HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-01-25, Page 13By Rev. Cathrine CampbellKnox, BelgraveMelville, Brussels PresbyterianChurchesThere is much that we can say
about the weather – and we have in
the past few months. It has been
abnormally “Un-Canadian” but that
has changed now and I look out at
the white blanket over Brussels and
know that there is more to come. I
am back to checking the radar
forecast for precipitation and the
road reports for whether it is safe to
venture out. We are back to the
winters we know and , to a greater or
lesser degree, love.
It does truly feel like January and
if it is January is the time for the
annual meeting. Churches and other
organizations gather together to read
reports of what has transpired in the
year past, look at the financial state
of the organization and to discuss
plans for the future.
Yesterday, today and tomorrow
converge in one gathering. All of us,
big or small, are composed of people
and it is their contributions and their
gifts and their courage and wisdom
that enables us to be the proactive
citizens of communities where the
“can do” spirit is not crushed by
endless lists of “can’t do” or “one
size fits all” thinking.
This is one of the strengths I find inthe groups I know and for which Igive thanks.The Apostle Paul could have beenwriting to us today when he said to
people in Corinth who had concerns
about how their organization, their
church, should be run. In 1
Corinthians 12 beginning with verse
12 we hear in a modern paraphrase:
12-13 You can easily enough see
how this kind of thing works by
looking no further than your own
body. Your body has many parts—
limbs, organs, cells—but no matter
how many parts you can name,
you’re still one body. It’s exactly the
same with Christ. By means of his
one Spirit, we all said good-bye to
our partial and piecemeal lives. We
each used to independently call our
own shots, but then we entered into a
large and integrated life in which he
has the final say in everything. (This
is what we proclaimed in word and
action when we were baptized.) Each
of us is now a part of his resurrection
body, refreshed and sustained at one
fountain—his Spirit—where we all
come to drink. The old labels we
once used to identify ourselves—
labels like Jew or Greek, slave or
free—are no longer useful. We need
something larger, more
comprehensive.
14-18 I want you to think abouthow all this makes you moresignificant, not less. A body isn’t justa single part blown up intosomething huge. It’s all the different-
but-similar parts arranged and
functioning together. If Foot said,
“I’m not elegant like Hand,
embellished with rings; I guess I
don’t belong to this body,” would
that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not
beautiful like Eye, limpid and
expressive; I don’t deserve a place
on the head,” would you want to
remove it from the body? If the body
was all eye, how could it hear? If all
ear, how could it smell? As it is, we
see that God has carefully placed
each part of the body right where he
wanted it.”
19-24 But I also want you to think
about how this keeps your
significance from getting blown up
into self-importance. For no matter
how significant you are, it is only
because of what you are a part of. An
enormous eye or a gigantic hand
wouldn’t be a body, but a monster.
What we have is one body with many
parts, each its proper size and in its
proper place. No part is important on
its own.
Can you imagine Eye telling Hand,
“Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or,
Head telling Foot, “You’re fired;
your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice itworks the other way—the “lower”the part, the more basic, andtherefore necessary. You can live
without an eye, for instance, but not
without a stomach. When it’s a part
of your own body you are concerned
with, it makes no difference whether
the part is visible or clothed, higher
or lower. You give it dignity and
honour just as it is, without
comparisons. If anything, you have
more concern for the lower parts
than the higher. If you had to choose,
wouldn’t you prefer good digestion
to full-bodied hair?
25-26 The way God designed our
bodies is a model for understanding
our lives together as a church: every
part dependent on every other part,
the parts we mention and the parts
we don’t, the parts we see and the
parts we don’t. If one part hurts,
every other part is involved in the
hurt, and in the healing. If one part
flourishes, every other part enters
into the exuberance.
27-31 You are Christ’s body—
that’s who you are! You must never
forget this. Only as you accept your
part of that body does your “part”
mean anything. You’re familiar withsome of the parts that God hasformed in his church, which is his“body”: apostles, prophets, teachersmiracle workers, healers, helpers,
organizers those who pray in
tongues.
