HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-09-08, Page 13THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2016. PAGE 13.
From the Minister's Study
'By their grain ye shall know them' writes Dow
By Pastor Ernest Dow
Living Water Christian
Fellowship (EMC), Blyth
This weekend, Blyth will once
again bustle with the annual Huron
Pioneer Threshers Reunion. A
`thresher' is someone who beats
cereal crops in order to separate out
the grain kernel from its husk or
chaff. In Biblical times this was
accomplished either by using a flail
or by driving oxen pulling a wooden
sled over grain spread out on a
threshing floor. Often threshing
floors were strategically located on
hilltops in order to take advantage of
any available breeze to help blow
away the chaff when the grain was
thrown in the air with a winnowing
fork, allowing just the kernels to
drop to the ground for collection.
Threshing became a metaphor in
Scripture for God's judgment,
separating the righteous from the
wicked. The psalmist writes that the
wicked "are like chaff that the wind
blows away" (Ps.1:4). God warns the
backsliders of Jerusalem, "I will
winnow them with a winnowing fork
at the city gates of the land. I will
bring bereavement and destruction
on my people, for they have not
changed their ways," (Jeremiah
15:7).
The unconventionally -dressed
prophet John the Baptist carries
forward into the New Testament the
imagery of threshing as symbolic of
divine judgment. Calling people to
change their ways through the public
ritual of water baptism, he warned
Pharisees and Sadducees who prided
themselves on their breeding and
status: "Produce fruit in keeping
with repentance... The ax is already
at the root of the trees, and every tree
that does not produce good fruit will
be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I baptize you with water for
repentance. But after me will come
one who is more powerful than I...
He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and with fire. His winnowing
fork is in His hand, and He will clear
His threshing floor, gathering His
wheat into the barn and burning up
the chaff with unquenchable fire,"
(Matthew 3:10-12). In the eyes of
the Baptizer, real righteousness
would show itself by being
accompanied by good fruit.
Was he really describing Jesus
here as the One who would put
divine judgment into effect? Some
people today would contrast portions
of Jesus' message — those about
healing, grace and love — with the
Old Testament emphasis on God's
wrath and judgment upon the
wicked. Yet Jesus Himself picks up
the threshing imagery in one of His
own classic parables, that of the
wheat and the weeds: "Let both
grow together until the harvest. At
that time I will tell the harvesters:
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Cfiriatia Tel i ip
Sept. 11: Col. 1:13-20
COMMUNION
"Holding It
All Together"
Visit our Baking / Bibles / Bottles of Water Booth
at Threshers'
Evangelical Missionary Church
t10:30 a.m. - Worship & Sunday School
at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God)
Pastor: Ernest Dow - 519-523-48,48,
First collect the weeds and tie them
in bundles to be burned; then gather
the wheat and bring it into My barn,"
(Mt. 13:30).
Protestant churches post -
Reformation, and evangelical
churches in particular, have been
quick to emphasize that people are
saved by faith alone (sola fidei)
rather than by doing good works
(Ephesians 2:80. But at the end of
the day, God is still looking for good
works which result from real belief
in Him, repenting from our wayward
desires, and allowing His Holy Spirit
to fill and direct our energies. Even
the Apostle Paul acknowledged that
God "will give to each person
according to what he has done"
(Romans 2:7). James clarifies that
only `dead' faith lacks deeds;
genuine saving faith, on the other
hand, shows itself by what it does, it
is accompanied by action (James
2:17f).
Lest anyone get the wrong idea,
BRUSSELS
Paul was quick to clarify that his
personal mission was "to call
people... to the obedience that comes
from faith." If you call yourself a
Christian, are you actually growing
in your fruitfulness, your ability to
produce grain? By constant use are
you training yourself to distinguish
good from evil? (Hebrews 5:14)
One threshing story my father tells
is about the time in the autumn of
1942 when he was part of the
Canadian army defending the coast
of England. During one period of a
few days' leave, he journeyed to the
border area of Scotland south of
Glasgow. The bulletin board at the
leave centre advertised room and
board for any volunteers willing to
help bring in the harvest on a local
farm. Dad thought this was right up
his alley so he signed up.
On the farm in question, he found
himself loading sheaves of oats onto
a wagon using a pitchfork. A local
man was on top of the rack building
United Church
WORSHIP SERVICE
AND SUNDAY SCHOOL 10:00 am
Everyone Welcome
Minister: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M.Div.
Bulletin notices: 519-523-4224
blythunited(a tcc.on.ca
Church bookings: 519-887-6377
Other concerns: 226-963-1175
You're 9nvited go join lits 9n Wors/iip
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
Efteeddeld efuitaellotek Ed& eitaizet
You're 'lnvitec(
to come worshiy
with us
Sunday, September 11
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
Discover Why We Are Growing Had To Add
Seven Extra Rows Of Chairs
ALWAYS A PLACE FOR YOU
Every Sunday in Auburn @ 10:30am huronchapel.com
the load. Dad took care to pitch the
sheaves to him head -first rather than
butt -first, knowing from experience
how unpleasant it is to get a faceful
of stalks of grain, and that it's much
easier to handle a sheaf and build a
load when they're passed to you
head -first. After a few sheaves, the
local man atop the load called to my
father appreciatively: "You've done
this 'afore!" Later he explained that
they'd previously had youthful
volunteers come out from the city
who had zero experience of
farmwork so, consequently, were
much more unpleasant to work with
given their ignorance.
The load -builder quickly and
rightly recognized and appraised my
farm -raised father's ability.
The Bible is adamant that "each
person was judged according to what
he had done," (Revelation 20:120.
Are we training ourselves to
produce grain — or chaff? Wheat — or
weeds?
ANGLICAN PARISH OF NEW BEGINNINGS
BLYTH
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 US!
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
We invite you to join our church family in:
Worship & Sunday School - 10 am
Coffee & Snacks - 11 am
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
519-887-9017
Blyth United Church
Est. 1875
Join us at Brussels United Church at 10:00 am
or at Shed #3 at the Thresher's Grounds at 9:30 am in Blyth
Sunday,
September 11
15th Anniversary
of 9/11
Remember to thank our
Emergency Workers f
All Welcome
MINISTER: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
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:
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.