Soon we will be hearing reports of how companies performed in the fourth quarter of '98, perhaps banks competing to outdo each other with record-breaking profits.

As churches prepare for their annual meetings, there's concern for the bottom line, whether they met financial objectives.

However Scripture reminds us not to be so concerned with the bottom line in the corporate world as in our own personal spiritual economy.

John the Baptist urges, "Look, the Lamb of God" - instead of looking at the bottom line dollar-wise.

Practical wisdom says you have to be prepared to make sacrifices, work long hours, outdo your competitors if you want to "make it" in life.

And hard work is upheld in the Bible as generally rewarding; be like the industrious ant rather than the lazy sluggard if you want to enjoy a harvest.

But try as we might, factors beyond our control can mess up our best-laid schemes, sometimes no matter how good a job you do you end up not benefitting.

Interestingly, Scripture also makes it clear that we can't "work" or earn our way to heaven.

Those who think they CAN fall into the trap of legalism and pride instead of progress with God.

Like the stuffed-shirt Pharisees of Jesus' day.

"Look - the Lamb of God." Lambs were prominent in Jewish worship as the Passover sacrifice; Isaiah speaks of God's suffering servant being led away like a lamb to the slaughter, with the iniquity of us all laid on him.

The wonder is that this lamb is of God's own free provision.

In pagan worship, the idea of sacrifice was offering something valuable in order to appease the wrath of the gods.

But in Judaeo-Christian theology, Yahweh's grace is such that he provides the lamb for the sacrifice.

It is all by grace, not works.

We cannot earn our way to heaven, we can never try hard enough or be good enough on our own to buy our ticket in.

God's loving generosity and kindness provides our forgiveness and reconciliation free of charge in the person of Jesus Christ.

God calls us; our part is to accept his invitation and receive the gift of the Lamb.

Psalm 40 says, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.

Here I am, I have come, I desire to do your will, O God; your law is within my heart." God seeks our willingness, not our sacrifice.

In First Corinthians Paul stresses God's free invitation repeatedly: "called to be an apostle, called to be holy, God has called you into fellowship with his Son..."

The Lamb is a free gift.

The Lamb also cleans house.

John describes Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Sin has saturated our world ever since the Fall; by Jesus' sacrifice one day sin will be replaced by everlasting righteousness.

Sin surrounds us like the snow these days, wherever you look, there it is.

Sin is like the deep snow that plugs roads and prevents our access from where we want to go.

Jesus then is like the snow plow that clears away the sin and brings us to God.

Or there's the type of snow that's not deep but very slippery, making us lose traction, slip and slide, and do injury to other people.

One member of Presybytery Executive this week on the way to our meeting witnessed a fender-bender due to the slippery streets so stopped and gave her name as a witness.

Like a skiff of slippery snow on the street, sin makes our lives greasy, we ram into other people or push them out of our way, indifferent to their feelings or goals.

The Lamb clears away the sin like a snow plow removing the snow.

The Psalmist praises God saying, "he lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock, and gave me a firm place to stand." President Clinton's name is being dragged through the mud on national television because of his lack of self-control and thinking he could get away with something.

Sin is so deep-rooted and deceptive: if sin can topple the most powerful man in that nation, what kind of grip might it have on you and me? But for the grace of God...

The Lamb cleans house, and fills with something better.

John declares that Jesus is "He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit." The Lamb doesn't just empty our life of sin, but fills and infuses us with God's own being, bringing out in us our own unique gifts, giving us a desire for Scripture, for fellowship, for prayer, making it possible for us to feel God's presence with us and let his love and goodness flow into our lives.

Paul reminds the believers in Corinth they were sanctified in Christ Jesus, given grace in him, enriched in him in every way through speaking and knowledge.

As a church they didn't lack any spiritual gift, and Christ would keep them strong to the end, blameless on the day of Jesus' return, rather than hauled up before courts heavenly or earthly.

If the Lamb taking away our sin is like snow removal, filling with the Spirit is like the salt truck following the plow.

The salt is chemically active, lowering the freezing point of the ice so it turns to liquid.

So the Holy Spirit thaws the hardness of our heart, stays within us, remaining active with God's warmth in the place where sin used to be.

The Lamb cleans, fills, and then changes us to be the best people we can possibly be.

Jesus looked at Simon and said, "You are Simon son of John.You will be called Peter" meaning "rock".

In the gospels Peter is anything but a rock.

Impulsive and unstable, one moment he's vowing to die with Jesus, the next he's denying him.

But see the difference after Pentecost.

He's not afraid of anything; proclaiming the Good News about Jesus is what counts, whether or not the chief priests are out to get him.

So when the Lamb meets us one-on-one, the results are life-changing.

Les Lofgren of London ON is Canada's International Representative to West Africa for the Gideons.

Visiting Ghana last year, Les was told by a pastor named George how receiving Christ had changed his life.

Before, George would go into an area to destroy God's work by the magic of ju-ju.

He burned homes and upset Christian work yet was never brought to justice because he was in an essentially non-Christian fetish area.

One day George was given a New Testament.

He took it home and put it in front of his main god.

Next day he found the Testament lying there but the statue had split down the centre and fallen apart.

He thought this was only a coincidence, so had another god made, but the experience was repeated.

God worked in George's heart until he received Christ as Saviour.

Later, as a businessman, he joined the Gideons and distributed God's word out in the hills.

God told him to build a church; he did, and filled it not with Christians, but with people who had seen the change in his life.

Now the church is filled with new Christians and on Sundays there is standing room only.

As the Lamb changed Simon into a rock, so George found a new and better calling.

Jesus sees the potential in each one of us and equips us with unique spiritual gifts to serve the Lamb.

Cleaning house, filling with the Spirit, changing our behaviours - all this God offers to us free of charge in the Lamb his Son.

Though we can't buy any of this or earn our way to heaven, since it's all by God's sheer grace, there is a response we can make.

The lessons hint that our response can include our TIME and our TESTIMONY.

Time: the two disciples asked Jesus where he was staying, and he said, "Come and you will see." And they spent the day with him.

We too respond to Christ's invitation by committing our time to be with him.

God has a claim on our time: each week has 168 hours, surely we can give some of those back.

Paul tells the Corinthians, "God has called you into FELLOWSHIP with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." Not an arm's-length business deal with a silent partner, but into FELLOWSHIP.

And we all know the only way to get to know someone is to spend time with them, in this case, daily and weekly.

The other response these Scriptures bring out is our testimony.

John calls out, "Look..." The writer says, "John gave this TESTIMONY...I saw the Spirit come down...I have seen and TESTIFY that this is the Son of God." He told two of his own disciples, even though he must have known he'd lose them to the new kid on the block.

First thing Andrew does is go and find brother Simon, saying, "We have found the Messiah." He's testifying too.

In 1 Corinthians Paul is very conscious of his calling to be an apostle, an announcer or testifier.

He says, "Our TESTIMONY about Christ was confirmed in you." Paul preached, but it was Jesus who followed up, bringing conversion and diverse
spiritual gifts just as Paul had said he could.

God wants our testimony, our witness to what he's done in our lives, and sharing the promises that can bring people the deep changes for good they really need.

The Psalmist says quite a bit about testimony.

"Yahweh put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord...I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips...I don't hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly." How many of us are closet Christians, afraid to mention Jesus' name in public or even with friends? What are we afraid of? Why is it so easy to say, "Good luck" instead of, "God bless"? Even a small cross ornament in a front window can be a noticeable testimony, confessing the allegiance of the owners of this house.

Yet it's hard to get the words out.

We don't want to seem fake or preachy.

That shouldn't happen if we stay genuine and stick to simple instances of what God's done in our own lives.

Second-hand evidence isn't allowed in a court of law; direct experience is what testimony really means.

Who will deny what really happened to you, by God's grace?

In a revival meeting led by Dwight L.Moody, a young convert arose to give his testimony for what God had done for him in Jesus Christ.

Unaccustomed to public speaking and somewhat overawed by the size of the crowd, the young man began to stammer and became almost incoherent.

Just then a brash unbeliever turned to him and said, "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, standing there and mumbling like that!" The young man said, "Yes, I am ashamed of myself, but I am not ashamed of Jesus Christ!" Here was a person who had seen and felt a new factor in his life, and though he found himself to be face of it, yet no one could point a finger at him, for Christ's companionship was something greater than anyone could imagine or measure.

The December Reader's Digest carried the story of a man with a different testimony.

Brother Bill Tomes is a 63-year-old lay youth worker with the Catholic church in inner-city Chicago.

He works with rival gangs at a housing project and throughout the city.

When a late-night call informs him warfare is breaking out, he drives to the project, starts praying, walks to the place where the shooting usually begins, and intervenes with bullets flying around.

He's counted 53 that he's heard whiz close by.

Sometimes gang members scream, "Get out the way, Brother Bill! Move!" but he tells them, "No, I will not, because I love you." During the day he builds bonds with youngsters, often playing with them on the basketball courts.

He comforts mourners at funerals, often resulting from gang violence.

When a 21-year-old gang leader was bleeding to death from gunshot wounds to the chest, Brother Bill spoke softly the last words the young man would hear on this earth: "God made you, he loves you.

He wants you to be with Him forever."

Brother Bill preaches by his action, believing gangsters will only change by viewing themselves under the light of a divine presence.

He keeps only one statistic: the number of souls saved.

His life is a powerful witness to Christ in the face of death.

It all began when he stopped in a Ukrainian Catholic Church to pray about a decision between 2 job offers: one as a therapist in a hospital and another as an executive trainee with a major airline.

The bottom line in either of those jobs would have been more - as people see it.

But Brother Bill looked to the Lamb, received his cleansing and Spirit, and responded with his time and testimony.

May Jesus share the power of such love and forgiveness and faith in our lives, amidst our companions.

Amen.

"Remembering the Hereafter: No Fishing in Comfortable Pews" - 990124 Mt.4:12-25 1Cor.1:10-17

(I think I've told this joke before, but it gets us into the sermon, so please bear with me.) A pastor was visiting with a parishioner when he tactfully broached the matter of her spiritual life, inquiring, "Mrs.Jones, have you ever given much thought to the hereafter?" She replied, "Oh yes, I think of it quite often.

Why, just last week I went down into the basement to get something, and when I got there I said to myself, 'Now what am I hereafter?'"

Many of us can relate to that joke because we've been in the same boat.

We head somewhere for a purpose, get preoccupied with something else, and by the time we arrive we've forgotten what it was we set out for.

Usually it's a minor inconvenience and we can laugh at ourselves and go on.

Some people, though, are afflicted with a poor memory as a result of a condition such as Alzheimer's; then it's not funny anymore.

One minute they're clear as a bell, the next they're off talking to someone who died 40 years ago.

Or they head out the door with no coat on to go for a walk when there is snow on the ground.

Sometimes institutions as well as individuals develop a faulty memory and forget what they're "hereafter".

The church has been known to get sidetracked and forgetful, even to the point of a chronic state of Alzheimers, living in the past and out of touch with reality.

We succumb to old habits and things of the past, no longer aware of God's purpose for us in the here and now.

Through our Scriptures today, God calls us to revisit the beginnings of the Christian project, re-orient ourselves and get a grip, to remember just what it is Christ's followers are here for.

As Matthew begins the story of Jesus' public ministry, he notes that it started in an unexpected setting: "Galilee of the Gentiles, people living in darkness, in the land of the shadow of death." Back in the time of Isaiah after 730 BC, this northern buffer zone had suffered most at the hands of the invading Assyrian army.

Interesting that Jesus chose this isolated outpost region to begin his ministry.

This reminds us that today the context in which we as church find ourselves is still a world of darkness and hurt, pain, fear, and isolation - people living in the land of the shadow of death.

Humans are painfully aware of life's brevity and disappointments.

As Jesus brought what the prophet called "great light" into his context and culture, so his followers have a positive message of hope and change in a society riddled with corruption (affecting even the judges of our competitions apparently, as in the case of the Olympic Committee).

In a fallen world, Christians with integrity shine like stars in the night sky.

Jesus' first public pronouncement is not as startling as it might be.

He takes up the previous message of the now-imprisoned John the Baptist: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." In the rat race where the default mode of life is selfishness and "what's in it for me?", and evil inclines us to compete rather than co-operate, Jesus' followers begin by challenging people to stop, turn around, wake up, and admit what they've been doing is wrong.

Like sheep going astray, each of us has wandered from the path, we have fallen short of the beauty of God's plan for us.

Repentance involves coming clean, confessing sin's strange perversity in our decisions and desires.

Joke from the Middle East, where the so-called peace process has yet to succeed: A scorpion wanted to cross the river but could not swim, so he asked a frog to carry him.

The frog said, "But if I take you on my back, you'll sting me." The scorpion assured him, "No, I won't; if I did, we'd both drown." The frog saw the logic in this and let the scorpion hop on.

Halfway across, the scorpion stung him.

As the two of them sank, the frog asked, "Why did you do that?" The scorpion replied, "Because this is the Middle East."

This happens not only amongst nations, but in our personal lives, when we sabotage our relationships with those who are closest to us and whom we depend on the most; not because it's the Middle East, but because we're scorpions, sin's "sting" is too easy for us to unleash.

So, Jesus began with John's call to repent.

But whereas the Baptist had a message of potential doom and seemed to operate on the threat of God's judgment, on a basis of fear, Jesus' approach goes further.

It is called GOOD news, very positive, based on love not fear.

God's Holy Spirit residing in Jesus touched the broken world with healing of all kinds of diseases.

In Christ's compassion, God's power became active, changing people's hurting lives for the better.

Now, Jesus could have had terrific impact all by himself.

He would have accomplished many wonderful things and even brought salvation through the atonement of the cross.

But Jesus' vision was far broader than just one individual's solitary project.

He intentionally began to draw a small group of dedicated followers around him to be trained and carry on the God's work after he was gone.

He chose to select disciples, even though one would prove to be a Judas.

He chose 12 so the ministry would be multiplied and continued long after he was no longer physically on earth.

As church, sometimes we forget this aspect of Christianity: we're meant to multiply.

We enjoy worship for ourselves, we're quite content with always the same small group where we're known and appreciate one another.

But we've forgotten to grow and spread the joy.

A colleague in ministry recently gave me a copy of a book his denomination is using in Canada to help churches grow.

It's by a German researcher to studied over 1000 churches on all continents to find out what conditions are present in healthy, growing churches.

Researcher Schwarz writes, "After we had processed all 4.2 million survey answers, we calculated which of the 170 variables had the most significant relationship to church growth.

It is probably no coincidence that our computer survey selected this variable in the area of "holistic small groups": "Our church consciously promotes the multiplication of small groups through cell division." If we were to identify any one principle as the "most important"...then without a doubt it would be the multiplication of small groups."

When Jesus did not confine ministry to himself but chose disciples, he was choosing to multiply himself: to mentor and support and train others, to reproduce, to make himself accountable and vulnerable in a small group.

His method was to mulitiply through people, not just keep everything to himself and under his control.

Interesting as well who he chose.

Fishermen.

People with a one-track mind, very purpose-driven: if it doesn't have to do with their sole enterprise of getting a fish into the frypan, a fisherman isn't interested.

It's important for us as church to keep front and centre our dual mandate of the Great Commandment and Great Commission, not get sidetracked into solely enjoyable worship or solely public service.

We're here to fish, not be stuck inside an aquarium.

What is Jesus' invitation to Peter and Andrew? "Come, follow me." Accompany me, stick around, learn from me.

Later he would elaborate that if anyone wants to come with him they must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow him.

After the resurrection when Peter was drawing the conclusion that he might be killed while John would survive longer, Jesus reminded him, "What is that to you? Follow me!" We are called to follow Jesus, who in sacrificial love and faithfulness gave his life for the world.

The word "disciple" has the connotation of someone who's spent a lot of time with a master, learning the secrets of the art, by practice and correction growing to conform their life to resemble that of the master.

It's not something you do on your own, but by constant interaction with the person discipling you.

Schwarz's research revealed that healthy growing churches had holistic small groups, quote, "which go beyond just discussing Bible passages to applying its message to daily life.

In these groups, members are able to bring up those issues and questions that are immediate personal concerns.

Holistic small groups are the natural place for Christians to learn to serve others -both in and outside the group -with their spiritual gifts...The meaning of the term "discipleship" becomes practical in the context of holistic small groups: the transfer of life, not rote learning of abstract concepts." Did you catch that? Discipleship is the "transfer of life".

By choosing these fishermen, Jesus was aiming to make them followers, disciples, to transfer his life into theirs and multiply himself.

In the same way, he wants to reproduce himself in us and help us share that with others.

If "follow me" is the challenge or demand, it is accompanied by a promise: "I will make you fishers of men." "You're gonna be catching people from now on." Now right away your experienced fishermen minds are asking, "What's the bait? What lure will make that possible?" The hook or net Jesus supplies us is the gospel.

When we present as fact the story of his dying for our sins to bring us to God, and his eyewitnessed resurrection, the Holy Spirit works in people's souls to draw them into God's safety-net.

Jesus said, "But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." The gospel is the hook, and we should each be able to use it, to give a reason for the hope that is in us.

It is good if we can learn to tie our own lures, as fly-fishermen often make up their own individualized ones; but the hook is the same underneath the details, because the heart of it is what God was doing at the cross.

The church at Corinth was getting amnesia or Alzheimer's already, even though it was less than 20 years since Jesus' time.

They were getting sidetracked, splitting apart into camps aligning themselves with different preachers, when Paul wrote his letter to wake them up and jog their memory.

"Is Christ divided?" he asks, using a verb like cutting up a pie into slices.

"Was Paul crucified for you?" Obviously, no.

The apostle was reminding them that though he and Apollos and Cephas may each have brought the message in a slightly different way, that was window-dressing: the key germ or common starting point for all believers was Christ's sacrifice for us.

Paul continues, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." When Paul shared the gospel, he shot straight from the hip, simple and straightforward, not coating the basic facts with fine-sounding philosophy or educated rhetoric.

He wanted the sheer event of the cross to bring its full impact by the Spirit, not be watered-down or nullified by unnecessary additions.

Another of the 8 quality characteristics Schwarz discovered in all growing churches is what he calls, "Need-oriented evangelism".

Now, only about 10% of Christians have what the New Testament would call the gift of evangelism.

But every believer can share the gospel.

Schwarz says, "It is the task of each Christian to use his or her gifts to serve non-Christians with whom one has a personal relationship, to see to it that they hear the gospel, and to encourage contact with the local church.The key to church growth is for the local congregation to focus its evangelistic efforts on the questions and needs of non-Christians.This "need-oriented" approach is different from "manipulative programs"..." Each of us can fish.

Someone calls you on the phone about a trial or stress in their life.

Tell them, as plainly as you can, how Jesus has helped you and how the cross gives you hope.

If the willingness to hear is there, they'll open up and ask more.

Matthew's account shows that when Jesus called disciples, there were things they had to leave behind.

Nets, boats, parents had to be abandoned in order to follow the Lord.

What might the nets represent? How about the way we've always done things? Old traditions have to be left behind if the church is to grow and change to relate to different cultures.

The seven last words of the church: "We never did it that way before." This graph (NCD 29) shows the effect of traditionalism on stunting church growth.

In quality growing churches only 8% of members considered their church to be tradition-bound; but in low quality declining churches, fully one-half, 50% of members viewed their church as bound by tradition.

Perhaps the nets could also represent our preoccupation with our occupation, workaholism, ways out time gets enmeshed or caught up in secular activities.

Bringing home the bacon can become an idol if it's taking time away from other priorities God has for us.

Even after the resurrection, Peter found himself hankering to go back to the nets, but Christ showed him it was better to follow him.

James and John had to leave boats behind; probably their family business was a higher-grade operation than Peter and Andrew who just stood in shallow water and cas t their nets.

What are boats in the church? Maybe the building; the big organ; even getting tied to a certain patch of real estate.

Christ's vision is bigger than all these.

Last Sunday at Central during the covenanting service for their new minister of visitation, it was impressive to hear the huge pipe organ, and the handbell choir.

Though I have been struck by how the organ with its trumpets projecting from the wall like muskets does detract from the cross hanging behind the pulpit.

On real estate, our own church would benefit from some presence (like a billboard if not a building) across the highway from the MTO; many residents who drive down Pineshores or up on the mountain may not have a clue where the United Church even is.

Or would we, like some United Churches, allow refugees facing deportation to dangerous countries to find refuge within our walls?

The Zebedees left their father in the boat.

Sometimes when people become Christians it causes a rift in the family; parents may not be comfortable with a certain brand of religion, or the person's faith is made a subject of ridicule and scorn by unbelieving relatives.

Then we need to seek comfort in our Heavenly Father rather than succumb to Satan's pressure.

Or, Zebedee may repres ent denominational loyalties or prejudices.

Paul warned the Corinthians not to emphasize their branch, as belonging to Paul or Apollos or Cephas, but instead to seek Christ's unity.

Other churches and our own have been doing some creative fishing already, rather than being stuck in a comfortable pew.

For example, the Free Methodists on St.Joseph Island began Saturday night movies through the summer as an outreach to cottagers.

When the students here at Mountainview were unable to be bussed home recently due to road closures, the Catholic church provided supper.

And I am always amazed at the children from outside our own church who enjoy Judy's leadership in Young People's.

Those who took part in the Christmas Pageant surely must have known that Jesus was the Reason for the Season! During the summer not long ago, our church also organized a float in the Community Day Parade, with the them "Fishers of Men" and pamphlets to hand out along the parade route.

As Christ's followers, each of us can be asking ourselves the question: "What is one way this year I can creatively bring the message of the cross into my range of contacts?"

This October we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the building of our sanctuary.

This special year offers other opportunities to creatively "cast the net" of the gospel.

Let's not be so focused on ourself though that we start to suffer from Alzheimer's (even if we are getting up there in years).

We are here for a purpose.

May Jesus be pleased to shine his light through us, as he makes us into his very own fishers.

Let us pray.

"SIGNS WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK WITH JESUS: 1.Word,2.Sacrament,3.Conviction,4.Others' Witness" - 990418 3rd of Easter - Acts 2:14a,36-41; Luke 24:13-35

Life is complex.

It's easy to become perplexed.

Without reassurance or guidance, things rapidly deteriorate and we're soon vexed.

This past week we were returning from Emily's graduation out in Edmonton.

We were heading home through Wisconsin: Keith at the wheel, Yvonne and the two younger girls squished in the back, while I rambled along reading aloud through CS Lewis' science fiction trilogy.

Yvonne asked for the road map, which I handed back to her, then continued reading.

A little later she interrupted again, saying, "If this is Bovey, we're on the wrong road." The signs by the road did in fact confirm that we were in Bovey, Wisconsin, about 10 minutes off Highway 2 which we were SUPPOSED to be on.

The four-lane highway had swung north, and neither driver nor navigator had noticed that #2 turned south.

The map showed a secondary road cutting the corner so we could get back on 2 without simply backtracking.

To find that road we had to ask a local fellow who told us to turn around and take a left at the Dairy Queen.

A quarter of an hour later we were back on 2; after that Keith and I watched the signs a little more closely.

Life's twists and turns can be just as surprising and tricky as the bends and angles highways take midst Wisconsin lakes.

Often we're left perplexed and wondering; if only we could be assured what's the right thing to do, or that things will turn out all right.

These may be situations such as awaiting surgery; a change of vocation, entering the workforce or retirement; even the shifting shades of parenting as the children grow into another stage and what used to work DOESN'T anymore.

At such unsettled times we seek assurance that Jesus is still with us, guiding and providing; that Christianity is not all just a fairy tale, like some fantastic cult based on a guru's imagination or a comet's appearing.

A radio interview featured a survivor of the Bosnia ethnic cleansings from a few years back; she's now taking English as Second Language courses at a Mennonite church in Toronto.

She recalls the days the planes came over and bombs started falling.

The strange thing is, her father kept on his daily routine, going out to the field to plant.

No one knew whether there would be anyone left to eat the crops, or if they would even grow; nevertheless the father planted, saying, "It's all there is to do." Likewise there are times in our lives when we are puzzled and fearful, longing for some assurance that God will see us through our difficulty and keep us steered in the right direction through the unknown backwoods.

Luke in his description of Jesus' post-resurrection appearance on the road to Emmaus, and of Peter's message on the day of Pentecost, relates 4 signs that can be as helpful to us as those at Bovey Wisconsin in getting us back on the right road, assuring us we're headed the along the way in which Jesus can meet us and journey with us.

Please open your Bibles and read along with me...

(Lk.24:13-24) Note the perplexity of the travellers: the women surprised them, they didn't find the body, angels flitting around...all very disturbing.

(25-27) This is the first sign which argues in favour of the resurrection: the recorded witness of the prophets from centuries before the time of Christ.

The sign of the written Word: "everything the prophets said", "the Messiah HAD to suffer these things", "what was said about himself in all the SCRIPTURES - Moses and the writings of all the prophets." They had seen it coming; through the telescope of the gift of prophecy these Spirit-led men from times past had foreseen the need and triumph of Christ's death and resurrection.

(28-31) The second road sign, the sacrament of communion.

Christ had given the disciples the symbolism of bread and wine the night he was betrayed, he viewed his death as supplying nurture for those who follow him.

These material elements we take in our hand and consume he interpreted to suggest his blood and body transfusing us with life and forgiveness.

The fact that he planned the sacraments as rites to be repeated, along with the grace we savour as we participate in the Lord's Supper and Baptism, assure us there was meaning in what must have seemed to many to be a tragedy.

The living Christ is recognized in our midst as we break the bread.

(32) "A fire burning in us" as he explained the Scriptures.

This is the third sign, inner conviction, feeling the Spirit's nudge inside us as we hear the Word and feel smitten by some phrase, convinced God was aiming it directly at us.

This very subjective internal feeling is the sign most hard to verify scientifically, and most subject to ridicule by those who would label us as deluded, but it can be the most powerful experience in a person's life.

Recall John Wesley's experience at Aldersgate as he heard Luther's introduction to Romans being read and felt his own "heart strangely warmed".

The substance to faith which the young Anglican missionary who had braved the voyage to the New World and back LACKED yet was so impressed with in the Moravians who sung their way confidently through raging ocean storms, was now his.

The fire burning in the heart, inward conviction, is the third road sign Christ is near.

(33-35) The final sign is the witness of others: the eleven apostles said the Lord had risen and appeared to Simon Peter.

Most people do not believe just because the Bible says it is so; our parents, preachers, Sunday School teachers, Christian classmates and others whose lives we've admired - all these too have backed up the story of the resurrection, evidencing it in their own behaviour and words, echoing the testimony of the first eyewitnesses.

Few come to faith as hermits; most of us have been impacted by the community of faith, Christ's impact as felt and communicated by many others.

The fourth sign is the witness of the church by the apostles (who would not likely have been martyred for something they knew to be untrue) and all Christians since.

You can find these same 4 signs in Acts 2 as well, though in reverse order.

Peter said to the crowd, "God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ" - that's the witness of others.

When he said this, the people listening were "cut to the heart" - another sign, inner conviction as the Spirit pins 'em.

When they ask what they should do, Peter urges, "Repent and be baptized" - a sacrament, a third sign.

Last there is the sign of the Word, Scripture: Peter says, "The promise is for you and your children..." What promise is he talking about? Why, just what he was quoting before from the Old Testament writers Joel and David.

Joel prophesied, "I will pour out my Spirit on all people...Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." David sang, "You will not abandon me to the grave." Four signs: Word, sacrament, inner conviction, the church's apostolic witness.

Perhaps it's stretching it a little, but you can think of what happened in Wisconsin as an illustration of these four things.

It started with the map and the signpost: external, objective reference drawn up long before by others - analogous to the prophets writing holy Scripture.

We became convinced we were on the wrong road - inner conviction.

We asked a local person for help, and he told us how to get back on the road - like the church's witness, others telling us personally what Christ has done for them.

Finally we turned around (meaning of the word "repent") and steered left at the Dairy Queen (the analogy's weak here, I'm not going to suggest Peanut Buster Parfaits for communion): a sacrament puts faith into action, leaving sin behind, receiving the elements as the Lord's new life and direction into ourselves.

I suppose one could argue that the map was out of date in some areas due to recent road construction, or incomplete in not showing latitude and longitude, or defective in suggesting that the world is flat.

Just as people try to pick holes in the Bible.

I suppose one could argue I shouldn't have taken the advice of a complete and utter stranger - after all, he may have been lying or a fool or in league with bandits lying in ambush.

Just as people criticize the church.

I suppose one could argue we didn't get turned around the right way, seeing as we had a false start up one street before we asked for advice.

Just as people ridicule others' conversion experiences, or poke fun at baptism by sprinkling or immersion, or argue whether it's best to use wine or grape juice or bread or wafers.

The point is, the map and the advice and the conviction and the turning taken together DID get us back on the right road! They were effective, they worked, and altogether brought us assurance and brought us home.

So God's road signs may come to us in surprisingly human or rudimentary form, even in the unpolished speech of another AA member, but Christ's Spirit uses the signs to get us moving and accepting his reality.

Reformers argued the True Church was where the Word was preached and the Sacraments faithfully administered.

Perhaps to Word and Sacrament the additional two signs, witness of others and personal conviction, can be joined as 4 things which capture the ESSENCE of the church.

As a group they encourage a balance between "traditional" or formal church life and the more modern evangelistic / charismatic "personal" type of religion.

A couple of church services out in Edmonton were for me assuring signs that Christ is alive and moving in his church.

Last Sunday with Emily we attended Capilano Christian Assembly, a Brethren congregation where two of her Bible School's faculty members serve as deacons.

They had busted the previous building at the seams, so were using a Korean Presbyterian church building while waiting for their new chapel to be built.

And the congregation filled the interim building, too.

Music was led by a worship team with drums, flute, piano, and guitars.

The organ sat unused through the whole service.

1 or 2 hymns were from the hymn book, but most of the songs were on the overhead.

One of the two new deacons ordained was of obviously Asian descent.

Some people raised their hands in worship, which surprised me for a Brethren church.

The sermon began with a 6-minute video clip from a recent movie, Les Miserables, made possible by a high-tech several-thousand-dollar projector.

I wore a suit but could see hardly anyone else wearing one in the congregation of a couple hundred.

Afterwards, outside I shook hands with an older gentleman in suit and tie who turned out to be a founding member of the church.

If he was perplexed or wondering what had happened to the church as he USED to know it, he gave no indication.

Certainly some old worship routines had died, but apparently Jesus was being glorified and felt in fellowship in the new ways too.

That night Emily's class and our family attended a young people's praise and worship event at Mt.Carmel.

When we arrived the place was already packed.

I found a couple of chairs at the very front at the far corner of the room, but I needn't have bothered - everybody stood anyway for most of the hour-and-a-half concert: singing, clapping, energized by the volume of the talented musicians with piano, guitars, and drums.

If more than 3 of the songs were older than a decade it would surprise me; I didn't know 90% of them, but soon found myself singing along anyway with the words on the overhead.

The "message" if you could call it that was about 4 minutes in total; nothing intellectual, just very forthright and genuine.

Yet the power in the praise was infectious, and the joy and delight on the faces of the teenagers were strong arguments in themselves for a loving Lord who could save from sin.

Cleopas and spouse or friend - the two walking along the Emmaus road - would soon find their Jewish traditions rocked in the early church:
worship time changing from Saturday to Sunday; pork-eating Gentiles and women welcomed in worship...

But it was on that road Jesus Christ shared with these two the key signs of what church is all about, the conditions which prepare us to enjoy his companionship: word, sacrament, heartfelt conviction, others' witness.

Signs that reassure us of the reality of the resurrection and Jesus' companionship when our own road is uncertain.

We did break down and rent a video one night in a motel room.

It was "Patch Adams" with Robin Williams (we would have edited out a few parts).

Having come close to suicide, Patch decided to become a doctor in order to help people.

A genius, grades were no problem for him, but as a fun-loving idealist he wanted to change the way hospital care was given.

He wanted it to be free to all, and much more personal, treating the whole person not just the disease.

When his girlfriend / co-worker is murdered by responding to a client's need as he would, Patch considers ending his fledgling free clinic and jumping off a cliff.

Totally perplexed and complaining to God, for a moment he rejects the divine and turns away from the cliff, muttering that God "isn't worth it".

But as he turns he notices a monarch butterfly on his satchel which he'd put down behind him.

His girlfriend, abused as a child, had often dreamed of being a caterpillar that could turn into a butterfly and fly away.

Patch perceives the butterfly as a sign from God; a sign that perhaps his co-worker's death was not in vain.

Thus assured, he overcomes difficulties to graduate and set up an innovative practice at which hundreds of doctors seek to be trained today.

A butterfly...a Book...broken bread...a twinge in the heart or a friend's telling of God's work in their own life: when we are perplexed and uncertain in life, God provides signs such as these to assure us that Jesus is truly alive.

Signs which, if we heed them, bring us to journey with him and not be lost; sings that bring us not to Bovey, but to his Beauty.

Let us pray.

"Enter through the Gate to Find Life: How Sheep can be Saved from Thieves Within and Without" - 990425 Jn.10:1-10 1Pet.2:19-25

Gates and doors can be reassuring.

We want to have some control over who comes and goes in our life.

Recently we heard about a family who had an intoxicated fellow banging on their door at three in the morning.

I'm sure it helped them to know he couldn't just walk right in! When we lived in Congo, houses were protected with decorative ironwork right over the windows.

In this country, houses nowadays have doors and windows that lock.

With so much crime in the news, security has become a big issue; now we even have vehicles that arm themselves and sound the alarm if touched.

We have become very guarded, very protective, because of the evil in the world.

There has been a tragic shooting in a Denver high school which left 15 dead and over 20 wounded in hospital.

Two students in trenchcoats, full of rage and equipped with guns and bombs, went on a rampage.

Such a horrible event, senseless, unthinkable - yet in the dark side of human nature lies the inclination and power to actually do such a thing.

So very early in life we learn to put up walls and gates in our relationships, guarding ourselves lest we be hurt, keeping our distance from those of whom we're suspicious.

Jesus warned his hearers about people who would be thieves and robbers, whose mission is but to steal, kill, and destroy as in the Denver tragedy.

People who try to climb over the walls that we erect.

"All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers," he said; false Messiahs and would-be world rulers have abounded in history.

Hitler, for example, was practically worshipped; Nazism has been the cause of the death of millions, stealing of the Jews' possessions, destruction on a grand scale all in the name of the Reich.

Interesting that the two Colorado culprits were fascinated with Nazism and chose Hitler's birthday for their murderous suicidal plot.

When a person rejects God, self quickly assumes the throne, and other people are merely competitors to be overpowered or snuffed out.

Our fallen human nature does not make good Messiah material, we can't stand too much power.

Jesus, however, was different.

He proclaimed, "I am the gate" - the "I" is emphatic in the original language, mirroring the expression used for God's self-expression in the Old Testament, one of the 7 "I am" statements in John.

Jesus is the gate, our true point of access to God the Father; he demolished the dividing wall of hostility, his Holy Spirit sanctifies us so we're fit to enter the presence of the Holy Awesome Creator.

We're safe with him, he's the one we don't need to put up defences against to protect ourselves because his Messiahship isn't megalomania, trying to be head honcho at others' expense.

Christ came not to take life from us as a thief or killer, but to give it to us; as he promises, life "to the full", abundant.

"Whoever enters through me will be saved, come in and go out, and find pasture." Perfect safety against forces that would clamber over the walls and invade our life comes from entering this gate.

How? He already defeated Satan at the cross, absorbing the brunt of evil's destruction.

Not that he deserved it.

Jesus was sinless, perfectly good, yet suffered for us, accepting the insults others hurled.

Peter writes, "He bore our sins in his body on the tree...by his wounds YOU have been healed."

Jesus uses the analogy of a shepherd coming to get one owner's sheep for a day's feeding from a fold or large pen in which several owners' flocks of sheep are protected overnight from poachers by a night watchman.

The guardian opens the gate for the shepherd because he recognizes him.

The shepherd then proceeds to call just the sheep of his flock by name, and they follow him out to pasture.

The reason Shepherd Jesus can open the gate is that he has an agreement with God the Father - an agreement based on him laying down his life for the sheep.

Later in the chapter he states, "I give my sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

I and the Father are one."

The scariest gate I know is the one at the Sault jail.

Those doors don't have knobs to work, just handles to grab and pull.

If the electrically controlled latch is across, no way are you opening that door! When they close behind you, there is a tremendous slam that reverberates all through that part of the building.

Getting out depends on the person in the control module recognizing my picture as a legitimate volunteer.

The only way you can get a picture is to have a whole security check run on you, which takes some time to assure the system you're "clean".

The gate at the Last Judgment that should have consigned me to hell's prison as fallen short of God's glory is just as unyielding as that jail door.

But on that security check, Jesus' record was substituted for mine.

He did my time.

Because he took my place on the cross, I can enter the gate of heaven and take a place with him at God's side.

All because I belong to the one who has an agreement with the gatekeeper.

So, to recap thus far: we have defences to keep out thieves and destroyers in this corrupt, competitive world.

Jesus is the one Gate we can enter to be completely safe.

Pretty exclusive of him to say that; but then neither Buddha nor Mohammed nor Shirely Maclaine even pretended to be the world's Saviour.

The Gate is there to be used.

So? Nobody can force you to go through it; you have to come to it, and enter of your own purposing.

This particular church building has 2 doors, front and back; the front one is used all the time, the back one hardly ever.

The problem for many people is that they treat the front door like the back one: they never use it.

They choose to avoid the need for worship in their lives; to that extent, they shut Jesus out, and dismiss him as irrelevant.

Only to discover less well-meaning influences clambering over the wall of their life, lording it over them.

Still, Jesus calls, the sound of the shepherd's voice beckoning his sheep.

Like the gate's mere being there induces in you a decision to use it or not, Jesus' call requires a response from us, whether we'll come or not.

Our role as Christ's witnesses is to alert people to the benefits of the gate, sell them on the green pasture we've discovered on the other side.

Any church that takes Jesus seriously will be evangelical, otherwise God wouldn't have given us a gate.

But it doesn't all end with just stepping across the threshold.

The decision to follow Jesus rather than go astray (in today's lingo, do our own thing) has radical and far-reaching implications in how we operate.

We quit being thieves toward others, and start being sheep.

Secretly, if we will admit it to ourselves, we know our fallen human tendency is to shut people out, or even steal from them.

Though we wouldn't call it that.

"Take advantage of the situation" sounds more like it; "fudge the figures" a bit so less ends up in the pockets of the tax people in Shawinigan and more in ours.

One of the students at Denver commented on the expression in one of the gunmen's eyes: "When he looked at me, the guy's eyes were just dead." Do people ever sense that in us? Do we avoid eye contact deliberately, pull back from involvement?

