow of respect can be given, but it’s all about how it is delivered that makes the difference.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/g20-summit/

In the above file footage of his meeting with the King and Queen of England, he does bow, but it’s a moderate bow and it is respectfully returned in kind. Equals of sorts and I don’t recall hearing any recriminations about this bow.

I also suspect the country he was bowing to did play a role. I know many mentioned the War time dead of WWII and felt that it was disrespectful to them as well.

I believe with this President people very much wanted back the good old days. The days they felt proud, the days that they felt that they had their own royalty. The Kennedy years.

I think in part one of the reasons Obama was a shoe in for president is that he did remind many of the Kennedy days. Jackie was queen and it felt as if there was royalty. The Kennedy’s wore no crown, but many felt that they were royal in their own right.

Americans came off of feeling embarrassed at times by the last Administration, I recall many times where the last president did something goofy, or made and error, and the American people cringed with him. When the world hated his policies, they felt hated right along with him.

With this administration one of the things that was promised not overtly, but in it’s own way was good representation. People liked that fact that he had come from a good school, had a degree, and wanted to be represented well. Americans are known for being a proud and arrogant people. Most would deny it, but many in the world want to come to America and be American and that is part of the reason.

After the horrible stimulus package, where they felt that they were violated, but were not quite sure, (You were violated.) they wanted to feel secure again, proud, they don’t want more debt or wild spending being tacked on to themselves or their kids. I think that is in part why they are so cautious with this health care bill. The last previous eight years was a lot for many Americans to deal with.

With this Administration they wanted to put the wars behind, the some degree of shame they might of felt with some previous polices and actions, and I think that is why they are quick to react when they see signs of the previous admin shining forth.

The bow wounded the pride of some. Most Americans would not admit it, but they are a proud and somewhat arrogant people, which is not a bad thing. I think they just want that pride back, and this bow hurt that pride, for some.

Most people will read this article and view it as a bad thing but I don’t fully. It shows me that Americans are a loyal people, it shows me that they take their representative seriously, and it tells me that they want to feel proud and full of hope again.

It means that if the president fails to represent the American people’s well, they will be a disloyal, hurt and angry subject, but if the president represents the American people well, they have the capacity to be loyal, faithful, and to stand with him, and feel pride with him.

To me it shows that they want the president to do well, but were hurt, and again not everyone even cared about this, but some did, and those are people worth listening to. It’s struck me as one of the more strongly worded articles I had come across and I felt that it was worth noting.

Some more highlights.

[quote]This is not the way an American president impresses evildoers that he’s strong, tough and decisive, that America is not to be trifled with.[/quote]

Americans like their tough guy image. Most countries do. They want that don’t mess with our country.

It makes them feel safe, like someone will be capable of looking after their best interests.

[quote]His predecessors learned with no difficulty that the essence of America is that all men stand equal and are entitled to look even a king, maybe particularly a king, straight in the eye……

John F. Kennedy, on the eve of a trip to London, sharply warned Jackie not to curtsy to the queen.[/quote]

I take it that Jackie did not curtsy. Respecting all traditions is a fine line to walk. I know the number of times I have read that this president is narcissistic, yet a narcissist would not bow before another would they? I think sometimes it can be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.

I would highlight more, but you will have to read the rest.

I believe Americans when represented well will let a lot go, I am not sure who handles protocols for these trips, I think it’s not a bad idea to have more than one opinion, or suggestion as to proper protocol.

Traditions can be a very limiting thing, and can hold a nation back from progress, but they can also be a beautiful thing, and everyone loves when their’s are respected and adhered to.

A year or two ago a young couple lost their two-month-old son. They had him in bed with them and one of them must have rolled over on him in the night because when they woke up in the morning their beautiful baby boy was dead. A pastor friend of mine and I went over to their house that night. You talk about heartache! The boy’s daddy, a young fella, kept wallowing in the floor saying “God is judging me – God is judging me!” The pastor was trying to show them some scriptures when the mother blurted out: “I just don’t see how there can be a God.”And before you criticize her, you just wait till you wake up beside your dead baby.

