The Hyenas Did Not Touch Him
I was listening to the Speaking of Faith podcast from public radio earlier. It was an interview (originally from 2003) with the outstanding historian of Christian faith, Jaroslav Pelikan who died a couple weeks ago at age 83. At one point he talked about the ability to put faith into words that are more than just for a moment, but are true to both the moment AND to the history. He used as an example a creed written in the 1960s by and for the Masai people of Africa.

As he read it I could sense the power and truth of the words. They spoke from a unique persepctive but in a way that was universal. They captured more than just the meaning of faith. They captured the essence of faith.

Well, thanks to Wikipedia, here it is:

We believe in the one High God, who out of love created the beautiful world and everything good in it. He created Man and wanted Man to be happy in the world. God loves the world and every nation and tribe on the Earth. We have known this High God in darkness, and now we know Him in the light. God promised in the book of His word, the Bible, that He would save the world and all the nations and tribes.

We believe that God made good His promise by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left His home and was always on safari doing good, curing people by the power of God, teaching about God and man, showing the meaning of religion is love. He was rejected by his people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died. He lay buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, He rose from the grave. He ascended to the skies. He is the Lord.

We believe that all our sins are forgiven through Him. All who have faith in Him must be sorry for their sins, be baptised in the Holy Spirit of God, live the rules of love and share the bread together in love, to announce the Good News to others until Jesus comes again. We are waiting for Him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe. Amen.

It's hard to say it any more clearly than that!