Surely the shooter's voices will haunt classmates' dreams for a long time.

There would be laughter after they shot someone.

One witness said it sounded "like they were having the time of their life." That dark side of human nature has been present in all of us; the temptation to take some perverse kind of pleasure in another's misery.

We assure ourselves by saying, "Serves so-and-so right that their teenager's acting out; should have been a better parent," rather than praying for them, offering a listening ear, refusing to prejudge before we know all the facts.

Without Jesus, we are all thieves; it's universal.

The same front page that described the Denver shootup told how Yugoslav troops may spread the conflict to other countries.

130,000 refugees clog Macedonia as a result of ethnic cleansing, yet Milosevic poses as a persecuted victim.

He responded to an attack on his high-rise political offices by calling it an act of "criminals", asserting "they cannot bend us"; scary that he has so many of his people still supporting him.

But wait a minute.

It's not just Serbs and Albanians that resent each other.

At the top of the page, the president of the Metis Nation of Ontario criticizes the Sault as "a deplorable place for Metis" - citing evidence of discrimination and marginalization that came to light in a recent court case.

The Denver gunmen belonged to a gang that hated blacks and Hispanics and was fascinated with the Nazis; is our prejudice against those of other blood so different from theirs? Jesus the Gate calls us continually to be less guarded, less self-protective, even against others in our own family.

It is a tough, at times vicious, world out there.

But it's not made any better by our closing doors, shutting out those who are different from us, or by hiding behind a macho stone wall.

Jesus the Gate invites us to enter his vulnerability, his suffering that bring healing.

In a recent military training video, General Romeo D'Allaire speaks openly about his suicidal tendencies following his stressful tour in Rwanda during the rebellion.

For troops overwhelmed with their own stresses, that one instance of a respected leader letting down his defences and revealing his own struggle will accomplish more than a thousand lectures.

That's the kind of vulnerability and openness Jesus calls us to in our relationship with Him and with each other - and those who are very different from us.

Entering Him will help us stop being thieves in sheep's clothing.

Let us pray.

"He's Leaving Us... Now What?" - John 14:1-14 1 Pet.2:2-10 - 990502

Once a male opera star had a part in a major production which involved an unusual exit.

The script called for him to step into a large wooden swan which was really a cart on wheels.

Then as he sang his last lines, the swan would slowly and gracefully be winched off the set by a technician behind the scenes.

The night of the production, however, things didn't go just as planned.

Through some confusion of signals the technician began pulling the swan off while the singer was only halfway through the piece.

Rather than spoil the scene by exiting early, the opera star stayed put until he was finished, by which time the swan was long gone.

In a voice low enough that only the first few rows could hear, he said, "What time does the next swan leave?"

Life is full of comings and goings, especially in today's mobile global village.

Sometimes illness takes a loved one away; sometimes it's work, or the call of romance.

Whatever the cause, the loss of a relationship is a profound change that may make us feel as if we've been "left high and dry" like the opera star.

The grief of leaving can cause a whole variety of emotions.

At the Last Supper (the disciples probably didn't guess it would be their last meal together until they went in), Jesus announced he would be going away, to a place where the disciples couldn't follow.

When he talked about the upcoming betrayal, John notes that the disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know what he meant.

Certainly they were in shock.

In the following moments we can also sense bargaining (Peter protesting he'd lay down his life in order to follow); denial, anger, fear - and plenty of questions.

But Jesus calmed his panicky flock, saying, "Don't let your hearts be troubled...Don't be afraid." Chapter 14 of John is aimed at giving the disciples assurance that everything was eventually going to be OK.

A congregation can have similar responses when the pastor announces he or she is moving on.

Shock, denial, fear, anger, maybe even relief - it's all there in the mix.

But Jesus' words also bring us assurance that things will work out, that someone's still going to be around to carry us through.

Jesus begins by urging, "Trust in God...trust also in me." The Almighty God is a tomb-buster! (though they wouldn't sense the full force of that until a few days later) Even if we have a gnawing sense of unease about what's happening, God is the God of possibilities.

Life will go on, God's master plan is still coming to completion, whatever apparent roadblocks are in our path.

Jesus goes on to promise that he will come back and take us to be with him; and that if we really knew him, we would know the Father as well.

Whatever individuals come and go in our life, the ultimate goal remains the same: a neverending relationship with Jesus Christ.

Friends may forsake us or lose touch, but being raised from death, Jesus will never be separated from us again if we've decided to be his.

Two unshakeable facts are at the bedrock of the Christian's life: the historical resurrection of Jesus, AND Christ's desire to have an ongoing relationship or "knowing" between us.

Hopefully pastors will continue to play a role in encouraging the development of members' relationship with the Lord, but the life of the church and believers is NOT meant to revolve around the pastor, but Christ.

It's not just that Jesus is "out there", but "in here" too - inside me.

He said, "It is the Father living IN ME, who is doing his work...Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.

He will do even greater things than these." Even though Christ is not physically present, he resides in us spiritually, we have a direct link, his power is available to us.

Verse 14: "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!" Wow! Talk about possibilities! Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension are not a "taking away" but instead a "multiplication".

Instead of just one living walking talking ambassador of God, there are many, as many as are led by Christ's Spirit.

When it comes to clergy, they have potential to do a lot of good, but some of them are terrific bottlenecks instead.

Why do many Presbytery and Conference events never get advertised at the pastoral charge level? Often the mail gets backlogged at the pastor's desk.

Sometimes a congregation becomes overdependent on the pastor to do the ministering, when ministry in all its splendour of shapes and sizes really belongs to all whom Christ is gifting with abilities and motivation.

Comfortable pew-sitters throw up their hands and say, "Leave ministry to the pastors - that's what we PAY them for!" By contrast, some churches that have had to learn to survive for some time in between professional pastors have found it exciting as lay people discovered new outlets in the church's life that had been lying dormant within them.

A healthier, richer church results.

Jesus being taken away at first turned into a multiplication, the disciples caught the vision and started training the next generation to carry on guided by the Spirit of the Resurrected One.

Peter in his first letter passes on to his successors some of these same insights.

He writes, "Come to him, the Living Stone: (thus) you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house." The life that throbbed in Jesus is poured into us as well, bringing forth surprising assets when we're challenged.

Peter the impetuous stubborn "Rock" found Jesus the living Stone softened his quick temper, steeled his courage, and gave him boldness to speak out even to those who crucified his Master.

Now he was a live stone too, not backing down or wimping out on his enemies.

We are happy about the 50th Anniversary of our church sanctuary this year, and want to celebrate it appropriately.

But the real house of worship here today belongs to each one who came through that door.

The early church met in each other's homes, and grew quickly through the intimate fellowship that resulted.

In my time here I have not managed to get the "church" (as a group, meeting in some recognizable way) out beyond these 4 walls into the community, apart from the occasional highway clean-up.

I would love to see some Bible study and prayer groups "spun off" into people's homes, where you can befriend your neighbour and show them Christianity is relevant to everyday living.

As living stones, enlivened by Christ the head living stone, YOU are this church's real sanctuary.

Wherever you go, you take Jesus' love and concern and hands and feet with you.

Out of the saltshaker.

Peter changes metaphors and indicates God has called us "to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices...a royal priesthood...that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." This first Pope was very Protestant! Right here we find the Scriptural basis for the cherished doctrine of the Reformation, the so-called "priesthood of all believers".

And here you thought I was the "priest"! From the aspect of worship, church folk don't really require human intermediaries - lest clergy become power hungry.

We all have one Mediator between God and people, Jesus Christ; we can go directly to him.

What are the functions of priests? Peter says a principal role is to offer spiritual sacrifices: praise, good deeds, offerings of money, and the offering of our bodies.

Praise: "declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Hebrews 13:15 urges us to continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name.

Dare we admit to someone, "I'm afraid I can't go along with that because I'm a Christian...I belong to Jesus, and I know his plans for me wouldn't include that." The sacrifice of praise.

The next verse in Hebrews says, "Don't forget to do good and to share with others, for with such SACRIFICES God is pleased.

Good deeds and offerings of money are part of our priestly duty.

Paul says the gifts the Philippians sent to him are "a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." If all our energy as churchgoers is focused on paying the pastor's salary or installing a new pipe organ, something is out of kilter.

The main mission draw in the early church seems to have been the poor and widows.

Doing good and sharing: simple sacrifices.

An important offering is that of our body.

Paul tells the church at Rome, "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God." Very difficult in a culture that sells fashion, image, sex appeal, and creature treats such as alcohol and drugs.

But the mere act of controlling oneself when temptation hits is a priestly worship offering.

Two other duties of priests, besides offering spiritual sacrifices, are interceding for people before God, and representing God before other people.

On intercession Paul urges, "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." One thing you have taught me as a church is the value of allowing for congregational input into the prayers in the service.

Clergy or no, you have a responsibility to keep on praying for each other.

And to give Godly advice and support.

We do represent God, often the Lord uses the words of a godly friend to speak to me.

James says, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." So even though we don't need another Mediator apart from Jesus, we do need to make ourselves accountable and embarrassingly honest to our peers in the faith.

I find these passages from John and Peter very reassuring as we go through changing times personally and in the pastoral charge.

God is trustworthy.

We haven't seen the last of Jesus, in fact the essence of life is coming to know him better, developing a one-on-one relationship quite apart from any given Sunday routine.

It is fascinating to contemplate the Father's power waiting to be unleashed in you, in me, in the many varied individuals that make up a church.

We have so much to share.

In early church worship, the function of the presider seems to have been more that of a traffic cop, just giving a little order to things so everybody didn't speak at once.

And there are so many ways we can be living stones, keenly sensitive priests in our chatting with a neighbour over the fence, lending a hand with someone's house renovation, honouring God with decisions about what we do with our bodies.

For a very practical example of Christians affiliated for none-churchy activities, take a look at the Gideons handout.

(photo) You have to admit, this group looks like a pretty ordinary bunch of guys.

Now just watch the chain reaction.

One Gideon had a good friend who was a prison guard.

He prayed for him and witnessed to him, and the guard received Christ.

The local chapter kept praying, and the Lord guided them to begin a prison ministry and made the prison officials agreeable.

Gideons began going into the prison every other Saturday evening.

Over the past 2 years, over 100 prisoners have become Christians.

Amazing! Each time before going to the prison, the members pray, seeking God's leading as to what to say.

"You will do even greater things than these," Jesus seems to promise, "because the Father is living IN you, doing his work...Just ask me and I'll do it!"

Life is full of times of parting, because we choose not to be hermits.

Leaving often means grieving; but we do not grieve as do those who have no hope.

Jesus was physically leaving the disciples, but would return to them in the Spirit, and will one day rejoin us all in his risen glorious body.

In the meantime, if we trust God, Jesus can use us all as priests: his life within makes us a spiritual home for the hurting, declaring God's praise and glory as we become increasingly aware of his mercy and light.

Even when we miss the swan, his Dove is a keeper! Let us pray.

"Mothers: God's Unsung Countercultural Agents" - 990509 Mothers' Day Ex.1:22;2:1-10 Lk.2:33-35,41-52; 2Tim.1:5-7;3:14-17

Being a mom has got to be one of God's highest callings, because the influence on the next generation is so profound. But it can be tough work. A mother was out in her yard one evening with her 3 active boys who were playing cops and robbers. One lad "shot" his mother and yelled, "Bang, you're dead." She slumped to the ground and when she didn't get up right away, a neighbour ran over to see if she had been hurt in the fall. But when the neighbour ben over, the overworked mother opened one eye and said, "Shhh.Don't give me away.It's the only chance I get to rest."

Parents, and mothers especially, are a precious resource. It is hard work. But without involvement from mom & dad, children suffer, and society suffers. Soon the boys aren't just playing cops and robbers, they're doing the real thing.

The tragic shooting of so many high school students in Colorado hints at what can happen with inferior parenting. It's reported that, before the incident, neighbours of the teenage gunmen heard sounds in the garage like a glass bottle being shattered by a baseball bat. Neighbours heard, but the parents didn't. Why not?

A couple of years ago in BC, a young woman named Rena Burke was killed after a "swarming" incident by juveniles and a young adult male. During the court proceedings, the mother of one of those who participated in the swarming explained that she wouldn't be attending much of the proceedings herself because she had a prebooked holiday in Mexico. Imagine - your daughter is a prime witness in a murder case, and you can't give up your holiday to be in court? Where are the priorities? It would appear that the teen's criminal involvement might somehow be related to a lack of nurture and direction from the parent. Leave them loose in the world, and a deadly subculture of drugs and alcohol is all too willing to take them in.

By contrast, Scripture tells us of several mothers who really cared about their children, and those children went on to accomplish great things in God's plan. Let's look briefly at the mother of Moses, of Timothy, and of Jesus.

Moses' mother was named Jochebed, meaning "Yahweh is glory". In response to Pharaoh's order that baby Hebrew boys be thrown into the Nile (ethnic cleansing Egyptian style), Jochebed shows herself to be a protector and deliverer. She actually committed an act of civil disobedience. Making a tiny raft in which to put her toddler shows creativity, bravery, spunk, and initiative. She was not going to dispose of her child's life for the sake of convenience. That's not the approach of some today who opt for abortion just for reasons of convenience. Jochebed was ready to suffer, maybe even die, in order to save her son.

Moses' mother also shows grace in preparing a child for the time when they must be let go. Pharaoh's daughter found the boy floating in the basket and hired Jochebed to nurse him for her; then came the day he went to Pharaoh's household for the rest of his upbringing. Jochebed probably didn't realize it at the time, but this training at the Egyptian court would no doubt prove useful to Moses later in life in leading a new nation into existence. So mothers must all realize there comes a time to hand over their children, to "let go", to send them out into the wide world equipped to do their best for God's glory. That is the vulnerability a mom feels, for whatever that free-willed character decides to do reflects on her. But as a Jesuit teacher once said, "Give me a child until they are seven years old, then you can have them for the rest of their life." Those first few years are so formative.

Let's leap ahead in history about 1500 years. In the town of Lystra in what is now modern Turkey, the apostle Paul made the acquaintance of a young man named Timothy. This lad's father was Greek, while his mother was Jewish but became a Christian. Paul came to trust Timothy so much he left him to help the church at Ephesus as Paul's representative. The apostle had been impressed by Timothy's grandmother Lois, and mother Eunice; their sincere faith had been caught by Timothy. Paul observes, "From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures." That shows some intentional formation by Timothy's mother Eunice. Normally a Jewish boy formally began to study the Old Testament at age 5; timothy had been given a jump start by his mother and grandma teaching him at home, early on. These godly ladies took special steps to see that the Lord's essential truths were transmitted to the young lad and absorbed. Their lives were a witness to him. So Paul can say, "As for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it..." obviously referring to Eunice and Lois as well as Paul. As parents, we need to keep on presenting Scripture, helping it take root in our children's imaginations and lives. For as Paul says, all scripture "is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." That's how the equipping for action in the wide world happens: helping our children absorb the relevance and absoluteness of God's word.

Chuck Swindoll tells of a good friend of his who was raised by a godly pastor's wife. When he was rocked to sleep at night by his mother, she didn't sing to him just little ditties and lullabies; she sang him the hymns of the faith. When he was in the crib, he remembers her leaning over and singing to him "A Mighty Fortress is our God"; "And Can it be?"; "More love to Thee, O Christ"; "My Jesus, I love Thee"; "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing". She sang the deep songs. And he says, "I remember. I remember those hymns. In fact, when I got into church, I had heard and learned most of the hymns." His mother made a contribution in that young man's life he'll never forget.

Contrast that intentional approach with a certain Mother's Day card. This was a great big card in little child's printing. On the front was a little boy with untied sneakers. He had a wagon, and toys were everywhere. He had a little cut on his face and there were smudges all over this card. It read, "Mom, I remember that little prayer you used to say for me every day." Open it up and inside is this: "God help you if you ever do that again."

"Coping as Christians with Interruptions" - Mk.5:21-34; 6:30-34; Rom.6:12-23 - 990516

It's been said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Someone more theologically aware said, "Ministry is what you do with your interruptions." A former editor of the Saturday Review described his work as "presiding over interruptions".

Do you feel like that some days?

One day Leonardo da Vinci was working on the face of Jesus in his masterpiece, the "Last Supper".

For 12 years he had been working on the painting, and much of it had been completed.

There was a blank space where the face of Jesus was to appear.

For inspiration, Leonardo had one of his pupils read the chapter that tells of Jesus, when he was having that last supper with his disciples, taking a basin and a towel, washing the disciples' feet, and dramatically living out who he was.

Hardly had the sound of the last word of the gospel story died away when the image of Jesus, that face full of life, began to form in Leonardo's mind.

Just then another pupil burst into the room and cried out, "At last, we've found you.

We've come from the Duchess." Leonardo asked, "What has happened?" The pupil replied, "Trouble, Monsieur Leonardo! The pipes in the bath will not work." (I guess that's one drawback of being handy and a genius - you become the court plumber.) Anyway, da Vinci said, "Nonsense.You see that I'm busy.Find Zorra Astro and tell him to fix the pipes."

"Oh no," the pupil declared."I'm ordered by the Duchess not to return without you." Leonardo tried to resume his work, but it was no use.

The image was gone.

He slowly closed his box of colours and descended the scaffold, leaving off painting the face of Jesus to go and fix the plumbing.

In a way, his action suited what he'd just been listening to about Jesus washing the disciples' feet.

By responding to the interruption, Leonardo was giving expression to the likeness of Jesus even if he couldn't be painting the face just then.

It does seem that life is full of interruptions.

You just get sitting down to supper together when the phone rings.

Your head has just nicely hit the pillow at night (finally) when you hear the cat meowing to be let in or out.

You're just getting to that major homework project when a good friend calls long distance and needs your advice for the next hour and a half.

Your relative is set for major surgery when an emergency comes along and bumps them off the schedule.

Interruptions can be very frustrating, not to mention bad for elevating our blood pressure.

How as Christians are we supposed to cope with these intrusions into our precious time?

Jesus Christ and other saints model for us an unhurried, peaceful pace in spite of persistent interruptions.

They demonstrate this grace due to their sense of purpose, their priorities, and value of persons, among other reasons.

A first step in preparing for interruptions is to begin each day by tuning in afresh to God's overall calling for your life.

Consult with God first off about his purpose for you, that day and for the rest of your life.

In Mark 1, Jesus had spent a busy evening healing people who crowded around the doorway.

Very early the next morning, while it was still dark, he got up and went out to a lonely place, and prayed there.

The disciples found him and said, "Everyone is looking for you!" But Jesus responded, "Let us go somewhere else so I can preach there also; that is why I have come." We need to take time to connect with the Lord and keep in touch with his overall plan; that helps us evaluate how we should respond to interruptions.

Maxie Dunnam comments, "Jesus could integrate interruptions into his life because he had a clear purpose.

His vocation, what he was about, was the connecting, integrating power in his life.

This is our guidance: to cope with interruptions we must have a purpose and keep that purpose clear.

"The power of purpose was so evident in Jesus.

He never lost sight of that purpose.

He had settled it at the outset when he spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness.

He would not be a magician, turning stones into bread.

He would not be a power broker, ruling over nations.

He would not be a superstar, attracting attention to himself by jumping off the mountainside.

He stated his purpose clearly: 'The Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.' Not even when he was at the centre of everyone's attention did he lose sight of his purpose."

Second, keep on giving over the Lordship of your life to Christ's sovereign control.

Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, they must deny themselves, take up their cross, and lose their life for my sake and the gospel." At his last moment of freedom before his arrest, Jesus prayed to the Father, "Yet not what I will, but what YOU will." He yielded up control of his life to God's sovereign wisdom.

Paul urges, "Offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness." He went so far as to describe us as slaves to God, slaves of righteousness.

Yield up your assumed right to self-government.

Third, keep your priority "appointments"; resist being waylaid when motives are suspect.

Note the word "appointment" not just as a time commitment, but a result of being appointed to some function and not others.

In Luke 12, someone has the nerve to say to Jesus, "Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." Jesus's response was, "Man, who APPOINTED me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Note the word appointed - that function wasn't in his appointment book that day.

Instead he warned the fellow about greed, equating life with possessions.

Not everyone who comes to us with a request has a legitimate demand; and in line with our purpose, God may have appointed us for other duties.

Jesus would have made a great judge, but that's not what he came for - not that time around.

Fourth, Keep in step with the Spirit, consciously drawing on the Father's power.

Jesus didn't speak on his own accord, but the Father commanded him what to say and how to say it.

Jesus said it was the Father, living in him, who was doing his work.

While he was on the way to save a dying little girl, a woman who'd been hemorrhaging 12 years touched his cloak.

Even though the crowd was jostling him on all sides, Jesus sensed someone had touched him deliberately, for he felt power go out of him.

He was constantly conscious of God's supply and guidance, not just the words to use but how to say them.

Fifth, Devote your full attention to each person while discerning if this call's for you.

Parents, look at your children when they're asking you something; the newspaper can wait.

This shows the person you value them; this moment may turn into one of the most valuable ones in your life.

Mark tells of a hectic time in Jesus' ministry when so many were coming and going he and the disciples hardly even had a chance to eat.

Wisely, he invited them to come away to a quiet place and rest.

But the crowds must have got wind of his plan, for many ran there on foot and got there ahead of the Teacher and disciples in the boat.

When Jesus landed, he could have been furious.

Couldn't the crowd guess they needed some time away? But Mark notes, Jesus SAW the crowd and had compassion on them.

He focused on them, compassion means "feeling with" someone.

He sensed their lostness, vulnerability, like sheep without a shepherd.

And he began to teach them.

Giving them his attention probably helped him make up his mind to minister to them rather than blow his stack.

Maxie Dunnam tells of a Methodist minister friend who learned to value persons more than time pressure.

When he was 51, his doctors diagnosed an inoperable cancer and gave him 6 months to a year to live.

He wrote a letter to his congregation saying, "Always within me has been the desire to excel.

In living this way I have been impatient and anxious, inattentive and often unkind.

My goals have been long distance and compulsive.

In consequence, I have given less than my best to the person in front of me, because I was thinking way ahead to the goals and plans beyond.

Now all is different.

My anxieties are gone.

I have no idea how long I shall live, but then there is today.

Each day is meaning more to me than ever before.

Each person I meet can have all there is of me for those moments we're together." When we give a person our full attention, then, we show we value them, really "see" them and the significance of their need, and appreciate the uniqueness of that moment.

Sixth, Be able to say, "My time has not yet come." There are times we're to "just say no".

Jesus did decline graciously upon occasion.

When the wine at the wedding in Cana was running out, and his mother Mary told him about it, Jesus said, "Why do you involve me? My time has not yet come." On another occasion, Christ's brothers told him he should go to the Feast of the Tabernacles and strut his stuff, though they didn't really believe in him.

Jesus responded, "The right time for me has not yet come," and stayed put in Galilee.

Later he went, in secret.

A servant attitude doesn't mean you have to be a doormat and just do whatever anyone tells you.

Keep before you God's overall calling: his appointment and control take priority.

Last, turn inconvenience into opportunity, and bother into blessing.

In Acts 21, the angry crowd starts rioting against Paul, beating him and trying to kill him.

The soldiers of the Roman guard are called out, rescue him from the melee, and start to take him to safety for questioning.

High up there on the wall leading to the fortress, Paul does an extraordinary thing.

He asks if he can speak to the crowd.

Amazing - a few moments ago they were trying to kill him, now he's sharing his testimony of Christ's intervention in his life.

He managed to turn the inconvenience of the interruption of his worship into an opportunity for God to reach out to others.

Remember the woman with the 12-year bleeding problem? How she touched Jesus' cloak and power went out of him? Remember what Jesus had been on his way to do? Save a dying little girl's life.

And not just any little girl, this was the daughter of one of the synagogue rulers.

Somebody else might have been pretty mad that power had been sapped from them en route to heal such an important case.

But not Jesus.

He stopped, turned around, and looked for the person who did it.

When she came forward trembling with fear and told him the story, his reply was, "Daughter, your faith has healed you.

Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." He didn't blame her, but blessed her! Instead of criticizing her for taking power away, he built her up, and surely that is a step to regaining power for service when we've been drained.

The Holy Spirit can't recharge us if we're grumbling and sore at someone, instead of praising God and being positive.

So turn inconvenience into opportunity, and bother into blessing.

Ralph Garbe on the last page of the March Fellowship Magazine applauds his mother-in-law, who seems to have learned the secret of coping with interruptions.

A typical day for Kathleen Kieper went like this.

"It was harvest time in Saskatchewan.

She had accepted an afternoon speaking engagement in a neighbouring town on the future of women's organizations in the United Church.

A panic call came from her sister-in-law.

She was in the harvest field and unable to get back home to put dinner on the table for some expected well drillers.

Could she put it on the table at noon before she left for her meeting? Yes, she could.

She gathered up brief case, purse, and a clean apron and hurried out the door only to face a big red bull! The owner wouldn't be back home until dark.

What was she to do? She did what any brave farmwoman would do.

She took a broom, confronted the bull and said: "Shoo!" The bull obligingly ambled away.

"At the farm she hurriedly put dinner on the table.

Her sister-in-law asked her if she could take her daughter for her shots at the clinic on her way to the meeting.

She agreed.

She hastily assembled her belongings and joined some other ladies in their car on the way to the meeting.

In the back seat she gave the baby a little sponge bath, "great fun" but, alas, the baby's clothes had been left behind at the farm! So in town, she dashed to the store, used her offering money to buy a little pink T-shirt and socks, wrapped the baby in an emergency flour sack diaper and dropped the little one off at another aunt's place.

Mom Kieper arrived just in time at the church and, with a quick prayer to compose herself, spoke capably on her chosen subject."

Ralph goes on to quote Kathleen Kieper herself, who says: "There have been times through the years when I have been surprised to find myself speaking out, and later realizing that it must have been the Holy Spirit, as nothing like that was planned.

It has happened at a big meeting or on a one-to-one basis.

Now I pray for the Holy Spirit to speak through me, or to prompt me to do or say the right thing at the right time.

It always surprises me when it happens, but it is a good feeling.

Of course I cannot take the credit for this!"

I like that one sentence, which must be key for dealing with interruptions.

She said, "Now I pray for the Holy Spirit to speak through me, or to prompt me to do or say the right thing at the right time." Jesus and the saints showed that same moment-by-moment dependence on God, from early morning recapturing one's sense of purpose to midday healings in the middle of a crowded road.

When we busy ourselves about the Lord's plans and keep his will priority, life's happenings catch us less off guard and become occasions to bless others rather than feel bothered.

Let us pray.

"Preoccupied with Wonder, Power to Witness" - Acts 2:1-21 Romans 8:6-17 - Pentecost Communion May 16/99

A pastor of a church in California who also had a nationwide television program decided to take a poll of his viewers.

He sought to find out their deepest needs and questions.

A large number of the responses had to do with a lack of enthusiasm and excitement in their lives and in their churches.

The word "dull" was repeatedly used as a description of numerous churches across the country.

Well, "dull" may describe many church services these days; maybe even our own church on occasion.

But that first birthday of the church at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came was anything BUT dull.

So if we ever find our own church life lacklustre, we ought to pray for a fresh dousing with God's Spirit.

The Counselor or Comforter chases away dullness by making believers Preoccupied with Wonder, and giving Power to Witness.

Peter and the other disciples that day, under the influence of the Spirit, were Preoccupied with wonder.

First there was the wonder of God's intrusion into external events.

Luke records that there was an unusual sound like the blowing of a violent wind.

Something like tongues of fire came to rest on each one.

All 120 followers of Jesus suddenly began speaking in diverse languages.

Not bad for special effects - eat your heart out, George Lucas!

We're told the crowd reacted to these wonderful phenomena: words like "bewilderment", "utterly amazed," "perplexed" are used.

Startled onlookers asked, "How is it...?" "What does this mean?" Not only were there wonders in effect, but in content too.

The disciples were "declaring the wonders of God".

Soon Peter was recalling Joel's prophecy, in which God says, "I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below." All of this hinted that God is supernatural; the Creator is quite able to override his own natural laws.

The Spirit's dramatic entrance served as a foretaste or premonition of the much more earthshaking coming of the "great and glorious day of the Lord" which we have yet to see.

Inwardly people have a capacity to believe there is a power or Force greater than us, a power that can blow whole planets to smithereens, or else they wouldn't be flocking to movies like Star Wars.

So the first aspect of wonder at Pentecost is the wonder of the Spirit's intrusion into our world's external events.

Next is the wonder of God's intervention in our moral mess.

An Almighty, holy God actually loves us enough to get involved with us mere mortals, to become incarnate and pull off the miracle of a perfect sacrifice and redemption.

Joel prophesied, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Why didn't God just let us go - write us off as with another flood? Instead Peter details a marvelous sequence of events that had happened in recent years in their own backyard.

God raised Jesus from the dead, exalted him, made him Lord and Christ, poured out the Holy Spirit, and thus made it possible for people of all backgrounds to receive forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit themselves.

Again I ask, Why should God bother? Before him we are less than a centipede, less than a microscopic virus.

Yet he loves us so much as to take our likeness, live a perfect human life, and pay the price for us to be saved.

The Risen Christ told his followers, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you...Receive the Holy Spirit.

If you forgive anyone their sins, they are forgiven..." Imagine! Entrusting such power to us frail humans! Sin had us trapped in an armlock, a full Nelson, padlocked to a sinking ship.

But God in mercy entrusted the message of Jesus to us, like a key guaranteed to break any lock sin can put on us, so long as the person believes in Jesus' work at the cross.

God has entrusted us with the magic key to be freed from the leghold of our moral mess.

I told you once before, some months back, I locked the key in the car while Keith was at hockey at Desbarats.

I was pretty anxious, until I was able to get back in with a coathanger.

Well, it happened again about the middle of Michigan on our trip out West.

But this time I was much more confident and peaceful about the whole thing.

Only problem was finding a coat hanger, which eventually a trucker at the gas station supplied.

Now I don't worry about getting locked out too much, because I know there's a simple solution.

So with sin and death: Christians have a wonderful key, a supernatural coat hanger (Christ's suffering for us) which can help any sinner out of a hole.

And the Holy Spirit to help us stay out.

The wonder of God's intervention in our moral mess, saving us, and the whole sequence of events which brought that about.

Another wonder related to receiving the Holy Spirit is that of God's adoption and closeness.

Paul tells the Romans, "You received the Spirit of sonship, and by him we cry, 'Abba, Father'.

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children" (and heirs).

No doubt what partly turned on the Spirit-filled believers that day was their sense of closeness to God, of intimacy and relationship like that of immediate family.

As close as a little child running into their father's arms crying "Papa! Daddy!"

JI Packer writes: "What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact which underlies it - that He knows me.

I am graven on the palms of his hands.

I am never out of his mind.

All my knowledge of Him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me.

I know him because he first knew me, and continues to know me.

He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when His eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when His care falters.

This is momentous knowledge.

There is unspeakable comfort...in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love and watching over me for my good.

There is tremendous relief in knowing that his love is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench his determination to bless me."

So the Spirit helps us be preoccupied with wonder: wonder at the Spirit's intrusion into external events, at God's intervention in our moral mess, at God's adoption and closeness: it's almost too wonderful to dream of, yet it's true.

All brought to you by your sponsor, Jesus Christ.

The Spirit also gives us power to witness.

In Luke 24 and Acts 1 Jesus uses both words close together.

He says, "You are witnesses of these things.I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." And, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses..." The power the Holy Spirit gives is not just for our purely personal feel-good consumption: the thrust of the Spirit's energy is out, beyond ourselves, reaching out to others with the gospel or good news.

We see this power to witness first in the communication going on with all nations on the day of Pentecost, right there in Jerusalem, with residents of 15 different countries gathered together for the religious festival of the wheat harvest.

Just imagine how the news would spread when they all got back home! Strangely, each person heard the disciples as if they were talking in their native tongue.

The Spirit helps us share the good news too, each in our own unique way.

You don't have to speak in tongues; just put all you have and are at the Lord's disposal, and he'll use it to get the message out.

Jack Cooper is an ophthalmologist.

Instead of the standard flip chart for eye examinations, he made one that says, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." He would do his cataract surgery, giving his patients eyesight again.

Then when they'd come in for a checkup, he'd say, "Let's see how you're doing." He'd have them read the chart out, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." They'd respond, "Wow! I can read! 'God loves my and has a wonderful plan for my...' What does this mean?"

Power to witness - communicating with all nations.

Also the Spirit helps us have a burden for souls.

Joel's prophecy culminates in God's heart yearning, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" - that's the goal of the prophesying the Spirit helps people do, that's the number one desire of God.

Peter doesn't deliver his message disinterestedly, but passionately.

Luke says, "With many other words he warned them, and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.'" He got right into it because the Spirit gave him a great yearning for souls to seize the opportunity: God was giving them a chance.

Bill Gothard uses the illustration of someone standing outside a home wondering whether to knock on the door.

Normally we don't like to intrude if we don't know the people.

Then Bill drew flames on the roof of the house, next to the chimney.

Of course we'd go in and warn them to get out! We wouldn't wait to be invited.

Yet every day we speak to or pass by people we know who may slip away into eternity before we see them again.

Having God's love inside us helps us work up the courage to speak to them about spiritual matters: who knows but that the Spirit may have already been preparing them, or they're feeling the ache of forever-aloneness.

The Spirit gives us a burden for souls, with a sense of urgency.

Last, power for witness reaches down into our lives and the decision-making and action level.

If we truly have the Spirit, people will be able to see a difference, a transformed lifestyle, body and mind.

Not much good talking the talk if we don't walk the walk.

Paul observed that the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

God will give life to our mortal bodies through his Spirit living in us; by the Spirit we're able to put to death the misdeeds of the body.

A Spirit-controlled walk is a powerful witness before a word is even uttered.

An author named Barnhouse tells this story.

"A man I knew through my ministry was going with a girl who, some of us thought, was not at all worthy of him.

We breathed a sigh of relief when he went away into the army for 2 or 3 years (this was during the war).

The girl drifted around with other fellows, and, most happily, the young man met a worthy girl in a distant city.

He fell in love with her and married her.

When the war was over and he had returned to his home with his bride, the first girl drove by the house one evening and dropped in to see her old flame and meet his wife.

But the wife was not there.

The first girl made no attempt to hider her affection and moved in such a voluptuous way that the young man realized that he had but to reach out his hand and she was his.

There was within him all that goes with male desire.

[yet] there was something much more within him and he began to talk about what a wonderful girl he had married.

He showed the pictures of his wife to the first girl and praised his wife to the skies, acting as though he did not understand her obvious advances.

It was not long before she left, saying as she went, "Yes, she must be quite a girl if she can keep you from reaching." The young man was never more joyful in his life.

He said that in that moment all of the love between him and his wife was greater and more wonderful than ever; he could think of his wife in a clean, noble way...The turning of his heart and mind and soul, yes, and body, to the love of his true wife was the living sacrifice which praised her and made him all the more noble because of it.

It is in this sense the believer in Christ presents his body a living sacrifice to his Lord."

What a powerful witness! Temptation so close, yet the something described as "much more within him" (likely including the Holy Spirit) helped him remain true to his wife and to God.

May the living Lord enchant us by the Spirit's call to be preoccupied with the wonder of his grace, and draw on his power in our lives to share with and show to all we are his witnesses.

Let us pray.

"Faith in Our Saviour Overcomes Fear" - 990606 Ps.23 Lk.12:4-7 1Jn.4:10-19

People have fears of all kinds; one type is fear of flying.

Usually a pilot of an airplane would try to reassure any jittery passengers about their safety.

Perhaps you heard the story of the 747 that taxied out to the end of the runway for takeoff, then stopped.

As the passengers sat there all buckled up, a voice came over the loudspeakers.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking; welcome aboard flight 22 for London Heathrow Airport.

We'll climb to a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet and travel at an air speed of 600 miles an hour.

Our flight path with take us across Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and over the tip of Ireland.

Our flying time will be seven hours.

As soon as we're airborne your flight attendants will be serving you breakfast.

We'll take off...just as soon as I can get up the nerve!" We might have some fears about flying in that situation, multiplied by the pilot's own fears.

Or how about this in-flight announcement: "In the event of an emergency water landing, please take your seat cushions, with our compliments."

Fears abound, all around, in the air or on the ground.

Fear can have a devastating, crippling effect on people.

Today we're going to be learning how to put most psychotherapists out of business.

Does that sound surprising? Dr.JA Hadfield, an eminent psychiatrist, said, "If fear were abolished from modern life, the work of psychotherapists would be nearly gone." There is a cure for much that makes people afraid: trusting in Christ as our Saviour helps us overcome fear, because we're assured of God's presence, his power, and that we're precious to him.

Not all fear is bad.

It may be a healthy force in our life.

Who would want to ride in a car driven by a person who's utterly fearless of crossing the line? Fear is one of our basic alarm systems, an instinct that gets the hormones pumping for fight or flight and releases additional energy to cope with danger.

Fear as a creative force has been responsible for some of humanity's greatest advances.

Fear of death drives us to seek cures for cancer and other life threatening illnesses.

Fear of ignorance stimulates nations to take responsibility for educating their citizens; fear of crime leads them to pass laws and train officers to keep the peace.

Fear of war in a nuclear age mobilizes us against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

But there are other fears that can become debilitating.

Fear of failure keeps us from risking or even trying.

Fear of inner weakness burns within, eroding our life with inner conflict and self-doubt.

Fear about our personal ability or the faithfulness of our mate can make us impotent.

Fear of being found out in our moral weakness turns us into hiding persons, wearers of masks to prevent real knowing and sharing.

Fear of death, retirement, job change can preoccupy us and rob us of sleep.

As parents we may become fearful that our children won't turn out to be "good", and over-compensate by becoming harsh or critical.

God our Saviour wants us to have victory over such debilitating fears.

It starts by acknowledging the positive focus of fear Scripture recommends: fear of God, foremost.

In Deuteronomy 31 Moses commands the priests and elders to assemble the people of Israel regularly and read the law to them "so they can listen and learn to fear Yahweh your God, and follow carefully all the words of this law." Psalm 111 and Proverbs 1 say the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, or knowledge.

Jesus tried to make the disciples courageous when they were persecuted, saying, "Don't fear those who kill the body; I will show you whom you should fear -- fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell.

Yes, I tell you, fear him." Fear of God isn't just an Old Testament concept; Jesus wants us to have a deep fear, or awe and reverence, for God the Father.

There is such a thing as "faithful fear"; if we hold God in the highest regard and fear, such faith frees us from fear of lesser forces.

Jairus the synagogue ruler was leading Jesus to his daughter when they received word that the daughter had already died.

Jesus urged Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe." So fear of lesser powers can be overcome by faith in God the Ultimate Power with whom we have to deal.

