HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-12-13, Page 15THE CITIZEN. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2007. PAGE 15.By Pastor John KuperusBlyth Christian Reformed ChurchPeople want to be home forChristmas and will travel greatdistances to be with their families.
Home is a place where we can be
ourselves. Home is a place where we
are loved and cherished. Home is a
place we are secure. Home is a place
we are accepted regardless of what is
happening in our public lives.
The Bible tells us that human’s
first home was in a garden, which
was Paradise. Humans lost this home
because of disobedience and the
relationships with each other and
God were broken.
This brokenness we hear about on
a daily basis from our news whether
about war or violence or sickness or
disease or corruption. We wish it
were different.
Christmas is a time when we
celebrate that it can be different. It is
a time when we are loving our
neighbours as ourselves. It is a time
when we are not selfish and thinking
about ourselves, but we are thinking
about others. This happens because
at the heart of Christmas is the birth
of God’s own Son. God gave us his
one and only Son that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life (John 3:16).
God made his home with us.
Jesus gave us insight into the way
things are supposed to be. What does
Jesus do? He heals the sick, drives
out evil spirits, raises people from
the dead and forgives sins. I like to
zero in one of his healings that gives
us a picture of being home.
Matthew 8: 1-4 speaks about a man
covered with leprosy. Leprosy is a
skin disease that would make a
person unclean. According to the law
of that time, a person with leprosy
had to leave their family and live
outside the city or village. When they
travelled on the road, they would
have to shout “unclean, unclean,” so
the disease would not spread to
others.
If anyone would touch a leper, they
would be unclean and would not be
able to enter the temple and there
was an allotted time they needed to
withdraw so they would be clean
again.
Here is a leper, an unclean man,
who kneels before Jesus. Jesus has
just finished preaching the Sermon
on the Mount and a leper is in his
path. The leper says, “Lord, if you
are willing, you can make me clean.”
What will Jesus do? Will he be
accessible to this leper and listen to
his request? Will Jesus roll his eyes
and tell the man you deserve what
you have?
Miriam, Moses’ sister got leprosy
because she had sinned. Gehazi,
Elisha’s helper got leprosy because
he took gifts from Naaman the
Syrian general, which was a sin.
King Uzziah got leprosy because he
sinned by making sacrifices in the
temple, the job of the priest.God wanted this story recorded tomake a point to us. One person isimportant to God. You and I areimportant to Him. We matter.
What does Jesus do? “Jesus
reached out his hand and touched the
man.” This man probably had not
been touched by anyone in a long
time.
Another person who knew the pain
of not being touched was Dorothy.
She was at a large university. One of
her classes was a speech class, where
her professor was in his 60s. For 25
years this man was an
encouragement to students inside
and outside the classroom. Many
young men and women have trusted
Christ as their Saviour through his
quiet modeling of godly principles.
For Dorothy it was not his ability to
communicate nor his lectures that
spoke to her, but his touch.
During the first day of an
introductory speech class, their
teacher was going around the room,
having the students introduce
themselves. Each student was torespond to the questions “What do Ilike about myself?” and “What don’tI like about myself?”Nearly hiding at the back of the
room was Dorothy. Her long red hair
hung down around her face, almost
obscuring it from view. Thinking
perhaps she had not heard the
question, the teacher moved his chair
over near hers and gently repeated
the questions. Again, there was only
silence.
Finally, with a deep sigh, Dorothy
sat up in her chair, pulled back her
hair, and in the process revealed her
face and a large, irregularly shaped
birthmark – nearly as red as her hair.
“That,” she said, “should show you
what I don’t like about myself.”
Moved with compassion, this
godly professor did something he’d
never done before in a classroom.
Prompted by God’s spirit, he leaned
over and gave her a hug. Then he
kissed her on her cheek where the
birthmark was and said, “That’s
okay, honey. God and I still think
you’re beautiful.”Dorothy cried uncontrollably foralmost 20 minutes. Soon otherstudents had gathered around her andwere offering their comfort as well.
When she finally could talk, dabbing
the tears from her eyes she said to the
professor, “I’ve wanted so much for
someone to hug me and say what you
said. Why couldn’t my parents do
that? My mother won’t even touch
my face.”
Dorothy, just like the leper in
Christ’s time, had a layer of inner
pain trapped beneath the outward
scars. This one act of meaningful
touching began to heal years of
heartache and loneliness for Dorothy
and opened the door that drew her to
the Saviour.
For many people meaningful touchwas not part of their growing up.Some people come from warm,affectionate background. SociologistSidney Jourand studied the touch
behaviour of pairs of people in coffee
shops around the world. The
difference between cultures was
staggering.
In San Juan, Puerto Rico, people
touched on average 180 times per
hour. In Paris, France, it was 110
times per hour. In Gainsville,
Florida, two times per hour. And in
London, England, 0 times per hour.
(The Blessing by Gary Smalley p.
60-61).
We are not known as a country of
huggers and with all the reports of
at
Brussels Mennonite Fellowship
Sunday, December 16
Pastor Brent Kipfer
519-887-6388
God loves you! Your proof is in the manger.
Come celebrate the
Advent of Jesus Christ
9:30 am Worship Service
10:45 am Coffee Break
11:00 am Children’s
Christmas Pageant
“The Visitors”
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca
Sunday, December 16
Communion and Confirmation
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
December 20
Community Carol Sing at 7:00 pm
Sunday 9:30 a.m. - Family Sunday School
10:30 a.m. - Morning Worship Service
7:30 p.m. - No Evening Worship Service
this Sunday. Everyone welcome
to attend the Community
Christmas Service at
Blyth CRC at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday 6:30 p.m. - Olympians (JK to Grade 6)
7:00 p.m. - Youth and Adult Bible Study
HURON CHAPEL
EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY CHURCH
Auburn - 519-526-1131
PASTOR DAVE WOOD
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come
and worship with us
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16
Trinity, Blyth
9:30 a.m.
519-523-9595
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
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
,
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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!
Please join us for worship
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00am
Evening Service 7:30pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor John Kuperus
Hwy. 4, Blyth
Morning Service - Longing for Home - Matthew 2:13-18
Evening Community Service - Love Story - Ruth 2
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Sunday, December 16
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 519-887-9831
11:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
9:30 am - Sunday Belgrave Service
December 24, 2007 ~ 7:30 pm Christmas Eve Service
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Blyth United Church
Office: 519-523-4224
Worship Service and Sunday School - 11 a.m.
Sunday School Christmas Pageant
Sunday, December 16
All Welcome
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
1st & 3rd Mondays - Women at the Well
Tuesdays - Wingham Small Group
Youth: Mondays - Senior
- Fridays - Junior
“Rejoicing in Others’
Deliverance”
Dec. 16: Mt. 11:2ff
Evangelical Missionary Church
Fri., Dec. 14~7:30 pm Carolling
Sun. 7:30 pm Community Christmas
Service at Blyth CRC
From the Minister’s StudyGive gift of touch this Christmas season
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