I  said “Ma’am my heart goes out to you – I won’t try to say I know what you’re going through because I don’t. But I was reading a story this afternoon about a lady who had lost her baby boy too. She went to her pastor and said “Where was God when my boy died?”

He was stunned by the question like we all would be but he thought for a moment and said “Ma’am, God was in the same place He was when His Son died 2000 years ago.” And I’m telling you there’s a God in heaven that knows what it’s like to lose a baby boy. He knows what it’s like to lose a loved one and He can sympathize with your pain.

On top of that, I believe the grace of God takes care of little children and that baby’s in Heaven right now. And if mama and daddy are Christians – they might have to spend 40, 50, or even 60 years apart from their child and I know that sounds like such a long time. But looking back, 10,000 years from now, it won’t seem like that long at all.

It was the end of the day when a police officer parked his car in front of the station.  As he gathered his equipment, his K-9 partner, Jake, was barking.  As he glanced back, he noticed a little boy staring in the side window.  “Is that a dog you got back there?”  he asked.   “It sure is,” replied the officer.  Puzzled, the boy looked at him and then towards the back of the car.   Finally he said, ‘What’d he do?’

As we travel through life, we will each come across situations that will lead us to assume the worst of people — but remember, things may not be as they appear. 

www.bibledonate.org and www.fivesimplesteps.org

L’inedita accoppiata si prepara a conquistare il mercato televisivo con una serie per la tv tratta dall’ultimo romanzo del re del brivido e diretta da quello del cinema di fantascienza.

Spielberg sta lavorando con lo scrittore americano alla trasposizione per la tv di «Dome», il libro uscito da poche settimane che racconta la storia di una cittadina del Maine che si ritrova improvvisamente rinchiusa sotto una campana di vetro.

La storia ha tutti i presupposti per una serie tv che racconti gli incubi e le avventure dei cittadini che cercheranno in ogni modo di uscire dalla cupola.

King e Spielberg hanno tenuto nel cassetto per un ventennio il progetto di un programma televisivo tratto dal romanzo del 1984 «Il talismano», che però non è mai arrivato in fase di lavorazione.

Fonte:
http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/spettacoli/200911articoli/49592girata.asp

Our great and humble president Barack Obama bowing before all of the world’s leaders. First it was the king of Saudi Arabia, now the emperor of Japan. Woohoo!

Don’t forget to recite the Act of Dedication to Christ the King today. Click here.

…

Behold, He is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see Him. (Revelation 1:7)

While we were in Israel, my fellow pilgrims and I saw many of the places and things referred to in the Bible. We saw the hometown of Jesus Christ, and the place where He was born. We saw the Sea of Galilee. We saw the Jordan River. We saw the desert where Christ was tempted by the devil. We saw the pathway on which He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. We saw the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Temple Mount and Mount Calvary. We saw the tomb where Christ’s body lay.

There is more. We saw the evidence of 2,000 years of Christian devotion. We saw the stones laid by our ancient forefathers to keep memorials at the holy places. We saw the tombs of knights who came to the Holy Land and gave their lives so that Christian pilgrims could visit.

On the Sea of Galilee

All in all, we saw too many beautiful and wonderful things to recount. It was a feast for the eyes in more ways than one.

One thing, however, we did not see. We did not see the Lord Jesus in the flesh.

We were in the places where He lived, walked, worked, taught, healed, and did miracles. We saw the places where He suffered, died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. But, Him we did not see.

–Lord, we came all the way to your hometown, all the way to your favorite places, to the capital of your native land. We came to visit you; we caught the whiff of Your presence – but we couldn’t see You!

“My kingdom does not belong to this world,” says the Lord. “My kingdom is not here” (John 18:36).