There is, then, a positive focus of fear: wisdom begins with fearing God.

Then, God helps us overcome other fears by his Presence, his Power, and because we're Precious to him.

First, God helps us overcome fear by his Presence.

In Genesis 26 when Isaac is having a tough time with rival nomads, encountering conflict over wells while trying to get water for his flocks, God appears to him and says, "Do not be afraid, for I am WITH you." The antidote for fear is awareness of God's presence, realizing he is with us who believe in him.

Moses encouraged Joshua setting out to conquer Palestine by saying, "Yahweh himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Don't be afraid; don't be discouraged."

Many psalms deal with conflict from enemies; the authors draw strength from God's company.

Psalm 118 declares, "Yahweh is with me; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me? Yahweh is with me; he is my helper.

I will look in triumph on my enemies." The much-beloved Psalm 23 says, "I will fear no evil, for Thou art (what?) WITH me...Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." Interesting - the danger isn't absent, the enemies are standing right there, but God reassures the believer that God is providing and protecting.

To a dejected nation in exile God promises in Isaiah 41 that he is bringing about deliverance through a foreign emperor.

So the people can be reassured, even though they're hundreds of miles outside their homeland.

God says, "Fear not, for (why?) I am WITH you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Even Jesus' parting words as he ascended were, "Surely I am with you always." God's presence helps us not be afraid; discerning the Lord is with us by prayer, we can be calmed in frightful circumstances.

Second, God helps us overcome fear by his Power.

Recall Jonathan's courageous act, going up to challenge the Philistines almost single-handed.

He and his father were the only Israelites who had proper weapons because of the Philistine monopoly on ironcraft.

But technological inferiority didn't hold Jonathan back; he trusted God's ability, saying, "Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf.

Nothing can hinder Yahweh from saving, whether by many or by few." Our weakness doesn't limit God's power; "nothing can hinder" God's strength to save.

In fact, in Paul's thorn-in-the-flesh episode, he discovered Christ's power was made perfect in weakness.

God's power to overcome fear is reflected in Psalm 27: "Yahweh is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?" In Matthew 8, the disciples were terrified by the force of the storm, thinking their boat would be swamped by the wind and the waves.

But Jesus merely said, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" and told the raging elements to calm down.

His power is equally available to settle whatever is threatening to upset us.

At his ascension he noted, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." What can possibly stand in the way of that? So we can have victory over fear because of God's power.

Third, God helps us overcome fear because we are Precious to him.

I mentioned Genesis 26 earlier, where Isaac was having run-ins with the neighbours over watering holes which he dug but they claimed.

God appeared to Isaac and assured him that he had no cause for alarm, because Isaac was part of the special covenant God made with Abraham.

For his sake, God was intending to bless Isaac and increase his offspring.

Isaac was precious to God as the link between Abe and the foreseen nation.

And God would protect what was precious to him.

Jesus told his disciples that the very hairs of their head were numbered; they should not fear because they were worth more than many sparrows - and not even a little sparrow falls to the ground apart from God's notice.

Do you see what he's getting at? We're precious to God, very dear to him; he sent his beloved Son to die for our reconciliation.

God's not about to metaphorically throw up his hands, turn his back and walk away from us.

God cares deeply about each of his children, so we needn't fear.

The apostle John observed that the very essence of God's being is love - love that withholds nothing for the sake of the beloved.

We love because God first loved us and sent Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

We matter to him.

His Spirit lives in us as a down payment on what he's got planned for us in the next life.

And as God lives in us, he makes love complete in us so we can have confidence when the day of judgment comes.

We won't have anything to be afraid of, perfect love drives out fear, because it will no longer be about punishment but about reunion with our Lord.

Amazing - we are incredibly precious to the Almighty.

So God is the legitimate focus of our fear.

That done, God helps us have victory over other fears by his Presence, his Power, and because we're Precious to him.

Secret fears within us can poison our physical system as well as our emotional life.

On top of our kidneys are two adrenal glands that secrete epinephrine into our bodies when stimulated by fear.

This powerful secretion provides the extra energy we need to run faster than we ever thought we could when faced by danger or to lift impossible loads under which someone may be trapped.

But too much epinephrine may poison the system; thus deep fears may bring about nausea, fainting, heart palpitations, trembling, even convulsions.

For this reason, people who have fear eliminated from their lives may have a sense of inner peace which helps them recover more rapidly from ailments than fearful patients.

Dr.Frank Mayfield was one of America's outstanding neurosurgeons; he operates on the nerves of cancer patients to relieve their pain.

He has come to this conclusion: "Most of the pain that patients with cancer experience emanates from emotional stimuli, arising from anxiety and fear, a fear of the unknown, a fear of death.

I am convinced that much of it would be alleviated if people understood their condition and had some religious faith.

I have observed that when a cancer patient turns to his religion, he experiences surprising relief from anxiety, fear, and pain!"

What's happening there? God's loving power is freed to release the person from their fear.

Marjorie Lawrence was a great opera singer in Australia who, at the height of her career in 1941, became paralyzed with polio that crippled her.

She couldn't stand or more or sing.

Her case seemed hopeless.

One night she asked her husband, "What will I do, Tom?" He replied, "Everybody does seem to think your case is hopeless, but there is God.

Let us turn to him and have faith.

I know he will help."

Though overwhelmed with fears of suffering and being an invalid, they faced these fears, and read the Psalms.

Marjorie Lawrence wrote: "There were parts of scripture written especially for me, a divine prescription for my ailing spirit: 'The Lord is my strength and song, and has become my salvation; The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?' Humbly then, with faith in our hearts, my husband and I prayed, prayed not so much that I should be cured but that we should be given courage and hope to continue our lives, to bear our crosses with patience and fortitude.

From the day we acknowledged God's part in the scheme of things and turned to him, there was a miraculous change in my mental outlook.

Faith and prayer cast out my fears, and the will to fight, the will to win, was restored to me!"

By constant, painful exercising, Marjorie fought her way back to a new career singing around the world.

In the bleakest days of World War II, she was wheeled through the camps singing to the troops.

They recognized her courage, hope, and fortitude.

Her fearlessness encouraged the troops in a way few others ever could.

Let us pray.

"STRENGTH IN CHRIST TO COPE WITH STRESS" - 990613 2Kings 19:1-4,14-19 Ps.16 Mk.14:32-42

Stress comes in all kinds of forms: sometimes from circumstances, sometimes from other people.

My kids told me a joke that symbolizes those different kinds of stress.

Two sausages were sizzling in a fry pan.

One sausage said to the other, "It's getting hot in here." The second sausage replied, "EEEK! A talking sausage!" (That's the high calibre of humour making the rounds in alberta these days)

Often, though, stress is no laughing matter.

It's a big problem in the workplace.

It's been estimated that the cost of stress is $750 per worker per year; that's the price of stress-related sickness and absenteeism.

However, the Bible has good news for us even when we're burdened with stress.

Christ not only promises abundant life, but helps us claim His power to live it.

Christian author Maxie Dunnam presents several steps to help us cope with stress in his Bible Study guide, "Coping as Christians".

Adapting from these, I find six steps.

First is simply to Acknowledge Stress.

When the Assyrian army had surrounded Jerusalem, Hezekiah spread out the threatening letter before the Lord in the temple.

He was acknowledging the dilemma he was in, acknowledging stress.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to the Father, "Take this cup from me." By "this cup" he meant the chalice of death and of God's wrath that he was taking from the Father in fulfilment of his mission.

It was not that Jesus dreaded death as such, but the manner of the one who was taking the sin of mankind upon himself.

The gospel writers tell us he began to be "deeply distressed and troubled" saying, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." Luke notes that as he prayed, his sweat became like big drops of blood; he was in anguish.

The Son of God was acknowledging the stress under which he found himself.

Stress can have many causes.

Years ago, TH Holmes and RH Rahe rated the impact of various upsetting life experiences in creating crippling stress and pressure.

They discovered that the greater number of stress units a person experienced, the greater the risk of illness.

Here are the leading stress conditions...

(overhead)

Change and crisis, then, weaken our resistance and predispose us to physical or emotional illness.

Another cause of stress is pressure to perform.

At school we face pressures to achieve academically, to be popular, to keep up our appearance (by such frivolous means as buying new eyeglasses).

We're under pressure to hold an adequate job.

We feel "put upon" to pull our weight in community groups or volunteer positions - yes, even the church has been known to twist arms sometimes for committee duty.

One outgoing, mission-minded camp director we've known from the Algoma area is particularly good at this: you dreaded to see her coming, knowing if you refused her request to help out in some way you'd wind up feeling like a heel.

Stress is also created when we don't get what we want; our desires are denied for some reason.

Often this breeds anger as well as stress.

Especially in a consumer culture, where you can't turn on the TV without being subjected to advertisements, which are purposely designed to fuel the flames of wants within us.

An appetite for "more" is stressful and frustrating.

Another source of stress is denial of our feelings.

Whether positive or negative, when we bottle up our emotions and don't express them, we become walking time bombs.

Repressing feelings causes stress.

So the first step in coping with stress is to acknowledge it, however it is caused, in whatever form it comes.

The second step is to admit our limitations.

Be honest - own up to your finiteness.

King Hezekiah didn't even pretend he could withstand Assyria's army.

Sennacherib's field commander rubbed it in, offering 2000 horses "if you can put riders on them!" - a sarcastic jab at the weakness of Judah in military personnel.

Hezekiah tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, and admits to God, "It is true that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands." He knew and acknowledged that without God's intervention he was sunk, he was totally unable to resist the enemy.

The night of Jesus' arrest, we see him falling to the ground, and praying three times for the cup to be taken away.

He too admitted his need for the Father's help.

There is only so much we can do in our human ability.

In Psalm 16 we read, "You have assigned me my portion...the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places." An important aspect of managing stress is determining our boundaries and creating what some have called "margins" in our lives.

Sheets of notebook paper have ruled margins that save space at the top or side for titles, comments, additions.

Similarly our lives get crowded and stressed if we ignore the need for personal margins and try to cram too much in to our datebook.

Maxie Dunnam writes of a time when he had accepted some speaking engagements, then several family commitments cropped up which also demanded his time.

He recalls, "It all looked like too much for any human being to deal with.

I had never done this before in a deliberate fashion.

I looked ahead as far as I could and saw those things I could cancel without limiting the accomplishment of the task too much; and I cancelled my involvement in 2 major events.

"Some of you can imagine the load that was lifted.

It was as though a dark cloud had parted and the sun had begun to shine.

It was a very simple thing, but it began at a very profound decision-making point, a decision that was difficult for me to make.I'm a perfectionist.

I'm a workaholic.I have this almost neurotic need not to let people down.

So it was not an easy thing for me to dial those numbers and cancel those engagements' it was a very difficult thing.

But when I did it, it was as though a heavy cloak had been taken off of me on a hot day and fresh air began to cool my skin.

It was as though I was getting an internal massage that took the tension out of my inner being, very much like a massage takes the tension out of our physical bodies.

And every need that confronts us is not a call of God upon our life.

To deal with stress we must admit limitations."

A third step is to draw upon your support group - other friends who can encourage you and be in solidarity.

Hezekiah did not go himself to meet the field commander, but sent 3 of his closest aides.

After receiving the message, he did not hole up by himself, but went to the temple and sought out the prophet Isaiah.

When Jesus was at Gethsemane, he took his 3 closest disciples - Peter, James, and John - to be with him, pray with him, and keep watch.

The Psalmist says, "As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight." Knowing other believers are praying for us and concerned for us can really help ease the load.

Fourth, Re-frame the stress in the perspective of God's sovereignty.

(repeat) Cut it down to size in the eternal scheme of things, and in light of God's infinite care and wisdom.

Hezekiah prayed, "You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.

You have made heaven and earth.Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God." Hezekiah acknowledged that before God's greatness and the vast matrix of God's plan, his current crisis was small potatoes.

The real issue was not so much the nation's survival, but the Assyrian emperor's blasphemy, comparing Yahweh to hand-carved idols of other lands.

This put the emergency in a totally different light.

Jesus also re-framed his stress in view of the Father's infinity.

He prayed, "Everything is possible for you; yet not what I will, but what you will." God was going to be big enough to get him through it, no matter what torture and shame lay ahead.

Even such a dastardly thing as the crucifixion of God's Son can take on a wonderful meaning given God's power to raise him from the dead and declare him our substitute.

The Psalmist also found reassurance in God's overarching greatness.

He said, "I have set Yahweh always before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." By contrast, "The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods." If we allow stress to control our lives instead of bringing it under God's control, our sorrows WILL increase, including physical illness as the researchers found out.

Step 5: Tune in to Christ's healing presence, waiting to be embodied within you.

Both Hezekiah and Jesus turned to God in heartfelt prayer.

As a result of praising Yahweh, the Psalmist says, "My heart is glad...my body also will rest secure." God's calming reassurance under stress isn't just for our spirit, but our soul and body too, those jangled nerves and bloodshot eyes.

Paul tells Christians that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit; if we can say, "Jesus is Lord," we have God's Spirit right inside us.

He also says, "God who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." Jesus himself said, "Whoever believes in me - streams of living water will flow from within that person."

Flora Wuellner describes a form of prayer called "soaking prayer" that can be helpful as we prepare for sleep during a stressful time.

She writes: "I personally use the image of light, but some people prefer the images of water, wind, colour, healing hands, wings, and so on.

In this prayer, we do not ask for anything special.

We just rest, let go, breathe in, and soak up the healing light of God which embraces us.

We may not feel anything special; nevertheless it is a profoundly physical form of prayer in which every cell and organ of our bodies is washed, filled, and renewed in the healing light of God's love.

Some people do feel warmth, waves of energy, a tingling sensation.

Others have no such physical reactions.

But the action of the light is a reality whether or not we immediately register it.

We do not feel the ultraviolet rays of the sun, but they pervade us and affect our bodies whenever we go out into the daylight.

Similarly, when we deliberately open ourselves to the healing presence of God, the deep action of divine love flows into every part of our lives.

In this prayer we rest in it, breathe it, and allow it to work its transforming renewal within us."

Soaking prayer - give it a try sometime.

God fills the heaven and the earth; we just need to tune in to his presence.

Wuellner also describes a prayer in which you place your hands on your heart and pray slowly, with long pauses between each phrase, "The living heart of Jesus Christ is taking form within my heart...filling...calming...restoring...bringing new life." She comments, "This prayer envisages the healing power expanding from within in.The heart is the symbol of the central energy flow of our bodies, just as it is the symbol, through the ages, of the deep centre of God's love.

In this prayer we are joining our physical and emotional need for renewal with the deep incarnational union between our hearts and God's heart."

To review: to cope with stress, acknowledge it; admit your limitations; draw on your support group; reframe the stress in the perspective of God's sovereignty; and tune in to Christ's healing presence, waiting to be embodied in you.

The last step is, Assert Your God-guided Will.

Hezekiah stood firm; he didn't give in to the enemy's threats.

He had already commanded the people not to answer the field commander, and they respected that.

An angel of the Lord took care of the mopping-up aspect of eliminating the Assyrian army.

After praying in the olive grove, Jesus showed an astounding sense of presence and courage.

He said, "Enough! The hour has come.

Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!" A real up-and-at'em attitude, considering his death was approaching.

John records that Christ told the soldiers bluntly, "I am he" - and they drew back and fell to the ground.

He insisted that they let the others go, since he was the one they were after.

He was not cowering, but asserting his will.

Maxie Dunnam tells of a husband and wife he knew who were torn to pieces by family pressures.

The wife's mother controlled the whole family.

her tool was love.

She gave herself unselfishly, so it seemed, for every member of the family.

She was always giving.

But the giving always had a hook, usually very subtle, and for years unrecognized.

Her love was perverted, a selfish love.

She did for others in order to bind them to her, to always have them around.

Really, in her loving, she controlled the whole family network.

When John, the husband, received an invitation to move to another city in what was a very exciting professional advancement, his mother-in-law literally went to pieces.

The family gave in to her selfish control.

After months of turmoil and anguish, John refused the invitation.

Dunnam observes, "I doubt if John has had a happy day since.

He hates his mother-in-law.

He resents his wife for not supporting him more.

He is bored with his work.

And his hatred, resentment, and boredom make him an inadequate father at best.

I believe John is a walking time bomb; he is a candidate for a heart attack and is already becoming dependent on alcohol.

It would be different if John had asserted his will and taken control of his life."

It doesn't have to be hundreds of thousands of soldiers that bring stress to our life; it can be a single family member, an unexpected job change, an annoying niggling physical condition.

But stress needn't win out over us; like Hezekiah and our Lord Jesus we can find resources to cope in God's power and acknowledging our need.

In closing, let us turn in our blue hymn books to #643, Christ Be With Me, a prayer by St.Patrick.

(#643) In this prayer Patrick visualizes Christ not only within him, but also coming to him in whomever he has to deal with - a good preventative for stress.

Let us pray together.

"Parting Pointers: Love, Obey, Fruit, Grace, Joy" - 990704 Last Service at Goulais River - Jn.15:9-17 Acts 20:17-38 Deut.33:1-5,26-29

Today we wrap up five years of pastoral ministry in five words: Love, Obey, Fruit, Grace, and Joy.

Short words, just as the time has passed so quickly.

Often a leader will seize the opportunity of their final address to sum up what is most important, what they want to leave with the flock above all else.

When the apostle Paul was saying goodbye to the various churches he planted, he spoke until midnight at a certain place called Troas.

In fact he spoke so long, and the room was so stuffy, that a young man sitting there on the third floor in a window ledge fell asleep and, worse still, fell out the window.

God worked through Paul to revive the young man, after which Paul went back upstairs and broke bread with the church members.

But that wasn't the end of it.

Paul went on speaking until daylight! I won't be quite that long today.

My first parting pointer I want to leave with you is the word Love.

For Jesus, the greatest command was to love God and love your neighbour as yourself.

In the upper room on his last night he said, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.

Now remain in my love.

My command is this: love each other as I have loved you...This is MY command: love each other." Similarly, the apostle John at the end of his life emphasized one thing over and over, the old command they had heard from the beginning: that we should love each other.

This is the distinguishing mark, the acid test: Christ said everyone would recognize we're his disciples if we love one another.

So down the road, when I inquire about Goulais River United Church, if someone says you're distinguishing yourselves by really loving each other, I will be content.

You are one of the smaller churches in the Presbytery, but when it comes to loving, that may be an advantage; you enjoy a face-to-face familiarity which is difficult in a big city church.

In fact some large churches are not to be envied because they're split into factions.

When we stop loving, we're no longer walking as a follower of Christ, in love.

What kind of love is the gospel talking about? It's a very heart-warming scene in Acts 20 as Paul and the Ephesian elders embrace and kiss each other and weep together; Luke says they "tore" themselves away when they had to get on the boat.

But there's more to love than affection.

Jesus reminds us that no one has greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends.

Paul loved the Lord so much he said, "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task." Real laying-down-life-love is so concerned with the sake of the other person that it scarcely notices the cost to oneself.

A tall order: but loving is possible because the Father and Jesus love us first.

All we need do is stay connected to that great love, and the rest will flow from that.

The second pointer is, Obey.

(Oh, why'd he have to go and spoil it by throwing that in??) "Abide in my love," Jesus tells us.

HOW? "If you OBEY my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in His love." Even Jesus had to obey, for him that was just part of loving.

If you cherish someone, you'll pay attention to their words, you'll bend over backwards to help bring about what they want.

Obedience is the guardian of reputation.

In future, when I am far away, I do NOT want to hear about some great scandal going on in your midst.

Love involves self-control, knows there is more blessing in giving than getting, love desires what God wants - which necessitates obedience.

Moses' final words refer to God as king over "Jeshurun", meaning the Upright One - clearly expecting right behaviour from the people of Israel, obedience to God's laws.

Paul reflects a servant attitude, admitting, "I served the Lord with great humility and tears" - a very responsive, reactive aspect of obedience.

But depending on one's position or appointment, obeying can also imply being pro-active, taking initiative.

Jesus said, "No longer do I call you servants but friends": servants don't know the Master's business, but he had painstakingly made known to them whatever he learned from the Father.

That made them responsible.

And being obedient in a responsible position can be an awesome and powerful privilege.

Paul charged the elders from Ephesus, "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.Be shepherds of the church of God..." Obedience then means quite a bit more, doesn't it?

I am speaking to you as Board members, and others too: all who've been confirmed have committed themselves to the mission and ministry of Christ's church.

To obey means it is now up to YOU to supervise the Sunday School, to provide pastoral care to sick and shut-ins, to oversee public worship - just as these have been listed in the Manual as duties of the Session all along.

Identify the gifts you have, the area in which you can serve, and DO IT.

Discover the resources which are out there waiting to assist you: Norma Orr at the Resource Centre, people like Desmond Beck and Helen Smith at Presbytery, Peter Scott at Conference Office.

You have no idea of the breadth of knowledge and helpfulness of these people until you start to ask them questions.

If they don't know, they'll ask around and refer you to the right person.

Lay people like yourselves are quite able to lead baptismal preparation and confirmation classes and Bible studies - just get a hold of a suitable resource.

Develop a "do it yourself" attitude, take charge of the ministry here in your midst; that's a lot healthier attitude than the fictitious church that throws up its hands and says, "Oh my, we can't do a thing, we're stuck without a minister!" Grow up into the head, into Christ! You are ALL ministers with different gifts, and need to own the ministry here.

Praying, consulting, deciding as a group.

To obey goes far beyond minding the "Thou shalt nots": it can mean taking charge while retaining a servant attitude.

A third word that stands out in Christ's parting comments is Fruit.

In fact the whole imagery of the vine and branches is aimed at what? Bearing fruit, of course - else farmers wouldn't bother growing them.

Jesus said, "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples...I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit: fruit that will last." Fruit is growth, production and reproduction, in quality (caring is Job 1 for the church) and quantity (more grapevines).

Bearing fruit involves the input of energy, it's hard work for others' benefit.

Paul reminded the elders, "I showed you that by this kind of hard work (night and day, with his own hands) we must help the weak."

What kind of fruit have we seen over these past five years? Quantity wise, there have been significant changes.

Our '93 budget was $8800; this last year that more than tripled to $28,500, taking out Mission Support from the national level.

Remarkable! The Lord is good.

Over the next few months, as you realize some savings in clergy cost, perhaps you can direct some finances towards Mission, and other things like repairs to the building (so showers aren't quite so wet as the last one that was held here!), community outreach and camping sponsorships.

In terms of membership, we've grown from 42 resident members in December '94 to 69 currently; an increase of 64%! Praise God! Now our task is to help the fruit ripen and mature, keep those new members, not just by expecting them to come on our terms.

Elders need to maintain regular contact with the families on their list, bringing them little news-sheets or Board reports a couple of times a year, keeping in touch by phone, reminding them about communion, and praying with them through tough times.

Go to them, don't wait for them to come to you.

I've done 25 baptisms in my time here.

There's a complete Sunday School for you a few years down the road.

But they need to be warmed and welcomed.

Each of you could adopt a family or two, have them over for supper, take the kids to Sunday School when they're old enough if the parents find it difficult.

Most of you could do a beautiful job of mentoring young parents AND the kids who these days are often so far from their real grandparents.

It just takes love - laying down your life for those you're trying to befriend.

That's fruit.

One parting pointer that crops up in Paul's farewell is the word Grace.

Paul states that the task the Lord Jesus has given him is "the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace".

Later he says, "Now I commit you to God and to the word of His GRACE, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified." What is this gospel or word of God's grace? Paul says he has declared "to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus." That's the good news.

Grace is not something we do or earn; it's simply receiving and believing what God has already done for us in Christ, securing our reservation with Him for eternity.

This week I was listening to Chuck Swindoll on FM 90.5 speaking on Romans 8:31.

It says, "If God is for us, who is against us?" Chuck said those four words, "God is for us," are the best definition of grace he's found in the New Testament.

Think of it: God is for us.

Personalize it, Chuck said: "God is for Swindoll" - insert your own name; "God is FOR Ernest." Simple, pure, undeserved, freely-given, Grace.

When Moses was saying goodbye to the Israelites, he referred to God in a way that is very similar.

Deuteronomy 33:27 is so reassuring it's often used at funerals.

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.He will drive out your enemy before you." Doesn't that sound like Grace - God is for us? Moses or Paul or I may be leaving, but we can always point you to one who will stay close to you, permanently.

As Paul indicates, the word of grace can build you up.

An emphasis on obedience can tend to make a church legalistic, judgmental, negative; Grace helps us be positive, assured of God's prior commitment to us, His once-and-for-all action embracing and saving us through Jesus.

Finally (lest some are getting drowsy like that young man on the third floor) Jesus makes sure to include Joy.

He says, "I have told you this (that is, having loved them and how they can remain in his love) - I have told you this so that my JOY may be in you, and that your JOY may be complete." Shortly after that, Jesus prays to the Father, "I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the FULL MEASURE of my JOY within them." Christ really wanted us to have lasting joy.

Not happiness, which is so often based on circumstances; but joy which comes from a deep inner awareness of God being for us.

Today, though we grieve a parting, we also have reason to rejoice.

We SURVIVED! For one thing, I survived drinking the water unfiltered here week after week for five years without getting sick! Nor did I blow up myself and a kitchen-full of others while trying emergency measures to light the reluctant propane stove at the last church supper! And the mysterious bogey-monster of a pump that growls menacingly before the sinks will drain has never attacked me at night alone in my cot.

More seriously, who would have dreamed that I could commute 64 km through the snow belt in the lee of the world's largest freshwater lake for 5 years and never miss a Sunday?! Or escort a galloping moose a whole mile down Thielman Road as I did a few weeks ago and not wind up with a hood ornament? I don't know if the moose was rejoicing, but I found it quite wonderful.

Moreover, we can rejoice that we survived five more years as a church: in a challenging economy; in a society with increasing secularism, where traditional standards are belittled (as even the BC Court excusing child pornography shows); by God's grace we still have our doors open, we're still writing petitions and being salt which counters a tendency to rot.

We can rejoice in the commitment and involvement of Board members and volunteers, toddlers cared for in the nursery and Confirmands equipped to live the faith in a world that can be scary for teens and adults alike.

I rejoice and want to thank you and the Lord for providing my family's needs, paycheque and benefits.

God provided military chaplaincy to go some of the way towards making up for the other half of our sole income.

As a church we came close to having to take out a loan, but haven't yet: that's cause to rejoice when I hear of other churches being thousands of dollars in debt!

More than materially...I rejoice for the privilege of having been your pastor; I have loved you, and felt you loving me and my family in return.

I rejoice that you allowed me to share in the private aspects of your lives - crises, disappointments, health challenges - the full gamut of celebrations and grievings that are part of life.

So those are five parting pointers, words of the richness of the life we share in Jesus Christ, words that take a lifetime to understand and embody with the Spirit's help: love, obey, fruit, grace, joy.

As we move ahead into new territory, we glance back and realize God is the One who has brought us through.

I close with Moses' words, appreciating his flock as a people undergirded by a gracious God, a life-giving Lord who can be trusted though human leaders come and go.

"Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword." Amen and Amen.

"My Story - HIS Story" - Rom.1:1-17 Ps.78:1-8 - Intro to Blyth UC 990822

It's always interesting when you meet people for the first time.

Having just moved, our family has been doing a lot of that lately.

But even if it's just a new business associate or a neighbour down the street, it's fascinating to see how people introduce themselves.

First impressions are lasting ones, like it or not.

Of course while the stranger is speaking, we're doing a quick furtive scan of their appearance for visual clues.

A wedding ring indicates marital status.

An iron ring hints someone is an engineer.

A skateboard tucked under one arm betrays a hobby.

If they've got a tired, slightly drained look, might we hazard a guess they're a parent?

Then there's what they actually have to SAY about themselves.

Some people associate themselves with their work or career; others prefer to identify themselves by their relationships.

When we're introducing ourselves, we try to come up with phrases that we hope will make a favourable impression, words that sum up who we are.

Hopefully, if we're Christians, there will be an air of joy and hope and sincere caring that will discreetly convey to the other person that we do belong to the Lord, and are alive in an eternal way.

This morning I'd like to introduce myself to you, while reflecting on how Paul introduces himself to the church at Rome.

Paul got the most punch out of his postage of anyone I've heard of.

Back in those days, you didn't stick the paper in an envelope and write the address on the outside.

Instead, the paper was rolled up like a little scroll and the first few lines, visible on the outside, identified who the letter was "from" and "to": "Sam Sneed, of Blyth, to Charlie Chappie, of Clinton," and so forth.

But look.

Paul's identity is so wrapped up with Jesus Christ that he can hardly address an envelope without telling the wide world what the Lord has done for him! "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God --" and off he goes for 6 verses outlining the whole salvation message, how Jesus is God's Son and the resurrected Lord -- before we even get to whom the letter is "to"!

What about you? How do you usually introduce yourself? Do you fall back on what is socially acceptable, hiding behind what's normal convention, OR by your words and manner do you convey to this new contact that you've found Someone else who has given you a brand new kind of life? Are we kind of embarrassed about being a Christian, or about our church connection, so that it would be the last possible thing someone could drag out of us? This doesn't mean we have to launch into a ten-minute spiel about how we became a Christian, whether the person has time for it or not.

Just try to be sensitive to what the Spirit wants you to say, be praying about how God wants you to interact with this stranger with their whole bundle of individual needs, and try not to let your old self hog the conversation with the mundane.

Paul is very clear from the first breath that he is not a self-made man, but re-made.

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, set apart for the gospel...

called to BELONG to Jesus Christ..." Before the Damascus Road, Paul might have introduced himself as "Saul of Tarsus, a citizen of no mean city, trained under Gamaliel, special agent of the High Priest..." and so on with nine yards of impressive credentials, but that's all gone now.

Paul's not so concerned with impressing upon people WHO he is so much as WHOSE he is: Jesus' servant, he belongs to the Lord lock stock and barrel.

Sold out, under new ownership.

In Christian baptism, we do an unusual thing: we use the person's first name and middle name (if they have one) but not their surname.

Why? Because through faith in Christ they're becoming part of Jesus' family.

They're being born anew with God as their spiritual Father.

Consequently the old things from family of origin we might have boasted about fall away; under the Holy Spirit's sculpting, our nature is no longer just that of our birth parents, but we are being re-formed to share Christ's mind and likeness.

I myself was blessed with a happy home life, and kind parents.

They had a dairy and cash crop farm in Hibbert Township, about six miles from Mitchell.

Although that's not Huron County, I was born at the hospital in Exeter, so maybe you'll accept me as part native! I was brought up going to church at Roy's, then Thamesview at Fullarton.

I enjoyed Sunday School and still remember the colouring book my nursery teacher gave me one Christmas.

Once a month we kids trotted downstairs for "Mission Band" instead of the sermon.

As a youth I went to Sigma-C, then Hi-C, back in the boom years of the sixties and seventies.

From childhood on up, religious music was an important part of my life: Junior Choir, then Senior Choir Grade 8 through High School.

My first paying job in the church was pumping the organ at about 11 years old, for which I received $5 a year! Through all these activities God was laying a foundation for my later Christian experience; a foundation that assured me that there were people beyond my immediate family that cared about me and would go out of their way for me, in the name of Christ.

(Oh yes, as a teenager on a ball team I was catcher for a certain pitcher from out our way named Warren Moore, a classmate of mine from about Grade 5 on up.

So if you really want the scoop on my shady past, ask Warren!)

Remember I said that when people first meet us as Christians, hopefully there'll be something positive that comes across.

For Paul, that "something positive" was grace.

He writes, "Through him (Jesus) and for his name's sake, we received grace and apostleship..." Then he adds that we are loved by God.

If we call ourselves Christians yet show no evidence of God's grace and love in our lives, people will spot us right away as hokey hypocrites.

Jesus himself emphasized that the distinguishing feature by which the world should be able to pick us out as his followers is our love for one another.

A love that springs out of the grace of God, who first loved us.

My teen years were heady ones: mankind made its first step on the moon the year I turned 13.

"Chariots of the Gods" was all the rage, as people wondered whether there was intelligent life elsewhere in space.

Radiotelescopes and subatomic physics began probing the limits of the known universe.

The "God is dead" movement began filtering down through the liberal churches.

I myself was intrigued by panentheism, the belief that all things are in God and God in all things.

Kind of a New Ager before it came into fashion.

But my intellectual wanderings were not in the end very personally satisfying or reassuring.

A universe without a personal, purposeful, communicating God is no more comforting than the accidental bang and crawl out of the slime of the atheists.

A singing group at a Hi-C outing, by contrast, demonstrated the joy of knowing Jesus on their faces and in their music.

A Bible study group led by some friends of our High School phys ed teacher brought home the need for personal commitment.

So one night in my bedroom when I was about 18 I got down on my knees and asked this concrete, very personal Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Saviour.

No fireworks, no epiphanies or falling over, but in the weeks that followed God gave me a quiet assurance that here was truth and meaning.

The Bible became understandable, enlightening; it was a joy to pray and sing with other believers.

My family patiently tolerated this new phase of zealousness.

At the University of Guelph, Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship provided the weekly meetings and cell groups I needed to grow in maturity.

I received grace.

That is the fundamental truth for any Christian: that our lives have been touched by God's mysterious Spirit, through the sacrifice and living Lordship of this very particular, most Real person who lived and died and rose again 2000 years ago, Jesus the Messiah.

And I needed grace.

Those who know me best know that by nature I am an introvert; my "old man" (to use Paul's expression for my fallen self) tends to be self-centred, perfectionistic, know-it-all, smug, and cold.

There, now you know what to watch for! Sorry if you expected the Search Committee to find someone who's perfect.

I'd like to be able to say the Lord has delivered me from all these failings, but he's still working on it, with help from my family and friends, and, I pray, with help from you.

We are all, after all, prone to be like the ancestors in Psalm 78: stubborn, rebellious, hearts not loyal to God; or as Paul says in Romans 2, "arrogant, faithless, heartless, ruthless." We all need mercy.

So when we meet people, they should notice not our bravado, but our sense of having been blessed.

Sneek a peek at Paul's business card and it would have had the gospel written all over it.

As far as he was concerned, this "good news" is the active ingredient in life.

He calls himself "set apart for God's gospel"; he is eager to preach it to those at Rome just as he's done throughout the known world.

He admits, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..." This message is the remarkable means by which people's broken, faltering, hurting lives can be made whole, recaptured, safe and put right or reconnected with the Master Planner; the One who designed us in the first place and knows our gifts and potential best.

The gospel, the good news of Christ, is the active ingredient, the secret agent every believer carries with them that has world-changing capabilities.

"Fly in the Web: Struggling in Sin's Sticky Snare" - 990829 Rom.1:18-22; 2:5-9 (1:28-31; 3:11-18; 7:14-25a; 5:6-8)

The flies have been bad lately. Yet it seems whenever you grab the fly swatter, they magically disappear. When I was a boy on the farm, I remember we used sticky gooey fly papers that hung in long brown strips from the ceiling. Whatever the oozy substance was on the strip, it not only attracted the flies but held them fast when they zoomed in for a taste.

God warns us in scripture that sin is a lot like that. Temptations come and are very attractive. But when we give in, we find we're stuck, and wind up struggling to break free of evil's slimy grip. And like the fly strips which got disposed of in the garbage heap, God's righteous wrath at human wickedness spells doom for those who remain in it.

Gordon MacDonald was once leader of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship in the United States. After an affair with a female staff member, he had to resign his ministry and took some time to be restored in church work and in his marriage, which survived intact. He is well acquainted with the consequences of entanglement in sin. In his book "Rebuilding Your Broken World", he includes a chapter on the power of evil called "Tiptoeing on the Spiderweb". As the pastor of a small church, his basement office had a variety of bugs, including a spider with a large, magnificent web which Gordon, out of curiosity, left intact. He recalls:

"One day I became annoyed by a large fly buzzing around the study. Occasionally, he would land near the spiderweb, and each time he wandered closer and closer, even venturing onto some of the outer strands much like someone might test the ice of a frozen pond in the early days of winter. But always after a few tentative steps, the fly would dart away, returning again a few minutes later. I had the impression that the fly was driven by curiosity about the spider's web. This time the fly tiptoed too far out on the strands and suddenly became entangled. He struggled mightily but unsuccessfully. The well-built web held its prey, and soon the spider was out of his hiding place...pouncing upon the hapless fly. The contest was over swiftly, and the study was silent; no buzzing any longer."

Gordon MacDonald likens the fly to Samson in the Bible. Despite clear warnings not to get involved with the women of Philistia, Samson couldn't resist. He got ensnared and imprisoned, the strongest man in that part of the world was literally shackled. Like the fly and the spider, tempted by sin we are first tantalized, then paralyzed, and finally euthanized. It's dancing with death.

God has designed the universe in an integrated way; sin often has a physical or visual attraction that brings physical diseases, our delicate sexual and emotional health in relationships is violated when we break moral laws. We are complex, multi-faceted, yet unified beings: whatever we do in one area of our life affects all the others. Over the centuries the Lord has instructed us in what is good and right, through the prophets at first, then the teachings of Jesus and the apostles were incorporated into the Bible, what Harold Hill calls the "Manufacturer's Handbook". God has every right to be upset when we ignore his directions.

Suppose you designed an up-to-date, superfast multimedia computer system for someone who didn't know much about computers. You cautioned them to just follow the manual and they'd be OK. However a couple of days later you get a phone call that it's not working. It turns out they've gotten sand in the floppy drive, used the CDROM as a mug holder and their hot chocolate spilled, they plugged the keyboard in where the mouse goes and blew the speakers by plugging them straight into the power supply. All because they never once opened the manual. Would you be upset? Of course! How much more right the Creator of Life has when his complex creatures capable of free will and splitting the atom turn a blind eye to the storehouse of truth we're blessed with in the Bible.

Paul writes, "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness." Strong language! Some people would portray the God of the Old Testament as different from the God of the New Testament, supposedly one a God of judgment and the other a God of mercy; but that's a false distinction. Wickedness is present just as much today as in Moses' time, so why should God's approach be any different? Paul mentions God's "wrath" 4 times in this short passage. The New Testament does have Jesus' teaching on love and mercy and forgiveness, along with the account of his atonement for our wrongs; but it still ends with the Judgment Seat of God. Jesus himself warns us of the outer gloom and agony of hell, and the distinction between the sheep and the goats. We must be careful not to treat the message of grace lightly, as if showing contempt for God's tolerance and patience.

The book of Romans is one of my favourites because it lays out the basics of Christianity so plainly. So I am happy to spend a few weeks on it. But before we can get to the good news around chapters 4-8, we must first face up to our sorry state described in the first 3 chapters. Frankly, I'd rather not preach about sin and God's wrath. It's certainly not a popular topic! But the path of healing for the addict lies through admitting one's need, cutting through the denial, facing one's lostness head on. Unless we acknowledge sin and its consequences, the danger of remaining on the wrong side of God's truth, there IS NO GOSPEL. In order to hear the good news, we need to understand how bad things are.

