The Citizen, 2001-04-25, Page 16Barbecue
& Bake
Sale
a& parePda tt
Connuutiti eutiteadi
Hope
to see
), you
there!
• • -0
•
Ili Blyth Community
• • Church of God's •
•
3
•
Saturday,
May 12
9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
at the church
Silent Auction,
Car Wash
Youth
are having a
Youth Extravaganza
Community contribution
Blyth Lions Club member Brent Scrimgeour presented
Leela Sharma of the Easter Seals Society with $350 donat-
ed through the purchase of Easter eggs.
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
You cvte welcome tfik Sundwj
TRINITY, BLYTH ST. JOHN'S,
9:30 A.M. BRUSSELS
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE 11:15 A.M.
You are Welcome at the
BLYTH COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD
9:45 a.m. - Sunday School - for ages 3 to adult
11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship
Bible Studies - Wednesday morning 10 a.m.
Wednesday evening 7:30 p.m.
Phone 523-4590 308 Blyth Rd., Blyth
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Joan Golden - Diaconal Student Minister
Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wcl.on.ca
Ethel United Church
9:30 am
WorMlip Service & Sunday School
Brussels United Church
11:00 am
Worship Service & Sunday School
Come and worship with us!
Cornerstone
Bible
Fellowship
Ethel
Communion - 9:45 - 10:30
Family Bible Hour and Sunday School - 11:00 - 12:00
Prayer & Bible Study - Tuesday 8 p.m.
Adventure Club for children ages 4-12
Third Friday of each month - 7:15 - 9:00 p.m.
Ladies' Time Out - Last Thursday of each month - 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
Guest speakers, special music & interesting features. All ladies invited.
John 14:6 - Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, no
one comes to the Father, but through Me."
Everyone Welcome
For more information call 887-6665
BLYTH UNITED CHURCH
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
11:00 a.m. Worship & Sunday School
Sunday, April 29:
"A New and Living Way"
Pastor: Ernest Dow 523-4224
Check us out, Live or Online
www.tcc.on.cai-dowfamichurch.htm
HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL
MISSIONARY CHURCH
Auburn - 526-7555
PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-9017
Sunday 9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
7:30 p.m.
Wednesday 7:30 p.m.
Friday 7:30 p.m.
- Family Bible Hour
• Morning Worship Service
• Evening Worship
- Family Night
- Youth
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
11:00 a.m. - Morning Service
- Sunday School
9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service
Wheelchair accessible
Nursery care available
We welcome you to come and worship with us.
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831
PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2001.
From the Minister's Study
Spring cleaning often carries its own rewards
By Pastor Ernest Dow
Blyth United Church
Spring is a wonderful season. The
warm breezes inspire us to throw
open the windows, bring out the
broom and dustpan, and tackle the
layer of dirt and grime that invisibly
settles from basement to sidewalk. As
we go about this yearly ritual, we can
see parallels in the spiritual realm, the
transformation Christ can help bring
about in us from sinners to saints.
It all starts with seeing the need. It
wasn't difficult to convince myself
the lawn needed raking this year:
where the drifts had lain near the
street, a thick layer of grime matted
the grass, stifling the tender shoots of
grass beneath.
,() our fallen ,sinful li c 'oust
Guild
meets in
church
parlour
The Apnl meeting of the Melville
Women's Guild was held in the
church parlour on Tuesday, April 17
with 13 members present.
Dona Knight opened the meeting
with a poem Easter in Here. The
meditation was read by Mrs. Knight
and the scripture Luke 24: 1-12 was
read in unison, followed by prayer.
The topic Easter was read by
Eluned McNair.
The business was led by president,
Leona Armstrong. The correspon-
dence was read by Mrs. Armstrong
and the treasurer's report was read
by Jeanne Ireland.
The Maytime Supper, to be held on
Sunday, May 27, 4:30 to 7 p.m. was
discussed.
