HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-04-12, Page 15BRUSSELS UNITED CHURCH
Rev. Cameron McMillan
Church Office 887-6259 Manse 887-9313
Good Friday
9:30 a.m. Worship Service
"The Story of Good Friday"
"Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"
Easter Celebration
11:00 a.m. Easter Sunday Worship
"From Death to Eternal Life"
Family Service - Nursery
9:30 a.m. Ethel Easter Sunday Worship
Church School
'Jesus Christ is risen today"
We invite you to join us
Myth United Church
Family Service - Passion Play 11:00 a.m.
Friday, April 14
Good Friday Service 10 a.m.
Sunday, April 16
Easter Sunday Sunrise Service - 6:30 a.m.
at Howson's Elevators
(weather permitting or at the church)
Communion Service at 11:00 a.m.
Beginning June 4 Summer Services begin.at 10:00 a.m.
Rev. Stephen Huntley
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Tim Purvis, Interim Moderator
11:00 a.m. - Morning Service
- Sunday School
9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service
We welcome you to come and worship with us.
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
You are welcome this Sunday
Maundy Thursday, April 13
- Blyth 7:00 p.m. - Brussels 9:00 p.m.
Holy Eucharist, Stripping of the Altar
Good Friday, April 14th
Celebration of the Lord's Passion
- Meditation on the Cross
Blyth 11 a.m. Brussels 7:30 p.m.
Easter Sunday, April 16th
Celebration of the Resurrection, Holy Eucharist
Ms Nancy Beale, Lay Pastor
Trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels
9:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m.
it\BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
HIGHWAY 4, BLYTH--523-9233
Good Friday Service - 10 a.m.
Sunday 10:00 a.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Rev. Adrian A. Van Geest
The Church of the "Back to God Hour" and "Faith 20"
Back to God Hour 10:30 a.m. CKNX Sunday
Faith 20 5:30 a.m. Weekdays, Global T.V.
Visitors Welcome Wheelchair accessible
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 1995. PAGE 15.
From the Minister's Study
St. Thomas tells story of Christ's death
By Nancy Northgate
Trinity Anglican, Blyth
St. John's Anglican, Brussels
This week, Christians throughout
the world will be celebrating Holy
Week. We will journey with Jesus
from his triumphant entry into
Jerusalem, to the Upper Room
where he celebrated the Last
Supper with his friends. We will
pray with him in the garden of
Gethsemane.
We will remember the humilia-
tion and degradation of his arrest
and inquisition, where he was
mocked, scourged and beaten by
the authorities. We will carry the
cross with him to Calvary, and we
will remember the crucifixion.
With Mary Magdelene we will
go to the tomb, only to find it
empty. Because our Lord has been
resurrected. And we will rejoice.
In the midst of this Holy Week, I
pray that we do not merely treat the
death and resurrection of Jesus as
an interesting event in history...or
worse, a quaint story. In Jesus' day,
many people did not in recognize
that Jesus was the Christ.
I fear that in our world, we too,
often do not recognize the presence
of Christ in those around us. More
than likely we would have either
minded our own business, or been
among those who crucified Jesus.
And so, this Holy Week, I offer
to you the following reflection by
Edward Hays. I hope that it will
help each one of us to stop and
think - and to work a little harder at
sharing the kind of love and peace
that Jesus came to teach.
Jesus Christ is risen and dwells
among us. Alleluia!!
THE PASSION AND DEATH
OF JESUS CHRIST
ACCORDING TO ST. THOMAS
I'm called "Doubting Thomas."
But of all of them, I was the only
one who proposed, "Come, let us
go to Jerusalem and die with him."
But it was long ago, a thousand
yesterdays, when, I who could be
called "Thomas the Brave,"
proposed a communal Calvary.
Today I come to you, yes, you,
It was Palm/Passion Service at
Blyth United Church Sunday, April
9. The seasonal colour was red.
Rev. Stephen Huntley was mini-
ster, director of Music Phyllis Boak
was organist and Shirley Vincent
was pianist.
Palm Sunday is the day the
church traditionally celebrates the
triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into
the holy city of Jerusalem. It is
also designated Passion Sunday as
it marks the beginning of the
Lord's Passion culminating in His
crucifixion on Good Friday.
Throughout history, Christians
everywhere have collectively
celebrated this time in their
Pastor Tom Warner preached
from John 12: 12-19 at Brussels
Mennonite Fellowship on Sunday,
April 9.
The children had a palm branch
processional around the chapel
during the prelude of the service.
Lucy Hesse and Nancy Elliot-
Greenwood were in charge of the
congregational singing. Tobi and
Tania Farrell provided special
music on the piano and flute.
Christine Knorr and Phailop
Larprom led the children's singing.
A congregational meeting was
and say, "Look out your windshield
or into the window of your
television, and let us go up to Neon
Jerusalem and die with him. Come
along with me to the city park of
Gethsemane, where Jesus suffers
the sweaty-palm agony of the sick
and those dying of the deadly
diseases, AIDS and cancer.
Tomorrow is their Good Friday,
tonight their lonesome vigil. Come,
let us go and die with him."
Come and look - stare if you like
- Jesus is stripped of his clothing,
exposed to shame in those stripped
of their jobs, naked by the loss of
their homes and possessions,
disrobed of their dignity.