Most people these days can name any number of examples amongst their acquaintances of marriage break-ups, addictions, and injustices. We celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary this past week; a couple of times I just about told an individual then stopped myself, realizing it would be hard for them to rejoice with us because their own marriage had broken up. For countless examples of sin and crime we have only to listen to the news. Paul doesn't hesitate to catalogue instances of evil in his day: (1:28) greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, boastful, disobeying parents, senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. What a list! yet some of those, we must admit if we're totally honest about it, describe ourselves at some time or other. And what is God's righteous decree? (32) Those who do such things deserve death. Or, as Paul describes it later, the "wages" of sin is death; it's what we earn or work for by our misbehaviour.

Over the past couple of years, sin's sickening enslavement has affected people I knew quite closely. The marriage of board members at a previous pastoral charge broke up when the husband ran off with the neighbour's wife. In another presbytery, we had to deal with one clergyperson's lack of confidentiality, and another cleryperson's indiscreet involvement with a teenaged parishioner. Meanwhile an acquaintance of our family, a leader in his church in another denomination, got hooked into an affair through an internet chat line. When someone you know gets stuck in sin, there is a heavy emotional cost to everyone around, something dies that used to be whole and good. And these things are not easily or quickly patched up; perhaps they can never be the same, or months and years of counselling are required for reconciliation. The web holds the fly for a long time; sin gets us stuck. Paul wrote of his unregenerate state, "I am unspiritual, SOLD as a SLAVE to sin...I do what I do not want to do; it is sin living in me that does it...(I am) a PRISONER of the law of sin at work within my members.What a WRETCHED man I am!"

How do we get attracted so easily to the sticky tape, to the spider's strands? Gordon MacDonald identifies 4 sources of temptation. Satan is one; the Bible calls him deceiver, slanderer, father of lies. This chief fallen angel seems to head up the invisible evil forces at work in the universe. He seems to delight in accusing God's chosen people before the Trinity, as if to shame God and interrupt the glory that returns to the Creator from the creation. Job and Jesus were directly tempted by Satan.

But most of Satan's purpose is carried out by lesser fallen angels, known as demons. The ancient and developing world seems to have been much more aware of the activity of these evil beings than are we in western society. Jesus freed a man who was possessed by many of these spirits, and they caused a herd of pigs to go charging down a mountain into a lake. When we were in Africa,
voodoo was making a resurgence, even to the point of placing "hexes" on packages sent through the mail. In our culture, we may unwittingly give evil spirits access by what we watch in the media, or by New Age forms of spirituality that self-enlightenment apart from the Holy Spirit.

Gordon MacDonald identifies a third source of temptation in "systems of evil". He writes, "The evil that seems to pervade the machinations of nations and peoples today defies credulity. In his book Modern Times Paul Johnson records and analyzes the history of the 20th century and the multimillions of people killed by the violence of political action. He finally asks, 'What has gone wrong with humanity?'" MacDonald suggests this form of evil play s a role in the spawning of racism, nationalism, materialism, civil wars, ethnic strife, terrorist activities; even causing the church to become bogged down with property acquisition, organizationalism, and fund raising.

I stopped in at a convenience store recently and bought an ice cream sandwich. The friendly man behind the counter finished separating some lottery cards before ringing up my purchase. He asked, "Would you like to try your luck today, sir?" as if it would be the most natural thing in the world to buy a ticket or two. Lotteries, which used to be outlawed, are now acceptable in society and in government, which now relies on such funding for its programs. This is one "system of evil" that leads to temptation. Up north, with bingo halls and casinoes easily accessible, it was not uncommon to hear of cars and houses and spouses lost due to gambling debts. As a Christian, belonging to Jesus and a steward for him of all that I own, I will not defraud the Lord of what is His by wasting it in gaming.

The fourth cause of temptation is the human heart. MacDonald writes, "One could say that a barbarian is in each of us. To some extent the barbarian can be temporarily tamed in the best situations. And one needs only look at the deterioriating moral situation in many parts of the Western world to understand that the barbarian in us is very much alive. That man loves darkness rather than light." Jesus pointed out that it is the things that come out of the heart that make a person unclean.

How did we get this way? Only to a limited extent can we blame it on Adam & Eve, or the Devil. We are born depraved, fallen, tending towards selfishness and autonomy. As Chuck Swindoll put it, "Your baby has the bents." But that does not excuse us. We willingly continue in our depravity, making choices that we know are not what God wants. Paul states that people suppress the truth, and exchange God's glory for our own humanly constructed images; by our unrepentant heart we reject the truth and (actively) follow evil. (3:11) "There is no one who seeks God;" instead we are "self-seeking" (2:8). A long list of Old Testament quotes about our sorry state ends with the summary, "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

We've heard the distinction made between the God of fear and the God of love. Well, be careful: it's the same God, BC or AD. Paul seems to be implying there is such a thing as a healthy fear of God, a reverence or awe that helps us keep in check. Our Lord Jesus himself said, "I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell.Yes, I tell you, fear him." Pretty blunt, wasn't he? True, perfect love does cast out fear; but without some awe and reverence we don't get to truly love God as he is in his holiness.

You'll often see the "No Fear" logo on trucks or T-shirts. That sums up our generation pretty well: No Fear of God! Like the guy who sings the hit song, "I want to be Consequence-free." But would you really want this man to date your daughter?

We are caught in the web of sin, struggling to get out, and we can't do it on our own. Paul calls out, "Who will rescue me from this body of death?" Then exults, "Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord." In the coming weeks we'll get more into the GOOD news, how Christ's sacrificial death snapped the strands of the web and released us from being bound by sin. Paul summarizes: "At just the right time, when WE were still POWERLESS, Christ died for the ungodly...God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God's wrath is avoidable if we trust in the Rescuer he offers.

Perhaps no more sobering recent example of evil's destructiveness exists than the slaying of students at high schools in Colorado and Alberta. I close today with an article passed on to me containing the testimony on May 27 this year before the House Judiciary Committee of Darrell Scott, father of 2 victims in the Colorado shooting. Mr.Scott testified: "Since the dawn of creation there has been both good and evil in the heart of men and of women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence...The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

"...I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies!...I wrote a poem just 4 nights ago that expresses my feelings best. "Your laws ignore our deepest needs Your words are empty air. You've stripped away our heritage. You've outlawed simple prayer. Now gunshots fill our classrooms And precious children die. You seek for answers everywhere And ask the question "WHY?" You regulate re strictive laws Through legislative creed. And yet you fail to understand... That God is what we need!"

Mr.Scott continues, "Men and women are 3-part beings. We all consist of body, soul, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our makeup, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc...What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honour God and in doing so, we open the doors to hatred and violence.

"The real villain lies within our OWN hearts. Political posturing and restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young people of our nation hold the key. There is a spiritual awakening taking place that will not be squelched. We do not need more religion...We do need a change of heart and a humble acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple trust in God."

If the fly could only resist buzzing near the sticky paper, or tiptoeing on the edge of the web! If only people would understand that wrath and anger, trouble and distress await everyone who does evil. Yet God has provided our Rescuer, if we will only let Him take over our hearts. Turn to the Master, and turn away from evil! Let us pray.

"Why Work?" 990905 Labour Day Weekend - Rom.4:4,5,17b-25 (3:21-4:3) Jn.6:25-40

A young man went to the employment office of a telegram company looking for a job delivering telegrams. The manager said he needed someone to start at once and asked if the young man would be willing to begin right then.

"Well," said the boy, there's one thing I must warn you about before I get started. I cannot stand any scene of unhappiness. I'm only willing to deliver good news. Birth announcements, that's fine. Congratulations of success, fortunes that have been received, promotions, acceptance of marriages -- all the joys and bliss, that I'll deliver. But sickness and death and failure and all of that, that's alien to my nature. I just won't deliver them."

It didn't take the manager very long to say, "I guess I'm still looking for the one that's gonna fill this job, because this responsibility requires that you also announce bad news."

That's how it is with the gospel,too. It is the wonderful good news about Jesus Christ, but it isn't complete until the bad news is also delivered. I wouldn't be doing my job, just like that wanna-be telegram boy, if I balked at explaining to people their grave need of a Saviour. The good news for you this morning is: we had most of the bad news last week! We talked about Romans 1-3, which focuses on our fallenness and depravity as humans, a legitimate target of God's wrath and displeasure. We discovered that not one person is righteous; our rejection of God, our lack of fear for our Judge, our preoccupation with selfish pleasures make it impossible for anyone to be acceptable to a holy God in their own strength. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Yet God loved us so much that he provided a way for us to be reconciled, through faith in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

It's Labour Day weekend, a day for workers of all kinds to take an extra day off, one last day of relaxation for students before they put their nose to the grindstone. Labour Day recognizes the value of work in our society and those who perform it. But it's easy to become so enamoured with work that we forget why we're doing it. Workaholics are notorious for this - their identity is wrapped up so much in what they DO for a living that that's the only way they can describe themselves, by their profession. Retire? Now way! They'd rather die first - and some do when they can't make the transition. So being too much work-oriented can be a bad thing. Labour Day and other holidays remind us there is more to life than work; we need to take time off for our families, our bodies, our sanity. A good time to reflect on just why we work; to keep work from becoming an end in itself.

Then there are those people whose philosophy of "work as life" spills over into their religion. If hard work gets you ahead in this life, they figure, it must be the way to earn favour with God too. The Pharisees of Jesus' time were very works-oriented. They had a checklist of 600-odd commandments they laboured hard to obey, even to the particular way they washed their hands. They probably thought that they were earning brownie points with heaven by their time-consuming rituals, tithing even herbs and spices, yet Jesus denounced them as misguided. Even the general populace seems to have thought works were the way to go, for they asked Jesus, "What must we do to do the WORKS God requires?"

But the prophets and apostles criticized this approach to religion. It turns God into a vending machine: you put in your loonie, you get out your pop. God at our disposal, serving us. However the Holy Spirit helps us realize that, when it comes to the Awesome Creator of the universe, we don't even have one red cent. Isaiah wrote, "All our righteous acts are like filthy rags." The Psalmist moaned, "All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." Our works under closer examination often turn out to be "works of the flesh" as Paul describes in Galatians 5: idolatry (e.g.greed), jealousy, selfish ambition, envy... Did we go on that committee because we honestly felt the Lord calling us to use our gifts there, or because we wanted to have some control over what was happening? Even worship - did we come this morning to honour God, or because we wanted a "pick me up", an emotional warm fuzzy, OR so we could look down our nose at our neighbour who didn't go to church? Whatever works we think we're doing for God from a merely human angle, when you get right down to it, are not done for God but for us - to get to heaven, to have a prosperous life, and so on. The movement is selfish, for ourselves.

For an accurate appraisal of our work capacity in God's eyes, see how Scripture describes hundred - year - old Abraham's body (4:19): "as good as dead", worn out. Filthy rags, as good as dead: before God's holiness our best works, done from selfish ambition, will always be impotent, warped, imperfect, futile, totally incapable of winning God's approval. PLEASE, whatever you do, when you're on your deathbed and the minister is called, DON'T TELL ME "I've lived a good life." I cringe when I hear that. The shaft leading to the nether regions of hell must echo with the protests of people claiming, "But I've lived a good life!" I can give you no assurance of eternal life if you're trusting in your own works. Study the heroes of the faith and you'll discover that, the closer they get to sainthood, the more aware they became of their flaws, their inner weaknesses, how much they needed God's grace. Paul warns the Galatians, "Those who live like this" (that is, the works of the flesh) "will not inherit the kingdom of God."

That's the futility of work. We're not yet ready to answer the question, "Why work?" The Bible seems to be saying our mortal striving is ineffectual, inconsequential. The starting point of something good that will last forever is not OUR work, but God's work for us. That's why faith is so essential: faith is what allows us to tap into and get ahold of God's work, what he has done for us in Christ.

Too often we strive for the wrong things in life. People often work to get more money, in hope of someday getting rich. But rich is not what you really want: money doesn't make people happy. Paul counsels that what we really want is not to be rich, but righteous. What's that? Righteous? They don't teach about that in school. What is this archaic concept that rings through the whole Bible called "righteousness"?

To be righteous means to be upright, just, good, honest; it's the essential quality that enables one to conform to God's likeness, to be "square" with God. The Creator made us suited for fellowship with Him, our hearts are restless until they really contact God, there's no rest apart from relationship with the Lord. And because God is holy and upright, there's no way anything can relate to Him without being "righteous".

For analogy, take my carpenter's square: it's righteous. (Hm, you're thinking, preacher's been studying a little too hard: thinks his tools are developing religious characteristics!) No, I'm serious, my square is "righteous" - when it comes to what it's designed for, being a square, measuring distances and corners. Suppose a sloppy carpenter builds a wall that's not square. You may not even see it with your eye, but it's less than 90 degrees. Along comes the tradesman to lay the linoleum. He cuts the material at one corner of the wall, goes across and - wait a minute! It comes up short! That gap, that "falling short", resulting from the wall's "bentness" is like our human un-righteousness. On our own steam we can never make God's grade.

Or take the analogy of a space shuttle docking with a space station. If they don't come in "square on" with each other, the docking can't take place. In order for there to be a connection and transfer, the approach has to be "righteous", just right, on beam - then they can connect. You see, we could try a thousand times to dock with God and never succeed: we're in a different orbit, two parties going at completely different speeds and trajectories. We're not on the same wavelength.

Righteousness: not riches, not works, but RIGHTEOUSNESS is what it takes to have relationship with God. And the ONLY way to get it is by faith in Jesus. Faith is allowing God's tractor beam to lock onto your spacecraft and His laser beam guidance system to pull you in aligned with His orbit. We are "justified" or made righteous (same root word in the Greek) by faith: faith is accepting and yielding to God's ability to do for us what we (in our weakness and bentness, being "off course") could never do for ourselves.

Look at the power source in 4:17: "God gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." All we see around us, this complicated interplay of knots of space-time that make up atoms, all this was merely spoken into being by God. What was the object of Abraham's faith? (21) He was "fully persuaded that God had POWER to do what he had promised." The One who gave supernovas their energy in the first place, who routinely lifts water from the deepest roots of a tree out its highest leaf a hundred feet in the air, has power to spare for His good purposes. And what is the Father's will? Jesus sums it up in Jn 6:40: "that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." The power, the plan, and the promise are all God's doing: it's just waiting there for us to receive it by faith, like Abraham.

Remember the Jews asking Jesus, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus identified the most important work of all: "The work of God," he said, "is to believe in the one he has sent." Believing? What kind of work is that? It's receiving the work God has gone to for us. Salvation is something he wants to GIVE us. Jesus goes on to say, "The Son of man will GIVE you the food that endures to eternal life...The Father GIVES you the true bread from heaven...He who comes down from heaven (Jesus) GIVES life to the world."

God's work, God's giving, is the starting point. Our works DON'T work, they could never earn us the right to eternal life, for all we have and are is a gift from God in the first place; and in our depravity there would always be an element of self-interest, "What's in it FOR ME?" There's a fundamental difference in the direction or movement behind God's plans compared to our own works: God's pure love is completely directed FOR US, for the other, not for God's own self. Look at Rom.4:25: He was delivered over to death FOR OUR sins and was raised to life FOR OUR justification. Faith in Jesus merely receives God's initial movement toward us in our need. Righteousness and eternal life are His gift when we receive the Lord's invitation to fellowship.

Martin Luther was the initiator of the Protestant reformation. He discovered Paul's meaning of the phrase "the righteous shall live by faith" about the year 1515. Before that, he had tried various ways to get right with God. He fasted, sometimes 3 days on end without a crumb. In the monastery, he cast off the blankets permitted him and nearly froze to death. He climbed the steps of Pilate's stairs on hands and knees, reciting the Lord's Prayer on each one, only to raise himself at the top and wonder, "Who knows whether it is so?" The medieval system of works brought no assurance to his soul. It was only after he started concentrating on the Bible that he found the answer to his soul's search for God. He wrote, "Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that "the just shall live by his faith." Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the 'justice of God' had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven..."

Luther continues, "If you have a true faith that Christ is your Saviour, then at once you have a gracious God, for faith leads you in and opens up God's heart and will, that you should see pure grace and overflowing love."

A couple of hundred years later, May 24 1738, a 35-year-old Anglican priest named John Wesley found his heart "strangely warmed" at a meeting in London England. Wesley went on to found the Methodist church and begin a national revival. What was being read at that meeting on Aldersgate Street? Luther's "Preface to Romans". Faith is credited as righteousness: and ends up not just saving souls, but saving slaves from human bondage, too.

Well -- if God's done it all for us, what's left for us to do? Again we need to ask, "Why work?" Else the employers will be angry with me for sowing labour unrest. The book of Hebrews talks about a "Sabbath rest" for God's people; "We who have believed enter that rest," the author says. "Anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work."

Well, that's fine and true theologically, but it doesn't put bread on the table humanly speaking. The church at Thessalonica took Paul very seriously: so seriously that some lazy folks used the excuse of Christ's imminent return to start loafing off. Paul shot back, "Warn those who are idle...Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, mind your own business and work with your hands: so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." If we slack off and shirk our duties on a human level, we become unnecessarily dependent, the energy flow is no longer outward (like God's) but inward, consumptive not generative.

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, there must have still been some loafers, for Paul used strong language. "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you to keep away from every brother who is idle....We worked day and night, labouring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you...We gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'" Can't get much more direct than that! Of busybodies Paul wrote, "Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. And as for you, sisters and brothers, never tire of doing what is right." So we work as an outflow of the life of Jesus within us. It is a response of the Spirit's indwelling, not a means of earning God's approval. In meaningful employment we mirror God's own direction outward, giving to others, contributing to life, being a plus not a minus. And faith in Jesus' self-giving on the cross to take away our sin, our warpedness and its aftermath, - faith is the means by which we are credited with righteousness in the eyes of God, brought into a right relationship with Him.

The story is told of a man lost in the desert, just dying for a drink of water. He stumbled upon an old shack, and found beside it an old, rusty water pump. He stumbled over to it, grabbed the handle, and began to pump up and down, up and down. Nothing came out.

Disappointed, he staggered back. He noticed off to the side an old jug. On it was a message that said, "You have to prime the pump with all the water in this jug, my friend. PS: Be sure you fill the jug again before you leave."

Suddenly, he was faced with a decision. If he drank the water, he could live. Ah, but if he poured all the water in the rusty old pump, maybe it would yield fresh, cool water from down deep in the well, all the water he wanted. Would he waste all the water if he believed those flimsy instructions written no telling how long ago?

Reluctantly he poured all the water into the pump. Then he grabbed the handle and began to pump, squeak, squeak, squeak. Still nothing came out! Squeak, squeak, squeak. A little bit began to dribble out, then a small stream, and finally it gushed! To his relief fresh, cool water poured out of the rusty pump. Eagerly, he filled the jug and drank from it. He filled it another time and once again drank its refreshing contents.

Then he filled the jug for the next traveller. He filled it to the top, popped the cork back on, and added this little note: "Believe me, it really works. You have to give it all away before you can get anything back." Let us pray.

"Faith's Harvest" - 38th Thresher Reunion, Sept.12/99 - Romans 5:1-5; 8:9-23

On this thresher reunion weekend, it seems like everybody around is getting into the pioneer thresher fever. Hundreds of campers are parked around the community centre, and visitors pour through the displays. You may not have thought of Jesus as a thresher before, but he would be a founding member: John the Baptist said Jesus was a thresher - "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." So Jesus is a thresher, too!

It's fun to see sheaves being thrown onto the feeder of an old threshing machine, and straw blown out into a stack. Quite a bit different from the modern combine. Back in Jesus' time the sheaves were harvested with a sickle - must have been a back-breaking job - then carried by hand, by mule or ox-cart to a large flat space where the clay had been packed into a hard surface. There it was beaten with a rod or flail, or trampled by oxen pulling a wooden sled with notched rims. This gradually caused the grain to separate from the husk and straw. Then the farmer would take a winnowing fork or shovel, and toss it into the air so the breeze would help separate out the heavier grain from the chaff.

My father and mother talked about how in pioneer days threshing was a local community event. The "gang" would travel around from farm to farm; mealtimes were big productions, with tables set for many hungry workers and lots of pies provided by the women working together in concert in the kitchen. Kind of a "bee" atmosphere, and no doubt lots of tidbits shared in the process. Threshing was also an occasion back in Bible times: in the book of Ruth we read of Boaz and his crew enjoying a party time after the day's labour, and sleeping out under the stars to keep robbers from making off with the finished grain.

There is a harvest each one of us can join in, even if we're not farmers or pioneers; a harvest we can each benefit from, not resulting from sowing wheat or barley or corn, but faith. As we continue our look at the book of Romans, we find Paul lists in chapters 5 and 8 many good outcomes of trusting in God, what I'd like to call "faith's harvest".

Maybe you're particularly ready or ripe to find out about this harvest right now, because of what's happening in your life. You know, sometimes we just feel like the sheaves getting thrown into the machine or laid out flat on the threshing floor: we're taking a beating, as if the cylinder were knocking the daylights out of us, or it seems everyone's trampling us underfoot. Some people no doubt feel this way due to health problems, something the doctor discovered but we didn't want to hear. Perhaps we're a hay fever sufferer, or sleepless due to grief, or stress of going back to school or college. With commodity prices low, I understand there may be another round of farm liquidations in the offing; for a farmer, that's a huge adjustment- more than a vocational change, losing the farm caries with it the baggage of shame and identity crisis. People in other occupations, too, have to start over from time to time; a fellow I talked to recently in another county had just been laid off after his financial institution merged and his department was transferred to another centre. When you're in later life and suddenly find yourself out on the street, you can feel trampled-on like those sheaves under the oxen's hoof, circumstances are flailing away at you.

Trust in the Lord, hang in there: you'll discover that faith will bring a harvest. There are even some good things that can come out of suffering, as we'll see. God's blessings come to us by faith in all three compartments of life- spirit, soul, and body. We can think of these as like the parts of a wheat or barley seed: the germ, the kernel, and the husk.

First, faith brings remarkable changes in the spiritual area. This is the core of who we are, the essence of life, our spirit is that part of us that God has made to commune with him in prayer, praise, and trust. It's where our motivation comes from, our life-source, like the tiny germ or embryo at the base of the grain kernel. 5:1 says we have been justified or "made right" through faith, so have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We talked last week about how righteousness not riches is what we really want in life: receiving Jesus' sacrifice for our sins by faith, we are set "right" or made "square" with God, our space shuttle can then approach in line with the tractor beam of God's space station and actually dock. Peace with God in our spirit: no animosity, no unsettled accounts - Jesus paid it all for us. More than just a lack of fighting, peace (as in the case of Canada and the States) means ongoing good relations, and the possibility of much positive sharing, as we share business and tourism with our neighbour to the south. And the exchange rate on God's dollar is always in our favour!

Verse 2 says that through Jesus we have gained access by faith into grace: another blessing for the granary of our spirit. Grace is getting what we don't deserve, G-R-A-C-E: God's Riches At Christ's Expense. When we owe somebody something, or have been caught in the act, yet are forgiven, let off the hook, the other party absorbs the cost: that's grace. Gordon MacDonald recalls the time he was pulled over by the police for speeding. No question about it, he was well over the limit. The constable radioed in the license number, then came back and said: "Well, Mr.MacDonald, you've got a perfectly clean record. You do what you can to keep it that way and I will too. Have a nice day." If you've ever been pulled over, you can imagine the flood of relief that must have produced. God's grace brings even more relief to our spirit, for we know our record was NOT clean, and the fine would be for eternity.

In chapter 8, Paul goes beyond talking about the state into which faith in Christ brings us. There is something really different inside us: "The Spirit of God lives in you..." We have the Spirit of Christ. "Christ is in you...(and) your spirit is alive because of righteousness." This is what Pentecost and the "new birth" are all about: God's Spirit comes right into our lives and produces the mind and attitudes of Christ in our lives. When God's Spirit comes, our own spirit becomes fully alive, functioning at Pentium capacity in God-given righteousness.

Recently I noticed a sign, "Nanny wanted full-time". This is different from daycare in which the children are dropped off at a someone else's place. A nanny comes and lives right with the family in their own home, often supervising and engaging the children round the clock. You might compare the Holy Spirit to God's live-in Nanny, even more wonderful and enjoyable than Mary Poppins. The Spirit gradually reveals to us all the gifts and fruit God has in store for us as his children.

For that's what happens when the Spirit comes: we become God's children. (8:14-16) "Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God...You received the Spirit of sonship.And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." Non-Christians may view God with disdain, or distance, or distress - like the Greek, Norseman, or aboriginal who imagines the deity hurling thunderbolts upon a whim. But for the believer, God is "Abba" - the very intimate, personal Aramaic word for Papa, Father, Daddy. Someone more dear, more loving than the best possible parent in the world. By faith we are God's privileged children, allowed to burst into the heavenly throne room and approach the King with our troubles or our joys to share at any time.

As children, v.17 points out we are also heirs: legally authorized to inherit all the good things God has in store for us in Christ. The Spirit is a guarantee, a down payment or deposit. One dictionary interprets the word Paul uses as "birth certificate": the Holy Spirit in us is the proof of identity, the "birth certificate" that we belong to God. What self-confidence and assurance this can give us, knowing we are unquestionably God's: in our spirits we can rest assured that we are dear to the Father. He is concerned for us as the apple of one's eye.

That's faith's harvest as it concerns our spirit, the "germ" or embryo of the grain kernel. There is more still for our soul, that part of us encompassing emotions and will. Perhaps we can liken our soul to the rest of the kernel, the mixture of starch and protein designed to give energy and nurture to the germ when it starts growing. Look at the end of 5:2: "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." Rejoicing and hope have to do with the soul, with our emotions, what keeps us going in everyday life. People without joy and without hope find life pretty dismal. No matter what circumstances befall him or her, the Christian can rejoice in hope: we share God's glory now in a small glimmer of the degree to which we will reflect it after Jesus returns. "Now we see through a glass darkly; then we shall see face to face."

Look what else we rejoice in (5:3): "We also rejoice in our sufferings, because suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope." Christianity has the advantage over other religions in helping a person endure suffering. In Hinduism one suffers because of sins in a supposed previous existence - it's your karma, your fate, there's nothing you can do about it. A legalistic religion such as Islam would see suffering as God's judgment for shortcomings, to be endured as part of his wrath. The disciples unwittingly took this approach when they asked the Lord who sinned, the man blind from birth or his parents. Jesus refuted that way of thinking.

For the Christian, sufferings can be transformed into a cause for quiet rejoicing. As Paul affirms at the end of the chapter, we know that God can make all things work together for good to those who love Him. Our sufferings in earthly life develop perseverance and character. We know suffering is not directed at us personally, as if the universe were "out to get us", but the whole creation suffers together in its bondage to decay and death. Our natural beings share in nature's frustration, like the aging thresher who suffers asthma because of all the dust and chaff he inhaled through the years: sin and its consequence, death, are just part of our environment. But what really transforms our suffering is knowing that Christ took on humanity fully and suffered alongside us. God's perfect Son willingly experienced rocky roads, hunger, misunderstanding, verbal abuse, rejection, whipping, injustice, and a tortured death just because he loved us and wanted us to share his glory. So he shared our sufferings. His Spirit within us can help us cope day by day, come what may, confident that He will never forsake us, and has something far better in store for us. (8:17) We are "co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory...Our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Emotionally, deep down in our soul, that is very reassuring.

There's another fruit harvested by faith when it comes to our emotions: love. (8:5) God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit..." Knowing God's fantastic love for us turns on a big tap inside us: we receive compassion and concern for those around us,we can pass on God's love and not run dry, because the Holy Spirit is our internal supply.

In August my brother and sister-in-law hosted a church function at their farm, with the speaker from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. We saw slides he'd taken on a recent trip to Ethiopia, following a recent shipment of foodgrains to the drought- and war-stricken country. But this has not just been years of hand-outs: food-for-work projects have resulted in roads being built, wells dug, trees planted. The landscape is being transformed because trees are changing the water cycle. The love of Canadian farmers and folk who make donations from our harvest is pouring over into a harvest in other lands, and we in turn are encouraged and challenged by the faith of those who have much less than we do. God's love splashing into our hearts helps us keep seeing real people and not get compassion fatigue.

The final part of us that benefits from faith's harvest is our body, our physical side. Liken it to the husk around the grain kernel, which is beaten off in the threshing process and turned to chaff which blows away. Every funeral is a reminder that someday we too will put off what Paul calls this "earthly tent", to await a perfect body like the one Jesus already has.

But Christians do not think of the body as inferior or inherently evil as the Greeks used to. Our bodies are part of God's good creation, only they have been frustrated by sin's presence in the world. God has concern for the overall person, including the body. Jesus and the apostles often healed people miraculously. James ordered those who were ill in the early church to call for the elders who would pray for them and anoint with oil. Paul seems to be saying faith's harvest includes benefits that are not only spiritual or intangible, but also strengthening physically. (8:11) "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also GIVE LIFE to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."

In the book of Acts, there were many times the apostles needed God's healing power for their own bodies. In Acts 14 Paul was stoned and left for dead. In Acts 28 on Malta he is bitten by a viper, which the natives figured would make him a goner, but he survived unaffected. In later life he spoke of a thorn in the flesh which the Lord refused to eliminate; instead, Jesus promised him grace sufficient to cope.

So God's power is available to give life to our bodies, when we turn to Him. This doesn't make us immortal, but equips us to carry on our personal mission as long as the Lord allows. Medical doctors today are realizing more and more the value of prayer, and how physical diseases are often related to deeper soul-related or emotional problems. These days churches too are accepting healing services more, for we realize not only are people interconnected bundles of muscles and emotions, God wants to minister to the whole person.

And unquestionably faith has a big yield at the Final Harvest. (8:23) We "groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." (19) "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed." Then this husk of a body we leave behind in earth's sod will be changed by God's sheer power into a better body not in bondage to decay, a body much freer in movement than we can imagine, but one still recognizable to those we knew in earthly life. Creation itself, Paul says, will be brought into the "glorious freedom" of the children of God. Our groaning will be over.

This is faith's wonderful harvest. Justification, peace, grace, aliveness, God's own Spirit indwelling our spirit, the "germ". Rejoicing in hope and in our sufferings, and God's poured-out love for our soul, the "kernel". Healing power and eternal life for our bodies, the "husk" and straw.

Someone was telling me lately about the iffy corn crop last year. Apparently July was very dry and farmers were afraid they might lose the crop. Yet when harvest came, there were some bumper yields reported. Why? People overlooked the dew. It seems though there was no rain for that period, there was a heavy dew most nights. Just enough dew to keep the corn growing as it needed.

If you're going through a "dry" time in your life, don't give up. Trust in Jesus and he will grant your faith a harvest. Let your spirit and soul soak up the "dew" of his invisible Spirit each day in reading the Word and prayer. Receive his peace, love, and hope, even in your sufferings; and He will give you perseverance and Life. When the threshing's done, the yield will be good. Let us pray.

"Back-to-school Clothes Shopping for Christ's Love-Look" - 990919 Rom.12:9-18;15:1-4

I was visiting with a senior earlier this month who had recently taken her grandchildren on a shopping expedition for some back-to-school clothes. What a sweet thing to do! As kids head back to class, or even as adults head back to the workplace for a new season, we enjoy a change of clothing so we don't stand out unfavourably from our peers. Unfortunately in our looks-conscious society, shabby clothes can prevent other people from noticing the real beauty or uniqueness of the inner person.

But Christians don't look at things from a worldly point of view. Scripture tells us repeatedly that humans look on the outside, but God sees the heart. More important than the threads covering our skin is our invisible personality, the attitudes and treatment we extend to our neighbour. In the last few chapters of Romans, Paul gets down to the nitty-gritty of Christian behaviour, how others ought to perceive Christ's love and goodness in us regardless of what we're wearing. Chapters 12-15 are packed full of practical advice on everyday habits that God's Spirit longs to cultivate within us. So this morning I'd like you to imagine we're going on a shopping expedition. We're going to buy a new outfit: only this outfit won't consist of actual material. Imagine this year's fashion isn't bell-bottoms, pastels, or tower heels: what we want is Christ's "love-look". How can we find the items of spiritual apparel that will help us resemble Jesus? Here are some practical pointers on finding the "love-look".

First: Look for the right brand name. Whether it's designer jeans or groceries or electronics, we often steer away from a store's own line in favour of a well-known, time-upheld brand name. So in the spiritual realm, there is one brand name that stands out above the rest. Paul tells us in Romans 13:14: "Clothe yourselves with the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh." Jesus is the brand name that's hot. A popular slogan on bracelets asks WWJD, What Would Jesus Do? Is this action I'm considering going to make me resemble the Saviour more, or less?

For today's message I'd like to take some illustrations from the life of David, whom Scriptures call "a man after God's own heart" - not perfect, but close. Remember the classic battle between David and the giant Goliath? Remember why they were fighting? Goliath, the Philistine, mocked the army of Israel; in David's words, Goliath "defied the armies of the Living God." He was so confident in his own size and strength that he challenged anyone in Israel to take him on. But David did not meet Goliath boasting in his own strength, his own name or reputation. He told the giant, "I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." David was not relying on armour, sword, spear, or javelin, but on God to show him what to do each moment. He identified himself with God's name, coming on the Lord's authority. Similarly Paul says, "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ": he's the brand name the Christian wears, we belong to him, we need to be thinking about how to gratify our Lord not our own fleshly desires.

Second, Can you pay the price? Not much point looking at an article of clothing if we don't have enough to pay for it. Often we start looking at the clearance racks first, we want something we can afford.

When it comes to the "love look", cost is a prime consideration. You can't really love someone if you don't value them, if you're not willing to make sacrifices for them. Paul says in Romans 12:10, "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; HONOUR one another above yourselves." Love puts the other person first. Jesus came, not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. In this verse Paul uses two words for love: "philadelphia" or brotherly love, as for a dear sister you've shared everything with; and "philostorgos", tender love or kindly affection as between parents and their children. Knowing God loves us as a dear heavenly Father caring for his child, we in turn have the Spirit's power to love others that tenderly. If we do that, we will honour them above ourselves, give them more worth, be willing to make thoughtful sacrifices. We will pay the price.

The relationship between David and Jonathan, King Saul's son, is described as one of utmost love, even surpassing the love between a man and woman. In 1 Samuel 18 we read that Jonathan was one in spirit with David, he "loved him as himself"; as a token of his affection, the king's son gave this poor shepherd boy from the back hills his own robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt. And swords were almost non-existent in Israel at that time; these gifts Jonathan gave David were very valuable. If we want the "love look" like Jesus, we will be prepared to pay the price - just as he was willing to go to the cross for us.

Third, Check the size: don't be "too big for your britches". It was a blow to my ego some time ago when I had to accept I no longer fit comfortably in pants with a 32" waist. Alas, the women's group at my first pastoral charge were somewhat successful in their vow to put some weight on me before I left!

Of course we wouldn't dream of buying clothes that were too tight for us, or so huge we'd be swimming in it. Unfortunately, when it comes to relationships, we bring to them a puffed-up attitude, too big for our britches. Paul advises in 12:16, "Live in harmony with one another.Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.Do not be conceited." Three times in this one verse Paul uses the same Greek root dealing with attitude, how we think about ourselves relative to others; and he warns us against having an inflated opinion of ourselves, being haughty. This one trips me up all the time: it just comes naturally to me to be selfish and think I know best. But that doesn't make for living in harmony, for agreement.

David learned this lesson early on in his career. He didn't put on airs, but was humble. King Saul suffered from paranoia about David: although the former shepherd was loyal, Saul became jealous of David's military success, and viewed him as a threat to himself and Prince Jonathan. One time when the king and his troops were chasing David's group all over the wilderness, David had a wonderful opportunity to sneak up behind the king and finish him off. But David rebuked those who suggested this, saying, "The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord." David humbly refused to take revenge on the king: he respected his superior because God had stationed Saul as monarch. So the love look learns to suck in one's conceit and keep one's ego down to size.

Fourth, Make sure the stitches aren't coming apart. Sometimes you'll find a nice article of clothing, only to discover on closer examination that some threads are loose. After a few wash-and-wears there would be a hole in the material. Remember that Reader's Digest column - "Pardon, your slip is showing"? Jesus' fashion does not have gaps or rips. Paul writes in 12:9, "Love must be sincere." RSV puts it, "Love must be genuine." The word "sincere" or "genuine" in the original language is "unhypocritical". A hypocrite in the old Greek sense was a pretender, someone acting a part in a play. So Paul's saying, "Be real and sincere in your loving, your agape; don't be a fake, a phoney, only pretending to love." Make sure the stitches aren't coming apart, showing a seamier side of your nature underneath.

There was one time in particular in David's life that he failed to have the "love look". His undoing came at a time when his army had gone off to fight but he'd decided to stay behind in Jerusalem. For once, the man of action found himself with time on his hands. He'd pretty well completed his conquests and was at a margin in his life. Instead of the love look he developed a lust look, and took advantage of his neighbour's wife, beautiful Bathsheba. For a while David tried to pretend that the resulting pregnancy was his neighbour's doing, but Uriah was a true soldier and refused to have relations with his wife while his buddies were out on the front lines, away from theirs. So to adultery and deception David added the sin of murder: he had Uriah conveniently killed in battle. He might have gotten away with the act, but God's Spirit showed Nathan the prophet what had happened. He confronted David with his sin, he "blew David's cover": then David quit playing the hypocrite and confessed. Love checks the stitches, it has integrity and is sincere.

Fifth, Is it easy to get into the pockets? When I was in the reserves I really enjoyed my military uniform: it had pockets all over the place - inside the breast, down the legs - just great! I don't like shirts that don't have a pocket, or jeans that are so snug you can't fit your wallet into the pocket. The "love look" says, "Make sure it's easy to get into the pockets so you can give love away."

Romans 12:13: "Share with God's people who are in need.Practice hospitality." Keep your pockets accessible, ready to share what you have with others. The word "hospitality" is literally "love of strangers", those who are foreign, different from us.

A radio commentary this week focused on the light of boat people, such as the latest load of Chinese folk who floated across the Pacific to British Columbia. The commentator pointed out that, while our minimum wage here is 6.85 an hour, the minimum living wage in China is 87+. And in the designated industrial zones where large international corporations set up shop, often wages are just 13+ an hour. So is it any wonder the people follow the flow of money to the west? In fact the 200,000 or so immigrants Canada allows a year is a small drop compared to the tide of millions of refugees on the move in the world each year - most of them to other poor countries. When I hear such stories, I remember my own ancestors were low-income Scottish farmers who also came by boat to the New World in search of a better future. "Share with God's people who are in need; practise hospitality." Dig into your pockets.

