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The Citizen, 2007-02-22, Page 17By Pastor John KuperusBlyth Christian ReformedChurchMy father died on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007. He had cancerous tumors around his liver. The cancer was a very aggressive type. In November he lost 15 lbs. In December he took one chemotherapy treatment. The doctor told him that the treatments had a 25 per cent chance of shrinking the tumors, 25 per cent of stabilizing and 50 per cent chance they would do nothing at all. After one treatment he decided not to take any more. He was hoping and praying for a miracle that he would be healed. By the end of December, he deteriorated to the point where he could not drive or leave his home unless assisted. He acknowledged that his days of driving his pickup truck were over. While he was homebound, he had a lot of visitors. Over the new year my family and I went to New Jersey and we said “goodbye.” Before we returned to Canada, one day my children went to see him two at a time. They all had a chance to say “goodbye”. A week later, my dad spent most of his time in bed. Any noise bothered him, so even my mom’s clocks that chime, were stopped. It was at this point he needed 24-hour care. His diet was reduced to water given to him in a straw. Sometimes he even had trouble holding that down. I returned to visit my father the week before he died and spent three days with him. I probably hugged my dad more in those three days than in my entire lifetime. It was role reversal. My parents were always strong for me and now my siblings and I were strong for him. (My parents had six children and 31 grandchildren). One of the observations I noticed about my father is that he was concerned about others. He was on his deathbed and he asked my aunt, “How is my brother?” His brother was in rehabilitation to walk. That was my father. He also shared with the family that his favourite song was There is Power in the Blood. I pondered why he liked this song. The first line of the song says, “Would you be free from the burden of sin? There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood; would you o’er evil a victory win? There is wonderful pow’r in the blood.” The fourth line of that song says this. “Would you do service for Jesus your King? There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood; would you live daily His praises to sing? There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.”As I ponder the message of thissong, it is dealing with impurities.My dad as a dairy farmer, was very much aware of the impurities we deal within our world. I think that the way of measuring bacteria is different in Canada and the U.S. Acceptable levels of impurities do not only apply to milk. Coffee beans I have heard can be 10 per cent insect infested and be sold. If the infestation is over 10 per cent it is pulled and cannot be sold. The point is that we allow for impurities on a deeper level as well. He said things he should not have and blew up at times too. I believe he knew the tragedy of impurities in our hearts and the need for cleansing. He must have wrestled with how an unclean people can come into the presence of a holy God. The song says, “There is power in the blood.” The Bible speaks of the significance of blood in Genesis 4. Cain has killed his brother Abel because he was jealous that Abel’s sacrifice was accepted while his was not. God speaks to Cain and says, “Where is Abel, your brother?” Cain answers, “I don’t know, am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground” (Genesis 4: 9-10). This conversation tells us that blood speaks beyond the physical world. There is power in the blood. Another place in the Bible that we hear of the power in blood is when the people of Israel are in Egypt. Jacob and his family came to Egypt to avoid the famine in Israel. His son Joseph was a slave, but hasrisen to be the second in commandof Egypt. Over the years, the Egyptians forgot about Joseph and enslaved the Israelites and they cried out to the Lord for deliverance. God raised up Moses to lead them. Moses asks Pharaoh to let my people (the Hebrews) go. Pharaoh refuses and there are nine plagues that come upon the land as a result of his disobedience. Then there is the 10th plague. Every firstborn male of humans and animals will be killed, unless there is blood of a lamb upon the doorpost. Every home with blood of a lamb upon the doorpost, the angel of death would pass over. To this day Jewish families celebrate this event and it is called the Passover. A lamb was slain on behalf of the oldest male child. The firstborn males would recognize that a lamb was slain in their place and its blood covered them. Just as the oldest child needed to be covered by blood of the lamb, the New Testament tells us about another lamb, the Lamb of God. This Lamb shed his blood so that whoever believes in