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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-01-19, Page 13THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2000. PAGE 13. From the Minister's Study Keeping the faith helps weather the storms By Les Cook Blyth Community Church of God Well I think it’s safe to assume that we survived the turning of the calen­ dar from the 1900s to the year 2000. If your computer was going to crash, if you were going to run out of water, if the lights were going to go out or if your car or airplane was going to stop it would’ve done so by now. So now we know that the Y2K scare is behind us. How should we view the future? Although I am not a futurist, a for­ tune teller, or a prophet, I think it safe to predict the times we’re enter­ ing will reveal changes beyond our wildest imaginations. Overall I believe the changes to come will be positive and for the most part will help us. However, I also know that any time change takes place there are people who benefit and those who feel the changes work against them. All of us at one time or another have felt the pressure of change. Over the next few years the pressure of change and the pressure to change will make a lot of us feel that we are going through a storm, a storm that for the most part seems out of our control. Most of us living here in the snow­ belt know what it’s like to be caught out in a snowstorm. You feel sur­ rounded by turmoil. It’s easy to become disoriented and confused. You never know if you should keep going or turn back. As frustrating as it is to be caught in a snowstorm it’s even more scary to be caught up in one of life’s storms. If you feel like you are in, or are being forced to go through, a storm which you have no control over, there’s a story recorded in the book of Matthew 8: 23-27. If tells of a time when the disciples were cross­ ing the lake in a boat and a terrific storm came up. Now think about how out-of-con- trol one might feel sitting in a small boat in the middle of a big lake dur­ ing a bad storm that is causing waves large enough to crash over your boat. What do you do? This storm is mak­ ing it impossible to control your ves­ sel. There is no sign of the weather letting up. And it’s too far to swim to land. Matthew tells that when they believed they were going to die and had nowhere else to turn, they awak­ ened Jesus who was calmly sleeping in the front of the boat. When he saw their fear he said to them (in verse 26a) “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Now even if the story stopped right there we could conclude that when we are faced with uncertainties in life there is one emotion that pro­ vides no help or comfort and that would be the emotion of fear. Jesus was not blind he could see that there was a storm going on. He knew the waves were capable of destroying the boat, and yet he expected his dis­ ciples to demonstrate faith in the face of this danger. God's grace is a wonderful thing. Even though Jesus expected his dis­ ciples to have faith, when he recog­ nized their fear (26b) he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. Often when we read this story we assume that it means that God wants to take us out of life’s storms. Christ was disappointed in his disciples because they feared for their lives at a time when he expected them to trust that he would take them through the storm. He did not ask them to calm the storm; that would have been asking them to do something beyond what they believed to be possible. He did not scold them for not having the ability to maneuver the boat through the storm. He simply says, “You of the little faith, why are you so afraid?” Like the disciples we so often ask God to take away the storm. We fear the elements that seem to come against us are greater than he who created us. We view every bit of change as a challenge instead of an opportunity, we see new things as the end instead of the beginning and we ask God to take away anything that we don’t understand. That is exactly what the disciples did. They called • out to God; expressed their fear and asked God to take away the storm, and he did. Should this time on the lake not have been a time of celebration? Jesus had just performed his first miracle over nature. The disciples had witnessed, firsthand, their mas­ ter command the wind and the waves and the wind and the waves obeyed. But there is no celebrating because the opportunity to see the greater miracle was missed. The disciples opted to witness a lesser miracle because of their fear or lack of faith. Instead of celebration the disciples had to face up to the fact that they could not trust Christ, their master, teacher, Rabbi, leader to see them through the storm. How much greater the excitement and celebra­ tion would have been had the disci­ ples concluded that if Jesus was rest­ ing peacefully everything must be the way God designed it to be. Think of the self-esteem boost, the increase of faith and the testimony that would have been shared if the disciples had faced that storm with the confidence that God knew exact­ ly what he was doing when He sent them out there in the first place. You can be sure that the year 2000 and beyond will bring us all some storms that appear to have the power to overcome us. But be assured that Jesus sleeps peacefully in the front of the boat. Some of us will cry out “save us from the storm” and God will be faithful. But for those who cry out for the wisdom, the strength and the tenacity to face and go through whatever storms come our way, to those God will be able to demonstrate his power, his miracles and his never-ending companion­ ship, He has said, / will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. - Hebrews 13:5. What would you do in the year 2000? What would you start right now if you knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that God, your creator and the creator of all the elements, was not only on your side but was expecting you to step out in faith and overcome, with his help, any obsta­ cles that might appear on your path? Jou are. Welcome 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 THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA Q/ou Sunday JANUARY 23 - EPIPHANY 3 MORNING PRAYER HELPING THE WORLD WRITE NOW CODE Self-sufficiency through literacy in the developing world For information, call 1-800-661-2633 • t GOING. ALWAYS GOING? You could be at risk for diabetes. CANADIAN I ASSOCIATION DIABETES CANADIENNE ASSOCIATION I DU DIABETE CALL 1-8OO-BANTING Blyth United Church Come Worship The Lord With Us Sundays - 11:00 a.m. Worship Service & Sunday School Minister ~ Rev. Ernest Dow ALL ARE WELCOME 523-4224 HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY CHURCH Auburn - 526-7555 PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-9017 - Morning Worship Service - Family Bible Hour - Morning Worship Service - Evening Service - Family Night (Kids* Club) - Youth Sunday 8:45 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 11 a.m. Wednesday 8 p.m. 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Friday 7:30 p.m. MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS 11:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. - Morning Service - Sunday School - Belgrave Service Wheelchair accessible Nursery care available We welcome you to come and worship with us. Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831 BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA Joan Golden - Supply Minister Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wcl.on.ca January 23, 2000 Ethel United Church 3rd Sunday after Epiphany 9:30 a.m. Brussels United Church 11:00 a.m. The UCW will be hosting a Leap Year Luncheon March 2, 2000 11:30 a.m. - 1.00 p.m. This will be a hot luncheon for $6.00. Please plan to join us! Trinity, Blyth St. John's, 9:30 a.m. Brussels Wheelchair accessible 11:15a.m. Rev. Nancy Beale - Rector - 887-9273 join Sunday Morning Worship Service ~ 10 a.m. Evening Worship Service ~ 7:30 p.m. aIf your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you." Proverbs 25:21, 22 BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH A Rev. Adrian A. Van Geest Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233 Wheelchair accessible Cornerstone Bible Ethel Communion - 9:45 - 10:30 Family Bible Hour and Sunday School 11:00- 12:00 Prayer & Bible Study Tuesday 8 p.m. 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 BRUSSELS MENNONITE FELLOWSHIP CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF GOD’S BLESSINGS January 22-23/00 at Brussels Mennonite Fellowship Saturday, Jan. 22 - 5:00 p.m. supper (must reserve) 7:00 p.m. - slide show, special music 9:00 p.m. - coffee & visiting Sunday, Jan. 23/00 10:00 a.m. Worship Service Guest speaker - Doug Zehr (former pastor) 12:00 noon - Fellowship Meal Potluck Everyone welcome to attend! Contact Sharon 887-6564; Kathy 357-3557; BJ 887-9077 for Saturday supper reservations or other inquiries.