Remember that intense love David and Jonathan shared? Jonathan asked David to never cut off his kindness from his family. Years later, after Jonathan had been killed in battle and David became king, he remembered his promise to Jonathan. David had his servants find and bring Jonathan's crippled son Mephibosheth to eat at his table for the rest of his life. He also granted him all of Saul's lands and holdings. Love shares, it is generous and hospitable, even toward those who are different from us or pose a challenge to us. Make sure your garment of love has pockets that are easy to get into.

Last, Get a second opinion. Do the colours clash? Does someone else find it pleasing? Mirrors are great when you're trying on clothes. But it helps even more to have a friend or family member give you their honest opinion whether it has appeal. Especially in my case: my own sense of colour co-ordination is pretty poor. I need someone else's opinion.

Paul urges in 15:1-3: "We...ought to...not please ourselves.Each of us should please his neighbour for his good, to build him up.For even Christ did not please himself..." Jesus' brand of love does not seek its own pleasure, but what is good and pleasing for others. This is one of the hardest aspects of loving, along with paying the price: it requires death to self, putting on Christ to wear, not giving in to our own desires of the flesh. This is impossible on our own. God makes it possible by the indwelling Holy Spirit, pouring out his love in our hearts, embodying in us the same self-giving love that brought Jesus to the cross. "Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me," the Master commands; thus we are freed to please others in loving ways. We dare to let their needs, their opinion, weigh more than ours.

When David started to have problems with King Saul, one of the first indications that David was on Saul's hit list was a spear thrown at him, trying to pin him to the wall. David narrowly escaped. Jonathan wasn't there at the time and couldn't believe his father was out to get David. But he could see his friend's distress and said, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you." (1Sam.20:4) That's love's bottom line: "What can I do for you? How can I please you?" instead of trying to get others to please us all the time.

David and Jonathan made a plan, and the upshot of it was that Jonathan, Saul's own son, wound up getting a spear thrown at himself, too. Love does silly things like that. Caring for the other person may mean getting in there and taking some hits for them, bearing the brunt, if only it will help your friend. Saul was irate with his son, declaring if he sided with David Jonathan's own throne would never be established. But Jonathan wasn't thinking in those terms. He had the "love look" to the end, seeking David's opinion, pleasing the other not himself.

So to clothe yourselves with Jesus in his pure love and caring, remember those simple steps: look for the right brand name; can you pay the price?; check the size, and the stitches; make sure the pockets are easy to get into; and always get a second opinion, pleasing another. I look forward to bumping into you in your new threads, that will never be out of fashion! Let us pray.

"Tool Time: Shaped and Gripped for Winning" - Sept. 26, 1999 Baptism - Romans 6:1-14

Isn't it exciting to witness a great victory? Last Sunday night we heard Paul Henderson tell about the "goal of his life" at the International Plowing Match church service. Back in 1972 Henderson scored the winning goal in the Canada-Russia hockey series. Many Canadians can remember where they were when that goal was scored. I remember the teachers at Mitchell District High School let us out of class to watch the TVs in the gymnasium. We went crazy when that shot went into the net! It felt like all Canadians could rejoice together in "our team" winning the Canada Cup.

A few years before, in 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped out onto the moon's surface, the first time for any human. Again, millions of people back home on earth were watching via TV, participating with the astronauts in the historic moment happening there up in space. Who of us wouldn't have given our eye teeth to be "beamed up" and be able to go through it with him?

Baptism is like that - participating in Christ's great win at the cross. Like communion, baptism is a sacrament, a mystery, there's more going on than meets the eye. In the case of Henderson and Armstrong, it was TV with its visible cameras and cables and transmitters, and invisible radiowaves, that allowed the rest of us to participate, to join together on what was happening elsewhere. In baptism, the visible connector is water, the invisible is the Word, and God's Spirit working through our faith to make effective for us here and now what Christ won for us back there and then at Golgotha.

But suppose, for just a moment, that one of the tools used in the win was faulty. Suppose that just as Paul Henderson went to take his classic shot, his hockey stick broke. Happens all the time - wood gives way and the player has to high-tail it back over to the bench to get another stick.

Or suppose Neil Armstrong and companions had suffered the same troubles as Apollo 13, with its famous line, "Houston, we have a problem." Suppose the oxygen tank had ruptured, just one tool amongst hundreds that a successful space mission depends on. Without the tool, there would have been no victory, no "giant leap for mankind". Likewise, baptism has to do with being an instrument of victory, a tool for winning. When we become Christians, it's just the start: God wants to shape and then grip a tool to continue the campaign of Christ in winning over sin and death. And the winning tool is us!

Before you can use a tool, you have to make it. God's first step in shaping us as His instrument is the spokeshave or blacksmith's oven (if you will) of Calvary - Christ yielding himself, giving himself completely to God's will at the cross. Paul told us back in chapter 3 that God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement, redeeming us, taking the punishment of our sins. That's the only way we could ever be accepted as righteous by a holy God. Through faith in his blood we are put right, freed from sin's penalty and made receptive to the Holy Spirit. Chapter 6 verse 10 sums it up: "The death he died, he died to sin ONCE FOR ALL." Those 2 words, "for all", show Jesus wasn't doing it for himself (he was perfect) but for us.

This week the news reported the fall of an 18-month-old baby girl from the suspension bridge above the Capilano River in Vancouver. This little tot plummeted 70 metres (over 200 feet) to the rocks below. But she survived! She has no broken bones, just some bruises. How did she escape what should have been certain death? Apparently there were some trees below, and the branches slowed her down before she hit the ground. The tree softened the blow, broke her fall and saved her from death.

That's what Jesus does. Like that little girl, we had fallen. In our rebellion against God, controlled by the gravity of our selfishness, we were headed down to death and hell. But God sent Jesus to save us by hanging on a tree - and that tree absorbed the blows that should have been ours. "By his wounds, we are healed."

Why? Sheer grace. Just because God loved us, and for no other reason, nothing that we could boast about such as good works or any right to it. It's grace, short and simple: undeserved blessing conferred upon us simply because God chose to do so. E.Stanley Jones writes: "The first thing in the Christian faith is 'grace' -an act of outgoing, forgiving, redeeming grace...The first thing in God is love, and grace is love in action - it is the word of love become flesh. If grace is 'unmerited favour', so, here, it is Love favouring us when we are not favourable, loving us when we are not lovable, accepting us when we are not acceptable, redeeming us when by all the rules of the book we are not redeemable. Grace is love applied, the word of love become flesh. That is the distinctive thing in the Christian faith." We allow infant baptism in the United Church partly because it reminds us of grace: an infant comes with absolutely no record of achievements to boast about - as if we ever could boast before God. Instead, we rely on His infinite love and grace.

Verse 9 describes Jesus' big win: "We know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him." Jesus underwent the worst the Devil could throw at him, even a tortured death, and came out the winner. The powers of destruction have no power over him now; he's the winner.

This victory, however, was not just for one person: it's a victory to be shared. Our own shaping as tools begins when we yield to Christ just as he yielded to the cross. This is what the washing and immersion of baptism symbolize: being joined to Christ by faith, letting his atonement make us clean and fit for God's service. Verse 4: "WE were therefore buried WITH HIM through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, WE TOO may live a new life." Did you catch that? We as well can share in the win, just as if we were taking that shot with Paul Henderson, or planting the flag in the lunar dust with Neil Armstrong. The new life, the re-tooling, is ours by joining with Christ. Verse 5 continues, "If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." The King James version translates "united with him" as "planted with him" - kind of like being put in the ground together, then emerging together like bulbs in the springtime. But first the plant has to lose its old shape and nature, before it can become something more beautiful. The axe handle has to lose its nature as the branch of a tree before it can become a tool. (6) "We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body sin possessed might be done away with, rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin..."

The language of slavery is very apt to describe the hold sin has on us in our pre-Christian state. Sometimes we knew what was right to do but just couldn't seem to bring ourselves to do it, as if sin was our master. In Paul's time, when the master of a slave died, the slave was freed. Hebrews says Jesus destroyed him "who holds the power of death" and freed those who were held in slavery. In the powerful movie Amistad, African slaves are in misery below decks on a Portuguese trader's ship. But one slave manages to break free and their captors are overwhelmed. Because Jesus has overcome the powers of evil, we need not be in slavery, fearing death. In God's books, believers are now dead to sin and alive to God, for we are actually "in Christ Jesus" to use a favourite phrase of Paul's. (14) "Sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace."

So in baptism we submit to the ritual, the water and word, trusting the cross to do its honing and forging work on us, shaping us into a tool. But baptism is just the beginning of the Christian life. Next comes allowing the Lord to take the tool in hand, to get a grip - on us! Thanks to Christ's breaking of sin's hammerlock on us, we can now CHOOSE who we're going to serve. Whose tools will we be? Who are we going to obey? (13) "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness." The Greek word translated "instrument" can mean "tool" or "weapon" - for peaceful purposes or for war. If we put ourselves at the disposal of evil impulses, we become a tool of destruction, like a machine gun; but if we place ourselves in God's hands, he can turn around our base impulses and create something beautiful and healing, like a spade for a garden or an MRI for brain scans. Whose instrument or tool will we be?

Bill and Karen Butt are folks from our own London Conference who are currently serving as United Church missionaries in Mozambique. They have put themselves at God's disposal, and later in life as a second career. Actually it has been a trying experience for them: After language school in Portugal, the Butts were supposed to serve in Angola. But war broke out there and they couldn't enter. So after returning to Canada, Bill and Karen have been re-deployed to Mozambique. Praise God, they have not become bitter at the change of plans, but remain available for God's use.

Bill works at the offices of the Christian Council of Mozambique, while Karen works at a Girls' Rehabilitation Centre. This is interesting: not only are THEY tools in God's grip, they are actively helping other tools be transformed too by grace. The Council's Arms into Tools program, which Bill has been involved with, encourages demobilized soldiers to turn in their hidden guns and receive a plough or sewing machine or some other tool in exchange that will give them a start at a peacetime career. Very dramatically turning "instruments of wickedness" into "tools of righteousness".

Karen works at the Rehabilitation Centre for Street Girls. You can guess what kind of tools women on the street are tempted to turn their bodies into in order to make a living in a developing country. At the Rehab Centre, they learn other skills. In Karen's July letter she says the first day they learned to make friendship bracelets braiding thread - using their bodies as tools for much higher purposes.

We can't all be missionaries in Third World countries. But in Christ we CAN be tools of righteousness. It begins with the shaping of baptism, receiving Christ's work at the cross by faith, allowing God to shave off our sinfulness and re-forge us into a shape like Jesus, conforming to Him in attitude and habit. Then, day by day the gospel calls us to let God "get a grip" on us, to actively use us as tools for his Kingdom. Today, may we offer ourselves afresh, to allow every hour of our existence to become Jesus' Tool Time in us. Let us pray.

"How can I belong when WE'RE so Different?" - 991003 Worldwide Communion - Romans 12:1-8

To belong is a basic human need. Often as individuals, we look to a group to validate who we are, rightly or wrongly; we seek acceptance and reinforcement from our peers. No doubt one consequence of the Fall is our sense of alienation, of aloneness; we desperately want to belong somewhere, to fit in to some group, to share common values and interests and be part of something larger.

You'd think the church would be an ideal place to belong. AFter all, we're supposed to be a bunch of people all following one perfect leader, full of love and forgiveness. But in case you haven't noticed it yet, church people can be very different from one another; so different that often conflict arises.

Take worship styles, for instance. One day the organist where I was a staff associate shared a grumble with me about the senior pastor. You see, the organist felt worship should begin quietly and reverently. So he carefully tailored the prelude music to achieve this. People would be talking when he began, so he used music of moderate volume and tempo. Then he gradually got a little quieter, a little softer, and the conversation level died down along with the music. By the time the choir and pastor entered, the atmosphere was very subdued and, he thought, conducive to worship.

But the pastor was of a different mindset. About the first thing he did after the Call to Worship was invite people to turn around and shake hands and heartily welcome those standing near them. You can imagine the hubbub that ensued! All of which left our poor organist shaking his head and wondering why he'd even bothered to quieten things down.

We are very different from one another. As a result, often people feel threatened or challenged or uncomfortable talking or working with another person, even if they're a Christian. How can Paul then say, "We who are many form one body"? Do we really belong together when we're so un-alike?

Marriage is another institution in which people who belong together can be very different. 'Tis said opposites attract; the ways our partner appealed to us during courtship often become the source of annoyance and argument when we've been married for some time. Men and women are definitely different. One author says men are like waffles and women are like spaghetti. Waffles because men tend to think in little compartments, they can be very focused and concentrate on one thing at a time, as if life is all separated into tiny boxes. Women, on the other hand, tend to be very connected with all the aspects of their world at the same time; like a plate of spaghetti, each part of life touches all the others. For instance, I've never succeeded growing eyes in the back of my head as many mothers do. So in marriage, when the sexes even think differently, we ask, "How can we belong together as a couple and be 'one flesh' when we are so very different?" Perhaps we secretly plan to re-shape our partner in our image, but that usually doesn't work very well.

Churches and marriages were not ideal in the days of the apostles, either. So Paul helped the church at Rome address the same issue we're struggling with. In Chapter 12 we find two clues to learning to get along and belong despite differences. First is, If you want to tune in to the oneness and belonging, start by recognizing God's work on the inside. Second, acknowledge the sovereign Lord's wisdom in fashioning us as we are, giving us such differences so that we need each other.

Perceiving "oneness" begins by recognizing God's work on the inside. Paul doesn't just say, in verse 5, "We who are many form one body;" read carefully. "IN CHRIST we who are many form one body." It doesn't happen unless you're "in Christ". When we yield our life to Him and receive his Spirit and Lordship, putting him on the throne of our life, in the driver's seat, something wonderful happens to us. We are no longer our own, no longer alone, we are joined to Christ spiritually; and anyone else who gives their life to Jesus becomes "one body" with Him and, simultaneously, with us. The self is crucified. Those impenetrable boundaries by which sin hardened us to protect ourselves from hurts of others in the world are softened, dissolved. God's love enables us to get beyond our self-protection and lay down our life for others.

More is happening on the inside of the believer. (3) "God has given each a measure of faith." It is the Lord who creates in us the ability to trust, to make commitments, cautiously learn to rely on Him and other humans.

In verses 1, 3, and 6, Paul refers to the mercy and grace God has given him, in addition to faith. By the blood of Jesus, shed in our place, God has cut us slack, shown us mercy, graciously forgiven and made allowance for us. So we have no right to condemn or disparage another person as different, because once we were lost ourselves. As is said, "There but for the grace of God go I." Not one of us can boast of being a "self-made man" or woman; Paul warns us not to think too highly of ourselves, to be over-proud or self-important. The cup of communion we hold is a cup of grace, of undeserved blessing. Because God showed us mercy, we in turn are empowered to cut others some slack, even when they disagree with us.

Verse 2 reveals God's work in us is dynamic and unfinished. "Don't conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." God through Christ is in the interior renovation business! God will be refashioning us until our dying day; when Jesus comes, we will be like him, we will be able to see how God's been changing us to be more like his unique Son. Remember that button - "Please be Patient, God isn't finished with me yet"? This transformation and renewing is accelerated by taking time each day to study the Bible and pray, letting God's thoughts and will become more and more the focus and priority in our lives. "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Find some little index cards or slips of paper and start keeping a record of verses that are rich to meditate on.

So the common ingredient in all active Christians is that we are "in Christ", savouring God's gifts of faith and mercy and grace, inwardly being drastically renovated and renewed by the Spirit through the Word, prayer, worship, and sacraments. Yet God is infinitely big and wonderful; there is a richness to Divinity that begs to be poured differently into each individual believer. (6) "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." It is God's sovereign choice to assign different gifts, different "body parts" or functions as it were, to each one.

On Tuesday I participated in an orientation for new clergy at Huron-Perth Presbytery. 26 of us were seated together in a big circle, and as we looked around and joined in the community-building exercises we became aware just how very different we all were. Some ministry persons were into Tai Chi and Karate, while others enjoyed just going for hikes. Some specialized in quilting, others in canoing. One fellow enjoyed grooming his poodle in his spare time, while the guy beside me got his enjoyment out of reading social-political theorists. What a different bunch!

We paired up and then introduced our partner to the whole group. When it came to the question, "What excites you about ministry?" the obvious differences began to fall away. Several others, like me, shared that what excited them was the privilege of accompanying people through crucial times in life, being allowed into the sanctuary of our most personal struggles, losses, and triumphs where God meets us. The "holy ground" of life's passages. Suddenly some of these people who looked so very different from me, didn't seem so strange any more. I could relate to what they were sharing. We were all very different in our exterior and our styles, but a pastor's heart beat in each one of us. So then, perceiving oneness begins by recognizing God's work on the inside.

Second, it's easier to feel you belong when you acknowledge God's wisdom in apportioning gifts so that we need each other. In verses 6-8 Paul lists several ministries in the early church, ministries that obviously no one person did completely, but were shared amongst many people. First he mentions prophesying: not necessarily telling the future, but speaking to a person on God's behalf in a way that builds them up, telling the deep truth they need to hear. Preaching can be prophesying in this sense. Next Paul mentions serving: deacon's work, material rather than spiritual. Taking care of the offering; distributing the goods dropped off for the Food Bank. Yes, the property committee fits in here, painting windowsills: it's all part of it. "Teaching" could be in Sunday school, Bible study group, with youth or Choral Kids.

Verse 8 lists "encouraging"; JB Phillips translates this, "stimulating the faith of others". Some people seem to bring a ray of sunshine with them when they walk into the room; they'd be the first ones you call in time of trouble. Then, "contributing to the needs of others" - hey, we can all do that; but some find it easier to give generously. They WANT to take part in the project by sharing financially. Paul also notes "leadership" or administration: somebody has to open the mail, organize ushers, wash the communion cups, chair the committees. What a joy it is to them when we say "yes" when they ask if we can help out! Finally, Paul lists "showing mercy", which he urges people to do cheerfully or "hilariously". Our hospital and nursing home visitors would surely fit in here. Visiting the area nursing homes last month with some of these ladies, I was impressed with how "natural" they were at making loving contact with the residents - even those who were bedridden or couldn't respond. Whether teaching a class of dozens or praying solo with an invalid, God's grace is given each of us to do some good in the Kingdom plan.

Just as an example of God's grace working through two very different people, I'd like to tell you about two individuals who were at opposite ends of the pole personality-wise but both contributed to my Christian upbringing. One was a brilliant, innovative man who owned a large pig operation near us. He pioneered some things like biogas and layered cement walls cast flat on the ground for pig barns. He was also my Sunday School teacher when I was an adolescent. He wasn't afraid of our questions; we really enjoyed our discussions in Sunday School class. Some may have viewed him as a bit of a maverick agriculturally, but he loved us in Christ enough to take time for us each week and help us honestly explore our faith.

The other person was our church organist. By contrast, she was fairly demanding, and cared about getting the details right in whatever piece the choir was singing. We respected her for her standards, and though she could be particular, we all learned to enjoy music that was well-presented.

One person glorified God by their teaching, the other by their leading in music. No way would our radical Sunday school teacher have produced the same results as our choir director; and I shudder to think what her lessons might have been like had she taught Sunday School. But each was using the gifts God gave them.

On this Worldwide Communion Sunday, we join radically different believers all over the planet, from every race and language, as we sit together at the Lord's table. On the outside, we're radically different. But God has a place for all of us in the Kingdom; we each belong, regardless of our differences.

E Stanley Jones was preaching some decades ago in North Carolina. There were about 200 pastors with him on the platform, all white. Segregated up in the gallery were the black members of the audience. Before he began to speak, all the pastors of their own accord got up and went to the balcony to take their places among the Negroes, a powerful statement against segregation. E Stanley Jones comments, "I have forgotten what I said about the Christian attitude toward race - perhaps the people have too, but I can never forget that Word of love become flesh in those pasotrs. They revealed the nature of truth in race relations by a gracious act."

Goodie Tshabalala Mogadime is a member of Thornhill United Church, and a schoolteacher in Markham. Born in South Africa in a deeply religious black Zulu family, Goodie came to Canada in 1970 after university because there seemed little future for educated blacks in South Africa. Over the years, Goodie has used her summer holidays to return to South Africa and conduct workshops for black teachers. Her most remarkable accomplishment was establishment of the first community college for blacks in South Africa.

One of the biggest hurdles in getting it was the local municipal council. It was factious, difficult, and good at delay. The Rotarians had already heard Goodie's presentation and suggested a possible building for the community college she envisioned. But when she entered the council meeting, one of the men could be heard saying to another, "Who is this Canadian girl who thinks she is going to get the school?" The prospects didn't look good.

As her presentation began, Goodie asked if they knew the red brick house on the hill. Of course, they knew. She explained that it belonged to her grandfather, who had been very prominent in the city. She then asked all those related to him to raise their hands, and about half the group did so. Immediately the climate changed; they agreed to her use of the school and even took her out for lunch.

Differences drop away, and Christians come to sense we belong together when, just like those council members, we recognize our common origin - in Christ. Perceiving oneness begins by recognizing God's work having gone on in the inside. God's wisdom in making us different shows in the fact we need each other. As we worship today, may the Holy Spirit help us put our differences aside and accept one another in the grace that is ours in Christ. Let us pray.

"Praise or Pride? The Forgetfulness of the Favoured" - October 10, 1999 Thanksgiving Sunday - Deut.8:7-18 Luke 17:11-19

We've heard people say, "I have a great memory, but it's short." Those of us who can relate to that know how troublesome forgetfulness is. Perhaps someone has done some favour for us, and we sincerely intend to thank them the very next time we see them. However the occasion comes when we DO see them but we forget to mention our appreciation. Then we get back home, and suddenly it hits us: we completely forgot! We feel like the world's biggest numbskull for forgetting.

Thanksgiving is a time to rejoice in the bounty with which God has blessed us. A time to remember to give credit to our sponsor, the Creator/Provider/Sustainer who makes all this possible. Yet it is possible, if we have one of those "great short memories", to go through the holiday and forget to actually "give" the "thanks" that it's named for. The good news is that God delights to bless us and to hear our praise; it brings joy to our Saviour when we remember what he's done for us.

It's a long way from Canada to Palestine -- and an even bigger difference between Ontario and the wastes of the Sinai desert where the Hebrews had wandered 40 years after being delivered from captivity in Egypt. They had survived almost totally on manna in the arid plains. Their mouths must have watered and eyes glistened as Moses told them about the good land God was leading them into: "a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills." Food, water, metals, treats - it really was the Land of Promise. God was doing a wonderful thing, bringing them into such a rich land that they could call their own.

If we stop and think about it a moment, our own country Canada is such a land of plenty, too. Yields in field and garden have been exceptional this year; it's been a dandy year even for tomatoes. My brother reported yields of 49 bu/ac on his soybeans; I've heard there were reports of up to 60 by some farmers.

How far we've come from the days of the first Thanksgiving Holiday in the New World! In early New England it was the custom at Thanksgiving time to place 5 grains of corn at every plate as a reminder of those bleak days in the first winter when the food of the Pilgrims was so depleted that only 5 grains of corn were rationed to each individual at a time. The Pilgrim fathers wanted their children to remember the sacrifice, suffering, and hardship that made possible the settlement of a free people in a free land. They wanted future generations to remember that at the time when rations were limited to 5 kernels of corn, only 7 healthy colonists remained to nurse the sick, and nearly half their original number lay in the graveyard on the hill. In Canada, some of our own pioneers passed on tales of years when nothing grew and people ended up digging up the potato pieces they'd planted in order to eat them just to stay alive. Lean times!

Nowadays, though, the United Nations keeps telling the world that Canada is the best place to live, based on its indices of measurement. There is hope for the future on the social front, too. Statistics Canada reports Generation Xers (born after 1965) are very optimistic about marriage: a poll asked if "experiential issues" such as disagreements over family finances, unsatisfactory intimate relations, or disputes over child-rearing, were grounds for divorce. Only 49% of Generation Xers agreed, compared to 55% of Baby Boomers and 61% of those born before 1946. So it seems the younger generation is going to be more inclined to try to keep a marriage together; that's something to be thankful for.

And did you know that the happiest and healthiest Canadians are those who go to church? This is not religious propaganda: Statistics Canada, hardly a source of supernatural revelation, found that weekly attenders of religious services are on the whole happier in their family relationships and both physically and mentally healthier than the rest of Canadians. In polls, attenders were 70% more likely to feel "very satisfied with their lives" and 50% more likely to have a "very happy marital relationship". StatsCan also found religious people were less likely to smoke, drink, or abuse drugs, feel stress, or commit suicide. There - now you know, you're the "blessed of the blessed"! Of all the people in the world, Canadians are the best off; and weekly worshippers are the most blest, happy, and healthy Canadians.

And after our big turkey or ham or (I suppose) vegetarian meals this weekend, we will be especially satisfied. But that "very satisfied" feeling ought to ring a little alarm bell as well. There are 2 responses humans make to such favour: either forgetful foolishness, or humble gratitude. After describing the Promised Land, Moses goes on to warn: "When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God." Fallen mortals that we are, we have a tendency to forget who's really responsible for our whole existence; a tendency to ignore what God has done in our lives, to sit back and pat ourselves on the back. Moses warned the Jews that after enjoying their fine houses, large herds, and increased wealth, in their satisfaction their hearts could become proud and they might forget God who brought them out of the land of slavery. (17) "You may say to yourself, 'My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.'" Don't we love to congratulate ourselves when things have gone well? "The circumstances were propitious," we may say, "I got lucky; but without my hard effort it wouldn't have amounted to much."

One day Jesus healed 10 lepers. I can just imagine the converstaion amongst the 9 who didn't remember to thank him. They're going along the dusty road, saying to one another, "That was a great idea of yours, Bartholomew, to call for help and get his attention! And didn't it show tremendous faith on our part when we didn't quibble about going to show ourselves to the high priest when we hadn't been healed yet? Jesus gave us a real test, and we passed it with flying colours! 'God helps those who help themselves.' Just think how envious our old neighbours in the leper colony will be when thy find out WE got the healing and THEY didn't!" And on and on. All sorts of praise for their own initiative, but none for the real Healer.

"When you are satisfied...your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God..." I call this "forgetful foolishness" because this person is leaving God out of the equation. Psalm 14 defines a fool as one who says in his heart, "There is no God." Jesus told a story about a well-to-do farmer whose crops yielded a bumper harvest. His barns weren't big enough, so he decided to make them bigger, hoard up the good for himself, take it easy and live it up. God called HIM a fool for his short-sighted selfishness. Ignoring our covenant relationships, both toward God and our needdy neighbour, is forgetful foolishness.

By contrast, there is another way to respond: humble gratitude. This response acknowledges God's role in providing the wealth and blessing that cause us to feel satisfied in the first place. In our scripture reading, Moses emphasizes God's part by the repeated use of the word "he" in verses 15-18: "HE led you through the vast and dreadful desert...HE brought you water out of hard rock...HE gave you manna to eat...to humble and to test you...Remember Yahweh your God, for it is HE who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms HIS covenant..." The old hymn acknowledged, "We give Thee but Thine own, whate'er the gift may be: all that we have is Thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from Thee." It's all God's, from start to finish. The one to congratulate is Him, not ourselves, for even the energy we applied came from outside ourselves.

The nine forgetful lepers were so engrossed in the healing that they forgot the Healer. One didn't forget, though: and he came back to thank Jesus. Notice his humble gratitude. He didn't just turn around briefly, wave his hand and say, "Thanks Lord!" then continue on his way. No, Luke records, he came back, "praising God in a loud voice; he threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him..." Other translations put it, "he fell on his face..." Can't get in a more humble position than that. And to top it off, this was a despised Samaritan: one who was looked down upon in scorn by Jews as a "half-breed", a heretic, besides being a leper. It took someone at the very bottom of the social ladder to have a humble enough heart to actually thank the Lord for this great miracle. Someone who didn't feel they had a claim on it or deserved it. A person with that attitude God can bless, is waiting to bless. As both James and Peter recall, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

When we are blessed and satisfied, what will our response be? Praise or pride? Forgetful foolishness - or humble gratitude? Sometimes it takes those who have the least to remind us (the other 90%) to stop and count our blessings, and give thanks to the Lord.

About a week ago a relative of someone in our congregation, a woman named Nancy Carter, passed away after a year-long struggle with cancer. The loss is softened a little for the family by the writings that Nancy left behind, for she had a talent of creating poetry. I was moved as I read some of these poems, for the verse revealed courage in the face of terminal illness, hope fighting despair, a person's faith in God comforting them when they've suddenly come face to face with their mortality. I'd like to close our Thanksgiving message with Nancy's poem called "My Prayer", written just as winter was ending this year, for it helps us who remain alive to be thankful for all God's goodness.

"As a new morning dawns

with all its brightness, smiling down on me

a feeling of contentment overwhelms me

for my faith will guide me to Thee

Take a moment and look at all His wonders

the sun glistening on winter's wonderland

Jack Frost painting your windowpane

The squirrels scurrying here and fro

Children's laughter, having fun in the snow

So many things we take for granted

The smell of spring, with flowers soon to be planted

Please guide me for I know there's something you want me to do

My family and friends have come to terms with my illness

Cancer makes you take a long hard look at yourself

The things that seemed important in life

No longer are; it's the little things that count

Your friends and family are always there for you

Hope, love and faith, contentment it brings

For love hopes all things and endures all things

Grant me the strength for each day, to go on

So I can watch my grandchildren grow to adulthood

For I cherish the times we are together

Showing your affection helps me through the lonely times

I feel the love all around me

But please don't make me a burden to anyone

My fear of uncertainty about the future goes on

But I pray it will be forever!"

Like the Samaritan leper, Nancy had been brought low by disease. Her words remind us to humble ourselves and be grateful for the little things, instead of taking so much for granted. She referred to the feeling of "contentment" God gave her in spite of her condition, for as she says, "My faith will guide me to Thee."

Jesus said to the healed man, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." As we rise from the table this holiday, may our faith lead us to a true appreciation of all the ways God's covenant has resulted in wellness for us, so pride gives way to praise. Let us pray.

"Gone Home" - Funeral of Raymond Griffiths - October 16, 1999

Psalm 121 (sung); Psalm 23; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10; John 14:1-6,18-27

Whether it's a painting of a home, or a set of blueprints for "home of the week" in the newspaper, or an "Open House" real estate sign, there's something that draws us to a home. As human creatures, we long for security, and "home" captures that best for many people. We want to feel safe, looked-after, taken care of.

One of the most appealing images in scripture is that of being "at home" with God. Most 20th century people encounter several different styes of home in this life. Yet each time we move it reminds us that no earthly home really lasts. Set against this continual reluctance to tear up roots, God's word offers something more: a home that will be truly ours forever. This promise must be especially appealing to those who've had less than happy home experiences in this life than the normal person. For example, young people longing to escape from abusive situations, street kids, orphans whose parents have died, or those from broken homes.

In Psalm 23, God prepares a table before the writer, even in the very presence of his enemies, giving a feeling of safety. The closing words are, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." A lasting home.

Psalm 121 celebrates God's mighty grounding and protection of us, as solidly as the mountains surround an observer in the valley. The Lord watches over us, is our shade at our right hand: one of the primary purposes of a home is to shelter us from the external elements. God shades the believer from hostile outside forces.

Jesus talks very openly about God as one who makes a home for us. He says there are many rooms for us in His Father's house. He was leaving the disciples in order to prepare a place for them, yet he would return and take them to be with him. He wants us, his followers, to BE with him. He would not leave the disciples behind as orphans, but would come back. In fact, whoever loves Him and obeys His teaching, Jesus says will be loved by the Father, and, "We will come to him and make our home with that person." So even before we die and go to the place Jesus got ready for us, God can be "at home" with us through active faith.

I'm sure this promise of God making us "at home" would have been appealing to Ray. In his childhood, he suffered various hardships, having been placed in an orphanage, then a sequence of foster homes. Sometimes the care he received there was not as it should have been. Nevertheless, his spirit was not broken, but he learned to work hard despite the poor compensation. Upon coming to Canada, he was a farm labourer. After meeting Jean, they decided to get married and make a home together. All through his adult years, Ray worked hard: first as a baker, then as a farmer.

As his own family grew up and got established, Ray seemed to derive satisfaction in visiting them and seeing them in their own homes. Perhaps the four walls and roof in each case spoke to him of a security and provision he'd been denied in his own youth. When problems with his breathing developed in these later years, Ray struggled to stay together with Jean in their own home as long as possible.

Though Ray valued the home, he was not isolated, parochial or closed-off. As a couple they travelled widely from James Bay to Florida, from East Coast to West, and a couple of times Ray was even able to return to England. He was very interested in the outside world, watching the TV and reading the paper, following sports and politics. He really enjoyed engaging in discussion for the sake of conversation. You didn't have to be around him long to become aware of his sense of humour, respect, and welcome; he was the type of person youcould easily feel "at home" with. He was viewed fondly in the community as a grand old gentleman.

Too soon, even at 87, Ray's earthly home (his body) has worn out. The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians gives us consolation, though: he says that even if our earthly "tent" is breaking down, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven. Paul was actually hard pressed at some times in his persecuted missions to know whether he wouldn't prefer to pack it in and go to be "at home with the Lord'.

Having this same hope, as believers in the Risen Lord Jesus, we make it our goal to please Him. Then we will be welcomed at judgment to an eternal home that won't be taken away. What is mortal will be swallowed up by life. While we miss Ray in the interim as he has "gone home" to be with the Lord, may his life and faith give us encouragement to keep striving to please the Master, that the Father and Son may continually make their home with us, in this life and the next. Let us pray.

"STRENGTH IN CHRIST TO COPE WITH STRESS" - October 17, 1999 - 2Kings 19:1-4,14-19 Ps.16 Mk.14:32-42

Stress comes in all kinds of forms: sometimes from circumstances, sometimes from other people. My kids told me a joke that symbolizes those different kinds of stress. Two sausages were sizzling in a fry pan. One sausage said to the other, "It's getting hot in here." The second sausage replied, "EEEK! A talking sausage!" (That's the high calibre of humour making the rounds in Alberta these days)

Often, though, stress is no laughing matter. It's a big problem in the workplace. It's been estimated that the cost of stress is $750 per worker per year; that's the price of stress-related sickness and absenteeism. However, the Bible has good news for us even when we're burdened with stress. Christ not only promises abundant life, but helps us claim His power to live it.

Christian author Maxie Dunnam offers guidance to help us cope with stress in his Bible Study guide called "Coping as Christians". Adapting from these, I find six steps. First is simply to Acknowledge Stress. When the Assyrian army had surrounded Jerusalem, Hezekiah spread out the threatening letter before the Lord in the temple. He was acknowledging the dilemma he was in, acknowledging stress. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to the Father, "Take this cup from me." By "this cup" he meant the chalice of death and of God's wrath that he was taking from the Father in fulfilment of his mission.

It was not that Jesus dreaded death as such, but the whole complex of taking the sin of mankind upon himself. The gospel writers tell us he began to be "deeply distressed and troubled" saying, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." Luke notes that as he prayed, his sweat became like big drops of blood; he was in anguish. The Son of God was acknowledging the stress under which he found himself.

Stress can have many causes. Years ago, TH Holmes and RH Rahe rated the impact of various upsetting life experiences in creating crippling stress and pressure. They discovered that the greater number of stress units a person experienced, the greater the risk of illness. Here are the leading stress conditions:

Death of a spouse - 100 (stress units)

Divorce - 73

Marital separation - 65

Detention in an institution - 63

Death of a close family member - 63

Major personal injury or illness - 53

Marriage - 50

Being fired from work - 47

Marital reconciliation - 45

Retirement from work - 45

Tally them up: if your total is 200-299, your probability of suffering from some form of illness within the next year is 50%. If your score is 300 or more, probability of illness jumps to 79%.

Change and crisis, then, weaken our resistance and predispose us to physical or emotional illness. Another cause of stress is pressure to perform. At school we face pressures to achieve academically, to be popular, to keep up our appearance. We're under pressure to hold an adequate job. We feel "put upon" to pull our weight in community groups or volunteer positions- yes, even the church has been known to twist arms sometimes for committee duty.

Stress is also created when we don't get what we want; our desires are denied for some reason. Often this breeds anger as well as stress. Especially in a consumer culture, where you can't turn on the TV without being subjected to advertisements, which are purposely designed to fuel the flames of wants within us. An appetite for "more" is stressful and frustrating.

Another source of stress is denial of our feelings. Whether positive or negative, when we bottle up our emotions and don't express them, we become walking time bombs. Repressing feelings causes stress.

So the first step in coping with stress is to acknowledge it, however it is caused, in whatever form it comes.

The second step is to Admit your Limitations. Be honest - own up to your finiteness. King Hezekiah didn't even pretend he could withstand Assyria's army. Sennacherib's field commander rubbed it in, offering 2000 horses "if you can put riders on them!" - a sarcastic jab at the weakness of Judah in military personnel. Hezekiah tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth, and admits to God, "It is true that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands." He knew and acknowledged that without God's intervention he was sunk, he was totally unable to resist the enemy.

The night of Jesus' arrest, we see him falling to the ground, and praying three times for the cup to be taken away. He too admitted his need for the Father's help.

There is only so much we can do in our human ability. In Psalm 16 we read, "You have assigned me my portion...the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places." An important part of managing stress is to determine our boundaries and create what are called "margins" in our lives. Sheets of notebook paper have ruled margins that save space at the top or side for titles, comments, additions. Similarly our lives get crowded and stressed if we ignore the need for personal margins and try to cram too much into our datebook.

Maxie Dunnam writes of a time when he had accepted some speaking engagements, then several family commitments cropped up which also demanded his time. He recalls, "It all looked like too much for any human being to deal with. I had never done this before in a deliberate fashion. I looked ahead as far as I could and saw those things I could cancel without limiting the accomplishment of the task too much; and I cancelled my involvement in 2 major events.

"Some of you can imagine the load that was lifted. It was as though a dark cloud had parted and the sun had begun to shine. It was a very simple thing, but it began at a very profound decision-making point, a decision that was difficult for me to make.I'm a perfectionist.I'm a workaholic.I have this almost neurotic need not to let people down. So it was not an easy thing for me to dial those numbers and cancel those engagements; it was a very difficult thing. But when I did, it was as though a heavy cloak had been taken off of me on a hot day and fresh air began to cool my skin. It was as though I was getting an internal massage that took the tension out of my inner being, very much like a massage takes the tension out of our physical bodies.

