HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-11-07, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2013.By Rev. Mark Royall
Huron Chapel Evangelical
Missionary Church
Recently one Sunday I asked our
Huron Chapel congregation to tell
me what came to their mind when
they heard the word, “slave”. Their
response was not very positive as
their answers tended to reflect that
dismal time in history when African
men and women were brought to
America to work in the fields for
plantation owners. These slaves
were often abused. They were not
treated with respect. The only value
they had was what they could bring
to their master’s pocketbook. They
sacrificed, but it was for the benefit
of their master.
Then I asked the congregation to
tell me what thoughts they had when
they heard the word, “child”. As
you would expect their answers were
quite different than the ones they
gave for “slave”. The word child
brought to mind images of love,
value and fun. In this type of
relationship the parent sacrifices for
the benefit of their child. I know this
because my parents certainly did this
for me.
Whether we realize it or not, when
it comes to our relationship with
God, many of us default to the
position “Slave/Master”. We don’t
see our connection with God in
terms of the “Child/Parent”
relationship. We tend to see God as
this task-driven angry master
waiting for us to mess up so that He
can punish us. We are His slave. We
do what we do to appease Him and
hope He will not bring us any harm.
But here is the thing God is
shouting in the pages of His Book,
the Bible, that He wants to be our
loving Heavenly Father. This is the
relationship He desires to have with
us. Like any loving parent, He will
discipline us sometimes but only
because He loves us. When you and
I disciplined our children they
thought we were being mean but in
reality we were just loving them.
We want them to develop and grow
into successful healthy adults.
Sometimes that means you guide
them by correcting them. You do
this, not out of anger but, out of love,
right? God will do that for us too.
He loves us that much.
The relationship between a slave
and his master is quite a different
than the one that exists between a
loving parent and their child. A slave
sacrifices for the benefit of the
master, a parent sacrifices for the
benefit of the child. God is our
loving Heavenly Father and through
Jesus Christ He sacrificed Himself
so that we may be in a saving, not a
slaving, but in a saving relationship
with Him forever.
Jesus once told a story we have
come to know as the Parable of the
Prodigal Son. The son believes he
can do a better job of living his life if
he separates himself from his father.
So he demands his inheritance right
away and then he takes off to live
apart from his father in a far-off,
distant land. If you know the story,
then you know the son doesn’t make
great choices. Then to make matters
worse, famine comes, his money
runs out, his friends desert him and
he is all alone and desolate. Jesus
tells us that one day this son came to
his senses and realizes how wrong
he was. He decides to go back to his
father and tell him, “I am no longer
worthy to be called your son. Treat
me as one of your hired servants.”
(ESV) Luke 15:19
The son feels that he no longer
deserves to be his father’s son but he
is hoping he may be able to return as
his father’s slave. We will feel the
same way. When we humble
ourselves and see who we really are,
sinners who have disobeyed our
Heavenly Father and have followed
our own agenda, we don’t feel that
we have the right to be treated and
accepted as one of God’s children.
But listen to the language of how the
father wants to receive his son,
“Quick! Bring the finest robe in the
house and put it on him. Get a ring
for his finger and sandals for his
feet. And kill the calf we have been
fattening. We must celebrate with a
feast, for this son of mine was dead
and has now returned to life. He was
lost, but now he is found.” Luke
15:22b-24
The Prodigal was hoping he could
be received as his father’s slave, but
the father was ready to receive him
as his child. And the son accepted it.
He knew he didn’t deserve it, he
wasn’t worthy of it... but he received
and accepted his father’s
pronouncement over him, “For this
is my son...”
Jesus tells us this story because it
is our story. All of us have tried to
live our life apart from our Heavenly
Father and He will allow us to do so.
He gives us the freedom to choose.
Love does this. Hopefully you have
arrived to the point, as this son did in
the story and you come to the Father
and in all sincerity you tell Him how
sorry you are. Your agenda was
wrong. When you do this you may
expect to find a slave master to take
you to task but what you will find is
a loving heavenly Father who tells
you, ‘my son, my daughter, we must
celebrate.’ Love does this too.
From the Minister’s StudyParable shows God’s unconditional love: Royall
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, November 10
“Try to Remember”
Worship Service & Sunday School at 10 a.m.
PASTOR
Sandra Cable, DLM
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.getlivingwater.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
Nov. 10: POTLUCK
“The College
of Christ”
Evangelical Missionary Church
Emmanuel
Bible College
President
Dr. Mark Boughan
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, November 10
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
An Adventurous Life
Awaits You...
Sunday @ 10:30am huronchapel.com
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10
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.
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
See histories and
historic photographs
on the Huron History
section of our website
www.northhuron.on.ca