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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-02-09, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017. From the Minister's Study Love is central to Christianity says Clark By Gary Clark Blyth & Brussels United Churches Trump! Do I have your attention or are you just going to immediately want to close the paper and walk away? I am almost to that place where I want to turn off the radio or TV, leave the paper on the stand or not click the link to the latest news item about President Trump. Can't we just ignore him or discount him? Maybe call him a bully or worse and hurl insults his way before we turn the TV off? United Church Moderator the Right Reverend Jordan Cantwell has recently made a public statement that we as Christians are called to love Donald Trump. You might imagine that has caused a stir within the church. Many were furious at the request. How could she seem to defend the un -defendable? In answer to complaints just like that she sent out to all congregations in the United Church a video explaining why. I have to tell you she did a great job. Basically she told us that she sees a worrying trend in our culture and even in the church where people feel they have the permission to not just disagree with others but rather to despise and discount the other or cut them down just because they think differently. Moderator Cantwell reminded us that the central tenant of Christianity is to love. She quotes Jesus, "If you love those who love you, what thanks do you deserve? Why, even sinners love those who love them" (Luke 6:32) The hard work is to love those who you don't like and don't believe as you believe. Our Moderator stands against everything that President Trump seems to think is important and has already acted on in his first few days in office. Yet, here is Moderator Cantwell calling us to love him as a brother 'and' also stand for what we believe to be true. She has humbled me with her faithfulness and led me to confess that I have hated more than I have loved this fellow creation of God. #1 And We ,'aj 1 Still Try Harder! Recent circulation figures show The Citizen has the highest circulation in the northern part of Huron County, #3 in the entire county. 411 The Citizen Proudly Community - Owned Since 1985 Living/ Water Cfuitiait Feb. 12: Mt. 5:13-20 "Giving Bite & Basis to Belief" Evangelical Missionary Church "Conquer Series" • purity for MEN: Mon, 7 pm at Huron Chapel, Auburn Small Group • Tuesdays 7:30 pm at R&S Howson's, Blyth Coffee Break Women's Bible Study • Wed. 10 am at Blyth CRC Youth Group • Wed, 6:30.6:30 pm at Huron Chapel EMC, Auburn 10:30 a.m. - Worship & Sunday School at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God) II Pastor: Ernest Dow -• 519-523-4848 + getlivingwater.org Hating is easy! It's love that challenges us to be better particularly when we think we can get away with hate. Love opens dialogue and hate closes it down. I don't think it has always been this way. Somehow over the last few decades, the bar of what is acceptable behaviour has moved and not just in the churches of the land but in the land itself. The level of violence in speech and action seems to have increased right under our noses. But since those noses are attached to many who have felt ever more anxious, or betrayed or forgotten by our democratically - elected officials, it should be no surprise. Anger is the emotion that comes out when anyone's basic need to be heard and appreciated goes unmet. So many in our society simply don't feel cared for at that basic level. The challenge then is to first love, second to hear and third not to disregard those who think differently. Through the power of loving compassion for those who believe differently maybe the level of anger can go down and the level of understanding go up. Only then can true communication and sharing of ideas happen. This, by the way, isn't just a formula for peace in the nation. It is a formula for peace in each of our families, churches, organizations and communities. As Jesus says, "I have loved you first and now you must love each other as I have loved you" (John 13:34) Jesus really means that and in fact he called it a new commandment. In the middle of writing this article, news came of the killings in Quebec City. If ever we needed proof of what hate -filled language leads to, it was there on every news outlet. I went to a vigil in Stratford on the Monday night following this atrocity. One of the speakers was the local Imam. Did you know that there is a Mosque in Stratford? The Imam kept his remarks short. 'You're -'nvited aloin SUNDAYS Morning Service Evening Service '21S AL 61:54 i U 10:00 am 7:30 pm BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743 BRUSSELS United Church WORSHIP SERVICE AND SUNDAY SCHOOL 10:00 am Bulletin notices: 519-523-4224 blythunited@tcc.on.ca Church bookinos: 519-887-6377 HURON CHAPEL Every Sunday in Auburn @ 10:30am huronchapel.com He basically said, "that the young man who killed those who were in prayer had probably never entered a Mosque before in his life. Had he come even once to see and hear what truly goes on in a Mosque he would never had taken a gun there last night." He didn't call the shooter a devil. He didn't call for vengeance. He didn't blame Canadians for allowing people like this to exist. Instead he spoke of gratitude on receiving so much support and love from the community. He asked the crowd to look around at the different faces and ages and backgrounds of those present. He said, "This is a place of acceptance, care, peace, respect and support. And all those things are known by just one word, Canada" We ended the vigil by sing "0' Canada" as a way of saying that we/I recommit ourselves to the way of peace. May it be so in our communities and families. ANGLICAN PARISH OF NEW BEGINNINGS B LYT H Trinity 9:15 am Church Office 519-357-4883 BRUSSELS St. John's 11:15 am Church Office 519-887-6862 Everyone Welcome! COME WORSHIP WITH USI S. Everyone welcome For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621 Steve Klumpenhower 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173 Minister: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M.Div. -- 226-963-1175 MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12 Iiiti We invite you to join our church family in: Worship & Sunday School - 11 am Coffee & Snacks following the service Fridays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm - Soup & More 2 - a free community meal held in Melville's basement, and made possible by the Brussels churches working together. Brussels: 6. Nursery care available 519-887-6687 HURON CHAPEL Every Sunday in Auburn @ 10:30am huronchapel.com He basically said, "that the young man who killed those who were in prayer had probably never entered a Mosque before in his life. Had he come even once to see and hear what truly goes on in a Mosque he would never had taken a gun there last night." He didn't call the shooter a devil. He didn't call for vengeance. He didn't blame Canadians for allowing people like this to exist. Instead he spoke of gratitude on receiving so much support and love from the community. He asked the crowd to look around at the different faces and ages and backgrounds of those present. He said, "This is a place of acceptance, care, peace, respect and support. And all those things are known by just one word, Canada" We ended the vigil by sing "0' Canada" as a way of saying that we/I recommit ourselves to the way of peace. May it be so in our communities and families. ANGLICAN PARISH OF NEW BEGINNINGS B LYT H Trinity 9:15 am Church Office 519-357-4883 BRUSSELS St. John's 11:15 am Church Office 519-887-6862 Everyone Welcome! COME WORSHIP WITH USI emmeG4 eomm �tfatv Vac nit d Sunday, February 12 You're 7nvitec Brussels Business & Cultural Centre to come worshiy at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday School for children with us 9 I 4 to 12 years of age at 9:30 a.m. , -_ ` Childcare provided for infants and preschoolers during the sermon. Coffee & cookies after the morning service. For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621 Steve Klumpenhower 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173 Blyth United Church Est. 1875 Worship Service & Sunday School at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, February 12 4F Re -defining • - Neighbourhood Iiiti MINISTER: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div. 6. OFFICE: 519-523-4224 THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS. OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS: Brussels: [ ,. .� I i - St. Ambrose Saturday 6:00 p.m. 17 Flora Street � Wingham: Sacred Heart Sunday 9:00 a.m. a 220 Carling Terrace Listowel: St. Joseph's Sunday • 11:00 a.m. •-•-.. 1025 Wallace Avenue N.