"It was then that I internalized and made my own what I had intellectually claimed before, and that is this: EVERY NEED IS NOT A CALL. There is no possible way that we can serve every need about which we know. And every need that confronts us is not a call of God upon our life. To deal with stress we must admit limitations."

A third step is to Draw upon your Support Group- other friends who can encourage you and be in solidarity. Hezekiah did not go himself to meet the field commander, but sent 3 of his closest aides. After receiving the message, he didn't hole up by himself, but went to the temple and sought out the prophet Isaiah.

When Jesus was at Gethsemane, he took his 3 closest disciples - Peter, James, and John - to be with him, pray with him, and keep watch. The Psalmist says, "As for the saints who are in the land, they are the glorious ones in whom is all my delight." Knowing other believers are praying for us and concerned for us can really help ease the load.

Fourth, Re-frame the Stress in the Perspective of God's Sovereignty. (repeat) Cut it down to size in the eternal scheme of things, and in light of God's infinite care and wisdom. Hezekiah prayed, "You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.You have made heaven and earth.Give ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God." Hezekiah acknowledged that before God's greatness and the vast matrix of God's plan, his current crisis was small potatoes. The real issue was not so much the nation's survival, but the Assyrian emperor's blasphemy, comparing Yahweh to hand-carved idols of other lands. This put the emergency in a totally different light.

Jesus also re-framed his stress in view of the Father's infinity. He prayed, "Everything is possible for you; yet not what I will, but what you will." God was going to be big enough to get him through it, no matter what torture and shame lay ahead. Even such a dastardly thing as the crucifixion of God's Son can take on a wonderful meaning given God's power to raise him from the dead and declare him our substitute.

The Psalmist also found reassurance in God's overarching greatness. He said, "I have set Yahweh always before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." By contrast, "The sorrows of those will increase who run after other gods." If we allow stress to control our lives instead of bringing it under God's control, our sorrows WILL increase, including physical illness as the researchers found out.

Step 5: Tune in to Christ's healing presence, waiting to be embodied within you. Both Hezekiah and Jesus turned to God in heartfelt prayer. As a result of praising Yahweh, the Psalmist says, "My heart is glad...my body also will rest secure." God's calming reassurance under stress isn't just for our spirit, but our soul and body too, those jangled nerves and bloodshot eyes. Paul tells Christians that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit; if we can say, "Jesus is Lord," we have God's Spirit right inside us. He also says, "God who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." Jesus himself said, "Whoever believes in me - streams of living water will flow from within that person."

Flora Wuellner describes a form of prayer called "soaking prayer" that can be helpful as we prepare for sleep during a stressful time. She writes: "I personally use the image of light, but some people prefer the images of water, wind, colour, healing hands, wings, and so on. In this prayer, we do not ask for anything special. We just rest, let go, breathe in, and soak up the healing light of God which embraces us. We may not feel anything special; nevertheless it is a profoundly physical form of prayer in which every cell and organ of our bodies is washed, filled, and renewed in the healing light of God's love.

"Some people do feel warmth, waves of energy, a tingling sensation. Others have no such physical reactions. But the action of the light is a reality whether or not we immediately register it. We do not feel the ultraviolet rays of the sun, but they pervade us and affect our bodies whenever we go out into the daylight. Similarly, when we deliberately open ourselves to the healing presence of God, the deep action of divine love flows into every part of our lives. In this prayer we rest in it, breathe it, and allow it to work its transforming renewal within us."

Soaking prayer - give it a try sometime. God fills the heaven and the earth; we just need to tune in to his presence. Wuellner also describes a prayer in which you place your hands on your heart and pray slowly, with long pauses between each phrase, "The living heart of Jesus Christ is taking form within my heart...filling...calming... restoring...bringing new life." She comments, "This prayer envisages the healing power expanding from within in.The heart is the symbol of the central energy flow of our bodies, just as it is the symbol, through the ages, of the deep centre of God's love. In this prayer we are joining our physical and emotional need for renewal with the deep incarnational union between our hearts and God's heart."

Let's review: to cope with stress, acknowledge it; admit your limitations; draw on your support group; reframe the stress in the perspective of God's sovereignty; and tune in to Christ's healing presence, waiting to be embodied in you.

The last step is, Assert Your God-guided Will. Hezekiah stood firm; he didn't give in to the enemy's threats. He had already commanded the people not to answer the field commander, and they respected that. An angel of the Lord took care of the mopping-up aspect of eliminating the Assyrian army.

After praying in the olive grove, Jesus showed an astounding sense of presence and courage. He said, "Enough! The hour has come. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!" A real up-and-at-'em attitude, considering his death was approaching. John records that Christ told the soldiers bluntly, "I am he" - and they drew back and fell to the ground. He insisted that they let the others go, since he was the one they were after. He was not cowering, but asserting his will.

Maxie Dunnam tells of a husband and wife he knew who were torn to pieces by family pressures. The wife's mother controlled the whole family. Her tool was love. She gave herself unselfishly, so it seemed, for every member of the family. She was always giving. But the giving always had a hook, usually very subtle, and for years unrecognized.

Her love was perverted, a selfish love. She did for others in order to bind them to her, to always have them around. Really, in her loving, she controlled the whole family network. When John, the husband, received an invitation to move to another city in what was a very exciting professional advancement, his mother-in-law literally went to pieces. The family gave in to her selfish control. After months of turmoil and anguish, John refused the invitation.

Maxie Dunnam observes, "I doubt if John has had a happy day since. He hates his mother-in-law. He resents his wife for not supporting him more. He is bored with his work. And his hatred, resentment, and boredom make him an inadequate father at best. I believe John is a walking time bomb; he is a candidate for a heart attack and is already becoming dependent on alcohol. It would be different if John had asserted his will and taken control of his life."

It doesn't have to be hundreds of thousands of soldiers that bring stress to our life; it can be a single family member, an unexpected job change, an annoying niggling physical condition. But stress needn't win out over us; like Hezekiah and our Lord Jesus we can find resources to cope in God's power and acknowledging our need.

In closing, here is a prayer by St.Patrick that can help us stay God-centred when under stress. (HFG 643) In this prayer Patrick visualizes Christ not only within him, but also coming to him in whomever he has to deal with - a good preventative for stress. Let us pray:

"I arise today through God's strength to pilot me:

God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me.

Christ be with me, Christ before me,

Christ behind me, Christ in me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every one who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me." Amen.

"Trick - or Treat? Seeing Through Satan's Disguise" - October 31, 1999 All Saints' Eve - Acts 19:11-20 Matthew 12:28-30,33-37,43-45

What did the Mama Spook say to the Baby Spook? "Don't spook until you're spooken to." Yes, Hallowe'en is upon us, or All Saints' Eve as I prefer to call it. Even the merchants get caught up in the festivities: The Wingham Midnight Madness flyer for this past Friday promised what it called "Spooktacular Savings". And here comes a little witch and devil up our sidewalk to the front door. As they step closer to the light we can just make out that it's our niece and nephew, Jane and Joey. "Trick or treat!" they cry out, holding out their already-bulging pillow-cases for yet more high-octane cocoa and suger-laden treats that will keep the teachers climbing the walls tomorrow. Don't they look sweet in their cute little red tail and pointy hat?

There was a time a few decades ago when after Jane and Joey reached their teen years, demons and witches were thought of in the same category as fairy godmothers and leprechauns. Not any more. Teens and other spiritual questers today can walk into a bookstore or library and find any number of titles on spirituality, New Age, and the occult. It's the "in thing". Videos featuring sorcery, vampires, and horror are hot items. The occult has gained new respectability, being organized in official groups such as Wicca and promoted by Hollywood heroes like Shirley MacLaine. And those who are "into it" are more open in selling it.

I could take you to a house in my previous pastoral charge where the whole family were followers of Wicca. The mother had no qualms at telling me all about the summer solstice festival they were planning in just a few days. As a military chaplain on exercise at Petawawa last year, I spent an engaging evening hearing a sergeant from Ottawa tell me about white Wicca. Defrocked Catholic theologian Matthew Fox hired a well-known witch, or "Wiccan priestess", at his teaching centre. It's getting harder to laugh off Joey and Janey's little outfits, knowing their classmates sometime down the road may well invite them to take part in a seance. Is Halloween just a joke? Do we simply dismiss the dressing up as a passing phase or take it seriously?

On one occasion Jesus healed a man who was blind and mute, so he could both talk and see. People were amazed and wondered if Jesus was the Messiah, God's Holy One come to save His people. But the Pharisees dismissed it as if Jesus was an agent of the Devil instead, as if it were Trick instead of Treat. They tried to pass Jesus off as a counterfeit, a hoakster in disguise, rather than the real thing. Jesus responds by saying several things very explicitly about the world of evil that address the problem of the occult. We can understand four things from Matthew 12 and Acts 19 that will help us see through Satan's disguise, just as we know it's really Jane and Joey underneath all that:

(1) Demons are real, but Jesus is stronger.

(2) The Holy Spirit transforms us to share good fruit, not evil.

(3) Our words and lives have meaning and value in an eternal frame of reference.

(4) The Gospel's saving power grows when we confess and reject hidden evil.

What are we to make of the Bible's talk of demons? People of the Renaissance and Industrial Revolution reacted to the superstitions and gargoyles of the Middle Ages by down-playing the possibility of there being invisible evil spirit beings in our midst. This held right up until the 60's and 70's, the glorious age of science. We thought education and technology could solve the world's problems. But that philosophy isn't satisfying seekers any more in a post-modern world. Today people crave not truth or information (we're overwhelmed with it in the computer and internet age), but sensation and phenomenon. Life is just a short ride, so what's going to give you the most bang? Drugs aren't smart because they'll kill you. So people check out the latest fads in spirituality. They are discovering what the Bible has been telling us all along: that the spiritual world is real, it's out there. what they dont's know, though, is what the Bible tells us, that there is an EVIL spirituality - and yet Jesus is stronger.

Our Lord doesn't argue the existence of demons and the devil, but assumes it. (28) Christ told his critics, "If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." He saw combatting Satan's forces as an important evidence that God was at work in his person, in their midst. (29) He likened his curing of people to the plundering of a strong man's house. Jesus went on to say (43) when an evil spirit leaves a person, it looks for some other home; if it comes back and finds the original person available, it invites other spirits along with it, so the person's final condition is worse than at first. If evil spirits didn't really exist, Jesus wouldn't have been telling us that. His point is that we need to ensure God's Spirit is at home in us, rather than being under the influence of other spirits.

So demons are real, but Jesus is stronger. We don't need to be afraid or petrified of Satan's forces. Jesus said at the hour of his death, "Now the prince of this world will be driven out," and, "The prince of this world is coming; he has no hold on me." He prayed for the Father to protect us from the evil one. Praise God for the victory Jesus won for us at the cross over the Accuser and all his bogeymen!

Evil may frustrate creation, but God is in control. When it comes to guidance in our lives, God forbids us to consult ouija boards and horoscopes. The ultimate outcome is in the hands of God, not Satan. Everything Satan does ismerely a destructive counterfeit of what God can do.

The second point from Jesus' interchange with the Pharisees is that the Holy Spirit transforms us to share good fruit, not evil. (33) "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit." It's one or the other, Christ implies; if you're letting God have sway within you, that's bound to show on the outside. In case we missed it, he says it again in a different manner: (35) "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him." Jesus insists he is not part of the same organization as the Devil. And with us, the Holy Spirit can change us so we overflow with good, not what's bad.

Jesus draws a line between good and evil, between God's allies and Satan's cronies. (30) "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." Whose side are you on? he demands to know. Although our sensitive New Age society doesn't like the word, the Kingdom of God is EXCLUSIVE. Evil is not, and will never be, part of God's accepted realm. God may be the Father of the human family, but we are not truly "God's children" until we are born anew through faith in His Son Jesus. "As many as received Him, who believed in His name, to them He gave the right to become children of God." The Holy Spirit transforms us to become one of the good guys instead of the bad guys; there's no other team. Paul tells the Corinthians, "The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons." One or the other - which will it be? The Holy Spirit helps us choose the good.

Some eastern religions and secret societies try to blur the line. Pagan religion, as in animism and that of the Philistines, held that there were many gods, some benevolent, some malicious. The Persians introduced the concept of dualism: that evil was just as strong as good and so you'd better worship and sacrifice to the evil deities too. A New Age motto is "All is One": really, in the end, it doesn't make any difference which God you worship; "many paths up the same mountain". Universalism, as in organizations like the Masons, teaches that God is the same behind all religions; God could have a composite name like "Yahweh" of the Hebrews and "Baal" of the Chaldeans and "On" of the Egyptians, all rolled into one word.

But God is holy and good, without a hint of evil, and exclusively guards his self-definition. The first of the Ten Commandments is, "You shall have no other gods before me." The stumbling-block of particularity in the Christian religion is our belief that God the Father sent His Son to reveal Himself among us; Jesus has made God known, taken away the veil from God's face. The occult and secret societies would deny God's unique self-revelation in Jesus of Nazareth, and disguise Deity behind a cloud of unknowing that might encompass good and bad, a "lowest common denominator" god of all religions.

Third, our words and lives have meaning and value in an eternal frame of reference. (36,37) Jesus warns, "I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." What we say, matters. How we live our daily lives, matters. There will be a time of reckoning after Jesus' return, when the nations are judged before the Great White Throne. Christians will be rewarded before the judgment seat of Christ, in varying degrees. We get one crack at life, and one only; as Hebrews 9:27 says, it is appointed for us to die ONCE, and then be judged.

Reincarnation is a lie of the devil. Some eastern religions suppose if you don't get it right once, you come back over and over and over again, until finally you graduate from the rat to the perfect human life and go to Nirvana. Karma is the Buddhist doctrine that the sum total of your actions in a supposed previous state of existence determines your destiny in the next stage. The horrible caste system in India was tolerated for so long because it was seen as the poorest people's proper fate that they should be down-trodden. Christ's teaching that we get one life heightens the significance of what we do between birth and death.

He also sees our words as being important in the face of eternity. Much of the occult involves the use of secret words, more serious than the magician's abracadabra. Words are the way spells are cast. (The Gospel is literally the "Good spell".) New Agers and followers of Transcendental Meditation are given a mantra to recite over and over as an aid to opening their consciousness to new levels, new voices. A Cabbala is an oral tradition that supposedly unveils hidden meaning, a secret key of interpretation; unfortunately when applied to Scripture it dilutes the plain original meaning and leads people to view the Bible as merely a collection of symbols rather than straightforward truth.

How many of us without knowing better have participated in a mock seance where we knelt around someone on the floor and repeated, "This body is dead - heavy as lead - we will now lift the body?" and been amazed how light the body was on all our fingertips? There SEEMED to be real power in the words. But the disciples admitted of Jesus, "To whom shall we go? YOU have the words of eternal life." He is the one whose word really has power to raise us up at the last day. Our words and our lives matter to Him.

Fourth, the Gospel grows in power when we confess and reject hidden evil. When Paul was at Ephesus, it was known that the name of Jesus had power over evil spirits. Even non-Christians were exorcising demons, though some got in trouble with the spirits themselves. But it was after the believers went rummaging through their back closets, and brought out sorcery scrolls (their witchery cook-books) and BURNED them, that the word of the Lord grew in power and spread widely. The effectiveness of God's message of salvation in Christ is given a definite boost when Christians confess their own occult dealings and forsake them.

What forms of the occult have YOU been dabbling in? Is it horoscopes? Ouija boards? Do you slip in to get your fortune told periodically, your palm read, or tarot cards? Are you involved in secret societies where the Bible is treated as furniture rather than uniquely inspired scripture, where salvation is by good works rather than Jesus' atoning sacrifice and grace received by faith? Follow the lead of the Ephesians, who got rid of that garbage in their lives, even though it was worth 50,000 days' wages. Your Lord is worth it. He thinks YOU are worth it. In Deuteronomy 18 God terms "detestable" the ways of occult religion: human sacrifices, divination, sorcery, interpreting omens, witchcraft, casting spells, mediums, spiritists, someone who consults the dead. It's all abomination, disgusting to Him.

And what about our immediate celebration, Halloween? Are Jane and Joey standing there as part of a diabolical trick, or an innocent treat? To understand there's more than meets the eyes, we need some history.

Over 2000 years before Christ, the Celts in countries such as England, Ireland, France, and Germany followed the religion of the Druids. The last day in their calendar, their "New Year's Eve", was the full moon around October 31. That night, sacrifices were offered to Samhain, the Lord of Death and Evil Spirits. Leaves were falling, darkness was increasing, temperatures were dropping; November 1 was the day of death, when Samhain overpowered the Sun God. It was believed the souls of those who died during the year were assigned to animals, until that night, when they were allowed to return and visit friends. Evil ones were warded off, good ones were invited to a feast. Through gifts and sacrifices it was supposed their sins could be expiated (wiped out) and their souls freed. Samhain would judge them and decide in what form they would continue, whether human or animal.

Sacrifices were offered to appease the Lord of Death and keep the evil spirits from harming one's household. Druid priests canvassed the nieghbourhood, promising prosperity if offered gifts, cursing or threatening if not. It was believed wandering spirits wouldn't trick if they were treated - hence the origin of "trick or treat". Horses, cats, black sheep, oxen, and even human beings (often criminals) were stuffed into wicker cages and burned to death. Observers would dress in costumes of animal heads, and dance, chant, and jump through the flames to ward off evil as the sacrifices cried out in agony. Animals were also cut open so priests could foretell the future by studying their entrails. The Jack-o-lantern was a pumpkin, turnip, or beet carved to hold a candle and help the spirits find homes that were sympathetic and deserving of mercy.

The pagan goddess Tlazolteolf was naked, wore a pointed hat and rode a broomstick - you guessed it, forerunner of the witch.

When the Romans came, they prohibited human sacrifice and destroyed the sacred sacrificial groves. The Catholic church tried to stop the pagan practices, or at least replace them. Around 730 AD Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel in St. Peter's basilica to "All the Saints" on November 1; Gregory IV made it a universal observance to remember and honour the saints who don't have their own day in the church calendar. The Pilgrims banned celebrating Halloween in America; but in 1845 waves of Irish immigrants fleeing the Potato Famine reintroduced it. Today, Halloween night is Satan's special day as far as Satanists and witchcraft covens are concerned: they meet around midnight to conduct Black Sabbaths and pray to Satan to extend their supernatural powers. A woman who practised witchcraft relates that their rituals by fire include sexual orgies and live animal or human sacrifices. Another, from a group called the Brotherhood, says it was a 3-day affair: on October 29th an animal was sacrificed. On the 30th an animal and a human of lesser purity were killed, and on the 31st came the slow tortured death of the most pure human available.

Our oldest daughter, in Edmonton, told us on the phone this week the newspaper reported the stealing of a baby from one of the hospitals, believed to be connected with these Halloween practices.

As believers, our task is not to try to decide if it's Jane or Joey under the costume. Our task is to see through Satan's disguise, whether it be Halloween customs, occult devices like horoscopes and ouija boards, or secret societies. They're a front evil can use to turn people away from the Real life to be found in Jesus. Demons are real, but he is stronger! The Holy Spirit transforms us to share good fruit, not evil. Our words and lives have meaning and value in an eternal frame of reference. And the Gospel grows in power when we confess and reject hidden evil.

A banking association sponsored a two-week training program to help tellers detect counterfeit bills. The program was unique -- never during the training did the tellers even look at a counterfeit bill, nor did they listen to any lectures concerning the characteristics of counterfeit bills. All they did for two weeks was handle authentic currency, hour after hour and day by day, until they were so familiar with the true that they could not possibly be fooled by the false.

Don't be tricked by Satan's counterfeit! Study, meditate, and apply God's word until you're so familiar with it that you won't be fooled by any strange teaching, but will know real truth. Let us pray.

"Christ's Followers Go To War" - Nov.14,1999 Remembrance Sunday / International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians - Matt.10:32-39 Joshua 4:4-7; 5:13-15

Are we at war? Outside it may seem peaceful enough, but on a worldwide scale and in a spiritual sense, we as Christians ARE at war.

In Africa's largest country, the Republic of the Sudan, it's estimated that more than 2 million people, many of them Christians, have perished since 1985 as a result of the genocide being carried out by the Islamic government. Men in southern Sudan face amputation of their hands and feet if they refuse to comply with the demands of raiding Islamic government forces from the north. Authorities often round up women and children and sell them as slaves.

Kamal Tutu is a Christian from the Nuba region who was severely burned in a government attack on a southern Sudanese church. On a TV documentary he said, "They caught the priest...and slaughtered him. (They also killed) other priests. Many people were burned inside the church. Then they tied me and left me in the sun. After they burned the church with the people inside, the military threw me into the embers of the church and left." Tutu's hands were horribly disfigured in the incident. He says, "My wife has to do everything for me now because I can do nothing - not even eat on my own."

In China, the communist government continues to interrogate, torture and confine Christians in labour camps for holding religious meetings outside of state-approved churches. Two months ago, more than 30 Christian leaders were arrested in the continuing effort to suppress "unauthorized religious activity". One of these men, Wang Xincai, had been released from a labour reform camp only four days prior to his arrest in August. He had served 2½ years in detention along with other leaders in China's "house church" movement.

In Colombia, in our own Americas, Christians have paid a heavy price for their faith and faithfulness in the Uribia region. Dozens of Christians have been murdered in the past several years, churches have been burned, women raped and families forced from their land. Even so, the church in Uribia grows at a faster pace than in any other region in the country.

Remembrance Day is a much-needed occasion to pause and remember those who laid down their lives in previous wars so that we might have freedom. It is now 44 years since World War II ended. But still we need to observe a memorial to recall how evil some regimes were; the tragedy of war has left its mark on us. I grew up hearing my father's war stories as he served in Sicily and Italy in the Signal Corps. There is the uncle I never knew except from a photograph: my mother's brother who flew a Mosquito on night bombing runs, and whose plane crashed in January of '45. More recently, there are those I've known as Chaplain in the Service Battalion: a captain from North Bay about my age who died from a brain tumour; the private who had approached me about performing a marriage, but whose funeral I attended instead after she fell out of the back of a truck while on course at Meaford. Anyone who has been sworn in to the Canadian Forces knows they may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice for their Sovereign. On Remembrance Day we honour so many who did give their lives for our freedom; and we thank God anew for the peace (physically) that we enjoy.

When the Israelites crossed from the wilderness into the Promised Land, the Lord told Joshua to take 12 stones from the middle of the temporarily-plugged Jordan. These would serve to remind their descendants of the Lord's great deliverance and power in halting the waters, which were at flood stage, and bringing them safely into the land. So we pause to remember God's mercy in granting victory to those who fought and died in 2 World Wars and the Korean War.

When life is comfortable and entertaining, it's easy to be tricked into thinking this is real peace, there's no combat necessary. But evil takes many forms, not all as blatant as Hitler, Hirohito, or Mussolini. The Bible reveals that God is a warrior; and he must be, if he is good and powerful, and not absent or schizophrenic. Moses sings of Yahweh being a warrior, the context being God's victory over Pharaoh's army by hurling them into the sea. God tells Joshua to take possession of the land of Palestine, which of course involves war because it is inhabited. As we read in the lesson, Joshua met the commander of the Lord's invisible army, which was there on site to help the Israelites achieve the goal God gave. Nearly 300 times in the Old Testament God is described as Yahweh Sabaoth, Lord of hosts: not just of the physical armies of Israel, but the invisible heavenly host as well, ready and able to carry out the Divine Commander's will.

Some people may object, "Ah, but that's the Old Testament idea of God; in the New Testament he's God of love and peace, not war." But note what Jesus said: he came not to bring peace, but a sword. Faithful Christians will make enemies, just as he did. In Revelation 19, Jesus is the Rider on the White Horse, and we're told, "With justice he judges and makes WAR." Not your typical devotional painting of Christ, but remember he could take whip in hand when he opposed something. So, in both parts of the Bible, God is a warrior. It must be so, because God hates evil, for example Isaiah 61:8 where the Lord says, "I hate robbery and iniquity."

And if God is a warrior, that involves us too. Scripture tells us, "Those who love the Lord hate evil." (Ps.97:10) "To fear the Lord is to hate evil." (Prov.8:13) As Psalm 144 used in our Call to Worship states, "The Lord trains my hands for war." Paul told believers in the early church to put on God's full armour so they could stand against the devil's schemes; that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, and powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph.6:11,12) He said we don't wage war the way the world does: instead our weapons have divine power to demolish strongholds, arguments, and pretensions set up against the knowledge of God; we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor.10:3-5)

There is a war going on out there. I've already mentioned some of the hardships Christians in other countries have to endure. But there is a war going on in our midst in Canada too: not with mortars or bombs or burning churches (yet), but a sneaky war that attacks us in our bodies, minds, and relationships, trying to fracture our connection to God and one another. David DeWitt, in his book "The Mature Man" which I've used as a resource today, quotes some disturbing statistics from Steve Farrar. Although they are American, I'm sure our Canadian figures are quite comparable.

"One out of two marriages ends in divorce. In 1960, one out of every 10 households was maintained by a woman with no husband present; in 1986, one out of 6 households was maintained by a woman with no husband present. Tonight, enough teenagers to fill the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, and the average Super Bowl will practice prostitution to support drug addictions. One million teenage girls will get pregnant out of wedlock this year. 500,000 of those girls will abort their babies. 66% of American high school seniors have used illegal drugs. Every 78 seconds, a teenager in America attempts suicide." Scary statistics aren't they? Perhaps these are more than statistics to some of you: they represent real people you've known, with names and faces. Casualties in the war.

Even wars need to be fought with certain protocols. One of them is you've got to be able to identify boundaries, what you're fighting about. A warrior sets and defends boundaries. God has set a boundary in 1 Corinthians 6:9, which reads, "Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God?" As warriors we need to get on board with God's definition of what's permissible in the Kingdom and what's not. Where we draw the line is crucial. If our boundary is too big, we'll be compromising with the world and allowing sin inside the camp. If we make our boundaries too small, we'll become legalists, frustrate our spouses, and exasperate our children.

For example, David DeWitt has established and taught these boudnaries to his daughters: good stories are in, but not dirty jokes; parties, but not drunkenness; dating an unbeliever, but not marrying an unbeliever; medical drugs, but not hallucinating drugs; some movies, but not X-rated ones; joking, but not lying. DeWitt adds, some "make the boundary so tight they end up forbidding things they can't fight. I remember a guy who bragged to me, 'My kids don't watch movies.' I said, 'Would you like me to tell you WHERE your kids go to watch movies?' My kids knew his kids, so they knew where his kids went to see movies."

He goes on, "The key is: forbid only what you are willing to go to war over. Remember, the Pharisees had thousands of laws. Most governments have tens and hundreds of thousands and millions of laws. The solution to the problem is often seen as adding another law. God ran Israel with 613...If we keep adding laws, pretty soon we suffer from law-inflation. All our laws lose value. In reality, most of God's laws are obvious and there will only be a few areas where you have to draw lines your family might not draw - especially if you bring your children up in the knowledge of the Bible and the fear of God."

This author comes up with several "rules for war". First is, It must be God's war. Concerning Joshua and Israel fighting to possess Palestine, "It was not Moses' idea or Joshua's goal or the result of the aspirations of the children of Israel. God has always had two big problems with us. One is we always want to do our own things. We go to war for something we want which has nothing whatever to do with what God is doing. Second, we ignore what God IS going to war about. So God ends up with only a few soldiers or none at all."

For an example of a war which wasn't God's idea, take the 30 Years' War from 1618-48. Protestants and Catholics killed each other for 3 decades in the name of God. But nobody checked with God. Nothing in the Bible suggested such a war. God never told Protestants or Catholics that they should fight for territory or rule countries. God said "Go make disciples of all the nations" not "Go kill off each other so we can rule all the territory." But the Protestants and Catholics had no time to consider making disciples because they were too busy fighting for control.

A second rule for war: It must be fought with enough courage to totally destroy the enemy. In his book aimed at men, DeWitt notes this is something missing in most definitions of masculinity today. Fight to destroy the enemy. Jesuit priest and professor Patrick Arnold said, "Newly neutered Christianity is beginning to produce a generation of men with no 'wildness' and no 'fight' in them, a blow-dried, Gucci-shoed and sun-tanned lot whose primary moral achievement is 'being nice'."

We make a crucial error when going to war with sin in our lives if we fail to utterly wipe it out. So many Christians fail to mature because they carry around too much baggage. We want to leave some survivors. We want to leave enough pockets of sin to play with - just a little. Pretty soon those pockets of sin grow into large overcoats that cover us up and weigh us down. Eventually we are so filled with sinful baggage that it's too much to overcome.

Don't forget: sin has consequences. Even though God forgives sin when we repent and confess, that doesn't mean we can avoid the mess we created here on earth just because God wipes our slate clean as far as heaven is concerned. Often when people ask, "What about grace, compassion, and forgiveness?" what they really want to know is, "Now that I've jumped out of a 6th-floor window, how can I keep from falling? Or, now that I've had an affair, now that I'm addicted to alcohol or drugs, now that I'm in debt up to my ears, what can I do?" The answer, DeWitt says, is "Fall! You can't jump without falling. When you hit the street, we'll see what's left and start from there."

When we go to war with a sin, we must be sure we are strong enough to fight it. Whe we are, as much as it is possible to do so, we must destroy it until it's totally, utterly, completely annihilated.

Joshua and the leaders of Israel were tricked by the people of Gibeon. Though they lived nearby, they took old bread, cracked wineskins, and worn patched sandals to make it seem they'd come a long way. Joshua and the other leaders were fooled, and made a promise not to fight them. As a result they didn't completely possess the land.

Martin Luther didn't compromise. In 1519 in a debate, this German champion of the Reformation denied the supremacy of the pope and the infallibility of church councils. He burned papal bulls threatening his excommunication, and was finally excommunicated by the pope then outlawed by the Emperor Charles V. In 1521 when he refused to recant before the Diet of Worms, for his own safety he was kidnapped and taken to the Wartburg castle. 8 years later, Charles V tried to stop Luther by force, and the German princes stood up in protest - whence we may have derived the term Protestant. Spiritually, Luther was a warrior who fought with courage to finish off the enemy.

A third rule for war: Fight with other valiant warriors. Stu Weber in his book "Tender Warrior" notes that Alexander the Great at one time owned most of the habitable real estate on the planet. His secret weapon was something called the Macedonian Phalanx, a simple military formation with a straightforward mandate: "You never go into battle without the man beside you." This formation allowed the man's weak flank to be protected by his buddy. So even on his vulnerable sword-thrusting side, the warrior had a trusted man guarding the area where he was most exposed.

David was Israel's greatest king, but even he didn't go into battle alone or with a mediocre group of naive boys. David was surrounded by a group of "mighty men". Jashobeam, Eleazar, Abshai, Benaiah - remarkable warriors. Benaiah killed a lion inside a pit. Wouldn't you love to have him fighting at your side? Fight with other valiant warriors.

DeWitt remembers a time one of his daughters was having a severe conflict with one of the girls on her high school soccer team. The conflict had gotten out of control. The coach was unable to do anything and Dewitt wasn't sure what to do. He called one of those "valiant warrior" friends of his who lived in a different city. This man was long on wisdom and had been an excellent high school coach. Before DeWitt got home that day, this friend had already called his daughter and talked for half an hour. Together they devised a plan which ultimately worked.

And a final rule for war: (like this sermon) It must come to an end. In Joshua 11 we read, "So Joshua took the whole land,...and gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Thus the land had rest from war." But for there to be an end, it must be set with manageable objectives. Thus it is a poor decision to go into battle against alcoholism, drug abuse, abortion, adultery, prnography, homosexuality, marriage problems in general, etc.Why? Victory is impossible, because these will never come to an end. Instead, we must choose our wars more precisely and define our battles in terms which WILL come to an end.

Thus, we should go to war against BEING an alcoholic, NOT alcoholism; against an adulterous situation, not adultery; against BEING angry, not anger; against a habit of gossip, not gossip in general; against whatever is hurting your marriage, not marriage problems; FOR restoring fellowship with a child or parent, not child/parent problems.

DeWitt gives an example: "A goal to politically eliminate abortion is a bad war to declare because it will never end, and when a war doesn't end, it degenerates into countless other tragedies. On the other hand, suppose my friend or neighbour has a single daughter who is pregnant. I can take on the battle of saving the life of that unborn infant. I can be a friend. I can help the family evaluate whether the girl is capable of mothering. If she or the situation makes that impossible, then I can help them sort through the adoption procedures. I can tell them about the value of human life and show them the statistics about what abortion does to the mother psychologically and what it does to the baby physically."

God is a warrior, and he calls us to fight battles with spiritual authorities, to defend the boundaries which mark His Kingdom. It's not that war is ideal. God-honouring peace is better by far. Jesus did say, "Blessed are the peacemakers." (Matthew 5:9) Paul told Timothy to lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. (1 Timothy 2:2) And peace is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) Jesus did say, "My peace I give you," yet at that same time he warned the world would hate us and persecute us - because we don't belong to the world, but to Him. Christ's peace is something we carry inside us, even when we're embroiled in conflict outside.

Don't give up - be God's warrior! As Winston Churchill said: "We shall fight on the beaches; we shall fight on the landing grounds; we shall fight in the fields and in the streets; we shall fight in the hills.We shall never surrender..." Let us pray.

"Preparing Our Hearts for Jesus" - The Way Service 991114

Before we begin, let's get in touch with our hearts. Really. I mean, if you're alive, you'll pass this test. Try to see if you can find your pulse. You may be able to find it on your wrist; or on your neck beside your windpipe. Can you feel it? Got a beat? Good! that means you're alive. If you can't find a pulse but are still breathing OK, I wouldn't worry about it too much; if you can't find it AND aren't breathing, let us know quick!

Our life depends on our heart. Other organs in our body aren't so vital. Appendix - who needs it? If our pancreas or kidneys act up, we can still survive, thanks to insulin and dialysis machines. Loss of hearing or poor eyes is a great inconvenience, but we can go on living. Yet stop someone's heart, and it's game over pronto.

The Holy Spirit uses the imagery of the heart in Scripture to talk about the coreof our being, our innermost self that is jealously sought by God. In the world of physical health, older people are advised to get a medical checkover regularly, often with a stress test on a treadmill to gauge just how strong our heart is. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" - offering to come in and dine with those who hear his voice and open the door. Artists have pictured "Jesus knocking at the door of our heart": imagine he's a doctor, checking out whether your heart is ready to stand a test. So as we look at the theme "Preparing our Heart for Jesus", the first step then is,

(1) The Doctor's Diagnosis

How long will we be able to keep going on the treadmill? What will the heart specialist see as he studies our electrocardiogram? God has even more right to peer into our inner spaces. And ability.

(a) God knows our heart:

Acts 15:8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.

Luke 16:15 He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.

- God knows us inside, and His values are different from ours. We may feel OK, but the doctor can tell whether we've been damaged by looking at our ECG printout. Let the expert - God - do the diagnosing!

(b) God searches our hearts: Maybe you've heard about the wonder of fiber optics and miniaturization, how they can actually put a camera on the end of a probe and see inside living arteries and the heart itself. God searches us even more closely:

1 Thess.2:4 We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.

Rom.8:27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit...

Rev.2:23 Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

God searches our hearts, and will repay us - which brings us to our next point:

In Romans 2 Paul says the requirements of the law are written on the hearts even of non-believers; their consciences and thoughts accuse or defend them. He adds,

Rom.2:16 This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ.

When the Lord comes, Paul warns,

1 Cor.4:5 He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

So the Doctor is knocking at the door of our heart, diagnosing our illness. Our second part I call

(2) The Deadly Disease

If we have a heart that is weak physically, sooner or later it will become unable to meet periods of high demand. Or another form of heart disease is cholesterol buildup: these fatty deposits start to line our arteries and narrow the tubes to the point where it's hard for blood to flow. And if blood can't get through, the heart muscle fed by those arteries dies for lack of nourishment and oxygen.

Spiritually, heart disease is deadly too. It results in

(a) distance from God:

Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

When we aren't sincere with the Lord, we distance ourselves from him. Then there are

(2) the self's counterfeit defences: when we've detached from God, we start to play God ourselves, and run into opposition from everyone else that's trying to be king in their world. Listen to the list of deadly traps Jesus lists in

Mark 7:20-23: For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man `unclean.'

Wow! What a pack of awfulness! But if we're truthful, we'll admit that sometime or other one of those bad things has described us. These sins pollute our relationship with God and each other, clogging the arteries of trust and friendship, so have a

In Romans 1 Paul tells how people who've yielded to the sinful desires of their hearts were given over by God to the degrading of their bodies (sexually transmitted diseases come to mind) and to a depraved mind. Maybe not quite as sicko as Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, but that's where it leads. Understandably people don't want folks like that in their neighbourhood. But do we put stuff that's just as bad in our VCR?

Another form of deadening is mentioned in

James 4:1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?

Our squabbles and frictions within families or among peers often result from our hearts wanting different things, expectations that aren't mutual, trying to take advantage of someone.

After the medical doctor has done their diagnosis and found out how bad the situation is, the next medical step may be

(3) Cleaning the Pipes

Sometimes medicine will help clear things up. One procedure is called angioplasty: a little balloon is inserted into the artery and expanded to increase the size of the tube and make it easier for the blood to circulate.

Another possibility is bypass surgery: a less-needed blood vessel is removed from the leg and transplanted into the heart cavity to "bypass" the clogged area and provide a fresh route for blood to supply the heart.

In the worst cases, heart transplants are now an accepted procedure. Here a person gets a whole "new" heart (actually "used"); yet this is at great cost to the donor (who has usually had some form of sudden tragic accident). But the donor's death means new life for the person who receives the heart transplant.

Spiritually, this must be

(a) God's doing: it's not something we can bring about on our own. Our Heavenly Father is in the REAL transplant business:

Ezek.36:25-27 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Get that? "I will give you a new heart" - not stone, but flesh.

(b) How? By faith in Jesus his Son. Peter describes how God took the initiative in saving Cornelius and family when they believed Peter's message about Jesus:

Acts 15:9,11 He purified their hearts by faith... We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved.

Paul makes it crystal-clear in

Romans 10:9,10 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

For a real heart transplant, some people would spend thousands of dollars and go to South Africa where the procedure was pioneered. To get the Divine Doctor to operate, however, doesn't cost a cent - yet he does ask for our complete commitment, the allegiance and yielding of our whole life. God's new heart can be ours by trusting in Jesus as our Lord.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Sharper than any sword, penetrating to the depths of oru unconscious - the Word of Scritpure is what the Holy Spirit uses to convict and change us.

And just as the balloon of angioplasty expands the blood vessels, God's Spirit

(d) expands our hearts:

Romans 5:5 God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Galatians 4:6 God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."

