The Citizen, 2015-06-18, Page 3THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015. PAGE 3.
Grace levels all distinctions!
(Arthur Pink)
“By the grace of God I am what I am!”1 Corinthians 15:10
The very expression the grace of God implies and denotes that the sinner’s
condition is desperate to the last degree, and that God may justly leave him to
perish; yes, it is a wonder of wonders that he is not already in Hell!
God is sovereign in the exercise of His grace. This of necessity, for grace is favour
shown to the undeserving, yes, to the Hell-deserving.
Grace is the antithesis of justice. Justice demands the impartial enforcement of
law. Justice requires that each shall receive his legitimate due, neither more nor
less. Justice bestows no favours and is no respecter of persons. Justice, as such,
shows no pity and knows no mercy. But after justice has been fully satisfied,
sovereign grace flows forth.
Grace has been denied as the unmerited favour of God. If unmerited, then none
can claim it as their inalienable right. If grace is unearned and undeserved, then
none are entitled to it. If grace is a gift, then none can demand it. Therefore, as
salvation is by grace, the free gift of God--then He bestows it on whom He pleases.
Because salvation is by grace, the very chief of sinners is not beyond the reach of
Divine mercy. Because salvation if by grace, boasting is excluded, and God gets
all the glory.
Grace is a divine provision for those who are...so depraved, that they cannot
change their own nature; so averse from God, that they will not turn to Him; so
blind, that they can neither see their malady nor the remedy; so dead spiritually,
that God must grant spiritual life.
Grace is the sinner’s last and only hope; if he is not saved by grace, he will never
be saved at all.
Grace levels all distinctions, and regards...the most zealous religionist--on the
same plane as the most heinous criminal; the chaste virgin--on the same plane as
the foul prostitute. Therefore God is perfectly free to save the chief of sinners, and
bestow His mercy on the vilest of the vile!
A Grace Gem
Submitted by: Immanuel United Reformed Church,
Listowel, ON 519-291-1956
Now Open Daily 9 am - 5 pm
Thursday and Friday 9 am - 8 pm
Closed Sundays
Spring Breezesgreenhouses
83189 Scott Line, RR 3 Blyth (North Huron)
519-523-9456
Super Special
Beautiful 10" Baskets
3/$3000
~ Geraniums ~ New Guinea Impatiens
~ Million Bells ~ Dragon Wing Begonias ~ Fuchsias
More details and pictures on our Facebook page
Starting June 18th
Children's Fishing Derby
Radford's Fish Pond
Highway #4, south of Blyth
SUNDAY, JUNE 21
10 a.m. - 12 noon
Each child must be
accompanied by an adult,
2 fish limit per child.
Bring your own fishing
equipment & bait.
Sponsored by Blyth Legion
Branch 420 & Radford Group
Admission by donation
PRIZES, HOT DOGS
AND POP TO ENJOY
Prizes provided by
Canadian Tire, Goderich;
Blyth Legion; Zehrs
and Wal-Mart
CATEGORIES BOYS GIRLS
LARGEST FISH 2-5 yrs. 2-5 yrs.
6-9 yrs. 6-9 yrs.
10-12 yrs. 10-12 yrs.
13-15 yrs. 13-15 yrs.
SMALLEST FISH 2-5 yrs. 2-5 yrs.
6-9 yrs. 6-9 yrs.
10-12 yrs. 10- 12 yrs.
13-15 yrs. 13-15 yrs.
Come out & have a good time!
United Church’s 90th anniversary marks reflection
Greeting worshippers at Blyth
United Church on Sunday, June 14
was Marilyn Craig. Ushering were
Cliff Snell, Lissa Kolkman and
Donna Moore. Floyd Herman was
music director and Lavern Clark ran
the power point. Rev. Gary Clark
welcomed everyone to church on the
90th anniversary of the United
Church of Canada, which was
started in 1925. Rev. Clark invited
everyone to greet one another.
