HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-09-25, Page 15Brussels Mennonite
Fellowship
9:30 a.m. Worship Service
10:45 a.m. Coffee Break
11:00 a.m. Sunday School
Everyone Welcome
Pastor Brent Kipfer
887-6388
"...1 have called
you friends."
John 15:15
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.
Ladies' Time Out - The last Thursday of each month
7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
"Adventure Club": (for 10 consecutive Tuesdays) beginning Tuesday,
October 1st - 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. All children ages 4-12 welcome
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
Call Pastor Andrew Thursdays or Fridays at 887-6123
HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL
MISSIONARY CHURCH
Auburn - 526-7555
PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-9017
Sunday
Wednesday
Friday
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m. -
7:30 p.m.
7:00 - 8:30 p.m. -
7:30 p.m.
7:30 p.m.
Family bible Hour'
Morning Worship Service
Evening Worship
Crusaders & Youth
Adult Prayer Meeting
Youth
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Weecomee veue to came cued to o44140 eat% eed,
Sunday, September 29
HOLY EUCHARIST
tt Trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels
9:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m.
The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv. 887-9273
BLYTH UNITED CHURCH
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Sunday, September 29
Worship Service 11 a.m.
Sunday School is at 11:00 a.m.
Baptism & Church membership
,41Z 2Veleo~
Minister: Rev. Dr. Eugen Bannerman -
Office: 523-4224
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Joan Golden - Diaconal Student Minister
Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - beper&wcl.on.ca
Septembei 29
Ethel United Church
9:30 a.m.
Worship Service and Sunday School
Brussels United Church
11:00 a.m.
Worship Service and Sunday School
Remembering Celebrating --- Living Our Faith!
A
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
11:00 a.m. - Morning Service
- Sunday School
9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service
Wheelchair accessible
Nursery care available
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831
You are Welcome at the
BLYTH COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD
9:45 a.m. - Sunday School for all ages
11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship
(Junior Church during service)
7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship
Bible Studies - Wednesday morning 10 a.m.
Wednesday evening 7:30 p.m.
Phone 523-4590 308 Blyth Rd., Blyth
Reewe ced Avt aterzatext
Sunday, September 29
Morning Worship Service - 10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service - 7:30 p.m.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but
unto us which are saved it is the power of God. — 1 Corinthians 1:18
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
iN Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233
Wheelchair accessible
VA
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IA 11
Conte and waltz/tip, with to. Sunda*
at 10:00 a.m.
Guest Minister Rev. Roger Gelwicks (former pastor)
Special music by Deb & Darlene & the band 'A
7:30 p.m. Guest minister Rev. Ken Benjamins (former member) 111 .
Special music by the "Men of Note"
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4 On anniovittatty,
Blyth Christian Reformed Church
Saturday, October 5th & Sunday, October 6th
join to, Saluida* fat ,g3teafticot
from 8:00 - 11:00 a.m.
and an evening social from 7:30 - 10:00 p.m.
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2002. PAGE 15.
From the Minister's Study
Tough to find fairness inparable
When we turn to God through Jesus
Christ we all will receive the same
portion of God's grace.
If we remember this, and don't let
our human pride and arrogance get in
the way, Jesus our saviour will work
through us and help them, and us, to
grow in faith through belonging to a
faithful church community.
And just as Anton the "factory-
farmer" was eventually redeemed and
returned to grace, so to will all who
turn to the Lord, through belief in the
sacrifice and resurrection of his son
Jesus Christ and the working of the
Holy Spirit in their and our lives.
By The Rev. Tom Wilson
St. John's/Brussels and
Trinity/Blyth Anglican Churches
don't know about you all. but the
parable of the landowner and his
payment of the day labourers in his
vineyard (Matthew 20: 1-16) has
always been a tough one for me to
swallow. There just doesn't seem to
be any fairness in it.
And, as we all know, "fairness" is
what it's all about in the world today.