It is by the Holy Spirit that Jesus comes in once we open the door of our heart. The Comforter or Helper, as Jesus called the Spirit, gives us an awareness and assurance that God does love us as dear children, adopted sisters and brothers to Jesus.

Once the operation is over and the person is on their feet again, do you think the hospital staff just let the heart patient out? Not at all! There's a lot of education that must take place so they can

(4) Maintain a healthy heart

For example, heart patients learn about proper diet, exercise, stress management, and so on. These have spiritual parallels!

(a) diet:

Psalm 119:9,11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

This "hiding the word in the heart" happens by meditating on it and reading the Bible daily. A steady diet.

Job 23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.

Get a modern Bible version and see if God doesn't show you promises that are nearly as exciting as your favourite dessert! AND they're non-fattening!

(b) Exercise is another big part of a heart patient's recuperation. One of my relatives started walking about 3 miles a day after his bout with heart trouble. Spiritual exercise is different:

Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: " `Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

ALL your heart - get your whole being involved in loving God.

1 Peter 1:22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.

Love, deeply. And that will likely involve forgiving those who've hurt us in the past. Jesus told the parable of the unforgiving servant who was thrown to the torturers then added:

Matthew 18:35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

In fact, everything we do after becoming a Christian becomes a form of exerecise of the spiritual heart muscles God renews in us - whether it's helping a neighbour or serving our boss in the workplace:

Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.

Now after a patient leaves the hospital, that's not the last contact. There are also

(c) Regular check-ups: every month or three or six or whatever. But since God is available 24 hours a day, he encourages us to check in often with our Spiritual Physician - through prayer and worship.

2 Timothy 2:22 Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Our personal worship can include praise and thanksgiving, not just personal requests:

Ephesians 5:19 Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It doesn't need to be wordy or formal, just heart-felt!

So that's how you can prepare your heart for Jesus. Is it worth it? There's some pain and grief as we give up ourown way and let God be God, but don't wait another moment. Keep putting it off and you may suddenly find yourself standing before your Maker with a clogged-up, sin-riddled heart instead of the healthy one He offers freely. Heart bypass patients often say they feel so good when they've recovered that they wish they'd had the surgery years ago. The

(5) Benefits of a renewed heart:

are great. Jesus did say:

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

See God - far out! That's better than virtual reality! And the wise author of Proverbs wrote:

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Another version puts it: "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life." It's really worth it.

I was at a conference a week ago where music was provided by Heartsong Trio. The tenor, Steve, had an amazing voice. But his testimony of the Lord's grace changing his heart was even more amazing.

Steve had gone to church as a youth, and started singing in this trio in different churches. His own church was about to ask him to serve as a deacon, like one of our elders or stewards. But suddenly Steve was in court and convicted of armed robbery. He was totally ashamed and embarrassed, and felt he was a failure as a Christian. He figured his days singing in the trio were over - who would ever want an ex-con singing beside them or representing Christ?

But the two other guys in the trio didn't see it that way. They told Steve they'd wait for him. And they did. In prison Steve had time to repent and find god over again; since his release he has been able to witness to God's grace by singing again with the trio.

The Lord worked not only in Steve's heart, but also in the hearts of his companions. What are the hypocrisies in our life? Are we outwardly living right, but secretly ashamed of something? God knows our hearts, and can bring a fresh start, a new beginning. Are we as ready as Steve's trio-mates to forgive someone we know who has been declared guilty? Are we prepared to wait for someone, and trust God to genuinely work in a sinner's life?

Jesus is knocking. he's diagnosed our disease. By believing in his death for us, and receiving His Spirit, we can enjoy the blessings of a renewed heart. Let us pray.

"The Stewards and the Stingy" - Nov.21/99 Christ the King / Stewardship - Matthew 25:31-46 1Timothy 6:6-10,17-19

For 90-year-old golf pro Harvey Penick, success came late. His first golf book sold more than a million copies, making it one of the biggest items in the history of sports books. His second book has sold nearly 3/4 of a million. But Harvey Penick didn't write the books to make money.

In the 1920s he bought a red spiral notebook and began jotting down observations about golf. Until 1991 he never showed the book to anyone except his son. That year he shared it with a local writer and asked if he thought it was worth publishing. The man read it and told him yes. The writer left word with Mrs.Penick the next evening that Simon & Schuster had agreed to an advance of $90,000.

When the writer saw Penick later, the old man seemed troubled, instead of happy. Penick finally admitted the problem: he said that with all his medical bills, there was no way he could advance the publisher that much money. The writer had to explain that Penick would be the one to receive the $90,000, not pay it!

You can imagine how surprised he must have been. But he had the right attitude - prepared to give, instead of expecting to receive. That's something like the description Jesus gave of judgment: the sheep would be surprised to find out they had ministered to the Master. They are the ones with the right attitude - ready to give, not expecting to get. As we approach this whole topic of giving today, we can call the sheep and the goats "The Stewards and the Stingy".

Let's begin by looking at the viewpoint of the Stingy. This is the person who comes to the topic of stewardship with an attitude based on law rather than grace. The stingy person asks, "What is the minimum I HAVE to give? What's the least contribution I can make that will fulfill my duty, meet my obligation?"

One of the problems with this approach is that this person's hope is in wealth. They think money is the real thing, it makes things happen, they've been tricked into thinking money will make you happy. But Scripture reminds us that hoping in wealth is a delusion. Wealth is "so uncertain", Paul writes; "we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." No one has seen a hearse pulling a U-haul yet. Sooner or later we have to give away everything that is material, every stock and bond, every bit of real estate. To hope in wealth is to set yourself up for a hoax.

The driving force behind a stingy person is love of money, something the Bible says is "a root of all kinds of evil". Those who are eager for money tend to wander from the faith and pierce themselves with many griefs. Wanting to get rich, people get trapped by harmful desires that plunge them into ruin; the word in the original language Paul uses means to get dragged to the bottom, as in a boat sinking. No matter how many goods such a person amasses, there's always a desire for more, they're never satisfied.

We can't begin to talk about giving and stewardship in the Christian church without addressing the issue of tithing. Essentially, the tithe (meaning 10%) is a requirement of the law, not the gospel. It IS a step in the right direction if you've never taken giving seriously as a spiritual discipline. But the tithe is not a Christian concept, but a Jewish one. In Old Testament times, the law of Moses demanded people give a tenth of everything for the upkeep of the tabernacle attendants, the priests and Levites. It was basically a tax for the government, the Levites were the equivalent of our civil servants. Actually the amount came to over 20% instead of 10: there was a tithe on the remaining 90% to be taken annually to Jerusalem for the festival, and every thrid year there was another tithe to support the Levites, widows, orphans, and foreigners.

Tithing was a system of taxation for the nation-state Israel. Bible teacher David DeWitt says to churches that promote tithing, "I will give 10% to your church if you pay my taxes, since that was what tithing was." He adds, "Nobody seems interested in my offer."

The stingy person wants to get away with paying the least possible amount, whatever that percentage might be. Suppose we were to approach the issue of church finances from a fleshly, human, law-oriented point of view. We'd ask, "How much does it take to run our church program?" This year's budget is about $94,000. Next question: "What is the total income of the households represented in our church?" And we would start looking around and mentally add up what we figure each household here makes. Divide those two figures and there you've got your percentage. Then you just assess each household that much, like a tax.

Sounds easy. But the problem with tithing or any percentage system is that it's law-centred, looking for the bare minimum, rather than a response to grace. It tempts us to think the remaining 90% is mine: but that's not biblical. All we have belongs to God. Paul tells the Corinthians, "All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all things belong to you" - sounds good so far, doesn't it! But he continues, "And YOU belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God." Tithing can mislead us into thinking "90% is mine."

It can also develop into legalism and give rise to pride. Jesus told the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector who went up to the Temple to pray. The Pharisee, very smug, patted himself on the back before God, boasting that he gave a tenth of all he got. But God accepted the humility of the tax collector rather than the pride of the tithing Pharisee.

A percentage system also keeps people tied up, hooked on a number, preventing them from developing greater godliness. Jesus berated the teachers of the law and the Pharisees because they tithed even their cooking herbs but neglected the weightier matters - justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Conceivably a person could tithe to their church then ignore every other appeal during the week - shutting their ears to deserving requests for mercy and fairness.

If you're looking for a measuring scale, instead of a percentage we might consider instead what we have LEFT OVER after giving. Those with the least left have given the most, by this standard. Jesus watched rich people throw large amounts into the temple treasury. But when a poor widow put in a fraction of a penny, he called his disciples' attention to her, saying she had put in more than all the others. She put in everything she had to live on, but the others had only given out of their surplus, their "leftovers". The widow knew better than to treat the offering plate like a doggy bag!

That's what happens when you view giving as a stingy person, from law, asking what's the bare minimum you are obligated to give. By contrast, Jesus' description of judgment includes sheep as well as goats, those who are called "blessed by my Father". They're the STEWARDS, not the stingy. Their approach is more like this. They ask, "Having been given so much by grace, how can I take part in God's business of showing justice, mercy, and faithfulness?" "How can I get on board with the economy of the Kingdom in ministering to the needs of those on God's heart?"

We have been given so much already by grace in our Lord Jesus. Paul cries out, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." That spells grace for him: Jesus' love and sacrifice so Paul - and you and I - could be put right with God, the account was cleared. Again, Paul says elsewhere, "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." One died for all. And because of that, we now live for him, rather than for ourselves.

(move to Communion Table) Whenever we in the Christian church talk about giving, the starting point has to be right here, with the Sacrament: Jesus' words the eve of his death, when he broke the bread and gave it to the disciples saying, "This is my body, which is FOR YOU." His gift of Himself is supreme - he gave us his all. It's that complete self-giving which makes him and entitles him to be such a wonderful King. What can WE possibly give that compares to his gift of himself, remembered in communion? At this table he has upped the ante to the point where all we can do is throw down our cards and yield completely.

We have been given so much by grace - and continue to be. As Paul says in today's reading, "God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." We can't outgive God. Recall His promises to provide in the New Testament. Jesus himself said, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." 2 Corinthians 9: "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness." One other great promise, Philippians 4:19: "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

Our own experience as a family is that God is faithful to provide our needs when we risk following his leading. When I felt God's call to ordered ministry after serving as a missionary in Africa, we had two young children and a small amount of savings. In my human calculating I figured we would have just about nothing left by the time I finished theological college. But God provided our needs so that we still had some left when I graduated 4 years later.

More recently, I served in a Presbytery outreach project at Goulais River the past 5 years, receiving half-time salary. We didn't have extra spending money, Yvonne had to really watch the food budget, and we did have to say "no" to some things. But I wouldn't say we suffered. God faithfully provided some extra employment income which not only paid the bills but also enriched me as a person. I think now too I'm a little less dependent onor neurotic about this one career, and more inclined to depend on God to come through for our needs.

We've been talking about the viewpoint of the Steward. A Steward is focused, not on hoping in deceptive riches like the stingy person, but (6:17) they "put their hope in God." A Steward's values are different. To them, "great gain" is not the world's idea of riches. Paul said he was content with food and clothing. Pretty simple, huh? And his definition of "great gain" was (6:6) "godliness with contentment". Might not drive a market economy quite so hard, but sure would make the world a better place.

The Steward can listen to the least; they're not tuned out, listening to the beat of the drummer of advertising or a ballooning RRSP. Their character which can be summed up in one word - "generous" - prepares them to minister to the Saviour in disguise. Stewards are what Paul describes in 6:18 when he says, "do good, be rich in good deeds, generous, willing to share." These are the sheep at the right hand of the Saviour in Matthew 25. Jesus commends them, "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Generous folk. They weren't conscious that it was Jesus there standing at their door - just someone in need. Yet God's heart was beating for that needy person. The King will say, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." God has a strange, bottom-up way of viewing things.

Chrysostom, one of the early church fathers, noted that the actions described are ones everybody can perform. He comments: "He said not, I was sick and you healed me; or in prison and you set me free; but, 'You visited me and came unto me.'" The good deeds are manageable.

And imagine the joy and surprise of the Steward to discover that God is a steward too. As it turns out at judgment, the Lord has been holding onto something for a long time that has our name on it, if we're a sheep, a Steward. It's there in verse 34: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world." Get it? The Lord is a Steward - he's holding a Kingdom in trust for us, God's special place prepared for his people to share since the beginning of time. For God is not stingy, but a Steward. He invites us to "take hold of the life that is truly life".

It doesn't necessarily take money in order to be generous. In the October Focus on the Family magazine, there is an article on the great ministry of encouragement through writing notes. One person whom we might not think has much to offer is Kenneth, who was paralyzed by a stroke at 31. He cannot speak, but he can pray, and write. He communicates through an alphabet board, signaling with his eyes to a helper which letters to write down. Through this laborious process, he sends out 2-3 notes a day. One day he blink-dictated a letter to his pastor, encouraging him to follow God's leading in a difficult situation. The next week, the pastor tearfully told Kenneth how much his note meant to him. Sometimes the most precious gifts don't cost a lot in terms of money, just love and time.

We serve a great King, Jesus, who gave himself for us. When time is wrapped up there will be a separation between the sheep and the goats, the Stewards and the Stingy. May the Holy Spirit increase our generosity so the Lord can welcome us into our real inheritance at that time! Let us pray.

"Marks of the Master's Own: Ready, Waiting, and Willing" - Is.64:1-9 Mk.13:24-37 - Advent I Nov.28,1999

On this first Sunday of the church year, it's great to see these families renewing their vows of faith and bringing their children for baptism. They are taking the first steps that someday hopefully will lead to full membership in Christ's church. This is fundamentally what we're about as a church: sharing the Good news of Jesus, inviting souls to receive his saving Lordship in their lives. Christianity revolves around grace and truth, and both of these, grace and truth, are symbolized in the sacraments: grace in God's washing and forgiving us in baptism, grace and truth in Christ's sacrificial death and final heavenly banquet represented in communion.

While I am happy we are increasing our membership as a church, a voice in my mind echoes a word of caution. Could it be the voice of our Presbytery treasurer, Ivan McClymont? This past Tuesday, Huron-Perth Presbytery approved a 15 cent reduction in its per-member assessment to pastoral charges for the year 2000. This means for every resident member in our congregation we will be assessed dues for Conference and Presbytery amounting to $12.00. A reduction in assessment is always welcome. But the treasurer made a point of asking clergy to ensure honesty and accuracy in reporting membership: the temptation is for a church to list too many non-resident members in an attempt to reduce the amount they owe Presbytery. Mr.McClymont said something about one church reporting 400 members of which 300 were non-resident. This was the cause of some amusement. The treasurer was warning against such padding of the rolls.

Curious to find out which churches he was talking about, I looked up the 1997 statistics in the most recent yearbook. Kirkton-Woodham lists 485 members, with 279 non-resident. That's 58% non-resident. But what about our own church? We reported 570 members, with 413 non-resident. That means fully 72% of our listing is non-resident members! Someone could joke, "We aren't all here," but then if you're like me, I'm not "all there" most of the time anyway!

You will be happy to know our membership committee has been working away at the membership rolls. But this is always a controversial task. No, we're not going to take off old Aunt Betsy in the nursing home. Or cousin Clem who's away at college for two more years. The problem is more with those who are local and can get out but don't. What definition should we use when drawing the line about who deserves to be kept on the roll as a member?

This is more than a question about finances, how many people we can afford to pay $12 a head for. Members are those who enjoy the privileges and the responsibilities of an organization. Members are those eligible to be elected as leaders, whether session or stewards or Presbytery reps. You wouldn't want someone who's not actively involved to be making major decisions. Also, standards of membership raise the bar of significance for an organization. This is especially important for baby boomers, who tend to want to belong to groups that really ask something of their constituents; a boomer is selective of how time is spent and low on denominational loyalty. He or she wants to join only a few organizations, ones where membership really MEANS something and adds significance to their life, an organization that makes challenging and fulfilling demands. A church or other group that doesn't ask much gives a boomer a severe case of the yawns!

The United Church at the national level offers guidelines for membership in The Manual. There sessions are allowed to remove from the roll those who without reasonable excuse have absented themselves for 3 years from the public ordinances of the congregation (or some other time period set by the session; "ordinances" refers to rites we are directed to do, such as sacraments). In the past sessions have been inclined to make allowance for those who contribute financial support even if they don't attend, but this isn't mentioned in The Manual.

What about that other manual - the Manufacturer's Handbook, the Bible? What does Scripture imply are the distinguishing marks of members, the Master's Own?

Our readings from Isaiah and Mark suggest six criteria for those whom Jesus will choose to have the angels gather upon his return, the "elect". If we really want to belong to Jesus we will, first, Acknowledge the God who is There. (2) We will know God intimately as Father. (3) We will avoid sin like the plague. (4) We will think about what God wants. (5) We will seek God in worship and prayer. (6) We will be active in our portion of God's enterprise.

Let's look at these one by one. (1) We will acknowledge the God who is There. Isaiah 64:6 says, "Since ancient times no one has heard, ...no eye has seen any God besides you." God, Yahweh, is the only one. We are not all gods. Jesus pledged that "men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory...Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." It is Jesus Christ to whom every knee will bow at the end of time, no other religious leader. What he says and plans is more real than even the created universe, more substantial than the pews you're sitting on - which of course are mostly empty space anyway from an atomic viewpoint. Electrons and nuclei, planets and suns hold together in Christ, for our Creator designed the laws of gravity and other attractions.

If we are conscious of being the Master's Own, we will make allowance for God in our lives. We know we are living between creation and judgment, the two brackets in eternity that give meaning to our time and history. Paul viewed it as essential for salvation in Romans 10:9 that we believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead; in 1Cor.15 he said it was "of first importance" that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and was raised and appeared to many. God intervenes in history to carry out his plan; Christianity is a religion based, not on philosophy, but on historical events. That's why what appeared in the manger was so special, why God used astronomical events to draw the attention of non-Jewish scientists to it. Advent means "coming". We not only look back to Christ's coming in the flesh at Bethlehem, but also we look forward to his Second Coming.

CS Lewis wrote, "God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realize what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. when the author walks onto the stage the play is over. God is going to invade, all right; but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else - something it never entered hour head to conceive - comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left?" We acknowledge the God who is there.

(2) We (or those marked as members) know God intimately as Father, the one who begets or generates us and keeps on shaping us. Isaiah sighs, (v8) "O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." Jesus said he would send his angels to gather his elect: the word means chosen ones, Christ picks out the ones he wants to be with him, those who have received him and the Spirit by faith.

There is one sense in which God is the Father of all humanity, without him no human would have existence. But the waters muddy if we start saying everyone is a child of God. The new testament view is that God is Father in a special sense of those who believe in his Son, have the barrier of sins knocked away by his atonement, and are given second birth by the Holy Spirit; what our Basis of Union calls "regeneration".

And it doesn't stop at the start. All Christians are "a work in process". God is transforming us, shaping us into Christ's image. Paul spoke of Christ being formed in the Galatians, of wanting to become like Jesus in his death; those God foreknew he "predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn within a large family." God in a fatherly way is advising, coaching, coaxing us to be conformed into his Son's image.

So not only do we acknowledge God is there, we develop some intimacy with God as Father. Playwright Moss Hart tells how as a young boy his father took him shopping for a Christmas present. But whenever he found something he wanted, his father would ask the vendor the price then shake his head. Later he realized his dad had only been able to save 75 cents and all the items he wanted were too expensive. When he finally caught on, Hart recalls, "I wanted to throw my arms around him and say, 'It doesn't matter...I understand...this is better than a printing press...I love you." But instead we stood shivering beside one another for a moment - then turned away...and started silently back home. I didn't even take his hand on the way home, nor did he take mine. We were not on that basis." As Christ's people, we desire and strive to become more intimate with God as our Heavenly Father, to GET "on that basis."

(3) Those who are marked as the Master's avoid sin like the plague. We are conscious of the value of grace and forgiveness extended to us, how it cost our Master all. Isaiah describes the lostness of the nation, morally speaking: (v5-7) "When we continued to sin against your ways, you were angry. How then can we be saved? All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away...you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins." With so many maple and other deciduous trees around, we know what he means by leaves shrivelling up and being swept away. Sin is like that stuff you have to claw out of the eavestrough - black, ucky, blocking relationships, disgusting in the light of day. This year was the first time our family has seen those vacuum trucks that suck up leaves from the roadside. Amazing! A few minutes after there was a huge pile of leaves, there's not a one left. Isaiah says that's like what sin does to us - sucks us right in and away to the trash heap.

Baptism is a turning away from sin and evil before it can get us drawn in. It's a sign of God washing away the muck we've caused, so we can start over again, fresh. E Stanley Jones tells of an African who after his conversion took the name "After" as his real name. For "before" he was another type of person, only "after" did he begin to live. Everything happened "after", so he had to have a changed name to express the changed person. So for members of Christ's church, they are different "after" turning away from sin and its destructiveness than they were before.

Sin is not always obvious, but it carries on its cancerous activity whether overt or covert. We especially need to be on our guard against unforgiveness, bitterness, and resentment. Jesus emphasized we must forgive others if we want God to forgive us. When we don't forgive, that negative energy broods and festers like a tumour inside us, silently eating away at us. In the Basic Life Principles seminar, Bill Gothard describes how so many people are dissatisfied with their physical appearance, and as a result harbour secret resentment against God for making them that way. Concentrate on how your Creator has blessed you with many gifts, not the odd physical flaw seen on a mortal level.

Another mark: (4) We think about what God wants. Isaiah 64:5 says God comes to the help of those who remember his ways. If you've got a memory like mine, that involves studying, writing things down, and review. Individual Bible study, group studies, Sunday School, and preaching all help members remember Christ's ways.

We don't eat just once a week and expect to be healthy. It's got to be a daily intake in order to survive and thrive. Similarly, I doubt if just weekly church attendance is enough when it comes to incorporating Christ's teaching and habits into our daily living. Rather than weekly church attendance (or at least once every 3 years as The Manual requires), a better indication of spiritual health is whether someone takes daily time for personal worship, including prayer and study. It warms my pastor's heart to see a used Bible beside someone's easy chair. Once-a-week church attendance just isn't enough to start forming the mind of Christ within us. Corrie Ten Boom said, "Just because a mouse is in the cookie jar doesn't make it a cookie."

(5) We seek God in worship and prayer. Isaiah writes in v7 that no one "calls on your name" or "strives to lay hold of you". V4 promises that God "acts on behalf of those who wait for him". Jesus tells his disciples, "Be on guard! be Alert! Keep watch! I say to everyone - watch!" NOT on guard lest the government close our schools down (though people in the area are on guard against that) but on guard lest sin make us sleepy and ineffective, and the Lord finds us thus when he comes to close EVERYTHING down. God delights in our prayers, he longs for our worship, he loves it when we call on his name, strive to lay hold of him, wait for him.

As a counterbalance to what I said a minute ago about church attendance not being enough, a worthy member WILL be active in a church where God's word is promoted. Too many people have said, "I can feel as close to God in the garden or the back 40 as I do in church." Maybe so, but God expects you to show up regardless. Something happens in group worship that doesn't happen anywhere else. Jesus promised, "Where 2 or 3 come together in my name, there I am with them." The Lord honours the gathering of his people by being present with them in a way he's not "present" in the rest of the universe. And in Hebrews we have the command, "Do not forsake your own assembling together...but encourage one another." Weekly attendance is a New Testament command, and obvious from Jesus' example. It's a way we can encourage each other that wouldn't happen if we all stayed in our own back 40s.

(6) and last, We will be active in our portion of God's enterprise. Isaiah 64:5 says, "You come to the help of those who gladly do right." DOING goes with believing. Jesus used the parable of a homeowner going away and leaving his servants in charge, each with his assigned task. When the Master returns, Christ warns, "Do not let him find you sleeping." Keep on with your assigned task, your portion of God's enterprise.

In the movie Mrs.Brown, Queen Victoria is sunk in a deep depression after the death of her husband Albert. Her advisers come up with an idea: they send for her pony to be brought to Balmoral, accompanied by a handsome Scot name John Brown. She is not interested in being cheered up, and is infuriated when she looks out in the royal courtyard to see John Brown standing at attention beside her saddled pony. Day after day she refuses to go down. Day after day he returns. Finally she sends someone to tell him that she is not now and may never be interested in riding. John Brown is unmoved. He says, "When her majesty does wish to ride, I shall be ready."

That is just the attitude Jesus hopes to see in his church members when he returns - saddled up, ready to ride! Whatever our particular gift, whatever our calling in the Body's ministry to our Lord and the world - let's be about it, not falling asleep in a pew that's too comfortable.

To sum up, all I've said is really nothing new; just a re-phrasing of the most important command in Mosaic Law, the Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4,5. "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one." We acknowledge the God who is there. "Love the Lord your God..." We know God intimately as OUR Father. "With all your soul": we avoid sin like the plague, turning away from it by an act of the will. "With all your mind": we think about what God wants, remembering his ways with the help of Scripture. "With all your heart": we seek God in worship and prayer, waiting on Him, striving to lay hold of him at our core. "With all your strength": We are active in our portion of God's enterprise. So may the master find all the members of his household when he returns. Let us pray.

"A Super-natural Christmas: Humbling our 'Gimmes'" - White Gift Dec. 5/99 - Mark 1:1-8

Santa Claus -- IN CHURCH? Unthinkable - preposterous - in some congregations. But before we give Santa the boot as a made-up symbol of the marketplace, let's remember that he DID originate from stories about Saint Nicholas; a kind bishop who did kind deeds. One poor family he helped by supplying dowries so their girls could marry. We're told he brought gifts to other children on December 6 each year. So this supernatural imaginary elf is based on a real live saint - someone as natural as you or me who did simple kind acts to help others.

Strange to see Santa kneeling before the baby in the manger. This, after all, is the Santa who can supposedly do anything: ride through the sky with reindeer pulling a sleigh, giving toys to everyone Christmas eve. But too often we make Santa to suit US: he becomes a projection of our wants, our desires, he's the shadow of our "gimmes"...Well, that's why we make a list, isn't it? We create Santa how it pleases us, he's a reason we can demand what we want to get. (Overhead - Santa loaded with big bag) All this leaves poor Santa struggling to deliver just what we want!

One Christmas when I was about 9, I was shopping for a present for my two older brothers. I saw in the store some little metal cars with Fred Flintstone and Barny Rubble. Now I knew my brothers probably wouldn't be too excited to get some toy cars with cartoon characters - they were teenagers by this time. But guess who would get to play with them even if they didn't want them? Their sweet little baby brother, of course! Those two Flintstone cars were probably the most selfish Christmas presents I ever bought for someone. I flunked the giving test that year - Saint Nicholas wouldn't be too proud of me!

This second Sunday on Advent is about Peace. That is a wonderful gift. This past week Northern Ireland began home rule: Protestants and Catholics sat down in parliament to govern together, and Dublin renounced its claims to the north. Wonderful! How can we get such peace in our own lives? What does the Bible say? James asks, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." What's he saying? We fight and don't have peace because we want different things. We're selfish, we try to please ourselves. But that's no way to get peace. THAT requires us to give up our claims, hold back our desires, renounce what we pretended were our "rights" as the government of Ireland renounced its claims to the north.

Santa kneeling is a good picture to keep in our mind. (Overhead - manger) The wonder of Christmas is that somebody much greater than Santa - Mighty God - humbled himself, and in Jesus became a helpless little baby. Once grown, he served and taught us, and sacrificed his whole life just to give us life with Him forever. Jesus put aside the robes of glory and was wrapped in swaddling clothes, then a while later, grave clothes.

Such humbling - kneeling, serving, sacrificing - requires a tremendous change in our lives, a change it takes God's Spirit to help us make. There are many changes around Christmas time: lights up on houses, decorations, parcels to get ready, even big trees brought inside. Our sanctuary has gone through quite a change from last week! But all these changes take effort, hard work. One woman got so tired of the changes around Christmas time that she had a big closet built off her living room. In this closet she kept an artificial Christmas tree, all decorated up, behind a closed door most of the year. When Christmastime came, all she had to do was open the door and, Voila! there was her tree. That's cheating, isn't it?

John the Baptist would think so. (Overhead - JnBaptist) He was always for changing, even if it was hard. "Repent!" he cried out. "Prepare the way for the Lord! Someone great and powerful is coming - I'm not worthy even to bend down and touch his shoelace!" This special person, John said, would baptize or douse people with the Holy Spirit - and that's a HUGE change. So to prepare for the Lord, we need to bow down with Santa and admit how off-track we are with all our gimmes. We need to pray and ask God to give us the Spirit of Jesus so we can know the PEACE of contentment, of being loved by him, freed to give like Saint Nicholas instead of trying to get and shout "Gimme!" all the time.

(Overhead - food delivery to needy family) This White Gift Sunday we bring our gifts to those nearby and around the world who don't have as much as we do. Our gifts under the tree go to the Huron County Christmas Bureau, which passes them on to families who are struggling. Through the Mission and Service Fund our gifts go to many all around the world. I've scattered a few M&S magazines in the pews - please take them home. (P.15) Stories of the refugee camps in Africa and Albania make me realize how fortunate I am. Imagine, in Kenya, children who came because of the violence and food shortage have stayed so long some are now getting married! The Kosovar refugees in Albania are experiencing what Y2K would be like - no hydro, no way to cook, nothing to do but laundry on the good days; crowded in tents in temperatures of +40 to -40. (P.21) In Nicaragua, the native people suffered greatly from the flooding caused by Hurricane Mitch. Children are sick and there's no medicine. These people saw their houses, possessions, livestock, and farming swept away. Our M&S gifts allow help to be offered through our partners, the Moravian Church of Nicaragua. Yet even these poor people don't have the "gimmes": they've learned to spread around even small amounts of aid among all members of the community. They're following a traditional saying: "It is better to share the little we have than for a few to have a lot."

Make this Christmas extra special. Don't overload Santa with a lot of demands. Instead repent, kneel beside him at the manger, and receive the PEACE and real satisfaction that knowing Jesus brings. God wants us to have the best gift of all - his Holy Spirit. Let's pray.

"The Lord our Restorer, our Comforter, our Eternal Home" - Funeral of Betty Nethery, Dec.8/99

Psalm 23; Ps. 124; 2 Cor.4:7-14; 5:1-10; John 14:1-6,18-19,27

Support comes to us in many different ways. But to really feel supported takes someone who has "been there", who has gone through that same difficulty or problem you're experiencing. That's why support groups are so popular. These days there are many different kinds of support groups, for all kinds of conditions, from alcoholism to dieting. Maybe this is why the Psalms are such a potent part of the Bible: authors like David had "been there", through the rough parts of life. David had been a farm kid long before he was king. Out in the back 40 with the sheep, he had to face all kinds of perils on his own, lions and bears and thieves. From his experience coping with the struggles of farm life he created the 23rd Psalm, in which the Holy Spirit brings forth the image of the Lord as a loving Shepherd, caring for the sheep against all kinds of dangers. These same verses must have given Betty comfort and support in the darker moments of her life.

We read, "He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." Betty found a haven in worship, quiet waters that restored her innermost being. She was a regular attender at church, and loved to sing her heart out with the great hymns of the faith. She shared this same gift of singing around home. The support God gave her spiritually helped her to be cheerful and bring music into her living space.

Psalm 23 continues, "He guides me in paths of righteousness..." Betty not only was guided by the Lord's teaching and sermons, she provided guidance for her children in turn. She was full of stories, nursery rhymes, and yes, the occasional joke. She was helping to instill guidance and wisdom in the next generation. One acquaintance said to me, "Her children were her world, and she loved them dearly." Part of that nurture was guidance, through all kinds of means.

The heart of Psalm 23, the verses that make it such a comfort at funerals, come from those dangerous times when David had to face his enemies and predators with his bare hands. He discovered the Lord was really there, giving him strength to overcome the perils posed by the wild animals. He wrote, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." The Lord was his comforter, even in the valley of the shadow of death. Most of us think it bad enough to scoot through this ominous "valley of death's shadow" when we encounter some stubborn disease that's slow to leave us, or some accident that happens and is quickly over. Most of us have no idea what it must be like to have to LIVE in that valley, day after day, month after month.

10 years ago this week, on December 6 1989, 14 women in a Montreal classroom had a gun pointed at them and knew the terror of what one human with a sickened, possessed heart can do to another. This incident became a focal point, a climax of all the abuse that goes on against women day-in, day-out, unwitnessed by outsiders, in too many homes. I don't know how many of those 14 were Christians, but I do know that for those that were, the nail-pierced, bleeding arms of an innocent one who was abused on a cross were reaching out to embrace them at that very moment... And the voice of this Shepherd was saying, "I know, my child, the horrors you are facing. I know how wrong, how unjust, how senseless this all is. My Father and I have been watching it all, and will bring you through it. Our love for you is stronger than anything man can throw at you." The Lord is present with us in the valley, and brings us comfort.

The Psalm closes on a very positive note. "Surely goodness and love will follow me...and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." Betty was able with the Lord's help to rise above the difficulties she faced and release his goodness and love to transform her situation and relationships. She was a kind friend, very generous, giving gifts to others even when she couldn't really afford it. She tried to make a home for her children, and was very devoted to them. Home was important. She must have found it frustrating to be limited to a nursing home most recently, but I detected no bitterness or anger when I visited her.

Now she has gone to a different home. As the song we sang earlier puts it, "When day fades away into night, I would fain from this spot of my childhood wing my way to the mansions of light." Jesus spoke of preparing a place for us in his Father's house. Paul talked of being "at home with the Lord". The miracle of Christ's suffering has made it possible for our sins to be forgiven, our imperfections washed away by faith in his death for us. Our belief as the Lord's sheep is that in our eternal home we will be free from stress and turmoil, completely safe in the Lord's presence, and justice will be done. God has been to Betty a Restorer, a Comforter, one who blesses her with an eternal home. Today we entrust Betty to that ongoing support and never-ending peace. Let us pray.

"Reasons to Rejoice - When You're Down in the Dirt" - Dec.12/99 3rd of Advent Is.61:1-4,8-11 Lk.1:47-55

Sometimes in life moments catch us by surprise; unexpectedly we are shown a side of ourselves that we don't usually think about. God's grace and mercy in Christ help us accept the humbling experience, laugh at ourselves, and go on with a renewed step and song of joy knowing He loves us regardless.

Chuck Swindoll tells the story of a grandmother and her precocious 10-year-old granddaughter. They were spending the evening together when the little girl suddenly looked up and asked, "How old are you, Grandma?" The woman was a bit startled at the question, but knew her granddaughter had a quick little mind. She replied, "Well, honey, when you're my age you don't share your age with anybody."

"Ah, go ahead, Grandma...you can trust me." "No, dear, I never tell anyone my age."

Grandmother got busy preparing supper, then suddenly realized the little darling had been absent about 20 minutes. She checked upstairs and found the granddaughter in her bedroom, sitting on the bed in the midst of the contents of her granma's purse which she had dumped out. She was looking at her grandmother's driver's licence. When their eyes met, the child announced: "Gradnma, you're 76." The lady answered, "Why yes, I am; how did you know that?" "I found the date of your birhtday here on your driver's licence and subtracted that year from this year...so you're 76!"

"That's right, sweetheart, your grandma is 76." There was a short pause while the little girl continued staring at the licence. Then she added, "Grandma, you also made an F in sex."

(pause) Sometimes it takes a child to help us see things differently, and have a good laugh. Advent is a cause for rejoicing because a little child has come, and seen the most hidden parts about us, and gone on to prove that God still loves us unconditionally no matter what secrets we hide in our purse or our past.

Often, though, in life, it's not easy to rejoice. Poor choices and life's circumstances may cause us to find ourselves down in the dirt, where nothing's a laughing matter. Our Scriptures today remind us that we still have reason to rejoice even when we are humbled, because: it's God's will; God has in fact blessed us; and our low estate gives God room to work and demonstrate His power and real-ness in our lives.

First, we can rejoice because it's God's will for us, God's intention or wish. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." It's God's will for us to be joyful and thankful in ALL circumstances; and this is Paul writing, whose missionary journeys were filled with persecution and beatings. Yet he could rejoice, and was convinced this was God's root desire for us - to be joyful.

God is NOT a grinch! He takes no pleasure in allowing pain on earth. That's our choosing, when we go against the moral grain of the universe, or get caught in aftermath of a previous generation's indiscretion. Sometimes suffering can be a form of God's discipline, his training ground for us; even Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered. The author of Hebrews says God disciplines us for our good, as his own sons and daughters; we respect our own parents for disciplining us, why not God? Discipline is painful, yet afterwards it produces holiness, righteousness, and peace. (Heb.12:7-11)

So no matter how bad things get, remember: God's will for us in Christ is JOY, not the jitters. God's not a big mean-o. And if joy is His will for us, He will help us to have it. No excuse for extended grumpiness. Teilhard de Chardin said, "Joy is the surest sign of the presence of God." Reflecting on this, Bruce Larson adds, "The bottom line for you and me is simply this: grimness is not a Christian virtue. There are no sad saints. If God really is the centre of one's life and being, joy is inevitable. If we have no joy, we have missed the heart of the Good News and our bodies as much as our souls will suffer the consequences."

Chuck Swindoll jokes that some grumpy church folk appear to have been baptized in lemon juice. William Barclay said, "We are chosen for joy. However hard the Christian way, it is both in the travelling and in the goal, the way of joy. The Christian is the man of joy. The Christian is the laughing cavalier of Christ. A gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms, and nothing in all religious history has done Christianity more harm than its connection with black clothes and long faces."

A second reason to rejoice is that God has blessed us, He has done great things for us. Mary sings, "My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, FOR he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant...All generations will call me blessed FOR the Mighty One has done great things for me." Isaiah shouts, (61:10) "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; FOR he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness." Neither of these things depend on our immediate circumstances, they're products of God's grace in the past. Let's look at them closely.

(a) He has clothed me with the garments of salvation: If righteousness is the robe, the outer covering, salvation is the underclothing, covering up that of which we might be ashamed or embarrassed. This is God's basic saving work in Christ. Mary sings of "His mercy for those who fear Him", "His mercy according to the promise He made..." (1:50,54) Isaiah announces "the year of the Lord's favour" (61:2), and Mary also mentions God's favour (1:48). For believers in Christ, mercy, favour, and salvation are wrapped up in what Jesus did for us that day in history when he gave his life at the cross. Just 8 chapters earlier, but hundreds of years before it came to pass, Isaiah described it this way: "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." That's what Christmas is really all about - not the Christmas tree but the Easter tree, God's unique Son coming to take our place, our punishment. "He has clothed me with the garments of salvation."

