The Citizen, 2005-03-24, Page 15THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2005. PAGE 15.
From the Minister’s Study
As free as a bird
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By Pastor Ernest Dow
Living Water Christian
Fellowship (EMC), Blyth
Hurray! It's officially spring!
Though snow still covers the
ground, the lengthening days and
strengthening sunshine signal that
we're due for a change of season.
I’m ready. Along with other “non
snowbird" Canadians, I’m eagerly
anticipating the sounds of geese and
trumpeter swans returning, the sight
of robins hopping over green grass.
Birds play an important role in
marking the break of winter’s grip
and the eruption of new life in nature
all around us.
For those in the northern
hemisphere, Easter is closely
associated with the coming of
spring. This religious festival occurs
at the first full moon following the
spring equinox. Easter represents for
our soul what spring brings to our
environment - new life, fresh
growth, a clean start; what’s worn
and dead is surpassed by
reconnection with life’s Source.
Easter is not about Easter bunnies.
If we associate robins and geese
flying freely through the sky with
the announcement of spring, a little-
known ritual way back in the Old
Testament offers a striking picture of
the freshness and cleansing for our
soul that Easter commemorates
through Jesus’ death and
resurrection.
Following the Exodus from
slavery in Egypt (1446 B.C.), the
Israelites received laws from God
governing their lives as individuals
and as a community of faith. The
Lord even gave them a procedure for
investigating infectious skin
diseases and mildews that might
develop in their homes.
When the skin disease was healed
or the mildew cleared up, the priest
was to perform a special ceremony.
Two birds were required; one was
killed over fresh water in a pot. The
remaining live bird was dipped into
the bloodied water in the pot, along
with some cedar wood, scarlet yam,
and a hairy-stemmed plant named
hyssop. The person healed of the
disease, or the house cleansed from
mildew, was then sprinkled seven
times with the bloody water shaken
from the plant, and pronounced
“clean”.
Then the live bird was released
into the open fields. “In this way he
will make atonement for the house,
and it will be clean.” (Lev 14:4-7,
49-53)
Spiritually speaking, our basic
problem - our moral disease or
infection - is sin. Our errors and guilt
have cut us off from a holy God,
caused strife and division with other
humans, and generally brought
winter’s chill to our soul. Sin kills
any chance of a spiritual connection
with God; sinners deserve eternal
punishment for rejecting God’s
ways. (Rom 3:23, 6:23)
But a loving heavenly Father has
not abandoned us. The Hebrew
sacrificial system provided a striking
picture of the atonement (like it
sounds, from English meaning to
make ‘at-one’) or reconciliation that
is possible through trusting in the
gift of God’s Son. The blood of the
sacrificed animal represented its life,
offered in substitution for the
sinner’s; “without the shedding of
blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb
9:22). Jesus took our place by dying
at the cross for our sins, being made
sin on our behalf (2 Cor 5:21).
He was crushed for our iniquities;
He Himself interpreted His death as
providing the “blood of the
Continued on page 20
Good Friday Service
Belgrave United Church
Friday, March 25 at 11 am
Easter Sunday Service
Sunday, March 27 at 11 am
A?ei/. Ethel Miner Clare
357-4561
Sunday, March 27
Morning Worship Service - 10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service - 7:30 p.m.
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor John Kuperus
Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233
Wheelchair accessible
HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL C
Sunday
Tuesday
Wednesday
+ + + + +
+ + + + + + + + +
MISSIONARY CHURCH
Auburn - 526-1131
PASTOR DAVE WOOD
9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
- Family Bible Hour
- Morning Worship Service
- Evening Worship Service
- Youth Bible Study
- Crusaders for grades JK-6
- Adult Bible Study
7:30 p.m.
7:15 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
hursday, March 24
at Memorial Hall
Film
Life, Filmed in Israel
FREE ADMISSION ~ Communion to Follow
EASTER SUNDAY
"SonRise" Service & 'J
Breakfast
6:30 a.m. Wingham,
RSVP 523-4848
EASTER RESURRECTION
CELEBRATION
10:15 a.m. at BPS
Matthew 28:1-10
at Blyth Public School, corner of King & Mill (^L
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 523-4848 www.getlivingwater.org
Church
"The Church is not a
Building,
It is i
People
Sunday 9:15
9:45
11:00 a.m.
a.m.
a.m.
- Prayer Meeting
- Sunday School
- Worship Service
Phone 523-4875 308 Blyth Rd. E. - Pastor Les Cook 523-4590
Blyth United Church
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Sunday, March 27
Worship Service & Sunday School
11:00 a.m.
Easter Cantata
Minister: Rev. Dr. Eugen Bannerman
Office: 523-4224
Blyth United Church is a welcoming community of faith.
We celebrate God's presence through worship and study, and through
responding to the needs and gifts of each other.
Sanctuary
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Good Friday Service 10:00 am
(includes footwashing and communion)
Nails did not hold Jesus to the cross.
Love did.
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Joan Golden - Diaconal Minister
Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wcl.on.ca
March 25
Good Friday Service at 9:30 a.m.
Good Friday Service at Huroniea 11:00 a.m.
Sunday, March 27
Ethel United Church
9:30 a.m.
Easter Worship and Celebration & Sunday School
Brussels United Church
11:00 a.m.
Easter Worship and Celebration & Sunday School
Easter Worship Service 9:30 am
Sunday School 11:00 am
The tomb is empty so you don’t have to be.
Pastor Brent Kipfer 887-6388
Come and Worship with us to be part of Easter's Awesome Surprise!
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
March 24th 12:00 noon
Maundy Thursday service at the Anglican Church
March 25th 11:00 am
Good Friday Service at Melville
March 27th
8:30 am Sunrise Service at the Logan Home on Maple
9.00 am Easter Breakfast at Melville
11:00 am Worship Service at Melville
Wheelchair accessible - Nursery care available
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
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Monday - Wednesday
Annual Ecumenical Noon Hour Reflections and Luncheon
at Brussels United Church at 12:05 pm
Maundy Thursday
Noon Hour Communion Service with lunch to follow at 12:05 pm
at St. John’s Anglican Church
Good Friday
Solemn said services at 9:30 Trinity, Blyth, and 11:15 St. John’s, Brussels
Easter Sunday Resurrection Celebration
9:30 am Trinity, Blyth with Baptismal Eucharist, and Holy Eucharist at 11:15
am at St. John’s, Brussels
An Easter Egg Hunt will follow both services for children under 11 years of age
Sunday. March 27
Baptismal Eucharist and Guest Musician Cappy Onn at Trinity, Blyth at 9:30 am,
and Holy Eucharist at St. John’s at 11:15 am
Trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels
9:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m.
The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv.
887-9273