Nearly 40 years ago, in 1963, Bob Dylan wrote a song called "The Times They Are A-Changin'". I remember it from an early record of Simon and Garfunkel's. At the brink of a new Millennium, its lyrics seem as appropriate as ever. It is a warning from a new generation to those already in power and authority - senators, congressmen, mothers and fathers, to become aware of the changes that are coming. In particular, it is a warning not to "stand in the doorway" or "block up the hall". Dylan cries, "Your old road is rapidly agin' - please get out of the new one if you can't lend your hand for the times they are a-changin'." As I prepare to preach today, I find this verse particularly relevant:

"Come writers and critics who prophesize with your pen

And keep your eyes wide, the chance won't come again.

And don't speak too soon For the wheel's still in spin

And there's no tellin's who That it's namin'

For the loser now will be later to win

For the times they are a-changin'!"

Only God knows the future. As we seek to peer ahead it is wise to pray much and search scripture for the clues the Holy Spirit gives. But it is not too risky to agree with Dylan when he writes, "the present now will later be past; the order is rapidly fadin'..." It is the year 2000. It's doubtful that it is exactly 2000 years since Jesus was born; and it is true that the third Millennium AD won't actually begin until the end of this year, since there was no year "zero". But the change of digits signals that it is appropriate for us as Christ's people to pause and reflect on how we can stay relevant in these changing times. As the song implies, society is going through some dramatic upheavals, thrusting ahead beyond our control; those in institutions are to some degree helpless to direct it. And these changes impact the church too. We can futilely try to impede change, OR we can acknowledge it and work with it. Not to the extent of being swept along by the spirit of the age, but hear what God is calling us to do in our changing surroundings, amongst the changing folk for whom Christ died and to whom He continues to reach out. Society is experiencing four "crises" in which Jesus calls us to remain faithful, yet relevant. The word "crisis" in Chinese I understand is made up of two symbols: one for danger, the other opportunity. If we ignore these changes, we may become extinct and irrelevant; if we embrace them unthinkingly, we will be co-opted by Satan, compromising our faith.

The first crisis is that of technology. In this crisis of technology, the Lord calls us to be purposeful, not prostituting ourselves. The changes in technology are mind-boggling. Ray Kurzweil is a pioneer of human/machine interface technology; he led the development of the first commercial computer speech-recognition program. In this September's "Scientific American", he made 4 predictions: "1.Sometime early in the next century, the intelligence of machines will exceed that of humans. 2.Once computers achieve a level of intelligence comparable to that of humans, they will necessarily soar past it...Ultimately, non-biological entities will master not only the sum total of their own knowledge, but all of ours (humanity's) as well. 3.As this happens, there will no longer be a clear distinction between human and machine." His fourth prediction has to do with having beaten evolution, which is not a biblical idea, and starts to sound like we're smarter than our Creator. Scarier is the possibility of combining computer technology and biotechnology to invent new forms of life, what some call "post humanism". Humans could replace themselves with a kind of disembodied, perfect-world brain. For example, when all of the gene sequences in a human being's genetic structure have been identified and analyzed by some future computer, that computer could run simulations of that "person's" life as a sort of super detailed computer game.

Of more immediate concern are GMO's, genetically modified organisms such as strains of corn cooked up in the laboratory to resist corn borer and other pests. Some countries are refusing to buy our crops if we use these genetically tinkered varieties. It's too soon to tell what may be the long-term effects of this tinkering. And the larger question is, what's to stop us at corn? We're already cloning sheep. Is this the thin edge of the wedge to working on humans? A super-smart Frankenstein, or "HAL" as in the movie 2001, may not be far off. Will we soon be designing our children in advance as you would custom-build a computer system or add options on a car? "Let's see, we can afford blue eyes, blond hair, an IQ of 140, and let's spring for some bionic leg muscles for those quads in figure skating..."

The story of Ahab and Jezebel plotting to take over Naboth's vineyard reminds us that, just because something is in our power to do, doesn't make it right to do it. Queen Jezebel was from Tyre and Sidon, and worshipped the Phoenician god Baal. The sea-trading, merchant-minded Phoenicians were no doubt technologically superior to the Israelites. Jezebel, a king's daughter, was used to getting what she wanted. Naboth protested that under Yahweh's covenant the beautiful vineyard was his inheritance from his ancestors, but Jezebel cooked up a scheme to have Naboth accused falsely in a kangaroo court and killed. The prophet Elijah's rebuke to Ahab is a reminder that if we sell or prostitute ourselves to do what is evil in the Lord's eyes, the long-term outcome is disastrous. Just because we have the technology or capability to do something does not make it OK: we may be damaging someone or violating some aspect of God's will.

In Revelation 17, the writer is shown a vision of "Babylon the Great", a woman sitting on a scarlet beast. She is described as "the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth", and has obviously benefitted from her association with the kings and other inhabitants of the planet. She is described as the "great city that rules over the kings of the earth". In one sense she could stand for the grat mercantile system on which our planet runs. With today's trading over the internet, international mutual funds driven by all kinds of enterprises, and large multinational corporations (of which my brother is one small cog), we need to beware that we don't do something just because it's profitable and end up selling ourselves or our Christian principles in the process.

The TV network A&E recently published a list of the 100 most prominent people in the previous 1,000 years, based on interviews from numerous scholars, politicians and theologians. Ranked third was Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer. Second was Isaac Newton, the physicist. Selected for top spot was Johann Gutenberg, who invented the moveable-type printing press in the 1450's. One News Service comments, "the printing method Gutenberg gave the world was the sole means of mass communication for centuries and remained largely unchanged right through until the 20th century." What a remarkable achievement! This invention fueled some of the most important social and cultural changes that were to come, including the Reformation, the Enlightenment, and the Industrial Revolution.