Isabel Gibson and Cathrine
Campbell will be in charge of the
May .meeting.
appear to a holy God apart from the
touch of redeeming grace. "Who can
say, 'I have kept my heart pure; I am
clean and without sin'? For all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of
God."
The Holy Spirit shines a flashlight
into the dark corners of our lives:
"When [the Counselor] comes, he
will convict the world of guilt in
regard to sin and righteousness and
judgment." Proverbs 20: 9, Romans
3: 32, John 16: 8.
Next comes the desire to actually
do something about the problem. My
family determined to go at the lawn
one Saturday, and we're glad we did,
because the next free day turned out
to be very rainy.
In our per, )11,11 lives, often sin
brings miserable consequences that
eventually humble us and cause us to
call out for God's help. This is known
as repentance.
"Wash away all my iniquity and
cleanse me from my sin... Cleanse me
with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash
me, and I will be whiter than
snow...Create in me a pure heart, 0
God, and renew a steadfast spirit
within me." Psalm 51: 2, 7, 10
The best intentions get nowhere
unless we confront the problem. If
it's a matter of cleaning the windows,
there is often some preparatory work
removing the blinds and sheers.
The spiritual application of this is
becoming honest with ourself and
with God, peeling away the layers of
deception and self-justification, the
excuses that shield us from being up-
front about our fallen condition: Jesus
challenged the "religious" folks of his
day to face up to their interior need
rather than being fixated with exter-
nal cleanliness.
"Woe to you...you hypocrites! You
clean the outside of the cup and dish,
but inside they are full of greed and
self-indulgence...First clean the
inside of the cup and dish, and then
the outside also will be clean."
This step of the cleaning process is
traditionally referred to as confes-
sion. "If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us
our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness." Matthew 23: 25,
John 1: 9.
A dramatic change happens when
we apply the strong solution,
whether it be ammonia-based win-
dow cleaner or a disinfectant-like
solution for floors and other surfaces.
The cleansing agent the Bible propos-
es is the sacrifice of Christ on our
behalf at the cross. "How much more,
then, will the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered
himself unblemished to God, cleanse
our consciences from acts that lead to
death, so that we may serve the living
God!"
Some cleaning solutions have a
,residual -disinfecting effect. God's
Word in Scripture counsels us to
allow our minds to be transformed
according to its pattern rather than the
world's, and thus "prove" God's plan
or will. Using the imagery of pruning
a vine's rambling branches, Jesus told
the disciples, "You are already clean
because of the word I have spoken to
you." Hebrews 9: 14, Romans 12: 2,
John 15: 3.
Finally, you can clean the kitchen
floor all you want, but it won't solve
the problem unless the toddlers and
family pets learn to stay out of the
mud! Or unless you pike some large
mat or artificial turf outside the door
on which feet can be wiped before
entering the house.
In the spiritual realm, confession
and seeking God's forgiveness need
to be an ongoing discipline,, as The
Lord's Prayer suggests. By God's
grace we an learn to avoid the
"mud", the places temptations lurk,
Our old habits that set us up for short-
term pleasure but long-term guilt. It is
possible to learn to walk around the
mud puddle!
"But if we walk in the light, as He
is in the light, we have fellowship
.with one another, and the blood of
Jesus, his Son, purifies us from. all
sin." I John 1 : 7
Spring cleaning often carries its
own reward: when you actually get
down to raking, you can see a dra-
matic difference between the area
covered with grime, and the raked
area sprouting clean and green.
May you- come to discover the
blessing God offers those who simi-
larly clean up their spiritual lives with
Christ's help!
• • • • • • •
Yteaae gain uo, fate utau,Iiip, this Sunday
Morning Worship Service -10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service 7:30 p.m.
Now Faith is being sure of what we hope for and
certain of what we do not see.
— Hebrews :
Supporting local projects
in a global context
Call 1-800-5656 USC
to pledge your support today'
56 Sparks Street, Ottawa ON Kl P 5E1
www.usc-canada.org
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Rev. Adrian A. Van Geest
it\ Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233
Wheelchair accessible