The first hymn, “Come All You
People” was sung. The call to
worship was followed by the
opening prayer with the
congregation naming those people
who have been important, and who
are important to Blyth United
Church. The scripture reading was
from 2 Corinthians 5: 6-10. Floyd
Herman gave a short history of the
hymn, “The Church is One
Foundation” written by Samuel
Stone that the choir sang as their
anthem. Rev. Clark’s message to the
congregation was “90 Years Old and
Re-calculating”.
The United Church of Canada was
formed in 1925 – 90 years ago. The
National Church is undergoing many
changes and will have an affect on
all the United Churches. Most of the
people named in the opening prayer
would say that they were not special,
but they were to our local church.
When we live our ministry we find
out secrets of the church. This
church went through many changes
in the 1960s with the building of the
present building. It has gone through
many changes since the 1960s.
When the church was first built, the
Sunday school had to hold classes in
the kitchen because there were so
many children attending. There are
constant changes in the church and if
there were no changes, it would be
fatal to the church and it would
likely have a “closed” sign on the
door.
Rev. Clark told of the clip of the
movie, Big Fish where two friends
had to choose what road they would
travel. One was a new road, smooth
and straight, while the other road
was bumpy and twisty, old and in
disrepair. Often the old road turns
into something beautiful. This is
what the two friends found out in the
movie.
Often what we learn in Sunday
school stays with us for years to
come. Rev. Clark had an old book of
sermons that has been in the history
room. In it, there were sermons
written in 1791. Back in those days,
they didn’t have ministers to go
around, so they sent books of
sermons out to the people.
In 1914, Sunday school pictures
seem only to have adults in them and
the children learned from the adults.
We may have to rediscover these old
roads and ways.
The next hymn was, “Great is Thy
Faithfulness” followed by the
receiving of the offering, the
offertory response, “Grant Us God
The Grace of Giving”, the offertory
prayer, the prayers of the people and
the singing of the Lord’s Prayer. The
last hymn, “I Feel the Winds of God
Today” was followed by the blessing
and the singing of the “Three Fold
Amen”.
Rev. Clark asked the congregation
for their favourite hymn to sing
which was “The Old Rugged Cross.”
Everyone was invited for coffee,
treats and fellowship before going
home
***
We are glad to hear that Dan
McInnes is home from hospital.
Happy birthday to Karen Glousher
and Jim Taylor, who celebrate
June 20; Jenny MacDonald and
Bodie Craig, June 22 and Quinton
Hakkers, June 24.
Happy anniversary to Les and
Evelyn Caldwell, who celebrate
June 22.
Entertainment
Streetfest July 25
Blyth
By Marilyn
Craig
Call
523-9318
From Marilyn’s Desk
Lives honoured
A number of Blyth Lions Club members were recognized for their decades of dedication last
week with a handful of lifetime memberships and one Melvin Jones Fellowship, the highest
honour a Lions can receive. Frank Hallahan, Ernie Phillips, Bill Logue and Gord Jenkins all
received Multiple District A Lifetime Memberships at the meeting, while Steve Howson, the
club’s longtime treasurer became a Melvin Jones Fellow. The group was honoured by Multiple
District A Council Chair Bob Tanner, from the Petrolia Lions Club, who was at the meeting.
From left: Hallahan, Phillips, Logue, Howson, Jenkins and Tanner. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
‘Seeds’ opens
Festival season
Continued from page 1
1998 she has been applying it to
plays she produces in Montreal at
Porte Parole Productions, her
production company she co-
founded in 2000 with actor Alex
Ivanovici.
Director Kim Collier is an award-
winning director, creator, teacher,
actress and the co-founder of
Vancouver’s Electric Company
Theatre where she was Artistic
Producer for 15 years. Most recently
she directed a new interpretation of
Sweeney Todd for Vancouver Opera.
The last few years she was Resident
Artist at Canadian Stage in Toronto
and the inaugural director of their
new MFA in Directing with York
University. Kim was honoured to
receive an Honorary Doctorate of
Letters last June from Thompson
Rivers University and is the
recipient of the prestigious Elinore
& Lou Siminovitch Prize for
directing.
Tickets are available by calling
Blyth Festival’s Box Office at
519.523.9300, toll free 1-877-862-
5984 or online at blythfestival.com