The Citizen, 2013-10-24, Page 28PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2013.
By Rev. Tom Murray
Knox United Church,
Belgrave
In his ministry of teaching, Jesus
is a master story teller. His stories,
known as parables, are heard
repeatedly. We will never tire of
them: the Good Samaritan, the
Prodigal Son, the two men praying
in the temple and the sower in the
field. These lessons that he taught
are pointed, holding up for our
inspection virtues to be practiced,
vices to avoid, relationships to be
cultivated and especially his
promises to believe.
His promise cloaked in parables is
most important, because the burden
of Jesus’ parables is much more than
little tidbits of morality or vice or
virtue. Their concern, not so much
with our behaviour and what we’re
up to as they are with God’s
behaviour and what he is doing.
They bring the promise of the good
news of the kingdom to compel
response. The kingdom claim is laid
upon our hearts so that we are
inclined to yield. They prick like
needles at those tender places where
weakness and need is most obvious.
They speak promise when the
going is most rough and stamp the
guarantee of total love when
prospects are most dim. Most of all,
they cannot be heard or read like
Aesop’s fables with a casual concern
that says, “I’ve heard that one
before. What’s new?” The parables
are like a gift given that never end.
For, they are like a kaleidoscope,
when shaken their import changes
with every reading of a story. The
word it brings us in the here-and-
now is quite different from the word
it brought in the there-and-then.
And so it is with this one we heard
not long ago. The Parable of the
Unrighteous Judge, or the Persistent
Widow, or Insistent Faith (Luke
18:1-8). For today the major
message waits for its last line, the
one that is so frequently ignored, and
omitted often; “When the Son of
man comes, will he find faith on the
earth?”
Is God like that? And the Lord
said, “Hear what the unrighteous
judge says. Will not God vindicate
his elect, who cry to him day and
night?”
Two cautions as an aside are in
order here: First, with a hint at
humour, this story is not designed to
tell us how to handle judges when
we sense justice imperfect.
Secondly, the parable does not imply
through this dim picture of the jurist,
what is the likely outcome. If an
unjust scoundrel of a judge will
finally do justice, will not God also
grant the prayers of his disciples?
And if God, whose heart is heavy
with compassion for his own,
promises their justification in the
end, will he not also be concerned
for our abiding truth, care and
insistent faith against all odds?
“When the Son of man comes, will
he find faith on the earth?”
Emmie, a young college student,
one day at a game of tennis
discovered a lump on her abdomen.
It was a frightening lump that she
had never noticed previously. She
said nothing to her friends about it,
but the lump constantly reminded
her as she prayed about it. After a
week when the lump exploded with
growth, attention was required. After
surgery, the pathologist gave her the
bitter word, which she cried out as I
came in, “They said it’s cancer. I
don’t want to die!”
Emmie did not die, for by a
miracle that never made headlines
she found her healing. Not only
freedom from the cancer, but a new
truth in the face of her brief
faithlessness. For the miracle we
seek may not often be the miracle
received. It’s difficult to know or
believe that nothing in creation can
separate us from God’s love: “When
the Son of man comes, will he find
faith on the earth?”
The Master’s searching question
stretches far beyond our faithless
moments, beyond questions, doubts
and answers. The story of the widow
and the judge is a sequel to the
teaching that Saint Luke recorded
just ahead of this, “The days are
coming when you will desire to see
one of the days of the Son of man
and you will not see it.” The days are
coming when you would give
anything to see the slightest
evidence that God is working out his
will.
That his purposes are ripening,
some sign of kingdom progress, that
would vindicate our mission and our
life as his disciples. John the
Baptizer, (Jesus’ cousin) from his
prison cell sent word to Jesus,
asking, “Are you he that is to come,
or shall we look elsewhere.” “Tell
John what you see and hear,” then
Jesus answered, “how the blind
receive their sight, the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,
and the poor have good news
From the Minister’s StudyLive by, believe in the word, says Rev. Murray
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
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
Sunday, October 27
Celebrating 153 years in the Blyth Community
Guest Minister Kathy Douglas
Sermon: “After...”
Worship Service & Sunday School at 10 a.m.
PASTOR
Sandra Cable, DLM
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27
Nursery care available
519-887-9017
Worship & Sunday School - 10 am
Coffee & Snacks - 11 am
We invite you to join our church family in:
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.
AND DON’T LET ANYONE LOOK DOWN ON YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE YOUNG, BUT TEACH PEOPLE WITH YOUR LIFE: BY WORD, BY DEMEANOR, BY LOVE, BY FAITH, AND WITH INTEGRITY1 TIMOTHY 4:12
YOUTH SUNDAY
10:30AM @
HURON CHAPEL
Youth Worship Band with youth leader
Rob Campbell speakinggetlivingwater.org
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
Tuesday - Wingham Bible Study 7:30 pm
Thursday - Youth Group at CRC 7:30 pm
Women At The Well - 1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:30 pm
at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God)
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Oct. 27: Gen. 12:1ff, Gal. 3:6ff
“Blessed to BE a Blessing”
Evangelical Missionary Church
EMCC Relief & Development Sunday
250 Princess St., Brussels
519-887-6388
www.bmfchurch.com
Pastor Jim Whitehead
Guests Welcome
Jesus Is Lord!
Brussels
Mennonite
Fellowship
Worship Service 10:00 am
Sunday School 11:15 am
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, October 27
Brussels Business & Cultural Centre
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 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 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743
Minister: Pastor Gary Van Leeuwen
You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Sandra Cable, Pastor
Church Office 519-887-6259
E-mail - beunitedchurch@gmail.com
SUNDAY SERVICE 11:00 am
Sunday School
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
United Church
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