What was Gutenberg's purpose? Was he trying to become so famous? No, he wanted to make the word of God available to everyone. Gutenberg himself said: "God suffers in the multitude of souls whom His holy word cannot reach. Religious truth is imprisoned in a small number of manuscript books, which confine instead of spreading the public treasure. Let us break the seal which seals up holy things, and give wings to truth, in order that she may go and win every soul that comes into this world, by her word, no longer written at great expense by a hand easily palsied, but multiplied like the wind by an untiring machine." In 1455, the Gutenberg Bible was the first book to have been printed using metal moveable type. Here is a key example of someone using technology for God's purposes, not personal profit.

A second crisis we face is that of cocooning and global community. In the face of this crisis, Jesus calls us to be accountable, not anonymous. "Cocooning" describes the tendency of families and individuals to shelter themselves inside their homes, surrounded by the comfort and convenience of all the latest devices. Even within a home, individuals may cocoon themselves in their room, immersed in their TV, stereo, Playstation, or browser, not wanting to be bugged by anyone. Technology and the media allow us to have a relatively interesting and stimulating life without having to get out and meet people.

Back around 1000 AD, western Europe was under attack from all sides, and there was little unity amongst the nation-states within. Vikings were raiding from the North, the Magyers of Hungary from the East, and the Islamic Saracens from the south. Everybody was isolated from everyone else.

Even in my own lifetime, there has been a real change. Staffa used to be a whole different community from Dublin, 5 miles up the road. In the late 50's it seemed to me as a boy that the limits of civilization were as far away as the area enclosing my aunts and uncles. Trips outside a 10-mile radius from the farm were rare. Communities were much more self-sufficient. This week's "Citizen" states that earlier in the century, Blyth had a cheese factory, sawmills and wood industries, flour and grist mills, salt block production, flax mills, brick and tile yards, wool and leather industries, bakers, bankers, implement dealers, foundries, barbers, butchers, coopers, smiths of all types, garages, harness makers and liveries, hardware stores, jewelers, restaurants, laundries, milliners, liquor stores, photographers, shoemakers, doctors, dentists, and optometrists. What happened?

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. Edison pioneered electricity. Tesla and Marconi began radio transmissions. Henry Ford mass-produced the automobile. And suddenly, poof, here we are in the global village. The train tracks which used to be part of Blyth's claim to fame are now gone, instead we truck goods far and wide.

Today's customer thinks little of driving an hour to the mall for an afternoon's shopping. Gone are the house parties my parents remember in which uncle Norman played the fiddle and cousin Mary F played the piano, while everyone danced around the house. Instead moderns hole up in our room with a video, or perhaps drive in to Toronto for some theatre. A woman we knew up north was in the habit of driving an hour quite regularly to get to the style of worship she enjoyed. But community disappears in the process; we tend to become anonymous.

In Jesus' instructions to the disciples in Matthew 18, religious life and interpersonal relations take place in the context of a community. Someone who's harmed you is to be confronted with it before the church, if they won't listen to you or a couple of friends. Jesus went on to say, "If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Jesus' vision of the church offers both support and censure (when appropriate); we need others who KNOW us and can help hold us accountable. A real opportunity for the church in this changing society is to offer safe caring small group experience; rather than leaving the sheep to wander off anonymously to multiple congregations.

A third crisis is that of education. In this area, Christ calls us to be humble, not hyper-critical. In the first half of this century, it was quite common for people only to have a Grade 8 education (my father among them). And even many of these did well. Today, a college education is more the norm, and there are people who even wind up with a couple of university degrees. This will be more and more the case as sociologists predict the person in today's work world will have up to 4 different vocations before they retire.

Dr.James Dobson of Focus on the Family observes that Gutenberg's printing press orchestrated the creation of the "middle class", as the free flow of information between common men and women gave power to the people and struck a fatal blow to the absolute rule of the elite. Hence we can have democracy. Protestantism sprang up because people were able to check out for themselves what the Bible said, compared to abuses of the church. The risk of becoming educated, though, is that we may become conceited, considering ourselves smart. A hindrance of Protestantism today is that eveybody has their opinion about how church should be "done", so clergy are under constant criticism. With the ease of transportation, people aren't so tied to one church; denominational loyalty is low, families are willing to drive further to find a church that offers what they prefer. A recent church study predicts that in the future, "People will be affiliated with multiple congregations, choosing one church for one specific purpose and another for other reasons."

Two proverbs in chapter 26 say: "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him...(and) The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than 7 people who answer discreetly." Education makes it easy to become wise in our own eyes. However Jesus urged us in Matthew 18, "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven...Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

Three other men who made the A&E list of 100 greatest people in the millennium were Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela. Gandhi applied Jesus' teachings in the nonviolent revolution in colonial India. This inspired Martin Luther King Jr in the fight for equality for blacks in the USA. Further, Nelson Mandela and Christian blacks in South Africa showed the power of biblical forgiveness in the peaceful transition away from apartheid. In the crisis of education, Jesus calls us to be humble, not hyper-critical.

Gordon MacDonald was being interviewed by Focus on the Family when he came up with what I'm listing as the last crisis. While reviewing the dramatic changes in technology, he pointed out what he called a "sleeper": the invention of birth control. He pointed out that reproductive control has made a big difference in family life and the work world, compared to previous generations. So, in the crisis of birth control, Jesus calls us to be truly generative, not juvenile.

David DeWitt in the book The Mature Man describes how God's natural course of development is for boys to become men, then patriarchs. A patriarch has learned to become influential for God not only in the sphere of his immediate family, but beyond. However DeWitt points out that on the sunny golf slopes of Florida abounding with seniors, there are many "boys": that is, men who are reneging on their obligation to be involved with their offspring. With the advent of birth control, there is the temptation to adopt an attitude that raising a family is less important. We may be tempted to cut corners on influencing the next generation, instead excusing ourselves to pursue our own personal goals of pleasure or career. To be juvenile, adolescent in our thinking, rather than self-giving adults.