Mount Precipice in Nazareth

The Temple is gone now. The only part that remains is the famous Western Wall or Wailing Wall. I prayed for all the intentions people gave me at the holy places of Christ’s life. Then I took the slips of paper and stuck them in a crevice in the Temple Wall. The rabbis collect all the little papers every day and keep them in a huge archive of prayer.

So the Temple is gone. But there is still a veil. The veil in the ancient Temple was a symbol, a symbol of the veil that separates the earth from heaven. The King of the universe is on the other side of the veil.

After He finished His work on earth, the Lord Jesus ascended into the Temple in heaven. He sits not in Israel, but at the right hand of the Father, above every principality and power, bearing the name which is above every other name, the Holy Name of Jesus.

For now there is only one way through the veil between heaven and earth: faith. Faith penetrates the veil; faith reaches up to God. As the Lord Jesus said to St. Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” St. Paul wrote, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” And St. Peter: “Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

The Lord has laid out the fulfillment of the His plan through distinct eras of history. After the fall of Adam and Eve, there was a long era of darkness, when human knowledge of God was shadowy and full of errors. Then there was the age of anticipation for the coming of the Messiah, as the light began to dawn on earth. Then God Himself was here for 33 years. He did everything necessary for us to get to heaven. Then He took His human body and soul, and the body and soul of His mother Mary, to heaven–beyond our sight.

Now we live in the age of faith in the Christ. We do not see Him, but we love Him. We serve the One we do not see. Our whole lives are based on this: Jesus Christ is the King. He is in charge. He provides. He demands obedience. He loves His humble, faithful people.

Someday everyone will see Christ the King. Someday He will come in glory on the clouds. On that day, the people who have believed in Him and served Him will be delighted. Meanwhile, the people who have lived in fleeting shadows and falsehoods will be terrified. When the final day comes, there will be no doubt about Christ’s Majesty and power.

We do not know the day or the hour when our King will come again, and every eye will see Him. Let’s be ready.

Faith, people. Faith!

Wishing everyone a blessed Christ the King Sunday. May he rule in our hearts, minds, and lives. Below is a prayer I like from the Liturgy of the Hours. It is a psalm prayer for Week 1.

Lord God
You gave the peoples of the world
as the inheritance of your only Son;
you crowned him as King of Zion, your holy city,
and gave him your Church to be his Bride.
As he proclaims the law of your eternal kingdom,
may we serve him faithfully,
and so share his royal power forever.

Image by me. Prayer from Christ the King Prayers

Today the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King, which, among other things, signals for us that the liturgical year is coming to an end and Advent is almost here. We hear in our first reading the prophesy of Daniel, who saw “one like a Son of man coming” and saw this son of man receive “dominion, glory, and kingship.”

Calling Jesus a king is part of what made some people nervous during his lifetime; it certainly made Pilate nervous. (In today’s Gospel we listen to Pilate question Jesus about being King of the Jews.) Misunderstanding the nature of Christ’s kingship, people like Pilate and Herod saw His being king as a threat to their own power. Misunderstanding the nature of Christ’s kingship, others thought it meant a relationship of subjugation.

But Christ’s kingship is not political. As Pope Benedict explains, Jesus is a new kind of king. “This king does not break the people with an iron rod (cf. Ps 2:9) – he rules form the Cross, and does so in an entirely new way. Universality is achieved through the humility of communion in faith; this king rules by faith and love, and in no other way.”

Thus, today’s feast, in Pope Benedict’s words, “is not a feast of those who are subjugated, but a feast of those who know that they are in the hands of the one who writes straight on crooked lines.”

Happy feast of Christ the King!

As one who loves liturgy, I am excited that tomorrow is Christ the King Sunday.  It is a time to celebrate God’s reign, the incarnation and lordship of Jesus.  It is so holy, I can’t help but to sing: “All hail the power of Jesus’ name…bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all!”

