The Citizen, 2009-05-07, Page 27By Pastor Ernest DowLiving Water ChristianFellowship (EMC), BlythMother’s Day presents us eachyear with an opportunity to thank
God for the considerable positive
impact our moms may have had on
our early impressionable lives.
To young dependent children,
their parents are the most important
people in their world; indeed, long
before we can understand concepts
of authority and responsibility, our
parents represent to us in some sense
all types of authority beyond the
home – social and even divine
authority.
Erich Fromm observed, “The
child, in the decisive first years of his
life, has the experience of his mother
as an all-enveloping, protective,
nourishing power. Mother is food;
she is love; she is warmth; she is
earth. To be loved by her means to be
alive, to be rooted, to be at home.”
Through the prophet Isaiah God
asks, “Can a mother forget the baby
at her breast and have no compassion
on the child she has borne? Though
she may forget, I will not forget
you!” (Isaiah 49:15)
The way the question is phrased
implies it would be rare for a mother
not to have compassion on her own
baby. Yet God’s care for His people
is even greater than the bond
between a mother and her child.
Psalm 27(10) assures us that the
Lord will receive even those who are
forsaken by their own parents.
A great depth of love is found at
the core of God’s being; it is that
divine love which we see echoes of
in the closest and dearest human
relationships. Key terms for God’s
love are ‘checed’ in the Old
Testament, and ‘agape’ in the New.
At one point God hid Moses in a
cleft in the rock and declared His
glory or splendour in these words:
“YHWH, the LORD, the
compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love
[checed] and faithfulness,
maintaining love (checed) to
thousands, and forgiving
wickedness, rebellion and sin...”
(Exodus 34:6f)
Abounding in love - maintaining
love – compassionate, gracious: the
Almighty’s definition of Himself is
shot through with love. ‘Checed’can
be translated as mercy, kindness,
goodness, loving-kindness.
When I was 12 years old, my
parents arranged for a new kitchen
and garage to be built at the back of
our old farmhouse. Being anenergetic young buck, on a day whenthe workmen were absent, Iclambered around in the trussesabove the new rooms. But when I
went to swing down to the floor, I
discovered my arms weren’t as
strong as I thought – and dropped
heavily onto the plywood two metres
below, splitting my forehead open,
stunning me momentarily and
causing significant bleeding.
Thankfully my mother found me
fairly quickly, gently bandaged my
cut, and helped me lie nearby in the
grass under a shady tree while I
recovered. She didn’t bawl me out;
at that point I needed her
compassion and kindness, not a
lecture. (But I didn’t try that trick
again!)
In the New Testament, John
describes in his first letter to the
churches how love is the very
essence of God: “Everyone who
loves has been born of God and
knows God. Whoever does not love
does not know God, because God IS
agape…God is love. Whoever lives
in love lives in God, and God in him.
In this way, agape is made complete
among us.” (1John 4:7f, 16).
Love is at the very core of the
Being that’s back of the universe and
existence. Christianity teaches a ‘3-in-1’, a Trinity of loving fellowshipand community within Godself asFather-Son-Spirit before anythingwas ever made. Yet it didn’t stop
there; it’s ‘made complete’, it
achieves its purpose – its fullest
expression – in our loving each
other.
Through Hosea the prophet God
declares, “I led them with cords of
human kindness, with ties of love.”
(Hosea 11:4) Cords of kindness,
links of agape bind this God-of-love
to the objects of His affection. The
devotional booklet Our Daily Bread
once referred to naturalist S. L.
Bastian who told of a certain kind of
spider that builds its nest in the
branch of a small tree or bush.
In this delicate enclosure the baby
spiders are hatched. If the nest is
disturbed in any way, the little
spiders will all rush out in fright. At
once the mother goes to their side.
She is alerted to their potential
danger in a very unique way: each of
the young ones has a thin silky
strand attached to it, and all of these
threads are joined to the body of the
mother.
When the babies are threatened by
an enemy, they naturally scurry off,
giving their lines a sharp tug, which
is instantly felt by mama spider.Within seconds she pulls them backto the nest where they are protectedfrom harm.Such connected and concerned
mother-love can be shown by those
who aren’t mothers biologically, but
find themselves wanting to
demonstrate God’s agape-love
tangibly to those in special need of
compassion.
Mary Slessor, a former missionary
in Nigeria, would often rescue
babies who were in danger and
dying; often the infants filled her
home by the dozens. How to care for
them through the night became a
problem especially when they stirred
and cried. Mary learned to tie a
string to each little hammock, then
would lay in bed at night, and pull
the strings as each baby needed
soothing.
So the Bible says we are linked to
God with cords of love, cords that
cannot be broken. The gentle cords
of His eternal love bind all our hearts
and hurts to Him.As St. Therese of Lisieux put it,“The loveliest masterpiece of theheart of God is the heart of amother.”THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2009. PAGE 27. From the Minister’s Study‘Great depth of love at core of God’s being’
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
Tuesdays 7:30 pm - Wingham Bible Study
1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:30 pm - Women at the Well
Fridays 7:30 pm - Youth Group
Evangelical Missionary Church
May 10: Mother’s Day
Our Mothers, and
Mothers of
the Bible
Guest Speaker:
Gary Lisle
PASTOR DAVID WOOD
119 John’s Ave.,Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
9:30 a.m.
Sunday School & Small Groups
10:30 a.m.
Morning Worship Service
Join us for our special
Mother’s Day Service
with music by our
Olympian Kids
and a gift
for every
Mother.308 Blyth Rd. E. ~ Pastor Les Cook 519-523-4590
B l y t h C o m m u n ity Church of God
C H U R C H O F G O D ,ANDERS
O
N
,
I
N
D
I
A
N
A
“The Church
is not a building,
it is people
touching people
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.
- Christian Education
for all ages
11:00 a.m. - Worship Service
Mid-week Bible Studies
See you
Sunday!
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, May 10
Brussels Public School
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age (mornings only)
Childcare provided for infants and toddlers
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact:
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come
and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
519-523-9595
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Parish of New Beginnings
May 10 - Morning Prayer
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca
Sunday, May 10
Ethel United Church
Worship Service - 9:30 a.m.
Brussels United Church
Worship Service - 11:00 a.m.
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Blyth United Church
Office: 519-523-4224 Rev. Gary Clark
All Welcome
Sunday, May 10
Morning Worship Service
Confirmation
and Sunday School
11:00 a.m.
Sunday, May 17
Birthday Sunday
Sunday School Pancake Breakfast 9 am - 11 am
Donations for Sunday School and Camp Menesetung
Brussels Mennonite
Fellowship
Sunday, May 10
9:30 a.m. Worship Service
10:45 a.m. Coffee Break
11:00 a.m. Sunday School for all ages
Noon Potluck Fellowship Meal
Everyone Welcome
Pastor Brent Kipfer 519-887-6388
Please join us for worship
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00am
Evening Service 7:30pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor John Kuperus
Hwy. 4, Blyth
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
SUNDAY, MAY 10
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-9831
11:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
9:30 am - Sunday Belgrave Service