In Genesis 1, God commanded the first people to be fruiful, increase, and fill the earth. Jesus' Great Commission, his parting command, was to make disciples, baptizing and teaching new followers to obey his instruction. Paul commanded fathers in Epehsians 6 to bring up their children "in the training and instruction of the Lord." We need to be generative in the sense of passing on the great truths, habits, and priorities of the Christian faith to our offspring. In 2 Timothy 3 we read that in the last days people will be "lovers of themselves, ...disobedient to parents, ...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God..." Jesus calls us to be generative rather than juvenile, going off and doing our own thing.

Life expectancy is changing. This offers us additional opportunity to have an impact far beyond our years, through our children. In 1900 the average life expectancy for a man was 43 - the age I am now! but today the average life expectancy is 73, and it's expected to keep increasing. In fact health professionals are now predicting that most of the children born after 1990 will see THREE centuries - living on past the year 2100! Don't write off the impact for good your children may have after you're long gone: be generative, doing what you can to form the mind of Christ in them.

I began with a song from 1963; I'll close with a reference to one from 1962. Pete Seeger wrote "Turn Turn Turn" based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." Just following that passage, the wise preacher writes: "What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account."

In all our crises and changes - technology, cocooning, education, birth control, and whatever the next "wave" brings - we can be confident that God is watching over all, and will not be surprised. Jesus may return this millennium, this century, this year, this week. May he find us being faithful: purposeful, accountable, humble, generative. As we read in the closing verses of the Bible: "Let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy." "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Amen.

"Steeping in the Spirit: Blessing or Bluff?" - Jan.7, 2000 Baptism of the Lord - Gen.1:1-5 Ac.19:1-7 Mk.1:4-11

Spiritual thirst is rampant in society today. Just walk through a bookstore and you'll see rows of shelves on spirituality, new age, and the occult. Unfortunately although people are craving spiritual reality, they haven't been looking for answers in the Christian church. Someone has observed that the LAST place a person would expect to have a spiritual experience these days is in a church! George Gallop, the noted pollster, said: "Americans are more religious than ever.They just don't care much for churches and religious organizations.They're believers but not joiners." Be careful, though - there's belief and there's "belief". James would caution us to remember that we don't really believe in something until we join ourselves to it by some action.

It's a shame people are turning to lesser gods for spiritual leading, because spirituality is at the very heart of Christianity. Somehow though over the years we've tried to box God in by our forms and habits, yet God as a living Spirit can't be contained. Through our Scriptures today God reminds us that authentic Christianity includes the opportunity to steep in the Holy Spirit and thus come to know God's blessing in a very personal experience.

Let's begin by looking at experiences of the Spirit in the past. Creation began with the Holy Spirit. Genesis 1 tells us that when God created the heavens and the earth, the Spirit was there, hovering over the waters. The Spirit or breath or wind of God was the means of giving life. A little boy once told his Sunday School teacher the Holy Spirit was like a vacuum cleaner because it was "hoovering" over the waters! Perhaps the analogy is good because the Spirit does help us clean up our act, sucking the dirt of sin out of our lives and leaving us with a clean conscience by the power of the cross.

In John's gospel, Jesus told Nicodemus that a person can't enter God's Kingdom unless they're born of water and the Spirit, born anew or again. The wind or Spirit blows where it pleases. This elite religious leader, a Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, had risen to the top of religious life in Jerusalem yet still sought something more. Jesus went on to link the gift of the Spirit and eternal life to belief in the Son of God.

We see the Spirit playing a very active role in Jesus' own start. Baptized by John in the Jordan River, Christ saw heaven torn open and the Spirit descending on him. The Father's voice assured him he was God's dearly loved Son, in whom he was well pleased. The Spirit conveyed the fullness of the Father's blessing as Jesus began his time of service.

In Acts 1, Jesus gives his followers some parting instructions. he very deliberately tells them to wait for the gift the Father promised. They weren't to make a move without the Holy Spirit, who would bring them power, and transform them to be witnesses for Christ. This happened about ten days later at Pentecost, when they spoke in recognizable languages from other lands, declaring the wonderful works of God. When Peter spoke to a group of Gentile believers in Cornelius' house, the Spirit came and enabled them to speak in tongues and praise God. So in the early church it became expected that the Spirit's coming would be accompanied by unusual signs.

Thus it's not surprising that when Paul found some disciples at Ephesus, about the first thing he asked was, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" He saw Christianity as a package deal, incomplete without the Spirit. The dozen who had just received John's baptism consequently had Paul pray for them with laying on of hands. Then the Spirit came on them, Luke says, evidenced by their speaking in tongues and prophesying.

However these examples of the Spirit's activity in Scripture do not always seem to match up with life today. I'm sure there are those in this congregation who have had disappointments when it came to experiencing the Spirit. Maybe it seemed like God was bluffing instead of blessing, not coming through on the promise.

Allow me to branch off for a moment into my own history. I was raised in the church and confirmed at age 15. I'm sure I meant my confirmation promises. However it wasn't until I was 17 that I came through a "seeker" stage and committed myself to Christ more on an adult level. When I was 21 I was attending the University of Guelph, involved in Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, and had 2 Christian roommates, one of which was a charismatic. In private God's Spirit granted me a special prayer language which I enjoyed using for some time. This was helpful in my personal prayer life, but I don't recall ever using it when praying with others.

The Alpha Course manual says, "Often people are frustrated that they cannot express what they really feel, even in a human relationship. They feel things in their spirits, but they do not know how to put their feelings into words. This is often true also in our relationship with God. This is where the gift of tongues can be a great help. It enables us to express to God what we really feel in our spirits without going through the process of translating it into English." That's what it was like for me; when I ran out of words to praise God in English, the Spirit gave me other sounds to take over. God understands. Paul says in Romans, "the Spirit helps us in our weakness...the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit..." God can interpret and understand our prayers, even our groans.

