HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-02-22, Page 17THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018. PAGE 17.
From the Minister's Study
Save your scoffing for another day says Dow
By Ernest Dow
Associate Pastor
Huron Chapel EMC, Auburn
Increasingly, we live in a society
very much slanted toward mockery
and scoffing, critical of authority.
Editorial pages and opinion columns
thrive on being critical of decisions
of leaders in government and civic
life. Network pundits are keen to tell
us not only the news, but how we
should be reacting to it.
The internet, which ought to be a
source of truth and fact, doesn't
always help. "Fake news" is all too
prevalent. The availability of Google
makes us dangerously confident of
our prowess; we read one article on
a current topic and think we're
knowledgeable, if we read two
articles, we consider ourselves
practically an expert!
The New Testament writers
warned that people's propensity to
turn away from seeking God's mind
on a matter and instead consider
themselves the authority would
become more prevalent. The Apostle
Peter wrote, "...You You must
understand that in the last days
scoffers will come, scoffing and
following their own evil desires."
(2Pet.3:3)
The definition for "scoff' in
English is, "Speak to someone or
about something in a scornfully
derisive or mocking way." Such
speech is fundamentally
disrespectful, discounting the value
of the other person. It is humiliating
to be "dissed".
Christ's cross was fundamentally a
place of scoffing. The sign placed
above Jesus' head mocked the one
on the gallows as "King of the
Jews". Matthew records, "Those
who passed by hurled insults at him,
shaking their heads... In the same
way the chief priests, the teachers of
the law and the elders mocked him."
(Mt 27:37,39,41)
H. East
approves
'18 grants
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Huron East Council approved just
under $20,000 in grants last week at
its Feb. 6 meeting.
With an annual grant budget of
$20,000, council used just about all
of its 2018 grant money, adding a
few new causes onto the list.
Grants approved on Feb. 6 are:
$1,000 for the Brussels Agricultural
Society's Fall Fair; $550 for the
Brussels Horticultural Society; $500
for the Brussels Santa Claus Parade;
$500 for the Clinton Public
Hospital's gala event, which is the
cost of sponsoring a table; $500 for
Ethel Minor Ball; $40 for the
graduation awards at Huron
Centennial Public School; $250 for
the Huron County Farm and Home
Safety Association; $500 for the
Huron Residential Hospice; $250
for the Huron Perth Agriculture and
Water Festival; $250 for the Huron
Plowmen's Association; $1,000 for
the Clinton Lions Club for ongoing
maintenance at the Lions Park;
$2,000 to the Seaforth Lions Club
for the Santa Claus Parade; $7,500
to the Seaforth Lions Club for the
town's pool; $400 for the Maitland
Bank Cemetery; $1,000 for the
Continued on page 19
When we scoff at someone, we are
being quick to judge them, to
dismiss them or what they say as
unimportant. Our fallen human pride
prompts us to consider ourselves the
ultimate authority and arbiter of
truth, and forget that God is the final
Judge, for He is our Maker, and only
He knows the whole story.
The ruler of Jerusalem, just before
its destruction by the Babylonians in
586 B.C., had a somewhat similar
attitude. Zedekiah was a stubborn
20 -something who thought he knew
better than His most godly advisers.
"He did evil in the eyes of the LORD
his God and did not humble himself
before Jeremiah the prophet, who
spoke the word of the LORD...He
became stiff-necked and hardened
his heart and would not turn to the
LORD, the God of Israel."
(2Chron.36:12-13)
Scoffers have
submitting to the
word. Zedekiah
against his
a hard time
truth of God's
even rebelled
overlord
Nebuchadnezzar, despite having
taken an oath of loyalty.
The people seem to have picked
up on their leader's attitude - with
devastating results. "But they
mocked God's messengers, despised
his words and scoffed at his prophets
until the wrath of the LORD was
aroused against his people and there
was no remedy." (2Chron.36:16)
Nebuchadnezzar's forces burned the
city, leveled it and deported its
inhabitants - utterly destroying the
place.