Come, stand and watch, helpless
by habit, as Jesus is mocked and
ridiculed by the centurions of
society, in being the butt of crude
minority jokes and tongue-cutting,
clever discrimina-tion humour. Join
the crowd and let your silence or
laughter lash away at him.
Don't turn away from the pain;
see the crown of thorns upon his
head in the form of each one who is
mentally ill, their foreheads pierced
by deep depression. There he is as a
bag lady muttering to herself, or,
there, see him sitting and staring
out the window of a ward.
See the crowd press closer, and
you can view him being scourged
by physical or mental abuse.
Watch, don't turn away your
prudish eyes: see him sexually
abused in a confused and forever
crippled little child. Genuflect if
you like, or bow in reverence.
Turn your head; we're passing a
prison. Behind those walls and bars
sits Jesus as an innocent man or
woman - even in those guilty of
some crime. Jesus - in the person of
one unjustly tried and condemned,
lacking a clever lawyer, or a victim
crippled by poverty or a broken
home - is caged in a crowded cell.
Come with me up Main Street of
Neon Jerusalem; watch Jesus go by
in all disabled persons carrying
their crosses in the daily passion
parade and in those back-bent with
the heavy burdens of life. Where is
a Simon from Cyrene, Texas or
Minnesota, who will lift a hand to
worship.
Jodi Coburn opened with words
of welcome, announcements and
upcoming events. Rev. Huntley,
led the pantomime in the wonderful
celebration of Easter, with the
Sunday School class. They re-
created the Lord's Passion in an
impressive play. The congregation
was given a palm leaf while being
seated.
From the musical, Jesus Christ
Superstar, Kate Huntley played on
the flute a beautiful arrangement of
I Don't Know How to Love Him,
with Shirley Vincent accompany-
ing her on the piano. From the
same musical, Trials and
Tribulation, was rendered by the
held on April 10. On Sunday, April
16, the youth will present an easier
Sunrise Service at 7:30 at the
raise a wheelchair, open a door or
lift with compassion the crosses
they bear. Ah, how quickly he has
passed.
Come with me, let us go up the
trashy hill of 10,000 Calvarys.
Look how in the body of the needy
they have nailed him secure for life
to the icy cold cross of poverty.
Stand with me at the foot of
millions of crosses shouldered in
the midday darkness of
hopelessness. Listen to that
piercing cry riding on the wind of a
year of Good Fridays, "My God,
why, why have you abandoned
me?"
Come let us go up to Neon
Jerusalem and die with him - suffer
with him, be shamed with him, be
imprisoned with him, feel the lash
of laughter, be mocked for a lack of
money, sweat blood with him in a
slow painful death and hold out our
hands to be nailed for life.
You're late, you have pressing
matters to attend to. You don't want
to get involved, obedient to your
culture's commandment, "Mind
your own business."
I understand - I, of all,
understand. I too, was afraid to get
involved; the risk, you know was
really great. I understand: brave
words come easy, it's defeat and
shame that test convictions.
Remember, I'm Doubting
Thomas, even to this day. I'm your
patron. Can he...he be dying of
AIDS? Can he really sit in the chair
of an electric cross and die: aren't
only criminals condemned?
Doubting disciples, who turn
away from ugliness and broken-
ness, say to yourselves: "Surely this
is not the Chosen of our God."
Take consolation, I know your
thoughts.
I doubt today, as long ago, but I
doubt that you really believe he is
risen and among us. I doubt
seriously that if on meeting
someone homeless or broken on
Main Street .of Neon Jerusalem,
you would say, "My Lord and my
God."
From - Edward Hays, Prayers for a
Planetary Pilgrim. Forest of Peace
Books; Easton, 1989.
men's choir, accompanied by
Phyllis Boak on the organ.
The Choral Kids, conducted by
Susan Howson, sang Majesty,
accompanied by Phyllis Boak on
piano.
Others taking part in this
celebration were, David Sparling,
Les Rutledge, Anne Elliott, Bodie
Craig, Hary McDowell, Garth
Walden, Cliff Snell, Fred Meir and
the entire Sunday School.
In the hospital are Molly Grant,
Wingham; Grace Easom, Clinton;
Ann Hollinger, Goderich; Betty
Hoegy, St. Joseph's, London and
Mary Holland in Seaforth. They
are wished a speedy recovery.
church. The service will be
followed by a breakfast.
The regular service will beheld at
the usual time, 9:15 a.m.
You are WeCcome at
the
BLYTH CHURCH OF GOD
9:45 a.m. - Sunday School for Children and Adults
11 - 12:15 - Morning Worship
Bible Studies - Wednesday 10 a.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Phone 523-4590 McConnell St., Blyth
United children perform play
Mennonites mark Palm Sunday
HURON CHAPEL MISSIONARY
CHURCH
PASTOR JAMES H. CARNE AUBURN 526-7515
Sunday 10 a.m. - Family Bible Hour
11 a.m. - Morning Service
8 p.m. - Evening Service
Wednesday 8 p.m. - Prayer & Bible Study
Friday 7:30 p.m. - Youth - Pastor Bob Lewis, 526-7441