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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2012-10-18, Page 24PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012.By Pastor Perry Chuipka St. John’s and Trinity Anglican Churches It was Friday. A mother thought, “I have so much to be thankful for I think I will spruce up our yard”. She cleaned up her flower garden in the front of the house, she trimmed the hedges and she cut the front lawn. It was a warm afternoon so she went to the fridge. When she looked inside she noticed way in the back behind the lettuce a shiny can. When she took out the can she discovered that it was a beer. She thought, my husband must have put it there. She opened it, raised the can in the air and said “thank you” to her husband. A few minutes later she looked at her watch and thought, I need to go pick up my son Johnny from nursery school. When she got to the school there was Johnny waiting for her. She bent down and kissed him. Johnny sniffed her and said “Mommy, why are you wearing Daddy’s perfume?” I told the funny story about the mother who yelled out “thank you” to her husband because even though we have finished with Thanksgiving weekend it is important to be reminded that saying thank you is not only for Thanksgiving weekend. I remember my wife asking our children to write a “thank you” to someone, often a day after their birthday or after Christmas where they had received gifts from a relative that was not present. My wife, Lore would ask our children to write a thank you card to those who gave them a gift. I remember watching how hard it was for them to write this thank you note. I could relate because even though I do send a lot of thank you cards to people, the hardest part is making up my mind to take some time to just sit down and start writing the thank you to them. Maybe this is the reason why only one out of 10 lepers in our gospel that were healed actually took the time to go back and thank Jesus. Jesus questioned why the other nine did not take time to return thanks not because he wanted to be thanked by the other nine but because he knew the healing power of the words “thank you”. When we use those in any form they change our state and make us happy. For example, we all know Jesus was a Jew. He grew up with the Jewish faith both in his home and in the synagogue centres for worship. In Judaism people came to worship for God’s blessings but also to give thanks to God for their many blessings. Jewish people were taught that blessings happened when one returned thanks. Part of their Jewish faith encouraged people to give thanks for the blessings they received in their daily lives because it would heal them, make them happier and restore them to a more balanced life. Let me give you some examples: On eating a seasonal fruit for the first time in that year in the great outdoors. A Jew would give thanks to God by saying, “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us and brought us to this season.” On hearing thunder, they would thank God by saying... “... Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe whose strength and power fills the Universe.” My wife does this all the time when she sees a different bird even though she may not know it. Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who makes the creatures different. Jesus and his Jewish roots knew that life was a cause for celebration. And when we fail to “give thanks” or to “celebrate life” we miss the important moments that give us life–renew us–recharge us, return us to happiness! This week, my daughter gave me a wonderful story that sums up how we need to “return thanks” to others, to God and to ourselves so that we can make the best of everything in life. A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups. Porcelain, plastic, glass and crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite. He told his guests to help themselves to the coffee. After everyone had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it’s normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that may be the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it is just more expensive, and in some cases, even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup. But you consciously went for the best cups... and then you began eyeing each other’s cups to see who had the best one. Now consider this... the coffee is life; the jobs, money and positions in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of the life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Savor the coffee, give thanks that we actually have coffee. The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They are thankful for what they have and they just make the best of everything. It’s not what we have that makes us happy but what we are thankful 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. Youre Invited to come worship with us Sunday, October 21 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 You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743 www.blythcrc.ca SUNDAYS Morning Service 10:00 am Evening Service 7:30 pm BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH getlivingwater.org Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848 Living Water Christian Fellowship Evangelical Missionary Church 10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School Wingham Bible Study - Tuesdays 7:30 pm Youth Group - Tuesdays 7:30 pm (at CRC) Women At The Well - 1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:30 pm EMCC Relief & Development Sunday “Our Means, God’s Possibilities” at 308 Blyth Rd. (NEW LOCATION!former Church of God Building) October 21: Mk. 10:17-31 Sat., Oct 20 ~ 9:30-3:00 ABC Women’sFall Renewal at Huron Chapel, AuburnSat., Oct 27 ~ Free Breakfast atMemorial Hall 8:30-10:30 am 250 Princess St., Brussels 519-887-6388 www.bmfchurch.com Guests Welcome Jesus Is Lord! Brussels Mennonite Fellowship Worship Service 10:00 am Sunday School 11:15 am 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 OCTOBER 21 UCW Anniversary and Luncheon MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS Rev. Elwin Garland SUNDAY, OCTOBER 21 Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available 519-887-9017 10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship - Sunday School 119 John’s Ave., Auburn 519-526-1131 www.huronchapel.org Rev. Mark Royall, Sr. Pastor 9:25 a.m. Sunday School for all ages 10:30 a.m Morning Worship Service UPCOMING OCTOBER EVENTS Thursday, October 18th EN-KATA AFRICAN CHOIR 7:30 pm Saturday, October 20th ABC LADIES FALL RENEWAL 9:00 am - 3:00 pm From the Minister’s StudySaying ‘thank you’ important year-round 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 Continued on page 29