BAPTISM MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, WHEN GOD REACHES DOWN AND ADOPTS US AS HIS CHILDREN , HEIRS TO ALL THE BLESSING HE GIVES HIS OWN. AT THAT MOMENT, WE RECEIVE THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS AND THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. PARENTS AND SPONSORS PROMISE TO NURTURE US IN OUR NEW SPIRIT LIFE AND TO BE GOD'S CHANEL TO GUIDE US TO THAT TIME WHEN WE BECOME PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE. ALL OF LIFE IS A GROWTH PROCESS; THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT COMPLETE IN US, UNTIL WE REACH GLORY. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BECOMING, NEVER ARRIVING AT FULL SPRITUAL MATURITY, THROUGH THE MYSTICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHRIST AND THE BELIEVER TO THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES. THIS CONCEPT OF VINE AND VINEYARD HAS ITS ROOT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WHERE ISRAEL IS LIKENED TO A VINE. THE JEWS IN JESUS DAY BELIEVED THAT BECAUSE THEY BELONGED TO ISRAEL, THEY WERE CONNECTED TO GOD. BUT ISRAEL OFTEN FAILED TO PRODUCE THE FRUIT GOD LOOKED FOR. JESUS MADE A RADICAL STATEMENT BY CLAIMING TO BE THE VINE. JESUS CHRIST CLAIMS TO BE THE NEW TESTAMENT CONTERPART TO THE OLD TESTAMENT VINE. " I AM THE TRUE VINE," HE CLAIMS; " YOU ARE THE BRANCHES. ONLY AS THE BRANCH IS GRAFTED ONTO THE VINE CAN THERE BE LIFE AND GROWTH AND FRUIT. CHRIST EXPECTED HIS FOLLOWERS THEN AND NOW TO BEAR FRUIT. HE DID NOT EXPECT THEM TO PRODUCE FRUIT, JUST BEAR IT. THE SECRET OF JESUS LIFE WAS HIS CONSTANT CONTACT WITH HIS FATHER, OFTEN HE WOULD WITHDRAW FROM THE CROWDS TO COOMUNICATE WITH THE FATHER AND RENEW HIS STRENGH. SO THE SECRET OF OUR LIFE, IS ABIDING IN CHRIST BY STAYING IN CONTACT WITH HIM. LIKE THE ALCOHOLIC, WE MUST ADMIT OUR NEED AND SEEK HIM AS A FRIEND. AND MAINTAIN, AND KEEP IN CONTACT THROUGH PRAYER ALL, THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES. OUR FAITH IS KNOWN AND WE ARE GRAFTED TO CHRIST MYSTICALLY.
A"WONDERFUL STORY."
UP ON THE FLAT ROCK PERCHED BETWEEN MOUNT HERMON'S THREE PEAKS, JESUS AND THE "PRINCE OF THIS WORLD" ( BETTER KNOWN AS SATAN.) JESUS SOMETIMES CALLED HIM, HAD MET HEAD ON SOME YEARS BEFORE. MOUNT HERMON'S 9,232- FOOT HEAD IS FOREVER LIFTED ABOVE EVERYTHING. VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE FROM EVERYWHERE AROUND THIS LAND.: SOUTHWARD FROM SYRIA, EASTWARD FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN, NORTHWARD FROM THE TIP OF THE DEAD SEA. AND SO THE BEDOUINS SAY, WESTWARD FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE GREAT DESERT. ALL YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS ROCK, " THE PRINCE HAD CAJOLED
BETTER KNOWN AS "SATAN " GRANDIOSELY SWEEPING IN THE VAST HORIZON OF KINGDOMS AND SEA LANES AT THEIR FEET, ALL THESE I WILL GIVE YOU, IF YOU WILL KNEEL DOWN AND ADORE ME--BE MY SERVANT!" POWER FOR POWER. THAT WAS THE DEAL, BETWEEN SATAN AND JESUS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A DISPUTE ABOUT POWER. THE PRINCE ( SATAN) HAS LOST THIS ROUND.
NOW, NEAR HERMON AGAIN, SOME THREE YEARS LATER, JESUS RUBS SALT INTO THE WOUND OF THAT DEFEAT. IT IS NOT HARD TO PICTURE. THE SCENE IS SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE THE SYRIAN TOWN THAT IS TODAY CALLED BANIYAS, AT THE FOOT OF THE TRIPLE- PEAKED, SNOW-CAPPED MOUNTAIN OF HERMON. CLOSE BY, THE RIVER JORDAN SPRINGS UP AND FLOWS DOWN THE LENGTH OF PALESTINE, FILLING VILLAGE WELLS, GIVING LIFE TO OLIVE PLANTATIONS, VEGETABLE GARDENS, TO FIELDS OF MELONS, TO ORCHARDS FULL OF ORANGES, FIGS,APPLES, POMEGRANATES, AND TO FIELDS ENAMELED WITH WILD FLOWERS.
THE BLUE SKIES ABOVE THE IMMOBILE FACE OF HERMON. HOST THE BRILLIANT NOONDAY SUNSHINE, EVEN SLATE-GRAYS AND BROWNS AND YELLOWS OF SAND AND STONE FORCE EYES TO SQUINT AGAINST REFLECTED GLARE. THE WIND RUFFLES HAIR AND CLOTHES. THE JORDAN WATERS CHATTER BEIND THE VOICES
OF THE SMALL BAND OF MEN (DISCIPLES) MAKING THEIR WAY UP TOWARD HERMON. JESUS, IN THE LEAD AS USUAL, FLINGS AN APPARENTLY INNOCENT QUESTION OVER HIS SHOULDER, AS HE SOMETIMES DOES ABOUT LOCAL GOSSIP: " "WHO DO YOU SAY I AM" THE IMPETUOUS SIMON BLURTS OUT THE FIRST SENTIMENT HE FEELS: YOU ARE THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.