In recent years I have been more appreciative of the Spirit's light in understanding Scripture and helping me prepare sermons to feed the flock. Like Paul, in church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than 10,000 words in a tongue. One gift edifies just myself, the other edifies many (by God's grace).

God is continuing to expand my life as I co-operate with Him. It is especially difficult as a man in this culture to give over control of one's emotional side. But we can trust the Spirit to make us not more like an oddball, but more truly human, more like Jesus.

We are intrigued by Christians who've experienced a special dose of filling of the Holy Spirit, what some call the "second blessing". Samuel Logan Brengle in the Salvation Army spoke of walking out over Boston Common one morning brimming over with God's love. When in Congo we asked my Salvation Army boss about this and she admitted she had sought this at one point but never had the same experience, so just continued to serve God faithfully with the gifts she had.

One response people make to this subject is, "I went forward in good faith and nothing happened." I am sorry that was your experience, but please persevere and don't give up altogether. God meets each person's needs individually, not in cookie-cutter fashion. Not all believers speak in tongues. There are many other spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament: apostles, teachers, helpers, administrators, evangelists and pastors, serving, encouraging, giving, leadership, showing mercy, hospitality, and speaking. Be a faithful steward of whatever gift God sends your way.

Sometimes we need to check our motives and expectations. Were we testing God? Were we saying under our breath, "I'll serve you if..." Jesus warned Satan not to test God, as in throwing oneself down from the pinnacle of the temple. Translate: wanting to get the same spiritual "high" as your friend, warm tingles or whatever. Another check: were we totally yielded, or wanting to deal with God on our own terms and conditions? Sometimes we imply, "Give me your best, Lord, but don't ask me to go to Africa..." or "don't ask me to love my neighbour" (which can be harder) or "don't ask me to forgive my family member" (which can be hardest of all).

Another disappointment people have in the realm of spirituality is that others who claimed to be "Spirit-filled" or "born again" were, on closer inspection, hokey rather than holy. TV preachers in particular can become so image-conscious, such showmen, that credibility and integrity suffer.

Personality type can be a big factor here, too. I'm very structured and orderly; about 3/4 of regular churchgoers tend to be the "SJ" personality type. People who are more spontaneous may find it easier to be what they'd consider "spirit-led", and this can really bug those of us who are prone to orderliness. At the extreme, one seems to be a cover-up for a sloppy planner, while the other is hyper-rigid. If we've been irritated perhaps we need to pray for judgment to discern whether the other person may in fact be spiritually motivated and we are just reacting out of our human nature.

And even if the person is "Spirit-filled", nobody's perfect, until we see Jesus and are made completely like Him. Extend some grace to those who have been outspoken and tried to honour God before others. Those who obediently witness to Christ publicly will always be subjected to scrutiny and criticized when they fail. Better a halting, imperfect witness than silent invisibility. Peter rightly pushed the limits when he went to the house of uncircumcised Cornelius; but on another occasion he drew back when the Judaizers came to town, and was properly scolded by Paul for his two-facedness.

Yes, there have been disappointing experiences in the area of the Spirit. People have gone forward in good faith with results that were less than expected. Others who claimed to be Spirit-filled were hokey. But Christ encourages us to keep on asking, seeking, knocking until we ourselves discover our Heavenly Father is pleased to give a good gift, the Holy Spirit, after all. He's not bluffing, but eager to bless.

So, what's in the way? How do we clear away the snowdrifts hindering us from a fuller experience of what should be a norm in the Christian life, the Holy Spirit? First step is to admit our need. In Genesis 1 the earth was formless, empty, and dark. That's what our lives are like without God. John the Baptist helped people prepare by having them confess their sins. They could have been humbling themselves with fasting and praying. The dozen people at Ephesus freely admitted to Paul they hadn't even heard there was a Holy Spirit. Admit your need.

Second, Submit and turn to God. Jesus came to John and was baptized in the river, even though he didn't need to be for his own righteousness. He submitted to God's plan to bring righteousness to many. The 12 at Ephesus submitted to baptism into the name of the Lord Jesus, and to having Paul place his hands on them.

Third, "steep" in the blessing. When Jesus came up out of the water he saw heaven torn open: the barrier to God was removed, by Jesus' atonement we have free access to God, the Lamb has taken away the sins of the world. Jesus saw the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And the voice said, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." "You are my Son" - we are adopted into God's family, now permanently associated with our Heavenly Father. "Whom I love" - God has affection for us and commitment to us. "With you I am well pleased" - God favours us, is delighted in us, His desire is happily fulfilled in having us on board.

As believers "in Christ", we can take each of these phrases the voice spoke and soak in the blessing, steep ourselves in it like a teabag until we are completely permeated. Nicky Gumbel says, "Sometimes this experience is like a hard, dry sponge being dropped into water. There can be a hardness in our lives that stops us absorbing the Spirit of God. It may take a little time for the initial hardness to wear off and for the sponge to be filled. So it is one thing for the sponge to be in the water ('baptized'), but it is another for the water to be in the sponge ('filled'). When the sponge is filled with water, the water literally pours out of it."

Fourth step in clearing away the snowdrift is, Express God's influence and control. In Genesis 1, God spoke and separated: spoke the light into being, and separated light and dark into day and night. So we can follow through by speaking about the Spirit's work in our lives, and separating the light within us from the dark outside, temptations that would weigh us down.

What happened in Jesus' case? Did he sit around in an easy chair? The next verse in Mark tells us he was sent AT ONCE by the Spirit into the desert, where he was tested and hungry. He spoke God's word, memorized from the Bible, not letting Satan convince him what the tempter had to offer was better.