One of the texts for Christ the King Sunday is Revelation 1:4-8, in which John, the exiled author, envisioned “the ruler of the kings of the earth.”  This expresses the simple, eternal truth that God is God and humanity is not.  There is only one ruler of all the earth; humans are mere characters in the larger drama of God’s unfolding history.  The irony is that in this history the powerful are made weak and the weak are made strong.

Consider the Exodus story.  Murderous and cowardly Moses told the mighty Pharaoh to let God’s people—those powerless slave people—go.  Predictably, Pharaoh asked which god Moses represented, for Pharaoh’s universe was one in which many gods existed.  Even Pharaoh was a god!  Moses simply spoke the truth: Pharaoh was not in charge; he was a no-god.

In the gospels, a peasant from Nazareth confronted the most powerful empire in his day.  By parable and miracle, Jesus humbled both the Jewish and Roman aristocracy by reminding them that, in spite of all of their authority, God was still in charge.  Jesus’ treasonous kingdom message was what ultimately got him killed, but Jesus’ resurrection only proved that God was God and Rome was not.

Our nation has a predisposition towards liberty.  When King George III fastened his grip on thirteen colonies so long ago, a band of brave patriots cried, “Give me liberty or give me death.” We are still skeptical of kings and kingdoms, and we do not like lords telling us what to do.

We have been without a king for so long, we forget what it’s like to have one.   A lord is antithetical to liberty, so trying to celebrate Christ the King Sunday is like trying to speak a foreign language—we call Christ lord but we can’t remember precisely what that means.

We fail to understand that when we call Christ King, it means that he is lord over every aspect of who we are and what we do.  In Christ Jesus we gain true liberty because he frees us from our lust for power and our endless selfish wants.

Calling Christ Lord also gives us a divine responsibility.  In Revelation John wrote that Jesus “made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father.”  We are royal priests who have a unique role and who are attentive to the will of the King.  Priests also remind those who try to usurp the King that they are not in charge.  It takes courage to speak truth to power, even if it rubs against popular politics.

We are also heralds who declare that Jesus will reclaim all of creation for himself one day.  This season two movies, “2012” and “The Road,” will address end-of-the-world themes.  Myth and popcorn can make people have the false sense that an apocalypse is something of mere fiction; Revelation shocks us with the reality that there will be an end and that Christ will usher in a new heaven and earth.

Christ the King Sunday is an important day, a time to stop trying to do things our way instead of God’s way.  “Come, Thou Almighty King, help us Thy name to sing, help us to praise:  Father, all glorious, o’er all victorious, come and reign over us, Ancient of Days!”

So, the lucky tomb owner now has every good and pure thing.  But not just any old every good and pure thing, oh no:  only every good and pure thing by which a god lives.  Good and pure things for divine consumption only, thank you very much:

Needless to say, the components don’t appear in Egyptian in the same order as that in which they appear in English.  A literal translation would be “which lives a god thereby”.  That’s a bit of a mouthful.  Let’s break it down into bite-sized pieces.

The first chunk is perhaps the most famous hieroglyph of them all:  the ankh:

It’s easy to draw; a loop with a downstroke and a crossbar. Here’s a sculpted version: 

It’s not a cross and, despite what they tell tourists in Egypt, it’s not the key to the Nile or they key of life or any kind of key, not even a key to the offiering cupboard.  The Egyptians didn’t have locks and keys.  They had bolts and bars and cords and seals, but not locks and keys. 

So, what is it, this most famous hieroglyph of them all?  Well, what it is, is:  a sandal strap.  A strap, especially that of a sandal, is what it is.  Here is a selection of ancient Egyptian Jimmy Choos:

  You get the idea.

