The Citizen, 2016-03-10, Page 16pripir
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PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2016.
From the Minister's Study
Time can fly in a variety of ways: Dow
By Pastor Ernest Dow, Living
Water Christian Fellowship
(EMC), Blyth
It's that time of year again when
we get robbed of an hour of our
lives. This Sunday, the clocks
"spring ahead" to Daylight Saving.
Theoretically we'll be given that
pilfered hour back again in the fall,
but it always seems we're getting
shortchanged somehow by having to
give up a precious hour of our
existence (unlike the blissfully
unperturbed residents of
Saskatchewan).
Time is that one valuable
commodity in which all humans are
comparatively as rich as anyone else.
You have exactly the same amount
of time (168 hours per week) as Bill
Gates, Donald Trump or the Queen!
Yet we can't presume having a
certain minimum number of years of
earthly life in total. Life zooms by
fast. I'm about to turn 60 in a couple
of months, but most of the time I feel
no older than 16!
The Bible reminds us mortals how
quickly life flies by. Psalm 90 is
attributed to Moses who observes,
"The length of our days is 70
years— or 80, if we have the
strength; yet their span is but trouble
and sorrow, for they quickly pass,
and we fly away." (v.10) Psalm 39:5
says, "You have made my days a
mere handbreadth; the span of my
years is as nothing before you. Each
man's life is but a breath." Go out
some frosty night and exhale once
where a streetlight illumines the
vapour of your breath: say to
yourself as it vanishes, "That's my
life!"
Life's fragility hit us afresh a year
ago when an MRI scan revealed my
wife's brain tumour had returned in
a more invasive and diffuse manner
after a hiatus of nine years. Since
then, we are very thankful that 10
rounds of chemotherapy have
succeeded in improving her
condition, so it no longer seems like
a death sentence. But it's reminded
us of life's brevity. "No man has
power over the wind to contain it; so
no one has power over the day of his
death." (Eccles. 8:8)
By contrast, Psalm 90 reminds us
that God's sense of time is vastly
different than ours: "For a thousand
years in your sight are like a day that
has just gone by, or like a watch in
the night:' (v.4) The Eternal One is
not time -bound as we are: time itself
is His invention. He started it at His
good pleasure, and He can wrap it up
anytime.
Given the fleetingness of our
human years, a common reaction is
to live by the motto YOLO - "You
Only Live Once". Since time is
short, we get busier, we frantically
seek to sample more adventures,
cram more in - and subsequently
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March 13: Lk. 15:11-32
"Loving the
Proud
and the
Prodigal"
Evangelical Missionary Church
Tues. 7:30 pm Lisles' Small Group 136 Patrick St., Wingham
Wed. 10:00 am "Coffee Break" Women's Bible Study at CRC
Palm Sunday, Mar. 20, 6:30 pm at LWCF: Start of inter-
church "Walk Through Holy Week"
Sun. Apr. 10, 7:00 pm "Faith•In•Song"
Christian Music Concert at CRC
10:30 a.m. - Worship & Sunday School n
at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God) I I
Pastor: Ernest Dow - 519-523-4848
getlivingwater.or)
find ourselves getting more jaded
and worn out. Trying to live at
hyper -speed just does not seem to be
a satisfactory solution to life's
brevity: we're left jittery, exhausted.
Quality of life suffers when we try to
live on fast -forward. One acronym
interprets the word `BUSY' as
"Being Under Satan's Yoke"!
The "Manufacturer's Handbook"
(the Bible) suggests a couple of
spiritual disciplines that may help
address the anxiety produced by our
time -limitedness. One discipline is
that of Sabbath, a regular day of rest
in honour of our Creator. One of the
Ten Commandments stipulated,
"Remember the Sabbath day by
keeping it holy... For in six days the
LORD made the heavens and the
earth, the sea, and all that is in them,
but he rested on the seventh day."
(Exodus 20:8,11)
God Himself, the Omnipotent,
modeled the importance of regular
rest - so we set aside time to
worship, pray, reflect and re -focus.
God warned the Israelites that if they
did not give the land its needed rest,
He would exile them so it could
finally enjoy its sabbath years and
rest. (Leviticus 26:34f)
This mortal coil we inhabit, our
physical body, needs a break just as
much as the land does. Sports and
entertainment have their place, but
unchecked they start to dominate our
weekend and crowd out time to rest
and reconnect with the Lord. We
need to say "no" to some things so
we can spend time saying "yes" to
God, creating space for our soul to
hear from Him.
A second spiritual discipline is
that of lifestyle focus. Instead of
trying to live faster - live smarter.
The Apostle Paul counseled the
believers at Ephesus, `Be very
careful, then, how you live - not as
unwise but as wise, making the most
of every opportunity, because the
days are evil." It's a matter of
adjusting your focus... In the
passage's context, this means: not
You're 9nvited a join Js en Worsn p
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen
Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743
ANGLICAN PARISH OF NEW BEGINNINGS
BLYTH
Trinity
(, 9:15 am
Church Office
519-357-4883
BRUSSELS
St. John's
11:15 am
Church Office
519-887-6862
Everyone Welcome!
living any longer as others do in
futile thinking, giving themselves
over to sensuality, to "fruitless deeds
of darkness" such as drunkenness,
which leads to debauchery
(Eph.4:17,19; 5:11,18). That would
truly be a "wasted" life.
The positive alternative focus the
apostle recommends is to live a life
of love; live as "children of light" by
finding out what pleases the Lord,
understanding what the Lord's will
is; the fruit of the light consist in all
goodness, righteousness and truth
(5:2,8ff,17). Then we will not be
foolish, but wise, when we're "very
careful" how we live (5:15).
How does one find out what
pleases the Lord, or come to
understand what His will is? He's
given us His revelation in Scripture,
Continued on page 23
BRUSSELS
United Church
WORSHIP SERVICE
AND SUNDAY SCHOOL 11:00 am
All Welcome
Minister: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M.Div.
Bulletin notices: 519-523-4224
blythunited@tcc.on.ca
Church bookings: 519-887-6377
Other concerns: 226-963-1175
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, MARCH 13
We invite you to join our church family in:
Worship & Sunday School - 10 am
Coffee & Snacks - 11 am
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
519-887-9017
eftcea4e4eomsi2lalfiy 'Edle eleaftee
You're Invited
to come worsht p
'kst with us
Sunday, March 13
Brussels Business & Cultural Centre
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
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
Worship Service & Sunday School at 10 a.m.
k
Sunday,
March 13
"Confession Is
Good for the
Whole"
e q r , All Welcome
MINISTER: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
OFFICE: 519-523-4224
gMove Clock Ahead One Hour This Sunday
2rAttend Huron Chapel in Auburn This Sunday @ 10:30am
huronchapel.com
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
Wingham:
Sacred Heart
Sunday
9:00 a.m.
220 Carling Terrace
Listowel:
St. Joseph's
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.