The twelve at Ephesus also expressed God's influence and control by speaking in tongues and prophesying. Note that prophesying does not necessarily have anything to do with foretelling the future. In 1 Corinthians 14 Paul describes prophesying as just speaking to others for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. Nothing freaky about that. Simply allow God to be the subject and steerer of your conversation.

The blessing of the Holy Spirit is not just something that happened in Bible times. Christians today all over the world continue to experience God's coming alongside to help. (That's how Jesus described the Spirit, as Paraclete, one called alongside, like the tow truck when your car breaks down.) Many modern people have described God's spiritual changes within them. Malcom Muggeridge was a British journalist who was an atheist for much of his life. He wrote, "The most characteristic and uplifting of the manifestations of conversion is rapture -- an inexpressible joy which suffuses our whole being, making our fears dissolve into nothing, and our expectations all move heavenwards."

Richard Wurmbrand was imprisoned for many years and frequently tortured on account of his faith. He wrote, "Alone in my cell, cold, hungry, and in rags, I danced for joy every night...sometimes I was so filled with joy that I felt I would burst if I did not give it expression."

Martin Lloyd-Jones comments, "You will have such a depth of feeling that for a moment you may well imagine that you have never 'felt' anything in your life before.It is the profoundest experience that a man can ever know."

The difference will be noticeable, but it doesn't have to be sensational. JH "Bash" Nash came to faith in Christ as a 19-year-old clerk in an insurance office. He had no athletic, academic, or artistic talent, but touched many lives simply because he was full of God's Spirit. John Stott, whom he led to Christ, described Bash Nash this way: "Nondescript in outward appearance, his heart was ablaze with Christ." His obituary said, "Bash was a quiet, unassuming clergyman who never made the limelight, hit the headlines or wanted preferment, yet whose influence...during the last 50 years was probably greater than almost any of his contemporaries, for there must be hundreds of men today, many in positions of responsibility, who thank God for him for it was through his ministry that they were led to a Christian commitment...Rarely can anyone have meant so much to so many as this quietly spoken, modest and deeply spiritual man."

Jackie Pullinger worked more than 20 years in the lawless walled city of Hong Kong. She has given her life to working with prostitutes, heroin addicts, and gang members. She has said, "God wants us to have soft hearts and hard feet.The trouble with many of us is that we have hard hearts and soft feet." Jackie is tough, she has hard feet in her willingness to go without sleep, food, and comfort in order to serve others. Yet she also has a soft heart. She began praying in the Spirit 15 minutes a day, asking the Spirit to help her intercede for those he wanted to reach. She recalls, "After about six weeks of this I began to lead people to Jesus without trying. Gangsters fell to their knees sobbing in the streets, women were healed, heroin addicts were miraculously set free. And I knew it all had nothing to do with me...We opened several homes to house heroin addicts and all were delivered from drugs painlessly because of the power of the Holy Spirit."

Are we that calibre? Do we experience blessing like that in our life, or does it seem God is bluffing? In Christ, we ARE the same calibre: the Holy Spirit inspires each one, for the common good. May God help us confess, submit, steep in the blessing, and give expression to his power in our lives. Let us close in prayer, using the words from a hymn by Charles Wesley.

"Come, Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire; Let us Thine influence prove;

Source of the old prophetic fire, Fountain of life and love.

Expand Thy wings, celestial Dove; Brood o'er our nature's night;

On our disordered spirits move, And let there now be light.

God through Himself we then shall know If thou within us shine,

And sound, with all Thy saints below, The depths of love divine."

"He Knows Me! He Calls Me -- He Changes Me..." - Jan.16/00 1 Sam.3:1-10 Ps.139:1-6,13-18 Jn.1:43-51

Stopped at a stop light at a major intersection in London recently, I spotted a middle-aged man sitting in a wheelchair parked on the sidewalk. He was dressed in a grey jacket with a toque to keep out the cold; he didn't seem to be doing much there, just sitting. I felt sorry for him, despite the fact that he was probably strategically situated to capitalize on the sympathies of passers-by. There was something about his demeanor that called out, that broke the code of silence and anonymity that shrouds our fast-paced Western society and prevents us from really truly interacting. The light turned green and I drove on. Who was that man, really? Was he really handicapped? Would any of the hundreds that passed him on the sidewalk that day even bother to stop and find out the slightest detail about him?

I was feeling reflective and melancholy, since I had just been to the funeral visitation for Doug Trask. Doug was our Conference Personnel Minister, and his life had been prematurely cut off by a deadly disease at age 60. I would miss him. Partly because he had been my "bishop" and personal advisor professionally most of the time I've been in ministry. His periodic visits to my far-flung parishes made me feel that someone cared, that there was a responsible person beyond the pastoral charge and presbytery who did indeed care about how things were going for me in ministry and with the family. I had told Doug things I could never share with people on the charge - frustrations, fears, hopes and wonderings. I felt he knew me.

I got to know Doug further when I was dealing on Presbytery's behalf with a ticklish personnel situation involving another pastor. I got a glimpse of how his role as a personnel minister must be, knowing so much about each clergyperson, confidential advisor when they make mistakes as all pastors do, trying to help them, but powerless to assist when a pastor chose to cut off relations and hunker in a fortress mentality. Through that set of circumstances I felt privileged to get a little insight into Doug's care and concern for his clergy-collared "flock". The sight of him stretched out in a coffin was a sad reminder that in this earthly life we only have so much time to become known and appreciated by those around us. We crave desperately to be known, to have some useful purpose, to be appreciated by our family, friends, and fellow-workers.

Doug Trask had to be involved with a lot of people by virtue of his occupation. And what about the man in the wheelchair, waiting for the short January day to end and then return to a small sparsely furnished apartment? Does anyone really know him? What about us when we feel like him - overlooked, pitiful, our dreams and opportunities having slipped away? Does anyone really know us or have a purpose for us?

God's word says, Yes! God knows us; he calls us - and he changes us, directing us in fulfilling paths for our lives.