But it’s obvious by now, isn’t it,
that Christ’s church is a complete
Body and not a gigantic,
unidimensional Part? It’s not all
Apostle, not all Prophet, not all
Miracle Worker, not all Healer, not
all Prayer in Tongues, not all
Interpreter of Tongues. And yet some
of you keep competing for so-called
“important” parts. But now I want to
lay out a far better way for you. (The
Message)
It is a good reminder to us all that
we are all “somebody” when we do
not stoop to belittle others but rise to
focus on the common goals we share.
An annual meeting can sometimes
become a time for hand wringing and
doom and gloom. It never needs to be
that for there is always a good future
for any group that has a focus, a
guide that cares and willingness to be
led by the Spirit of love, truth and
life.
All those in agreement vote:Yes!
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2007. PAGE 13. From the Minister’s StudyJanuary means it’s time for annual meetings
EEFJE M. MACLEAN
Eefje M. MacLean of Uxbridge
and formerly of Wingham passed
away at Uxbridge Cottage Hospital
on Monday, Jan. 8, 2007. She was
66.
Eefje was the beloved wife
of Kenneth Nicholls of Ux-
bridge. She was the loving mother
of Thomas and Sandy MacLean
of Kincardine, Kenneth and
Michelle MacLean of Lucknow,
Steven and Shannon MacLean
of Campbell River, B.C. and
Kevin and Tammy MacLean of
Woodstock. She was the dear
grandmother of Derek, Alannah,
Kyle, Tucker, Madison, Benjamin,
Caleb, Eric and Evan. Eefje was the
loving daughter of Gerritje Bakker
of Wingham and sister of Teade and
Barbara Bakker, Marinus and
Margaret Bakker of Auburn and
Aantje and Tom Robinson of
Wingham.
She will be lovingly remembered
by many nieces, nephews and
friends.
Her father Rimmer Bakker
predeceased her.
Memorial services will be held
at Wingham United Church
on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m.
Rev. Wayne B. Beamer is officiat-
ing.
Cremation with placement of
ashes will be later in Dungannon
Cemetery.
Memorial donations to Wingham,
Uxbridge Cottage, or Kincardine
Hospital Foundations would be
appreciated as expressions of
sympathy.
On-line condolences may be made
at www.mcburneyfuneralhome.
com
FOR ALL AGES
SUNDAY ~ 9:45 to 10:45 am
WORSHIP SERVICE AT 11:00 am
Phone 519-440-8379 308 Blyth Rd. E. ~ Pastor Les Cook 519-523-4590
BB ll yy tt hh CC oo mm mm uu nn ii ttyy CChhuurrcchh ooff GGooddLooking for a Great
Sunday School Experience?
THIS IS IT!
P U P P E T S
S T O R IE S
DRAMAMUSIC
Please join us for worship
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00am
Evening Service 7:30pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor John Kuperus
Hwy. 4, Blyth
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come
and worship with us
SUNDAY, JANUARY 28
The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv. 519-887-9273
Trinity, Blyth
9:30 a.m.
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Blyth United Church
Office: 519-523-4224
Worship Service, Sunday School & Nursery
11:00 a.m.
Sunday, January 28
All Welcome
Guest speaker: Bruce Whitmore
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
Sunday, January 28
Ethel United Church
Worship Service & Sunday School
9:30 a.m.
Brussels United Church
Worship Service & Sunday School
11:00 a.m.
Sunday 9:30 a.m. - Sunday School
10:30 a.m. - Morning Worship Service
7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship Service
Tuesday 7:30 p.m. - Youth Bible Study
Wednesday 6:30 p.m. - Olympians (JK to Grade 6)
7:00 p.m. - Adult Bible Study
Friday 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.- Drop-in Youth Centre
HURON CHAPEL
EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY CHURCH
Auburn - 519-526-1131
PASTOR DAVE WOOD
& PASTOR DON PLANT JR.
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 28
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 519-887-9831
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
11:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
9:30 am - Sunday Belgrave Service
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
January 28: Psalm 139
Evangelical Missionary Church
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
Mondays 7:30 pm -Power of a Praying Woman DVD
Fridays 7:30 pm -Youth Group
“What’s the Fuss about
Stem Cell Research?”
Sanctity of
Human Life Sunday
Sat., Feb. 3, 8 pm at Mem. Hall:
Faith-In-Song with The Watchmen &
Kirby Cook in concert
Obituaries