Ankh is another triliteral sign which expresses the three sounds a, n and the third of the four Egyptian letters h.  Ankh is the verb “to live”, and the symbol of life itself, which the gods offer to the nose of the King; the breath of life:

It doesn’t seem quite so refreshing when you think that what he’s really getting is a whiff of hot, sweaty sandal.  I mean, you know the ancient world must have been pretty smelly, but realising that their idea of a breath of fresh air was to stick a bit of sandal up your nose takes the concept to another level.

In this bit of the formula, the word is actually:

Ankhet – “which lives”.  Yes, the loaf of bread denoting the t  has popped up again, as though from a toaster.  The technical term for it is a resumptive pronoun, but as we’re not doing grammar, you can forget I said that.

Talking about stale emanations, you already know netjer, god, don’t you?  Remember -

   netjer aa, “great god”, in the titular of Osiris, and all the stuff about the flagpole?  We don’t have to go into all that again, do we – not while we’re still reeling from the scent of insole?  The Italians think cheese smells like feet:  let’s think of this as a ripe piece of Roquefort.  Mmmmm…

Free At Last…….Free At Last……..Thank God Almighty we are free at last.
Yes yes I know these lines are not actually mine but who the hell cares!The point is that We….Are….Free …..At…..Last….
Woohoo………..(no offence Mr.Martin Luther King! Sorry for stealing your lines but I have been through hell in the last couple of months
so cut me some slack here,okay!)

Now,where was I? Oh yeah ,the exams………
*shudders*

Man seriously,becoming a doctor is sooooooooo not worth all this crap.All the sleepless nights,the bouts of anxiety and the constant fear
of these stupid exams which went on and on and on have really taken a toll on me.Even thinking about it makes me want to
puke my guts out.And to add insult to injury,the “witty brains” at the beloved U.H.S came up with the ingenious idea of postponing
our vivas for another  whole month,like we hadn’t been through enough already.(You suck Taliban!!!! If I fail,I am holding you responsible ).Anyway,boy was I the happiest person on the surface of the earth
when I walked out of the Pathology department today after giving my last viva!!!

I remember while I was in my high school  my mom often said,and i am paraphrasing here,”BETA BAS YEHI DO SAAL HAIN.IN
MAI PARH LO BAS.AIK DAFAA MEDICAL COLLEGE MAI ADMISSION HO JAYE TO AAGE AYASHI HI AYASHI HOTI
HAI”.Boy how stupid and naive I was to believe that.Little did I know what hell was in store for me in this NOBLE profession of AMMI
and ABBU Jee.

But the good news is that me and our gang have successfuly managed to get it over with.I am so sick of  this exam fever that I swear to
God the first thing i am gonna do when the result gets announced is to burn my Forensic text book(the same thing I did with my Biochemistry
text book).

The last couple of months have been the most boring and monotonous months of my already very boring and monotonous life which
explains how dull  things have been for me lately.I hope things shape up nicely for me in the future cuz if they don’t,i am pretty sure my name would turn up in medicine books as well i.e; THE FIRST PERSON TO ACTUALLY DIE OF BOREDOM.

But enough of the cynicism…..I am sure this is going to be the end of this bland saga.Hoping for a better tomorrow and the day after………

Now back to “THE SIMPSONS”

PEACE

Remember the first time? President Obama just dropped something. Or rather, he was just so tall that he had to bend over to shake hands with the Saudi King. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a bow.

Yeah, right.

Las cosas se ponen bien pesadas al saber de que Steven Spielberg y Stephen King van a producir la serie para la televisión llamada “Under the Dome”.

Esta serie suena bien interesante ya que va a basarse en el éxito que es el libro y que trata de un pueblito bicicletero en Maine que se pone de cabeza cuando un misterioso campo de fuerza rodea a la comunidad y hace que la población se divida.

Dream Works estará a cargo de la producción (esto significa que veremos buenos efectos especiales) y por el momento andan buscando escritores para que adapten la novela. Lo que no quedó muy en claro es cuando va a estar listo el piloto pero yo me atrevo a echarle la apuesta de que lo veremos en el siguiente otoño a más tardar.