He knows us; he knows you, he knows me. Nathanael wasn't in a wheelchair, but his attitude was a little handicapped when Philip found him one day and excitedly told him they had found the One Moses and the prophets had said would come, the Deliverer all zealous Jews were awaiting to save them from the tyranny of pagan Romans. Philip included the detail from Jesus' bio that he happened to be from Nazareth. Over the years a certain prejudice had built up in other parts of the country about the town. Nathanael replied with a scoff, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" All messianic-minded Jews knew Bethlehem was the town to watch, not Nazareth far north in the sticks of Galilee.

Nathanael nevertheless was intrigued by Philip's invite, and went to meet this Jesus son of Joseph. Before they even got within normal greeting distance, Jesus spoke as if he'd known Nathanael all his life. "Here's a true Israelite, in whom there are no tricks." Nathanael gave a start and froze in his tracks. "How do you know me?" he gasped. Obviously something in Jesus' words struck him to the bone.

Then Jesus said something that must have made the newcomer's jaw drop to the ground. "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you." We're not told what it was Nathanael was doing in that spot at that exact time, but it could be he was praying, as the shade offered by the fig leaves on a hot Mediterranean day would be a welcome place to take a load off and meditate. Probably Jesus was referring to some plea or longing Nathanael had expressed to God only in his spirit. How did he KNOW that? Nathanael puzzled.

God does know us, completely. We are transparent to the Trinity. Leslie Brandt paraphrases Psalm 139: "O God, you know me inside and out, through and through. Everything I do, every thought that flits through my mind, every step I take, every plan I make, every word I speak, You know, even before these things happen. You know my past; You know my future. Your circumventing presence covers my every move. Your knowledge of me sometimes comforts me, sometimes frightens me; but always it is far beyond my comprehension."

Rick Warren is pastor at Saddleback Valley Community Church in California, the fastest-growing Baptist church in the history of America. It started in his living room with just one family. In 1995 it was averaging over 10,000 people in worship attendance each week. But back in 1973 nobody had heard of Rick Warren because he was just a college kid. He had preached revival meetings as a youth evangelist, and had no doubt that God had called him to ministry, but was unsure if God wanted him to become a pastor.

One day with a buddy Rick skipped his classes and drove 350 miles to hear Dr.W.A.Criswell speak. Criswell was renowned pastor of the largest Baptist church in the world, located in Dallas Texas. Kind of like a Catholic getting to hear the pope. As Rick Warren listened to Criswell preach, God spoke personally to him and made it very clear he was calling him to be a pastor. But most surprising was what happened after the service.

Rick recalls, "My buddy and I stood in line to shake hands with Dr.Criswell. When my turn finally arrived, Criswell looked at me with kind, loving eyes and said, quite emphatically, 'Young man, I feel led to lay hands on you and pray for you!' Without delay, he placed his hands on my head and prayed these words that I will never forget: 'Father, I ask that you give this young preacher a double portion of your Spirit. May the church he pastors grow to twice the size of the Dallas church. Bless him greatly, O Lord.'"

Rick continues: "As I walked away with tears in my eyes, I said to my friend Danny, 'Did he pray what I think he prayed?'" Rick was amazed that Criswell seemed to know him and offered him such a great blessing and promise. The results over the years would seem to prove God knew what was in store and put Criswell "in the know" too. "He knows me."

Next, He calls me. Jesus called Andrew and Philip directly. All it took was two intriguing words: "Follow me." Andrew in turn brought Peter; Philip went and found Nathanael. Little by little, directly or indirectly, Christ was building his church, calling others to follow him and leading them into the new reality of His Kingdom. He continues to call people still - through a Gideon's New Testament in a hotel desk; through a Christmas or Choral Kids concert; through a sermon in the paper or on TV; through the sermon you preach by your life each day at home, school, or work. You are the only Bible some people will ever read! When we encounter a cynic like Nathanael, the most convincing thing we can say is, "Come and see!" then present Christ himself.

Psalm 139 says, "How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you." God is thinking about us, we're on his mind and heart. We may have wandered far off, doing our own thing, sidetracked with the gimmicks of the world, pursuing persons or things we think are perfect and will satisfy us, but God pursues us as a zealous lover. The Creator's deepest desire is to be intimate with us, his person-creatures. Over and over through life God tries to get our attention, so we might understand his conscious thoughts of us are more in number than the sand along the Lake Huron shoreline. He wants to be with us.

Samuel was a little slow to catch on. But then, Eli was getting slow, period. Old, overweight, and more than a bit out of focus. Samuel was just a young boy dedicated to helping the aged senior priest at the tabernacle at Shiloh. He knew how to tend the furnishings pretty well, but not only were Eli's eyes getting dim, his spiritual insight was getting more limited too. "The word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions," we're told. Eli and sons were more intent on fattening themselves on people's offering than genuinely listening for God's word. So it seems Eli had even overlooked teaching Samuel about bedtime prayers, that God was someone you could talk to.

But the Lord wanted to catch Samuel's attention. What followed had all the comic redundancy of a slapstick vaudeville routine. Three times Samuel heard someone call; three times he ran to see what Eli wanted. But Eli wanted nothing. Finally the old man twigged to what was happening. The fourth time, Samuel responded to the Lord, "Speak, for your servant is listening." He realized GOD was calling him, not Eli. God had a special message he wanted the young boy to deliver as his agent to the others, who had stopped listening long ago. God sought to employ Samuel in a special way, and was calling him.

The Lord may call us in many ways; it's not always through special visions or voices. We may feel a strong nudge in prayer, confirmed through a verse of scripture or a fellow Christian's word of encouragement. Rick Warren was trying to discern God's call about ministry back in the 70's. Having spent many hours researching in the library, he discovered that the Saddleback Valley, in Orange County, southern California, was the fastest-growing area in the fastest-growing county in the United States that decade. In the dusty, dimly lit basement of that university library, Rick heard God clearly speak to him: "That's where I want you to plant a church!" Rick's body began to tingle with excitement, and tears welled up in his eyes. He had heard from God.