him, may be saved from death. Whoever is covered by the blood of this Lamb will be saved. I believe my dad understood the power of the blood to save him from the angel of death. Jack Heyford in his book The Divine Visitor points out three functions of blood in the physical world that connect us with the unseen world. This was helpful for me to understand why my dad loved to sing “There is power in the blood.” First, blood carries pollution back to the kidneys to be cleaned. Theblood serves as a purifier. The song brings out that whenJesus is Lord of our lives, his blood purifies us from sin. I John I:7 puts it this way, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” A second function of blood is that it nourishes. When we eat food, it is assimilated into the blood, which carries nourishment to other parts of the body. This same principle is spiritual truth practised in church when communion is taken. Jesus said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:33). What Jesus is saying is real nourishment to our invisible inner being is fed through Christ’s body and blood. The preacher normally says these words, “Take, remember and believe the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ was shed for a complete remission of all our sins.” The picture we get is one of cleansing of sin as well as nourishment. Jesus gives us life and empowers us to meet the challengesof each day.A third function of blood is tohelp fight off infections. Our blood contains cells that resist organisms hostile to the human body. In the invisible or spiritual world, a battle is raging and Satan’s goal is to destroy and keep people from God. Revelations 12:11a speaks of the power to resist being in the blood of the Lamb. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” I have a better understanding why dad liked this song. I want to thank my heavenly Father for giving his Son as the perfect Lamb to take away the sin of the world. I am very grateful for the covering of his blood that gives me life. What a wonder and a joy as we face the enemy of death. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2007. PAGE 17. From the Minister’s StudyWhen there’s power in the blood FOR ALL AGES SUNDAY ~ 9:45 to 10:45 am WORSHIP SERVICE AT 11:00 am Phone 519-440-8379 308 Blyth Rd. E. ~ Pastor Les Cook 519-523-4590 BB ll yy tt hh CC oo mm mm uu nn ii ttyy CChhuurrcchh ooff GGooddLooking for a Great Sunday School Experience? THIS IS IT! P U P P E T S S T O R IE S DRAMAMUSIC Sunday 9:30 a.m. - Sunday School 10:30 a.m. - Morning Worship Service 7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship Service Wednesday 6:30 p.m. - Family Night with “Olympians” 7:00 p.m. - Adult & Youth Bible Study Something for everyone! Call the church for current Youth events HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY CHURCH Auburn - 519-526-1131 PASTOR DAVE WOOD & PASTOR DON PLANT JR. THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA Welcomes you to come and worship with us SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25 The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv. 519-887-9273 Trinity, Blyth 9:30 a.m. St. John's, Brussels 11:15 a.m. Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street Blyth United Church Office: 519-523-4224 Worship Service, Sunday School & Nursery 11:00 a.m. Guest Speaker: Bruce Whitmore Sunday, February 25 All Welcome BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA Sandra Cable, Worship Leader Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship Sunday, February 25 Ethel United Church Worship Service & Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Brussels United Church Worship Service & Sunday School 11:00 a.m. February 25 Baptism and Communion Please join us for worship SUNDAYS Morning Service 10:00am Evening Service 7:30pm BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH Pastor John Kuperus Hwy. 4, Blyth MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25 Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 519-887-9831 Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available 11:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship - Sunday School 9:30 am - Sunday Belgrave Service getlivingwater.org Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848 February 25: Luke 4:1-13 Christ-centred, Bible-believing, Fellowship-friendly, Growth-geared Living Water Christian Fellowship at Blyth Public School, corner of King & Mill 10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School Mondays 7:30 pm -Power of a Praying Woman DVD Tuesdays 7:30 pm -Wingham Small Group Fridays 7:30 pm -Youth Group Lent 1 Communion “Saying No to the Tempter” Saturday, February 24th: Snow Fun Day, depart BPS 1 pm CCllaassssiiffiieedd aaddvveerrttiisseemmeennttss ppuubblliisshheedd iinn TThhee CCiittiizzeenn nnooww oonn oouurr wweebbssiittee aatt wwwwww..nnoorrtthhhhuurroonn..oonn..ccaa