When I scoff at or mock someone,
I not only am discounting their value
as a person and disrespecting them, I
risk also the pitfall of rebellion
against God, who commands me to
love my neighbour and obey those in
authority over me (Mk.12:31;
Rom.13: l ). Jesus warned in the
Sermon on the Mount that "Anyone
who says, 'You fool!' will be in
danger of the fire of hell." (Mt. 5:22)
A familiarity with, and healthy
appreciation for, God's word can
BRUSSELS
United Church
Welcome to Sunday morning worship
& Sunday School
at 11:00 am
Hillary MacDonald (905) 246-7386
Macdonald.hillary@gmail.com
Everyone welcome
7011 re '9n,',tecl /l 7 in ?ts :911 Amin.?
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
%t• Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen
\ (! Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743
You're 1nvitec(
to come worsh p
with usS'
Sunday, February 25
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
650 Alexander St. (former Brussels Public School)
Sunday School for children
4 to 12 years of age at 9:30 a.m.
Childcare provided for infants and preschoolers
during the sermon.
Coffee & cookies after the morning service.
For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621
Steve Klumpenhower 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
Blyth United Church
Est. 1875
Sunday, February 25
SUNDAY
IN LENT
We continue our
lenten journey
exploring God's
promises to us.
Worship at
9:30 a.m.
Hillary MacDonald
OFFICE: 519-523-4224
help guard us against the danger of
becoming a scoffer or mocker. The
context of Peter's warning to the
early church suggests disregard for
God's word is characteristic of the
attitude of a scoffer. "But they
deliberately forget that long ago by
God's word the heavens existed and
the earth was formed out of water
and by water... By the same word
the present heavens and earth are
reserved for fire, being kept for the
day of judgment and destruction of
ungodly men." (2Pet. 3:5,7)
A daily discipline of reading and
meditating upon Scripture, asking
God what He would say to us
through it in prayer, repenting of our
own mistakes as we see discrepancy
between our actions and God's
directions, helps us stay humble and
less quick to condemn others when
they stumble.
HURON CHAPEL
Every Sunday in Auburn @
9am & 11 am
We Want To Help You Get Through This....
Frankly, in the end - it is also safer
not to scoff! At an afternoon tea for
officers and their wives, the
commanding general of the base
delivered a long, boring speech. A
young second lieutenant grumbled
to a woman at his table, "What a
pompous old windbag that slob
is." The woman turned to him,
her face red with rage and said,
"Lieutenant, do you know
who I am?" The lieutenant said,
"No, ma'am." The lady replied, "I
am the wife of the man you
just called a pompous old windbag."
The young lieutenant looked
the woman in the eye, steadfast
and unruffled. "And do you know
who I am?" The General's wife
said, "No, I don't." The lieutenant
grinned and said, "That's what I
was hoping," and disappeared
into the crowd.
huronchapel.com
The Regional Ministry of Hope
Everyone Welcome!
Trinity Anglican Church St. John's Anglican Church
BLYTH BRUSSELS
0. 9:15 am 11:15am
MINISTRY OFFICE
519-357-4883
Rev. JoAnn Todd, Rector
- email: revjoann@hurontel.on.ca
• The Regional Ministry of Hope
COME WORSHIP WITH US!
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25
We invite you to join our church fami y in:
Worship & Sunday School - 11 am
Coffee & Snacks following the service
Come out and meet our new minister, Rev. Charmila Ireland
Fridays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm - Soup & More 2
- a free community meal held in Melville's basement, and
made possible by the Brussels churches working together.
Nursery care available
519-887-6687
THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH
CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS.
OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Brussels:
St. Ambrose
Saturday
6:00 p.m.
17 Flora Street
Winaham:
Sacred Heart
Sunday
9:00 a.m.
220 Carling Terrace
Listowel:
St. Joseph's
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.