JESUS STOPS ABRUPTLY. ONE IMAGINES HIS EYES RIVETING SIMON'S GAZE. "YOU ARE BLESSED SIMON! NO MERE HUMAN TOLD YOU THAT. NOW I TELL YOU SOLEMNLY, atta kefa: YOU ARE ROCK! UPON YOU, AS ON A ROCK, I WILL SO BUILD MY CHURCH THAT ALL SATAN'S FORCE WILL NOT DESTROY IT. I WILL GIVE YOU THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. WHAT EVER YOU FORBID ON EARTH WILL BE WHAT EVER HEAVENS FOR BIDS. WHATEVER YOU ALLOW ON EARTH WILL BE WHAT HEAVEN ALLOWS.
THESE ARE THE WORDS THAT REVEAL THE ENDLESS COURSE OF GOD'S POWER AMONG HUMAN BEINGS, AND THE ENDLESS STRUGGLE JOINED AGAINST IT BY " ALL SATAN'S FORCE." JESUS REASSURES PETER AND ALL THAT BELONG TO HIM THAT THEY WILL FINALLY ENJOY A SPECIAL TRIUMPH AND BLESSING. THE TRIUMPH WILL BE JESUS TRIUMPH AND THAT OF HIS CHURCH OVER SATAN. OF ALL THE CHOICES JESUS MIGHT HAVE MADE THE FIRST LEADER OF HIS CHURCH, SIMON HAD TO BE THE LEAST LIKELY. IN HIS BETRAYAL OF JESUS BY PUBLIC PERJURY, SIMON WOULD BE SECOND ONLY TO JUDAS ISCARIOT WHO WOULD ACTUALLY SELL JESUS TO HIS ENEMIES FOR MONEY. AT THE FIRST ON RUSH OF DIFFICULTY, THIS "ROCK" WOULD RUN LIKE A SCARED RABBIT. YET, YEARS LATER, HE WOULD BE MARTYRED AND WOULD NOT FLINCH IN HIS LOVE AND DEVOTION. SO AT THIS MOMENT, WHEN TIME PASSED AS IF IT NEVER EXPIRED. THE MOUNTAIN CALLED HERMON WHERE SIMON THROUGH THE WEAKEST ELEMENTS, WHERE JESUS VICTORY OVER SATAN, SHOWED: GOD HAS CHOSEN THE WEAK AND FOOLISH TO CONFUSE THE WISE OF THE WORLD. PAUL WOULD WRITE 40 YEARS LATER "YOU SAY THAT YOUR WISDOM AND STRENGTH ENTITLE YOU TO PRIDE OF PLACE.
AS IF THE RABBIT KILLED THE SNAKE AS IF THE STARVING PRISONERS OF GULAG. OVERTHREW THE RED ARMY. THE AFFRONT TO THE PRINCE (SATAN) AT HERMON. JESUS IS RELENTLESS. PUNY SIMON IS NOT ONLY THE ROCK FOR JESUS CHURCH.
PUNY SIMON WILL HAVE THE POWER TO REPRESENT JESUS PERSONALLY. WHATEVER SIMON ALLOWS, JESUS ALLOWS, WHATEVER SIMON FORBIDS, JESUS FORBIDS.WHERE PETER IS, THERE IS THE CURCH OF JESUS, AND SIMON WOULD TRY TO FASHION FROM JESUS MESSAGE OF UNIVERSAL SALVATION. SIMON WOULD NEVER DESERT JESUS, NEVER FORGO HIS LOVE. WHAT MATTERS TO JESUS, IS THAT MAN NOT RENOUNCE LOVE. IN THE END SIMON, SIMON MUST MAKE DO WITH THE LIMITATIONS OF HIS OWN CHARACTER.
ON ANOTHER NIGHT SOME THIRTY YEARS LATER IN ROME, SIMON PETER AT LAST SEES IT ALL AS JESUS SAW IT ALL FROM THE BEGINNING. HE AND SOME OTHER CHRISTIANS(2,OOO) HAVE BEEN TIED TO CROSSES STUCK UPSIDE DOWN ON THE GRASSY EMBANKMENT AROUND THE IMPERIAL GARDENS ON VATICAN HILL.
THEY HAVE BEEN DAUBED WITH PITCH. TONIGHT, THEY ARE TO BE LIVING , SCREAMING, DYING TORCHES. EMPEROR NERO, HIS LOVELY CONCUBINE POPPAEA, AND THEIR GUESTS WILL HAVE LIGHT TO EAT BY AND SIGHTS TO JOKE ABOUT.
EACH CHRISTIAN WILL DIE IN THE CLASSICAL SIGN OF SATAN-- THE UPSIDE DOWN CROSS. DOWN THE VACTIAN HILL, A SLAVE CLLED LINUS STANDS SILENT, WATCHING SIMON PETER WHO HAD BAPTIZED HIM, AND THEN THIS MORNING. WHEN THEY CAME, SIMON HAD APPOINTED HIM AS HIS SUCCESSOR. IN THE DARKNESS OF THE NIGHT, LINUS AND THE OTHER CHRISTIANS HURRIEDLY DID HIS GRAVE IN A SPOT TOWARD THE NORTH END OF VATICAN HILL. AMONG CHRISTIANS THE SPOT OVER SIMON PETERS GRAVE WILL BE KNOWN AS THE "MEMORY OF PETER" THE CHRISTIAN GRAPE VINE IN SMALL CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES IN MILAN, IN MARSEILLES, IN THE GREEK CITIES, IN SYRIA, AND PALESTINE AND AFRICA" "
" PETER IS DEAD. LINUS IS HIS CHOICE."
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