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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-06-18, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18,1997 From the Minister's Study Decline in Canadian life a reality By Rev. Adrian A. Van Geest Blyth Christian Reformed Church Once again the news reported that Canada is the best place in the world to live. Many of us will readily agree. But not all, I'm sure. Not those who can't get a decent job, no matter how hard they try. Not those who are victims of discrimination. Not those who spend months on the waiting list for major surgery. Not those who see their welfare payments cut back to bare survival levels. And not those of our native people who see a high suicide rate among their youth. I'm not sure by what standards they judged Canada to be the best place to live. But it no doubt had something to do with the availability of education and social programs, with the fact that we have stable government and a good legal system, and similar positive factors. But that isn't the whole story. The news also reported that one- fifth of our children live below the poverty line. We have an unemployment rate of close to ten per cent nationally, and well above that in the maritime provinces. We had a very divided country that could break up in the near future. And we feel that our social safety net is under great stress. We may be the best country in which to live, but we also have to acknowledge that there has been a decline in many areas of public life. Canada is not as safe a place anymore as it used to be. Official records may say that the crime rate has not increased in more recent years, but public experience tells a different story. And many services that we had become accustomed to are being cut back, putting the lives of many people under great stress. But the worst of declines is probably in the place God takes in the public and private life of the nation. And that; I believe is the root cause of our nation’s deepest problem: the weakening of the moral fibre of our nation. We are becoming an increasingly secular country. God's laws no longer set the tone for the nation. Judges render decisions that overturn traditional interpretations of our laws in favour of what they see as community standards, standards that are no longer rooted in the law of God. Morality is being redefined. That is nothing new of course. God was charging his people with similar faults in Old Testament days too, long before the birth of Jesus Christ. There was still a formal worship of God practised, but God no longer lived in the hearts of most of those people. And that brought much misery to the land. But God did not give up on them. He sent them prophets who called the people back to their God. One of these prophets was Micah, who wrote: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Three simple requirements. But what a difference it will make in the life of the nation when people will honour these simple requirements. That's what we therefore need to challenge our newly elected government with. As national leaders, we want them to act justly. Not justly by the standards of man, but by the standards of God. Not doing what is politically expedient, but what is morally right And when it comes to our foreign policy, we should challenge our government to love mercy. Not cutting back on foreign aid, but to be a leader in this world with respect to aid to poor countries. And to be compassionate towards the underprivileged people in our own land. But above ail, we should challenge our government to seek its guidance in the Word of God. The hope of the world lies in its walk with God. And in Jesus Christ, God has come near to the world. He has offered us a new and living hope through Jesus Christ, who could say of himself: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12). THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA fbu arc wdcome this Sunday JUNE 22 - PENTECOST 5 MORNING PRAYER Rev. Nancy Beale Trinity, Blyth St. John’s, 9:30 a.m. - Sunday Brussels Wheelchair Accessible 11:15 a.m. ~ Sunday ybu are iVetcome at the BLYTH COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD 9:45 a.m. - Sunday School for Children and Adults 11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship Bible Studies - Wednesday 10 a.m. & 7:30 p.m. Phone 523-4590 McConnell St., Blyth Moores greet at Blyth UC On Sunday, June 15 greeters at Blyth United Church were Warren, Donna and Erin Moore. Ushers were David Sparling, Loma Fraser, Fred and Deb Hakkers. Rev. Stephen Huntley opened the service with the Call to Worship. He played the guitar for the introit Z Lift My Eyes Up. The announcements followed. The Strawberry Social is Thursday, July 3 at Blyth United Church beginning at 4:30 p.m. It is an all- you-can-eat, cold buffet with cake, strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. Tickets are $8 or $9 at the door. They are available at Stitches by M.J., the Blyth Festival office or Deanna Snell, 523-4711. Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames, is a drama that has been viewed by millions since 1970. It is coming to Blyth Memorial Hall Nov. 23, 2*1, and 25. Volunteers are required. Contact Bonnie Shannon or the church office. Summer Services are at 10 a.m. This summer, the services will be combined with those of the Church of God. Members of the Church of God will join Blyth UC members in July. Members of Blyth United are invited to the Church of God during August. Services begin at 11 a.m. There will be no service Aug. 17. Camp Menesetung camp application forms are available through the church office. Camp Menesetung Wish List for 1997 is balloons, ice-cream pails, embroid­ ery floss, rubber gloves, flannelette sheets and more. For a complete list call the church office, 523- 4224. The hymn, We Praise Thee O God was sung. The choral anthem, led by Mike Duthie was This Love is Mine I Know. The children’s hymn was The Celebration Song with Rev. Huntley and Rick How son playing guitar. Rev. Huntley asked the children if they were excited about summer finally coming. He explained that he was excited about the Red Wings winning. He had brought some exciting things to show the children, two Red Wing t-shirts, a hockey stick and computer picture of his favourite team. The boys were thrilled, the girls not so much. The girls favoured baseball over hockey. Rev. Huntley explained that sometimes people get excited over a favourite team when they win and sometimes they might say I'd died to see my team play, meaning that they live entirely for their favourite team. "We don’t always get really excited for God and we should. We should live for God." In prayer the children asked God to help them live for their teams and God. The Old Testament lesson, I Samuel 15: 34-16:13, was read by Lavem Clark. Rev. Huntley read the Gospel lesson from Mark 4: 26-34. The sermon title was...But Remember the Mustard Seed. A mustard seed is small, but it grows a large plant. In the Kingdom of God, Rev. Huntley said, Jesus spoke often in parables, to help people understand the mysterious world of God's kingdom. Rev. Huntley compared the Kingdom of God by using farming similarities. First, the ground is prepared by ploughing it. Farmers hope that they have a good harvest. Hope is a word often used by farmers, especially in Manitoba this year with the flooding, he said. Farming is hard, dusty and dry work. Rev. Huntley recalled picking stones as a youngster, then the ploughing was done for the planting. As the scriptures say, Samuel was given the task to find the next King. He trusted that God was with him. Samuel was given the difficult task, similar to ploughing or preparing the ground. He picked Eli first, then each son was brought forward and no King was found. He asked if there was anyone else. The father said that he had a small son, David, who was tending the sheep. The father had little or.no faith of David being chosen. God doesn't look at the exterior, but at the interior, said Rev. Huntley. He looks to see what is inside. "What may appear to be very small, is great to God. God sees great hope in something very small. Remember the mustard seed." "We tend to separate the weeds from the good plants. God harvests all. He doesn't separate. God grows great harvests." Christianity is not a coat just to be put on when people want it. Like a crop there is plenty of work after the seeds are planted. A good crop can be grown and produced in God's Kingdom. "God gives us growth. We should wear Christianity all the time," said Rev. Huntley. "We don't always see the growth when watching, but a tiny seed will grow a small tree, a small tree, will grow to a large tree, a house and feed for birds and small creatures. Rev. Huntley closed with a reading entitled One Solitary Life. In closing, prayers were said for Dorothy Scott who is in hospital. The final hymn Amazing Grace was sung. HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE You Can Make a Difference HUNTINGTON SOCIETY OF CANADA 13 Water Street North, Box 1269 Cambridge, Ontario N1R 7G6 Please join us for worship this Sunday Sunday Morning Service -10 a.m. Evening Worship Service - 7:30 p.m. S#nd God is faithful; Jle will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. 1 Corinthians 10:13b BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH Rev. Adrian A. Van Geest Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233 Wheelchair accessible MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS - Morning Service - Sunday School - Belgrave Service 11:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Wheelchair Accessible We welcome you to come and worship with us. Rev. Cathrlne Campbell 887-9831 HURON CHAPEL MISSIONARY CHURCH PASTOR JAMES H. CARNE AUBURN 526-7515 ASSOCIATE PASTOR - YOUTH - JEREMY SHUART 523-9788 Sunday Monday Wednesday Friday 8:30 a.m. - Morning Worship Service 10:00 a.m. - Family Bible Hour 11 a.m. * Morning Worship Service 8 p.m. - Evening Service 7:30 p.m. - New Hope Support Group 7:30 p.m. - Prayer & Bible Study 7:30 p.m. - Youth BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA Rev. Christine Johnson - Minister Church Office 887-6259 Home 887-6540 9:30 a.m. Sunday, June 22 Brussels United Church Morning Worship Led by the children of our Sunday School, lunch and pool party to follow Ethel United Church Morning Worship YOU ARE WARMLY INVITED TO ATTEND.