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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-03-02, Page 20Evangelical Missionary Church PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017. From the Minister's Study The warmth of Jesus is the sun of life BY ANDREW VERSTEEG BRUSSELS COMMUNITY BIBLE CHAPEL Recently we have been experiencing some unusually warm weather for this time of the year. I think that most of us are not complaining, but enjoying the warmth of the sun and the mild temperatures. At this time of the year the sun does start to feel warmer, the days get a little longer, and we get little hints of hope that spring is near. It will not be long now until the sun again will shine on us more directly with its life-giving warmth and energy. We enjoy the warmth of the sun and we are glad when we can get more of it, and enjoy those longer days of sunlight. The sun is the source of life for our whole planet. Let us consider how the sun as our source of life points us to Jesus. In the Bible, Jesus uses the metaphor of the light of the sun to describe His coming into the world as the True Light. Jesus coming was like the light of the morning sun Journey Together approved Huron County Council is moving ahead to implement the Journey Together program as part of the province's ongoing reconciliation efforts. Social Services Manager Michele Gaynor spoke on the issue to Huron County Council at its Feb. 22 committee of the whole meeting, saying she needed Warden Jim Ginn and County Clerk Susan Cronin to sign off on a payment transfer to authorize the program. "As part of the government -wide action plan announced on May 30, 2016 in 'The Journey Together: Ontario's Commitment to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples', the Ministry of Education has committed to working with their partners to increase the number of culturally -relevant child care spaces and/or expand access to child and family programs for Indigenous children and families off -reserve," Gaynor told councillors in her report. "The success of this initiative rests on understanding and supporting Indigenous histories, cultures and perspectives and reconciling relationships between Indigenous and non -Indigenous peoples." Gaynor told council that the Continued on page 26 t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t THIS SATURDAY, March 4, 10:30 a.m. - WORLD DAY OF PRAYER Rev. Gary Clark preaching - "Am I Being Unfair to You?" Mar. 5, 1st in Lent: Num. 13:25 ft "What Happens when You Have Faith" Living/Wotter ariAtianT¢rtaitip� Small Group • Tuesdays 7:30 pm at G&M Lisle's, Wingham Coffee Break Women's Bible Study • Wed. 10 am at Blyth CRC Youth Group • Wed. 0:30.8:30 pm at Huron Chapel EMC, Auburn 10:30 a.m. — Worship & Sunday School at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God) lZ Pastor: Ernest Dow - 519-523-4848 getlivingwater.or� whose rays shine into a night of darkness and casts its light onto every corner of the earth. There is a sense in which we can say that we all stand under the light of Jesus. In His light we are exposed for who we are. Our actions are exposed, our thoughts are exposed, our attitudes are exposed and the direction of our life is exposed. This can be somewhat unsettling because we cannot hide the things of our life from God, like we can from one another. The light of Jesus is a pure a light because Jesus is pure and that light shows everything to be what it actually is. When we are in a poorly - lit room, it is hard to make out details and see things clearly. In a properly -lit room everything is clear and we see things as they actually are. That is how it is with Jesus. He shines through clearly and everything is shown for what it truly is. John 1:9 says, "there was the true Light (Jesus) which, coming into the world, enlightens (illuminates) every man." Now I want to suggest that this is God's goodness to us. This is His grace to us. It would do us no good to walk about in the darkness thinking that everything is good when it is not. In the light of Jesus we see that everything is not good. His light exposes our sinfulness. It exposes the truth that we cannot hide our sin from God our Creator. And His light confronts us directly with the truth that our sin has put us under God's judgment. Now how can this be good news and God's grace to us? This is God's grace to us because the story does not just end with our exposure before God. As the Light, and just like our sun, Jesus, the Son of God is also the One who gives life. He is our source of true life. He has come to dispel our darkness and take us out of our darkness and make us children of light. Jesus said, "I zt You're 9nvited a loin Ws egn Wors/ip SUNDAYS Morning Service 10:00 am Evening Service 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 bookings: 519-887-6377 Everyone welcome Minister: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M.Div. - 226-963-1175 MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS SUNDAY, MARCH 5 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. Nursery care available 519-887-6687 Blyth United Church Est. 1875 Worship Service & Sunday School at 1 1:00 a.m. Sunday, March 5 Thanks Be to God - No Really! MINISTER: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div. t OFFICE: 519-523-4224 have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness" (John 12:46). As the true Light, Jesus lived a life on earth of sinless perfection. There was no darkness in Him and there was nothing in Him that would cause God's judgment to fall on Him. He could stand before God the Father without fear knowing without a doubt that He was accepted and loved. There was nothing that stood before Him the Father. We all long for this certainty and assurance and Jesus came so that we could receive it. What prevents us from this certainty is our darkness and Jesus came to remove that darkness. Jesus lived a life of perfect obedience and through believing in Him that perfect obedience is put on our account before God. Jesus also died on the cross to take the judgment for our sin and through believing in Him all of our sin is paid for by His death. Through believing in Jesus, all of the darkness of our sin is removed and we will have eternal life, real life, with God forever. And so Jesus' invitation to us is this: "while you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons (children) of Light" (Jn. 12:36). ANGLICAN PARISH OF NEW BEGINNINGS BLYTH Trinity GS. 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 US! Every Sunday in Auburn @ 10:30am huronchapel.com eladdet4, eammatectv edee &rod You're Invited to come worsht p with us Sunday, March 5 Brussels Business & Cultural Centre at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday School for children 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 r THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS. OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS: Brussels: St. Ambrose Saturday 6:00 p.m. 17 Flora Street Wingham: Sacred Heart Sunday 9:00 a.m. 220 Carling Terrace Listowel: St. Joseph's Sunday 11:00 a.m. 1025 Wallace Avenue N.