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PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2016.
From the Minister's Study
It's Thanksgiving, but who are we thanking?
By Pastor Andrew Versteeg
Brussels Community Bible
Chapel
Thanksgiving is a good time of the
year. We celebrate this special day
and holiday at this time of the year
because it coincides with the
harvesting of our crops and produce.
By now many of the crops have been
harvested, preserving and canning
are just about done, and for the most
part we know what our land has
yielded to us again. During the
summer we were worried about the
lack of rain. But it seems that we
received enough rain at the right
times, at least in this area, and things
turned out quite well.
It is thanksgiving, but to whom are
we giving thanks? The Bible makes
it clear to us that we did not receive
what we have by the hand of luck,
good fortune or "Mother Nature".
What we have received we have
received from God's hand and it is to
Him that our thanksgiving must be
directed. 1 Corinthians 9:10 says
that it is God "who supplies seed to
the sower and bread for food." Our
God who created the world and
everything in it, including us, is the
One who is also directing all things.
The letter, 1 Corinthians, was
written to the Christian church in
Corinth. The Holy Spirit led Paul the
apostle to write that letter for a
number of reasons. One of the
reasons was to remind the
Corinthian Christians that their
fellow Christian brothers and sisters
living in Judea were experiencing
drought, persecution and as a result,
they were lacking in food and
essential needs. God had given an
abundance of resources to the
Corinthians, and He had withheld
from those in Judea.
Why had God done it this way?
Why had He distributed this way?
First of all there was no lack of
resource, it just needed to be given
and shared with those who did not
have, by those with much. Paul was
requesting that the church in Corinth
would take up a collection and send
it to those in Judea so that they could
go out and buy food and the
essentials that they needed. It was an
opportunity for the Corinthians to
express their love and thankfulness
to God by giving back.
One of the ways that we express
thanksgiving to God is by sharing
what He has given to us with those
who have not been given as much,
especially when we have an
abundance. In the Old Testament
part of the Bible, God's people often
expressed their worship to God
through sacrifice and offering.
The thank offering was voluntary.
It was over and above that which
was mandatory and could be given at
any time and in any amount. It was
given from a heart of thankfulness to
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October 9: Co1.2:1-10
Communion;
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
"Thankful for
Riches,
Reasoning, &
Reality in Christ"
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A
Evangelical Missionary Church
Tues. 7:30 pm Small Group at R&S Howson's
1st Wed. each month - Women's Ministry
10:30 a.m. - Worship & Sunday School
at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God)
Pastor: Ernest Dow - 519-523-4848
getlivingwater.org,
God for what He had done and
provided and it seemed that God
looked upon the thank offering as
one's true esteem of Himself.
In Psalm 50 God is speaking to
His people. In that Psalm it is kind of
like God is asking the people, "do
you really love Me?
The people were bringing their
regular offerings and sacrifices and
God did not rebuke them for that, but
what He was looking for were the
thank offerings. He says, "offer to
God a sacrifice of thanksgiving" and
"he who offers a sacrifice of
thanksgiving honors Me"
God desires from us that we would
have hearts of thanksgiving to Him
too. If you have an abundance then
giving from that abundance can be
an expression of thanksgiving to
God for what He has given. If you
are on the receiving end, as those in
Judea were, then we can give thanks
to God through prayer and praise for
supplying our needs. It says that the
gift the Judeans received "was not
only fully supplying their needs, but
was also overflowing through many
thanksgivings to God" (1 Cor. 9:12).
God has provided for us for our
physical and temporal needs. He has
also made provision for our spiritual
and eternal needs. God sent His Son,
the Lord Jesus, to provide for us the
gift of salvation. God sent His Son,
the Lord Jesus, to live and die for us
so that we can become His children
and live with Him forever.
This gift is also from God's hand
ANGLICAN PARISH OF NEW BEGINNINGS
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BLYTH BRUSSELS
Trinity St. John's
ex 9:15 am 11:15 am
Church Office Church Office
519-357-4883 519-887-6862
Everyone Welcome!
COME WORSHIP WITH US!
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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9,
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service No evening Service
Monday, October 10 Thanksgiving Day
Service at 10:00 am
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BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
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Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen
&Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9 `'
We invite you to join our church family in:
Worship & Sunday School - 10 am
Coffee & Snacks - 11 am
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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.
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Nursery care available
519-887-9017
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.
and we are to receive it by trust and
faith. If we have received God's gift
of Jesus, then we can say, as it says
in 1 Corinthians 9:15, "thanks be to
God for His indescribable gift!"
Happy Thanksgiving!
BRUSSELS
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@tcc.on.ca
Church bookings: 519-887-6377
Other concerns: 226-963-1175
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You're Invited
to come worsht p
with us
Sunday, October 9
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
Blyth United Church
Est. 1875
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11:00 a.m.
Sunday, October 9
Thanksgiving,
Practising
Gratitude
AR Welcome
MINISTER: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
OFFICE: 519-523-4224
Colin from the "Glory Boys"
enjoys his Huron Chapel mug on tour.
All first time guests receive''
Huron Chapel mug full of goodies.
Always A Place For You
Every Sunday in Auburn at 10:30am
huronchapel.com