In many churches after the reading of
the Gospel, we say, "Praise to You,
Lord Jesus Christ", but I bet many of
us think, "I do give praise to Jesus
Christ, but it still isn't fair!"
I think, perhaps, in order to get a
better handle on what God is trying to
tell us in this parable, we've got to
look at what it's not about. It's not
about economics or just wage or
labour-management relationships or,
and perhaps most of all, it's not about
fairness. It's about generosity and
mercy.
It's so easy for us, isn't it, to
identify with the workers who've
worked all day long in the hot sun?
Especially, if we've worked hard all
of our lives.
How unfair can you get? The boss
giving the same pay to people who
worked only one hour as he gave to
the people who worked 12. Where
was the grape-pickers union when
they really needed it?
Well, if you agree with the boss's
unfairness, your head may be in the
right place, but your heart sure isn't?
You see, the main stress of the parable
isn't on the early workers. It's on the
latecomers and the boss.
Ah, the latecomers. The ones who
didn't exactly rush to get in line so
that they could work.
Is the owner being arbitrary or is he
being generous and compassionate
when he gives the latecomers a full
day's pay so that they could have
enough to feed their families?
And, aren't we fortunate that our
God is like that; generous and
compassionate in His love for us? Are
you sure you'd want God to judge
you with fairness? Or, would you
prefer that He judge you with mercy?
The reason I ask about these things
is because we've got to get over the
traditional idea that runs along these
lines. You get what you deserve.
Nothing comes free. You want
something? Work for it. If you don't
catch a break, tough.
In August I saw the play
Bamboozled in Blyth. I am sure some
of you reading this saw it as well.
Aylmer Clark the hero of the story,
farmed in the traditional way, being a
good steward of the land. Rotating his
crops, using the manure from his few
animals to fertilize the fields
But his neighbour, Anton, was into
the "bigger is better" concept of the
"factory farm". He was producing so
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September 29
"Getting Ahead bg
Losing All" 40.4
Matthew 16:21f.
ALPHA starts Oct. 1
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10:30 a.m. - Worship & Sunday School g
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Pastor: Ernest Dow - 523-4648 his
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much liquid nutrients he was having
to buy up land just to have a place to
put it. This land was not having the
crops rotated on it, because certain
crops soak up the liquid manure faster
than others and the land was being
exhausted rapidly.
Anton had turned away from being
a steward of what God had given him.
He even turned away from his friend
Aylmer! But in the end, there was an
act of God and Anton was forgiven
and reconciled to his friend
Aylmer.
And this is what Jesus telling us
in the parable of the landowner. God
is the landowner and God will reward
those who turn to him. But no one is
better than another in God's eyes.
Does this mean we should not work
for the good of the church and our
community all the time? Certainly
not! God expects us to be faithful at
all times and when we are not, there
are consequences. there is a
judgement. The Israelites of the Old
Testament were continually turning
from God, and they continually
suffered because of it, but when they
turned back to the Lord they were
rewarded.
God's judgement is tempered with
mercy. That if we repent and are truly
sorry for our mistakes and sins
against each other and our world, then
God welcomes us into his vineyard
and we receive the same daily portion
of wages (God's grace) as someone
who has been faithful for their whole
life!
We are all called to work hard of
the Lord, to come to church on a
regular basis, to worship with our
faith community, to be faithful, and to
love our neighbour, for this is what
Jesus told us we must do. This is what
God demands. God demanded it of
the Israelites ,wandering in the
wilderness, he demands it of us as
Canadians.
But this does not make us anymore
worthy in God's eyes than the life-
long sinner, who repents of their sins.
attempts to make restitution and turns
to God for forgiveness at the end of
their life.
So we work hard for the Lord here
in Huron County and we should be
glad We have the health and strength
to do it. But we must always be
welcoming to newcomers to our
communities and our churches, as
well as those who suddenly turn up in
church after not darkening the door
for many a year. For none of us, from
the oldest, most faithful church
attender, to the newest, repentant.
previously lapsed member, is any
better or worse that the other in the
eyes of the Lord.