Redemption Songs

Peace perfect peace, the future All unknown Jesus we know and He is on the throne   Peace perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours... Jesus has conquered death and all its powers....   Jesus has died to save from death Apalling Life and salvation therefore now proclaim...   All all power is given unto you All all power is given unto you Go into all the world and preach the gospel And Lo I am with you always   these are parts of Redemption Songs that we sang from our church hymnal by the same name when we were growing up. My brother and myself were trying last friday night for about an hour to wrap our minds around the apalling death of a 35 year old...we couldn't do it....not without biblical understanding...the biblical understanding that is captured in the words of these redemption songs.....songs that constantly challenge us as we sing them over again....they challenge us not only to strengthen our faith....our beleif in the God of the bible and in Jesus our saviour...but the challenge is also to proclaim or to tell or to share, persuade, help, somebody....   but Helping a drowning person is risky business..... listen to this catholic spokesperson on (why an how we fight)   Politics and religion are risky because they involve deeply held convictions, and if you happen to challenge these convictions, you get the same reaction that a dentist gets when his probe hits a nerve. ......   Jeremiah and Jesus both are dealing with people who think that they are "good people."  After all, they are God's chosen people.  They offer sacrifices.  God is on their side.   So they respond to Jeremiah's warnings by eliminating the source of pain.  They throw him into a muddy cistern and he narrowly escapes with his life.  In Luke 4, the inhabitants of Nazareth want to throw Jesus over the hill.  He eludes them this time, but ultimately gives His life for those who cry out "Crucify Him!"   We who have been confirmed have been given a share in Christ's prophetic anointing.  If our goal is to be everybody's buddy, we are going to have a hard time being faithful.  The word that God commands us to share is sometimes comforting, sometimes disturbing.  We must get over our fear of offending people and love them enough to tell them the truth.  READ THE FULL TEXT HERE (http://catholicexchange.com/2007/01/29/79726/ )   If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. John 15:18   Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you 1 John 3:13   Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. Luke 6:26