There is no sin too big for Jesus to handle; no offence can separate us so far from God that the cross cannot bridge the gap. Some of us need to let ourselves off the Accuser's guilt-hook, so that we can really absorb and rejoice in what God has already done for us, saving us. It's an obscene type of pride that doubts one can be forgiven, that whispers, "I've done something so bad God could never forgive me." Repent of your sin, yes; but then receive the authoritative word of Jesus who died for you to let it go; "You are forgiven" - THAT's cause for joy.

(b) Overtop of the "garments of salvation" we have "the robe of righteousness". Positionally, God already views us as wrapped in the righteousness of His perfect Son. The Judge of Eternity sees us as completely justified, put right, not a mark against us. But our human friends would be quick to point out that we still have many weak spots, many faults. The robe of righteousness is a continuing work God is doing in our life, shaping us into Jesus' likeness, chiselling off those rough spots, sweeping out into the broad light of day the grime from those corners of our spiritual house that we'd rather nobody poked their nose into.

Becoming a Christian doesn't make you instantly perfect. We still get rattled and blow it. A tourist was standing in line to buy an ice cream cone in Beverly Hills. To her shock and amazement, who should walk in and stand right behind her but Paul Newman! The lady determined to maintain her composure. She purchased her ice cream cone then turned confidently and exited the store. However, to her horror, she realized she had left without her ice cream cone! She waited a few minutes till she felt all was clear, then went back into the store to claim her cone. But it wasn't there at the counter. As she stood there a moment pondering what might have happened to it, she felt a polite tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she was confronted by - guess who? - Paul Newman. The famous actor then told the lady that if she was looking for her ice cream cone, she had put it into her purse!

We're a work in progress - the robe of righteousness. Yet there's a third way in which these passages say God has blessed us: (c) Support for our needs. Isaiah speaks of the Lord's Anointed One comforting all who mourn, binding up the brokenhearted, releasing the prisoners. (61:1,2) A Christian can be joyful even in the face of death - note I said joy, not happy - because we know Christ has conquered the grave; faith in him opens the door for us into a better home in eternal life. Even though other humans may dump us in relationships, we can turn to Jesus in prayer and feel him close; he will never forsake us.

Mary's Magnificat features other ways God delivers us day-to-day: lifting up the lowly, filling the hungry with good things, helping his servant. (1:52-4) We are the Body of Christ, God's hands and feet in the world today, so of course he wants to strengthen and supply us so we can carry out his plan. God offers support for our very human needs; he knows them before we even ask.

Billy Graham wrote in a Newsweek article quoted in Fellowship Magazine: "I am convinced one of the joys of heaven will be discovering the hidden ways that God, in his sovereignty, acted in our lives on earth to protect us and guide us so as to bring glory to His name, in spite of our frailty. As I look back over the years...I know that my deepest feeling is one of overwhelming gratitude." All that God has accomplished through Billy Graham's life began that day over 60 years ago when he kneeled on the 18th green of the golf course on the Hillsborough River and prayed, "Lord, I'll go where you want me to go, and I'll be what you want me to be." Immediately, Billy felt a great peace in his heart. It was a turning point in his life. Since then, god has supplied his needs and brought joy to many thousands through his yieldedness to Christ.

Rejoice because it's God's will; rejoice because God has done great things for us. A third reason to rejoice even when you're down in the dirt: that dirt of our lowliness is the prepared seedbed God uses to do a new, astounding thing for his praise, to show his real-ness.

Think for a moment of the unlikely context of these two passages. Isaiah was addressing Jews who were exiled hundreds of miles from their homeland, in Babylon. They should have vanished from history like the ten northern tribes who had been exiled previously to Assyria. But God delights to take our weakness and make something beautiful from it. he restored the Jews to Jerusalem, and even helped them rebuild the temple and the walls courtesy of emperors Cyrus and Artaxerxes! (Ezra 1:2,4; Nehemiah 1:8) Or take Mary and Joseph. Here were two nobodies, probably living about the poverty line (judging by their 2-pigeon sacrifice at their son's presentation in the temple), 2 peasants from back of beyond in Galilee - yet God chose THEM to become the parents of the perfect Son of God. God did not choose, say, Elizabeth and Zecharaiah, who at least served in the temple, or someone of noble birth like the High Priest or Herod. That would have been too "normal", too possible in one's human strength. God delights in doing the unlikely and the impossible, that puts His stamp on it. It was the humility, the lowliness of the Jews in Exile, of Mary and Joseph, that made them precisely suitable for God's great deeds to be worked in their lives.

Take a close look at Isaiah 61:11. A verse custom-printed for anyone who feels they've been kicked so low into the dirt that there's no lower to go. "For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations." The dirt you're in - your humble or humus-y circumstances - may be just what God has designed to put you in touch with His growth potential. When we're in the gutter, at the end of our rope, we HAVE to learn to depend on God, let Him arrange the "springing up". He'll delight to do it because it gives him an occasion to show his glory, demonstrate his real-ness in our lives. Verse 3 says "They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendour." You're God's gardening project, so of course dirt is the natural place to start! Notice we're called "OAKS of righteousness" not "balsam poplars". Oaks are much more long-lived and lasting than poplars: a local tree expert tells me it takes 80-100 years to produce a mature oak, while poplars only take half as long, 40-50 years. And if you're stocking up for Y2K, don't forget a cord of wood such as red oak contains half again as much heat - 58% more than a cord of poplar. What's the difference? You can't grow an oak overnight! God's work in our lives can't be rushed, it takes patience. God will cause the growth in due time, for lasting results.

And there's a spinoff benefit to having been in the dirt. The prophet says these "oaks of righteousness" will "rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated" - the cities that had been ruined for generations. (61:4) Our failures become the source of hope for others who have failed, too. Support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and bereavement groups work because no one can help another soul like one who has "been there", down in the rut and yet recovered. Henri Nouwen spoke of the "Wounded Healer": Christ uses our wounds to bring healing to others, just as we are healed by His wounds.

Sprouts spring from the soil; joy springs from humble circumstances. In this month's issue of Fellowship Magazine, Victor Shepherd honours Thomas Watson, a Puritan Reformer of 17th Century England. Ministry for the Puritans was no piece of cake. Shepherd writes, "Impressed by their ability and industry, I was overwhelmed by their capacity for suffering. The Church of England, enforcing ecclesiastical uniformity as a tool of political unity, persecuted them ruthlessly. In 'The Great Ejection' of 1662, thousands of Puritan clergy were expelled form pulpit and manse, their families reduced to poverty as they scrabbled to feed their children. These men slept in barns, crept through fields, preached to clandestine congregations hastily assembled in a remote meadow or clump of trees before informers could betray them."

But did these hardships rob them of their joy? Shepherd says Watson "exulted in a salvation know and enjoyed now, and he insisted that the Christian's manifest joy is as contagious as it is profound: 'Cheerfulness is a perfume to draw others to godliness. As there is a seroiusness without sourness, so there is a cheerfulness without lightness.'"

We have reason to rejoice, no matter what life throws at us. It's God's will; He has already done great things for us; and the dirt we find ourselves in can become the soil by which he nurtures us to be oaks of righteousness, doing astounding things that can only be accounted for as acts of God's grace. Christ changes dirt from a dirge to a dance. As JG Holland's poem put it:

"The fountain of joy is fed by tears,

And love is lit by the breath fo sighs;

The deepest griefs and the wildest fears

have holiest ministries." Let us pray.

'LOVE TAKES A VERY HUMAN FORM' - Dec.19/99 4th of Advent - 2 Sam.7:1-11,16 Lk.1:26-38

Love, love, love...our world is so confused about it. Everybody wants love, but would we recognize it when we see it? The airwaves are filled with songs and shows about love supposedly lost and found. But what is true love really like? It must be for more people than just those who are attractive or awash with hormones.

A humorous email purports to spell it all out, what the guy-girl thing is about, anyway. It was called "Points" and went something like this: "OK, for all you guys who haven't got it yet, the one way to a girl's heart is through points. If you want her to love you, rack up lots of points. But you don't get points just for doing what's expected. You only get points for going beyond what's expected.

"For example: you give her an empty candy dish: -1. You give her a candy dish filled with candies: 0. You give her a candy dish with candies and a sweet handwritten note: +1.

"You sit with her and listen to what she's saying: 0 points. You sit with her for half and hour and listen: +1. You sit with her for half an hour and she realizes you've fallen asleep: -5.

"You get up to check out a strange noise in the night: 0 points. You check out the noise and fend off a strange man using a baseball bat: +3. You beat the strange man to a pulp and find out it's her father: -10." Etcetera - the points system. If love were like that, it would be very conditional.

The problem with our own ideas about love is that they don't always work. Conditional love can backfire pretty quick, even if we do our best. Chuck Swindoll tells of a young man who was determined to win the affection of a lady who refused to even talk to him anymore. He decided she might be persuaded if he wrote her letters. Every day he wrote a love letter to this lady. 6, 7 times a week she got a love letter from him. When she didn't respond, he increased his output to 3 notes every 24 hours. In all, he wrote her more than 700 letters. Who did she wind up marrying? The postman!

The truth about Advent is that God has come into our midst to show us what real love is like, unconditional love. Christina Rossetti wrote a hymn that says, "Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine..." In the prophecies and fulfilment of the Messiah's birth we see the Bible's definition of love: God's caring interaction with David, Israel, and Mary that extends on to embrace us today. God's type of love has at least 5 features: love is accommodating; love outdoes the beloved; love makes the other person feel great; love is a cherishing expression of favour; and love seeks nothing but to be received.

First, love is accommodating: it makes the other person feel "at home". King David had a heart for God. When he was settled in his kingship and with the Lord's help had defeated his enemies, David got looking around at his situation. He realized he was living in a palace, while God's ark was housed still in the tabernacle, a tent kind of affair. He said to the prophet Nathan, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent." Love put it into his heart to provide better accommodations for the God he served.

In Luke 1, the Annunciation is the story of how Mary received the news that she would be accommodating the Son of God. Gabriel told her, "You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus." Mary would be accommodating the Creator of the universe - even though at that point she was probably a teenager, betrothed but not yet completely married. Nevertheless she accommodated God's intention, literally housing God's only-begotten within her.

God was doing some accommodating, too. The angel said, "He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." God was continuing to accommodate in his plans Jacob's descendants, making a "house" or place for them in salvation's sphere. And Jesus is God's ultimate self-expression, God accommodating Himself to our understanding, becoming knowable in human form. Jesus put off the heavenly glory he shared with the Father and accommodated himself to a human 24-hour-a-day, stub-your-toe-in-the-dark, 6-foot tall existence. Just so we could find out what pure love was like. Love makes allowances, makes changes, adjusting to the needs of the one who is loved.

When I'm doing premarital counselling with couples we talk about some of the accommodations required in a relationship. There's simple things like not bugging each other about squeezing the toothpaste tube in the middle rather than the end; or learning to close the toilet lid because that's how the other person likes it. More serious are things like learning not to blow off steam and fly off at the mouth when the other person's feeling hurt and needs reassurance rather than criticism. Love accommodates.

John Henry Jowett wrote: "True love is a splendid host. There is love whose measure is that of an umbrella. There is love whose inclusiveness is that of a great marquee. And there is love whose comprehension is that of the immeasurable sky. The aim of the New Testament is the conversion of the umbrella into a tent and the merging of the tent into the glorious canopy of the all-enfolding heavens...Push back the walls of family love until they include the neighbour; again push back the walls until they include the stranger; again push back the walls until they comprehend the foe." Love accommodates, it pushes back the walls, makes room for the beloved.

Second, love outdoes the beloved. When I was younger there was a Disney cartoon involving two lovable chipmunks, Chip'n'Dale. What made them so sweet was their attempts to outdo the other in showing honour. Before going through a door they would halt and say, "You go first, Dale." "No, after you, Chip." "You first - I insist!" "No, please - go ahead." And so on - comical in their courtesy.

David had a loving impulse when he suggested building a temple for God. The Lord essentially said, "Thanks, but no thanks": then went on to say, "The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for YOU." David ended up RECEIVING a house instead of having to build one; Joseph and Mary were both of the "house of David", that is, his descendants. Love gets a thrill in outdoing the beloved in showing thoughtfulness and affection.

One of my favourite Christmas stories is "The Gift of the Magi" by O Henry. Two young newlyweds want to buy Christmas presents for each other. They are quite poor: their chief treasures are his gold watch, and her long beautiful hair. As it turns out, he buys her a pretty comb hairpiece, and she buys him a chain for a watch: but to afford these, she sells her hair and he pawns his watch. It is a touching, heartwarming example of love seeking to outdo the beloved.

Third, Love makes the other feel great through the release of God's power. The Lord promises David, "Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth." After the Annunciation, Mary sings the Magnificat in which she rejoices in God's goodness to her, saying, "From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done GREAT things for me." She felt absolutely great because of the wonderful thing God was doing in her life. And of her son, Gabriel predicts, "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High." Mary is honoured because of her association with her Son. The Eastern church knows her as "theotokos", the 'God bearer', who consented to carry, give birth to, nurse, and raise the Son of God. Only one person was ever drafted to do that.

God's love toward David and toward Mary made them feel great and be great, because his mighty power was being exhibited in their lives. When Canadians talk about "The Great One" the're usually referring to Wayne Gretzky, the hockey hero. I see the Canadian Mint is even selling a medallion made of nickel featuring Gretzky. Before Edmonton's number 99, however, there were other "great ones", each in their day: Bobby Orr, before him Bobby Hull, before him Rocket Richard, and so on. Driving into my hometown of Mitchell you'll see a commemorative plaque to Howie Morenz, a great one WAY back. Yet over the centuries there is finally only one "Great One" who stands out, Jesus Christ: not for how many goals he scored, but for how many people's lives have been changed for eternity by the power of his love. The greatness of his deeds, from the Virgin Birth right through to the Resurrection, were made possible by God's power; as Gabriel observed, "Nothing is impossible with God." Greatness for us, then, begins when we humble ourselves and accept God's love for us. Then we can say with Paul in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - even without Gordie Howe's elbows.

Fourth, love is a cherishing expression of favour. God's mercy and favour to David were shown when he selected him from out of nowhere to be Israel's leader. Nathan reminds David, "This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel." It was God's sheer grace and favour that made it happen, not any careful planning on the part of David.

God's favour is shown even more in the choice of Mary, a young unremarkable peasant girl from the backwoods of Galilee. Gabriel's greeting brims over with the idea of favour: "Greetings, you who are highly favoured!...Mary, you have found favour with God." Even the word translated "Greetings" comes from the same root as "favoured": more literally it has the sense of, "Congratulations, you lucky duck!" A language expert says the word favour or grace carries the notion of "sweetness, charm, loveliness, joy, delight...kindness." The benefits are conveyed not because they're deserved, but because the lover takes sheer delight in showering the beloved, God is so delighted in the recipients of his favour.

Communion has come to be a sombre celebration in Protestant churches, with the association of soberly confessing our wrongdoings and being repentant. Many churches today though are recapturing the sense of the Greek word for it, Eucharist, being thankful. When it comes to our lovability to a perfect holy God, we were all sinners, way out behind David tagging along after the sheep. But the Father's love for us was so great that he made it possible through a succession of miracles for Jesus to take our place, suffer in our stead, and prepare us to be seated in heaven at the same feast as Mary and David and all the other saints will enjoy. Out of the blue, for no good reason apart from God's intense love for us, the Holy Spirit seeks to invade our lives and become intimate with us just as Mary's life was invaded that day. As we take the bread and cup, Jesus takes us by the shoulders, looks us straight in the eye and says, "This favour is for you! I want you to know the same deep affection the Father has for me; that's why I love you so much as to have done this for you." "Do not be afraid...you have found favour with God."

Perhaps our response is like that of a poem entitled "Love" by Roy Croft:

"I love you,

Not only for what you are,

But for what I am

When I am with you.

I love you,

Not only for what

You have made of yourself,

But for what

You are making of me.

I love you

For the part of me

That you bring out;

I love you

For putting your hand

Into my heaped-up heart

And passing over

All the foolish, weak things

That you can't help

Dimly seeing there,

And for drawing out

Into the light

All the beautiful belongings

That no one else had looked

Quite far enough to find.

I love you because you

Are helping me to make

Of the lumber of my life

Not a tavern

But a temple;

Out of the works

Of my every day

Not a reproach

But a song."

Love is a cherishing expression of favour.

Fifth, love seeks nothing but to be received. It so identifies with the recipient that it is happy just to see the joy induced in the beloved. The Lord didn't tack on a list of qualifiers to his promise to build a dynasty for David: "Oh, and if you really want all this to happen, you'd better double your givings and pray at the Tabernacle 4 times a day." It was a done deal without the slightest condition on David's part. All David could do was respond with a prayer of thanks: "What more can David say to you?...Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant...for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken." (7:29)

Similarly, the Annunciation comes totally as God's "fait accompli" for Mary. There are no conditions laid on, all she need do is let it happen. Her response is loving in this regard, too: She doesn't make demands of God in turn for this intrusion into her quiet life. Love seeks not its own, just to be received. Preacher Barbara Brown Taylor lists some questions SHE believes she would have asked, such as: "Will Joseph stick around? Will my parents still love me? Will my friends stand by me, or will I get dragged into town and stoned for sleeping around? Will the labour be hard? Will there be someone there to help me when my time comes? You say the child will be king of Israel, but what about me? Will I survive his birth? What about me?" If such questions occurred to Mary, she didn't ask them. Her response was, "I am the Lord's servant...May it be to me as you have said." Love seeks nothing but to be received.

Those who love God learn with Mary to be receptive, to trust God with the process of bringing salvation, even if it involves changing our plans. We realize the angels announce God's favour to US, too: in communion we join ourselves materially to Christ, receiving him into our bodies (in a spiritual sense), resolving to carry Him out with us into our workplace and living space. Meister Eckhart, a medieval mystic and theologian, wrote: "We are all meant to be mothers of God. What good is it to me if this eternal birth of the divine Son...does not take place within myself? And what good is it to me if Mary is full of grace and if I am not also full of grace? What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to his Son if I do not also give birth to him in my time and my culture? This, then, is the fullness of time: when the Son of God is begotten in us."

And if the mystic blows you away, here is the very down-to-earth reformer Martin Luther: "'Unto us a child is born, unto US a son is given.' This is for us the hardest point, not so much to believe that he is the son of the virgin and of God as to believe that this Son of God is OURS. Truly it is marvelous in our eyes that God should place a little child in the lap of a virgin and that all our blessedness should lie in him. And this Child belongs to all humankind. God feeds the whole world through a Babe nursing at Mary's breast. This must be our daily exercise: to be transformed into Christ, being nourished by this food. Then will the heart be suffused with all joy and will be strong and confident against every assault."

God's type of love is accommodating; it outdoes the beloved; it makes the beloved feel great through the release of divine power; it is a cherishing expression of favour; and it seeks nothing but to be received. Allow yourself to be receptive of God's love: He seeks YOU, not anything you might possibly do for Him. That's your own free love-response, out of sheer grace and favour. Knowing this love, we are touched and changed to embody Jesus in us through the Holy Spirit, to bring his dynamic love into our faltering relationships.

Estelle Carver tells of a very intelligent and beautiful girl who was filled with hate for her father. She hadn't spoken to him for 5 years. The girl admitted, "I could gladly kill him." Estelle Carver said, "Will you go home and pray the prayer: 'God bless Daddy'?" She replied, "I couldn't." But she did. One day he stood with his back to the fire. Obeying an impulse she ran and threw her arms around him. They wept in each other's arms. She wrote: "I've found my father again. I'm so happy and so is he." The father wrote: "I understand you have been the instrument of our reconciliation.I thank you." E Stanley Jones comments, "Restrained, but it told worlds. There was simply no way out of that tangle except one way - love. A human love, buried, was brought to life by a divine love through prayer." Let us pray.

"Shining in the Darkness: Jesus' Light of Liberty and Leading" - Dec.24/99 Christmas Eve Candlelight - Is.9:2-7 Lk.2:1-14

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." These dramatic words of Isaiah still speak of the contrasts in our life today. The darkness of the night is very obvious, especially these shortest days of the year near the end of December. Darkness can represent the problems in our lives: our failures, fears, and conflicts. Even a holiday such as Christmas brings its own set of pressures and tensions - bills to pay, other family members to get along with and try to keep happy. Often we lose sight of the joy that's supposed to be associated with the occasion because we're exhausted from hurrying around crowded shopping malls, squeezing in some last minute baking, rushing out to get a tree before all the good ones are gone. Our human lives each have their share of darkness, the pressures and failures and demands from other people that drain the light from our faces.

Human leaders find that one way to succeed in the world in the midst of these pressures is to take from somebody else. Getting ahead may involve amassing money or power through the use of force. The Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III was busy creating a world empire back around 730 BC. He attacked the northern kingdom of Israel and annexed the area belonging to Naphtali, one of the 12 tribes. This brought great suffering to the people in the region around the sea of Galilee. Not only did they suffer from the fighting, the Assyrian policy was to deport people from conquered regions to the far corners of the empire. These crushed people could relate to the words of the prophet Isaiah when he talked about: "the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor..." One human response to a world filled with competition and pressures is to seize power, exploit and dominate others, even if it means crushing them in the process.

Or take the emperor Caesar Augustus in Rome at 4 BC. It was the same game. To keep his empire intact, Caesar decided to issue a decree for a census. This registration of males of military age would be used for two purposes: to update the tax rolls, and list those who could be conscripted to fight in battle. A census no doubt helped Caesar's bureacrats order their books, but it created massive hardship for those at the lower levels of society. For example, Joseph and Mary had to travel from Nazareth in Galilee about 110 km on foot to get to Bethlehem, Joseph's ancestral town. That's like hiking from Blyth to either Sarnia or Hamilton, through the fields - and this while you're nine months pregnant and due to give birth any day! And then when they arrived, there'd be the usual waiting in long lineups, day after day, coupled with the problem of large crowds and no accomodation; much worse than arriving at the mall to find there's no parking spot. Such is the darkness of our human condition. Some spell success in terms of money or power, like a king's strong army; but even they find these unsatisfying. Aristotle Onassis, who was one of the richest men in the world, said at the end of his life: "Millions do not always add up to what a man needs out of life." And while some get ahead, the inconvenience imposed on the rest of the population creates great hardship. Taxes, the roughness of Roman soldiers, and hate-filled prejudice made first-century Palestine a dark place to be. Fear and frustration gripped the population just as the darkness enveloped the shepherds watching over their sheep on a windswept hillside near Bethlehem. Darkness for a shepherd was not like a pleasant summer's night of stargazing: darkness concealed wild animals that could tear sheep or humans to pieces. Why, their ancestor David had spoken to King Saul centuries before of lions and bears he'd had to fend off in these same fields.

What darkness is threatening your life? Financial worries? Expectations of family members? The threat of a pink slip with all the downsizing that has been happening? Tough courses looming at school or college? An annoying medical condition that might suddenly get worse? Stubborn habits that you know are destructive but somehow can't seem to shake? A continued inability to see things the same way as your spouse? Darkness comes in many shades. Our human solutions have been tried, but seem to end up causing more heartache all around.

Yet, "A light has dawned," Isaiah shouts, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light." The shepherds peering into the dark with fearful eyes were startled when a great light shone from somewhere high above them, and glory which could only be God's flooded the landscape. "Don't be afraid," the messenger said, "I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord." The light's focus can be captured in a digit and a letter: "2 U". To you, and me, and to each one of us the best gift of all is given: the light of God's love and concern shining into our lives, becoming real among us in the form of Jesus His Son. The shepherds had been scanning the darkness for sign of predators: in the light they were given a tangible sign of God's safety. The sign was - of all things - not a trained killer Doberman, or armour-piercing bazooka, but a little baby, such a newborn infant that it was wrapped in cloths to give it a sense of security. A helpless, bound-up newborn child, so weak and helpless, not a threat to anyone. And the rest of this sign was that the baby would be lying in a manger. What kind of family would put their baby in a manger? We had friends once that "made do" by keeping their baby in a drawer out of a dresser. This baby in a feed-box the angel spoke of must have a family with almost no means whatsoever, not a family from the palace, but one as poor as the shepherds were themselves.

"2 U" is born a child: a newborn, with no money and no means, no command over legions of troops; how can HE help us cope with the darkness? This Messiah offers not human solutions, but God's answer to the blackness of the human situation. God's weakness is stronger than our "strength". Listen carefully to the angel's words: "To you is born a Saviour, who is Christ, the Lord." As Saviour he brings the light of liberty; as Lord he brings the light of leading.

Our neighbours to the south have a great emblem of the light of liberty in New York harbour - the Statue of Liberty. This was one of the first thing immigrants would see of the New World when they came in by ship: a colossal crowned statue of a goddess, holding aloft a blazing torch. At the base of the Statue they could read the words, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..." This was the promise of Liberty. Yet all too soon the imigrants would find out that, as in any human system of government, they would still have to pay taxes and possibly be conscripted into the military.

Jesus Christ offers the real Light of Liberty. In Isaiah's words, the Messiah has broken "the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor." Nicky Gumbel of the Alpha Series outlines 3 things Jesus has freed us from and 3 things he's freed us "to". Jesus offers freedom from guilt: "We are all guilty before God because of the many times we have broken his laws in thought, word, and deed. There is a penalty for breaking God's law: spiritual death, being cut off from God eternally. On the cross Jesus took the penalty in our place so that we could be totally forgiven and our guilt could be taken away."

Jesus offers freedom from addiction: "Jesus said that everyone who sins is a slave to sin. On the cross, the power of this addiction was broken. We may still fall from time to time, but the power of this addiction is broken when Jesus sets us free. Jesus went on to say that if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

Jesus offers freedom from fear: "Jesus came so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death...and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. We need no longer fear death; it is not the end for those whom Jesus has set free. Rather it is the gateway to heaven, where we will be free from even the presence of sin. When Jesus set us free from the fear of death, he also set us free from all other fears."

This Light of Liberty brings freedom FROM guilt, addiction, and fear; it also brings freedom TO do new things. Freedom to know God: "When Jesus died on the cross he removed the barrier that existed between us and God. He has made it possible for us to have a relationship with our Creator; we become God's sons and daughters. The Spirit assures us of this relationship and helps us to get to know God better."

Jesus offers freedom to love: "We love because he first loved us. As we look at the cross we understand God's love for us. When the Spirit of God comes to live within us we experience that love...a new love for God and for other people. We are set free to live a life of love, centred around loving and serving Jesus and other people rather than a life centred around ourselves."

And Jesus offers freedom to change: "With the help of the Spirit we can change. The Holy Spirit gives us the freedom to live the sort of lives that deep down we have always wanted to live...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These wonderful characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit begin to grow in our lives."

All these freedoms come from the light of liberty Jesus shines into our lives as Saviour, rescuer, deliverer from all that held us before. Yet we need more than freedom: we need direction too, otherwise we'd be left wandering aimlessly like a lost two-year-old in a big department store. The messengers announced, "To you is born...Christ the Lord." The title Christ or Messiah refers to the leader's anointing, being set apart as God's choice for the role of leadership, designated and gifted to rule and direct others. The title "Lord" means literally "he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; the owner; one who has control of the person." When we receive Christ as Lord of our lives, it means we're handing over the steering wheel and the keys to our life, allowing Him to take control and lead us where He knows is best. He has the authority, for all things were created by him and for him. To resist yielding to Christ's Lordship is like buying a John Deere Tractor and then never trusting the John Deere dealer to be able to service it, even though they built the thing and have all the manuals. We were made for Him who took on flesh for our sakes.

Listen to the way Isaiah describes the Messiah's capability to lead: "authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Coounselor...Prince of peace...His authority shall grow continually...He will establish and uphold [his kingdom] with justice and with righteousness." Jesus demonstrated this authority dramatically when he was on earth, healing people, commanding wind and waves - even the religious leaders of the day were astonished at his authority. They couldn't stump Him or trap Him in what he said. He is competent to lead us through whatever dilemma we may encounter in life.

Paul wrote to Titus that Jesus "gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." God's grace "teaches us to say 'no' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age" while we wait for our Lord's appearing. Jesus' light of leading draws us to share his holiness and live it out in our behaviour.

Do you long for guidance, wanting to know what's best for you in life? Do you struggle to decide amongst many competing attractions, some of which you know give short-term pleasure but long-term pain? Does the futility of piling up goods or relentlessly pursuing entertainment in this life, only to wind up some day in a cemetery plot, seem to you like wandering around in a dark maze? Open yourself to the light of Jesus' liberty and leading. Before it's too late.

What does it look like when we try to live without the light of Christ's love in our lives, seizing power or money for ourselves? The anguish of people in Galilee suffering the trampling of warriors, then being deported to the far corners of the Assyrian empire. The hardship of Joseph and Mary travelling 3 days on foot, sleeping in a stable, because an emperor far away in Rome ordered a census. This week, Russian forces were bombing the capital of Chechnya to "soften it up" prior to street fighting against the rebels. Of course refugees were fleeing the capital, but Russians were trying to send them back. Here is a quote from Wednesday's Free Press: "Determined to force Chechen refugees back home, Russian soldiers hooked an engine to railroad cars filled with Chechens and towed them toward the war-shattered republic. Frightened children chased the trains screaming for their parents, fearing they would be left behind. About five kilometres away, adult refugees blocked the tracks with their bodies to stop the forced relocation." What a sorry state of affairs! The human approach to conflict, like that of the Russian officials, is to push and shove and force others to do what you want, even if it damages them. Thankfully some brave souls were able to save their neighbours from being forced back into the scene of destruction - at the risk of their own lives.

But wait - this dark situation parallels exactly why Jesus was born in the darkness of that night. We too were captives loaded on a rilway car headed for destruction; driven by our own fallen passions, our thoughtlessness and cold-heartedness toward others. We deserved hell and Satan was only too glad to herd us there. But Jesus laid his life on the line to stop the train, losing his life for our sake. He stopped our relocation, and now risen through the power of the Almighty Father, offers his light of liberty and leading. A style of leadership that knows the power of a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feed-box, making oneself totally vulnerable in sacrificial love for others, letting God's weakness be stronger than our strength. God whose sovereignty can take an emperor's decree and turn it into a fulfilment of a centuries-old prophecy of the birthplace of the Messiah. To You is born a Saviour: let His freedom and lordship brighten your darkness this night.

"Three Questions Christmas Answers" - by Philip Yancey; for Dec.26/99

Today for a Christmas treat I am using an article by Philip Yancey, which appeared in Prairie Bible Institute's "Servant" magazine, adapted from Yancey's book "The Bible Jesus Read".

Yancey begins by telling of driving through rural Georgia in the late 1960s. "The smart-alecky spirit of the decade...had even infiltrated the Bible Belt. On a large boulder beneath the stately phrase 'Jesus is the answer', someone had scrawled, 'So what's the question?'

That roadside dialogue stuck with me, and I later saw it making an appearance on placards and bumper stickers. The graffitist may have intended little more than an irreverent joke, but he or she had in fact identified the crux of [the debate about Christianity's truth-claims]. Why follow Jesus unless He answers some inner longing that nothing else can satisfy?

What exactly does Jesus remedy? Am I hanging on to faith out of habit, like a regional accent I grew up with and can't seem to shed? Or does Jesus indeed provide the answer to the fundamental questions of my existence? As I think back over my life, 3 questions keep resurfacing in different forms, attracting most of my doubts. If Jesus is the answer for me, then He must somehow speak to these 3 questions.

1. Do I Matter?

Standing in line at the supermarket, Philip Yancey says, I look around at teenagers with shaved heads and nose-rings, picking through the snack foods; a Yuppie buying one steak and a baked potato; [another customer] hunched over, squeezing bruises into the peaches. Does God know all these people by name? Do they really matter to Him? Does one person on a speck of a planet in a speck of a solar system in a mediocre clump of a galaxy really matter to the Creator of the Universe?

In effect, the holiday we celebrate as Christmas memorializes God's answer. Here on earth for 33 years, God experienced in flesh what it is like to be one of us. In the stories he told, and the people whose lives He touched, Jesus answered for all time that vexing question.

Jesus said God is like a shepherd who leaves 99 sheep inside the fence to hunt frantically for one stray; like a father who can't stop thinking about his rebellious son though he has another who is respectful and obedient; like a rich host who opens the doors of the banquet hall to a menagerie of bag-ladies and street people. God loves people not as a race or species, but rather just as you and I love them: one at a time. We matter to God. In a rare moment when He pulled back the curtain between seen and unseen worlds, Jesus said that angels rejoice when a single sinner repents. A solitary act on this speck of a planet reverberates throughout the cosmos.

In His social contacts Jesus went out of His way to embrace the unloved and unworthy, the folks who matter little to the rest of society but matter infinitely to God. People with leprosy quarantined outside the city wall, Jesus touched, even as His disciples shrank back in disgust. A half-breed woman who had gone through 5 husbands already and was no doubt the centre of the town's gossip industry, Jesus tapped as his first missionary. Another woman, too full of shame over her embarrassing condition to approach Jesus face to face, grabbed His robe, hoping He would not notice. He did notice. She learned, like so many other "nobodies", that you can't easily escape Jesus' gaze. We matter too much.

Novelist Reynolds Price said there is one sentence all humankind craves to hear: "The Maker of all things loves and wants me." That is the sentence Jesus proclaimed loud as sweet thunder. He demonstrated that love in person, on the gnarly hills of Palestine, and ultimately on a cross.

"I have engraved you on the palms of my hannds," God said in Isaiah's day. When He visited earth in the form of a Servant, he showed that the hand of God is not too big for the smallest person in the world. It is a hand engraved with our individual names and engraved with wounds, the cost to God of loving us so much.

My doubts, I confess, resemble a disability more than a disease: they never go away completely. Now, though, when I find myself wallowing in self-pity, overwhelmed by the ache of cosmic loneliness, when I conclude that my existence "under the sun" makes no difference to God, I turn to the life of Jesus. To the question, Do we matter? Christmas provided the answer.

2. Does God Care?

Yancey continues: One day a youth pastor in Colorado called to tell me he had just learned that his wife and baby daughter were dying of AIDS. The mother had received a contaminated blood transfusion just before her delivery date. "How can I talk to my youth group about a loving God?" he asked me. "How can I tell them God cares?"

That same week I also heard from a blind man who, in an act of mercy several months before, had invited a recovering drug addict into his home. He had just learned that the man was molesting his wife - under his own roof. "It's like God is punishing me for trying to serve Him," he said.

I have learned not to attempt an answer to the "Why?" questions, for the Bible seems to avoid the topic entirely. But while Jesus never attempted a philosophical answer to the problem of pain, he did give an [answer on the level of being]. Although I cannot learn from Him why a particular bad thing occurs, I can learn how God feels about it. Jesus gives God a face, and that face is streaked with tears. By watching Him respond to a hemorrhaging woman, a widow's dead son, an epileptic boy, and an old blind man, those who followed Him learned how God felt about suffering. Facing the agony of Calvary, Jesus did not thank God for the privilege, but struggled desperately with sorrow, fear, and abandonment. Because of Jesus, I can trust that God truly understands my condition and that God cares, regardless of how things look at the time. When I begin to doubt, I turn again to the face of Jesus, and there I see the compassionate love of a God well acquainted with grief.

3. Why Doesn't God Act?

Philip Yancey relates: One night just before Christmas 1988, I sat in...London listening to a rousing performance of Handel's Messiah. I had landed in the morning and bought tickets for a performance that evening, hardly anticipating what was about to unfold. The event became, quite unexpectedly, not just a performance but a striking revelation of the entire Christian story.

The oratorio begins with prophecies from Isaiah about a coming King who would bring peace to a disturbed and violent world, but soon darkens to a minor key as it describes the world's response to the Messiah. The story is tragic beyond all telling, the facts of history almost too painful to recite. At Calvary the bright hopes that had swirled around the long-awaited deliverer of Israel collapse in darkness as the Messiah dangles like a scarecrow between 2 theves.

And yet all is not lost! The tenor who cried out in abject despair introduces a glimmer of hope and the choir immediately takes up the shout of joy, for the defeat at Calvary was only an apparent defeat. He was the King of Glory after all. "Hallelujah!" the chorus cries out and from there the music soars into what is unarguably one of the most jubilant passages of music ever composed. "King of Kings...Lord of Lords...He shall reign for ever and ever."

When King George I heard the Hallelujah Chorus at the London premiere in 1742, he stood to his feet in amazement, and audiences have honoured his respectful tribute ever since. Some skeptics suggest that the king stood less out of respect than out of the mistaken assumption that the music had reached its conclusion. Even today novices in the audience make the same mistake. After 2 hours, the performance seems to come to its culmination in the exuberant Chorus. What more is needed?

I had never really considered that question before, but suddenly I realized what was missing. Jesus of Nazareth did not come close to fulfilling the soaring predictions of the prophets. "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Have peace and good will filled the earth since Jesus' birth?

We had arrived in London that morning to the news that a train had crashed, killing 51 commuters. Before the week was over, a terrorist would bomb Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270. For reasons like these, Handel's work could not rightly end with the Hallelujah Chorus. The Messiah has come; the Messiah has died and been resurrected. Why, then, does the world remain in such a sorry state?

The Incarnation [starting with Christmas] did not usher in the end of history - only the beginning of the end. Much work remains before creation is restored to God's original intent. Christ's death and bodily resurrection represented at once a decisive defeat of evil and an "advance echo" of what will someday happen to all who are in Him. The music flowed on with a quotation from Job, that tragic figure who clung stubbornly to faith amid circumstances that called for bleak despair: "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth." Overwhelmed by personal tragedy, with scant evidence of a sovereign God, Job still managed to believe - and, Handel implies, so should we.

Amens were still echoing throughout the concert hall as I looked around and wondered what percentage of these sophisticated, wildly applauding Londoners truly grasped what they had just heard? Handel understood that history and civilizations are not what they appear. Cultures and civilizations all rise and fall. History has proved beyond doubt that nothing fashioned by the hand of humanity will last. We need something greater than history, something outside history.

Yancey admits: I confess that belief in an invisible world, a world beyond this one, does not come easily for me. Like many moderns, I sometimes wonder if reality ends with the material world around us, if life ends at death, if history ends with anninilation or solar exhaustion. But that evening I had no such doubts.

For one moment the grand tapestry woven by Handel's music seemed more real by far than my everyday world, allowing me a glimpse of the grand sweep of cosmic history. All of it centred on the Messiah who came on a rescue mission, who died on that mission, and who wrought from that death the salvation of the world.

God has acted once, by joining us on this groaning planet. God will act again, by returning in power and glory to restore it to its original design, and only then will the urgent questions be resolved.

Like Job, we must live in fatih, aware that those questions will lack a final answer until that decisive day when God does act, spectacularly, in Jesus' Second Coming. I went away with renewed belief that He - and we - shall indeed reign forever."