Next he found out the name of the Director of Missions for his denomination for that county. He wrote him a letter saying: "My name is Rick Warren. I am a seminary student in Texas. I am planning to move to south Orange County and start a church. I'm not asking for money or support from you; I just want to know what you think about that area. Does it need new churches?" An amazing thing happened. Although they'd never met, the Director of Missions there had somehow heard about Rick and his desire to plant a new church after graduating. They were writing letters to each other at the same time; the letters crossed in the mail! Two days after mailing his letter, Rick received one saying: "Dear Mr Warren, I have heard that you may be interested in starting a new church in California after seminary. Have you ever considered coming to the Saddleback Valley in south Orange County?" When Rick opened that letter, he began to cry. He and his wife both knew God was up to something. When God truly calls us, it's exciting!

It all begins with allowing ourselves, like Nathanael, to get involved with Jesus. Christ beckons everyone in Matthew 11: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." We can confidently entrust ourselves to such a leader, who is not out to exploit us and doesn't throw his weight around, but is gentle, humble, sensitive, and knows us better than we know ourselves.

But get ready! Life is never going to be the same. Christ knows me, he calls me -- AND he also changes me. What a dramatic change in attitude we see in Nathanael. A few moments earlier he was scoffing at the idea than anyone great could possibly come from Nazareth. Now he is confessing, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God" - the first acknowledgment of Jesus' divinity by any human. But Christ lets him know bigger surprises are just around the corner, there's more growth in store yet. "You shall see greater things than that." Over time, Nathanael would experience God's intense and complete making-known, communicating His essential reality and nature, to humanity through this Jesus son of Joseph.

And consider how God's call changed Samuel's life. Before he had just been a young boy helping at the tabernacle, a servant, overlooked by most who visited. This first revelation was the beginning of a complete shift in power and authority. The child who had been spiritually ignorant began to receive more insight; "the Lord...revealed himself to Samuel through his word" (3:21), and "was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground." (3:19) So "Samuel's word came to all Israel." (4:1)

This was a critical incident in the history of the nation. They had been going through a dark period spiritually, with a corrupt priesthood. The message God gave Samuel for Eli signalled the end of an era. Soon the corrupt priests were gone, and Samuel was judging Israel in Eli's place, anointing kings including David who would bring in Israel's golden age. God was changing Samuel from an insignificant altar boy to the most important leader in the nation. Gone were the days of just attending to Eli's physical needs. Now Samuel was responsible for everyone's needs. God prepared him, step by step.

When we let Jesus into the house of our life, he starts going through, room by room, housecleaning, renovating, remodelling. Changing things; sometimes things we'd rather keep tucked in a back closet or a nook in the attic. Nathanael had a bad attitude, which Jesus changed for starters. Often in our own hearts God's Spirit of love and compassion discloses similar prejudices, hidden resentments, pockets of bitterness about things that were done to us in the past. Maybe we need to talk directly with the person involved to see if it can be cleared up; maybe we need to take another believer along as in Matthew 18. Maybe the best thing to do is just leave it at the foot of the cross for God to deal with, but we must let it go or it will block us from God's full blessing.

Even more noticeable is the change in behaviour when Jesus gets ahold of someone's life. The early church definitely witnessed some surprising changes this way. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." Quite a shocking list of behaviour that's disgusting to God! But here's the astonishing part -- Paul continues, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Amazing, the clean-up job the Holy Spirit can do in our life to make our house an acceptable residence for the King. He changes me.

Sometimes the changes Christ can make for us in our lives involve both outer and inner aspects. As with Nathanael, Jesus sees us on the inside as well as the outer appearance, and will heal and strengthen us from the inside out. Nicky Gumbel tells the story of a woman in his congregation who developed a backache with pain in her left hip. This interfered with sleep, movement, and work. The doctor prescribed pills for arthritis. She asked for prayer one evening at the church. The young woman who was praying for her said that the word "forgiveness" had come to her mind. After a struggle the woman was able to forgive someone who was continually troubling her, and she was partially healed. At the moment she mailed a forgiving letter to her friend, she was totally healed.

"He knows me! He calls me -- He heals me..." If we're tired of feeling pitiable and anonymous like the man in a wheelchair; if we want to be really known, the way Doug Trask knew those who called him confidentially; if we want to have a sense of calling like Rick Warren, discovering God's blessing as he obediently stepped out in faith; if we want to be healed and reconciled like the woman with the backache and hurt-ache -- may we receive the grace Jesus offers to become his disciples, every step of the way. Let us pray.

"Qualities of a Healthy Church, Part 1" - Jan.23/00

Every year we do what we can to encourage some amaryllis bulbs into bloom during these dull days of winter, so their huge flowers will add a splash of colour and brighten up our home. There's not too much you have to do. Water it once in a while, and repot it when the roots grow large; keep it in the dark for a period. But we don't have to tell it how to produce the fantastic blooms or its long green leaves. It grows "all by itself".

Thoughout the biological world we see the same growth principle. Whenever the necessary conditions are met, God has placed within each plant, each pet, each child the information it needs to know how to grow. All by itself. Then suddenly one morning you wake up and your eldest is asking you to borrow the keys to the car!

Jesus likened God's Kingdom to a growing seed in Mark 4. "A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain..." Although today agriculture is a big industry, with seed and chemical companies doing what they can, when it comes right down to it the farmer just basically tries to provide ideal conditions; the seed itself does the growing. Then comes the stalk, the head, the kernel: and finally the harvest. Could Jesus be implying the Kingdom, including God's church, is designed to grow the same way?

