The Citizen, 2015-10-29, Page 28PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015.
By Rev. Mark Royall
Huron Chapel Evangelical
Missionary Church
When my daughters were young I
bought them a tent and put it up out
in our back lawn for the summer.
That year the snow came early and
caught us all by surprise and we
were never able to take the tent back
down. That tent sat out there all
winter with the wind and snow
beating against its canvas sides every
day. When spring had finally come
and the snow had left I went out to
survey the condition of the tent.
What I found was not what I had put
up earlier. The weather had taken a
severe toll on that poor tent. I took it
down and it was never used again. It
was done.
In the Bible God likens our body
to a tent. In 2 Corinthians 5:1 He
says,
“For we know that when this
earthly tent we live in is taken down
(that is, when we die and leave this
earthly body)…”
We know about tents. They are
temporary structures. They are not
designed for prolonged living. We
may take a tent to go camping for
while, and for a time, the tent is fun
however we wouldn’t want to make
it our permanent home… especially
in the winter or in times of great
storms.
Tents are fragile and God says our
bodies and life here on earth are just
like them. We face storms as we live
in these tents. These storms we face
might be called sickness or divorce
or debt and they take their toll on our
lives. And then there is the
deterioration our bodies experience
over the course of time. Year by year
our tent becomes worn and weak
until one day our tent is taken down
for the last time never to be put back
up again.
There was a time when these
storms and trials you and I face did
not exist. That time was right at the
beginning. When God created our
world we read, “Then God looked
over all He had made, and He saw
that it was very good!” Genesis 1:31
There was no cancer. There was
no divorce. There were no tornados.
There were no wars, or hatred.
Everything was good.
But today as God looks over our
world He sees trouble. He sees
families and marriages in crises, He
sees conflicts and battles being
fought, He sees stress and distress in
the lives of so many. And here is the
kicker…it is our fault. We are to
blame.
I know we don’t like to hear that. I
know we would like to think it is all
somebody else’s fault. I know some
of us want to blame God for all the
trouble and so we get angry at Him.
But the truth is… we choose these
things and we allow them into our
world.
The Bible tells us one day back in
the beginning, when all was good,
man chose to disobey God. And in
that one decision to disobey we told
Him,
“We don’t trust You.”
“We don’t trust your ways.”
“We are going to do things our
way.”
The truth is…we will still make
those same sort of decisions today to
disobey God and to disbelieve God
and His ways. These acts are called
sin. They are contrary to what God
would have us do and they always
result in suffering and disorder. The
Bible says that even the ground is
cursed because of sin. As a result,
sin brings us storms… literally and
figuratively as we live in a world that
lacks the peace God had originally
given us.
All of us have done this. All of us
have sinned. I have. I am guilty of
choosing sin over God. I have
disobeyed God. I have asked Him to
forgive me and I try now to follow
Him faithfully. God makes it quite
clear what His intention is for our
life. He tells us, “…I know the plans
I have for you,” says the Lord. “They
are plans for good and not for
disaster, to give you a future and a
hope” Jeremiah 29:11. It is just we
don’t take Him up on it.
My daughter texted me this past
week and asked if I could pray for
her because she was about to go to
class and make a big presentation at
her school. What do you think my
response was to her? I told her,
“Honey, it is my privilege to pray for
you. Dad’s got your back.” And I
got up from my desk in my office
and I went out into the sanctuary of
our church and I prayed for my girl.
I love her. She came asking me for
my help and I was on her side.
Let me ask you, what do you think
God’s response would be if you, His
child, who He loves more than you
could ever comprehend, comes to
Him and cries out, “Heavenly
Father, help me!”
He would say, “What a privilege…
of course I will. I’ve got your back
on this. Let me help you with your
life.”
Like a tent, our lives are fragile.
We will face storms until one day the
pegs will be taken up and our tent
will come down. But even then, God
has our back if we would ask Him
for the rest of 2 Corinthians 5:1 says
this, “…we will have a house in
heaven, an eternal body made for us
by God himself and not by human
hands.”
We are still down here camping in
our tents. But a day is coming when
our tent pegs will be pulled up and
our forever souls will live on. If you
want to live forever with God in
heaven, in a place He has prepared
for you, then you need to trust and
follow Him while you can.
This is where the church can help
you. A church that teaches from the
Bible will help you in your life
journey to heaven. A loving church
is like a loving family. We are not
perfect, but we have your back. We
will do all we can so that you can be
all you can be with God today and
forever. My desire for you is that
when the pegs on your tent are
pulled up for the last time, Jesus will
be there waiting for you in death
because you called to Him in your
life.
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.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
Sunday, November 1
A Sweater Life
Sunday, November 8
Remember is a Verb
Worship Service & Sunday School at 10 a.m.
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.
Children
Welcome
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Nursery care available
519-887-9017
Worship & Sunday School - 10 am
Coffee & Snacks - 11 am
We invite you to join our church family in:
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.
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743
You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen
getlivingwater.org
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God)
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Nov. 1: Eccles.7:1,7-12
Evangelical Missionary Church
Tues. 7:30 pm Wingham Small Group
Wed. 10 am “Coffee Break” Women’s Bible Study at CRC
“DANIEL PLAN #4:
“The Group
Factor -- Why
We Need Each
Other”
COMMUNION;
Clocks “Fall Back”
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, November 1
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
Everyone Welcome!
BRUSSELS
WORSHIP SERVICE
AND SUNDAY SCHOOL 11:00 am
All Welcome
United Church
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
From the Minister’s Study
Pull up your tent, Jesus will be there
#1 And We
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