With our annual meeting coming up soon, I thought it appropriate to take a couple of Sundays and consider what are the ideal conditions for church growth. Our annual meeting is a time to review our vision and mission so we can with God's help maximize our growth, both in quantity and quality.

Christian Schwarz was 18 years old when he was told he had an incurable kidney condition, and a limited time to live. He wanted to make the most of the remainder of his life for Christ. He set out to discover the church growth principles which are true regardless of culture. Schwarz wanted to answer the question, "What should each church and every Christian do to obey the Great Commission in today's world?" His research involved 1000 churches in 32 countries on 6 continents. He found there were eight "quality characterics" of healthy churches. I'd like to look at four of these qualities today and four next Sunday. In the course of his research, Christian Schwarz found an amazing fact: every one of those thousand churches in which these 8 qualities reached an index level of 65 was a growing church! Like the seed growing in the field, given sufficient water, warmth, minerals, and light, nothing would hold it back from growing "all by itself". Schwarz has found that when churches work on their minimum factor - the quality they rate most poorly in - that releases growth for them, too. So as we go through these qualities, be evaluating us as a church in your mind. Do we already have this, or do we need to be working on it as something that's holding us back?

First quality characteristic: Empowering Leadership. Not just leadership that's on the ball, but leadership that releases others within the church to be equipped for their own particular ministries. In Exodus 18 Moses is getting worn out adjudicating the people's cases and complaints from dusk to dawn. There are long lineups, and nobody's happy. Moses' father-in-law Jethro suggests he appoint capable people to decide the less difficult cases, then only the most difficult ones would have to be decided by Moses. By thus sharing the load, Moses is able to stand the strain, and everybody goes home quicker and happier.

In Mark 6, Jesus sent out the 12 disciples to do what he'd been doing. They were to preach, drive out demons, and anoint and heal people in the surrounding villages. Jesus wasn't jealously guarding ministry for himself, instead he multiplied himself by empowering and authorizing the disciples to extend his work.

If you look carefully at Ephesians 4, the passage we used for our call to worship, you'll see it is not the job of pastors to do everything in the church. Far from it. It says it's my job as pastor to prepare God's people for works of service; that is, ministry is the task of everyone who belongs to Jesus. That's the only way you will become mature - by exercising your particular gift. Verse 16 says "From Christ the whole body grows and builds itself up in love, as EACH PART does its work."

It is a harmful mindset to think, "Ministry is what we pay the pastor to do." One person, any person, is very limited in talents and time. The church's strength is in all its Spirit-empowered people, as Christ has gifted each one. To expect me to do it all is to create a huge bottleneck. That would frustrate other people with gifts and hinder their growth in the Holy Spirit.

Empowering leadership does not mean using lay workers as "helpers" in attaining the pastor's own goals or vision. It means up-ending the pyramid of authority so the leader assists Christians to attain the spiritual potential God has for them. Such pastors equip, support, motivate, and mentor individuals to become all that God wants them to be. Rather than handling the bulk of church responsibilities on their own, these pastors invest the majority of their time in discipleship and delegation, so the energy they expend can be multiplied indefinitely. God's energy, not human effort and pressure, is released to set the church in motion.

In Christian Schwarz's research, he found a very negative correlation between church quality and theological training of the staff. Instead quality was more related to a pastor's readiness to accept help from outside. Pastors of quality churches could say, "I regularly seek counsel from a trusted outside source, such as a church growth consultant." By the way, thank you for honouring the United Church's guideline of clergy being allowed 3 weeks continuing education each year. It helps keep us fresh and up-to-date!

The second quality characteristic of a healthy church is "Gift-oriented Ministry". A Natural Church Development seminar I attended with John Uyl in October used the analogy of an Animal School. There were 3 students: a fish, a duck, and a rabbit. Classes were in swimming, hopping, and flying. The fish did admirably in swimming; the duck passed, too; but the rabbit was a flop. In hopping, the rabbit excelled, the duck hobbled, and the fish flopped miserably. In flying the duck had no problem, the rabbit was OK for very short distances, but the fish could hardly make it out of the water. Of course the obvious lesson is that the fish should stick to swimming, the duck to flying, and the rabbit to hopping.

We are not all alike; we are each unique, designed by God as different members of Christ's body, with different gifts. In Exodus 31 God tells Moses he has chosen Bezalel and filled him with God's Spirit so that he has skill and ability in all kinds of crafts for making items for the new tabernacle. God adds, "I have given skill to all the craftsmen."

In Galatians 2, Paul recalls that the elders at Jerusalem realized he had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. Paul had been raised in Tarsus, outside Palestine, so was better suited to reach Greek-speakers than Peter, who was from Galilee.

And 1 Corinthians 12 mentions the many different kinds of gifts and service that God enabled in various believers by Christ's spirit. Paul says, "To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." Very different gifts, from wisdom and knowledge, to healing and prophecy, to distinguishing between spirits. In Romans 12 other gifts are mentioned, including encouragement, giving, and showing mercy.

Christian Schwarz writes, "The gift-oriented approach reflects the conviction that God sovereignly determines which Christians should best assume which ministries. The role of church leadership is to help its members to identify their gifts and to integrate them into appropriate ministries." He found the contentedness of Christians, their "joy in living", was most influenced by whether they were using their gifts. Members of quality churches said, "My personal ministry involvements match my gifts," and pastors agreed with the statement: "The volunteer workers of our church receive training for their tasks." Too often in the nominations process we dictate which ministries lay-persons should assume and then search eagerly for bodies to fill the position - even if it means trying to persuade a duck to hop instead of fly.

Remember, as we continue through these characteristics, keep asking yourself: Do we as a church already have this, or do we need to be improving in this area so it doesn't hold us back?

The third quality factor is Passionate Spirituality. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to compromise their Jewish faith by bowing down to the golden image set up by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. They told the king God was able to save them from the fiery furnace if He chose. But even if He didn't, they were still not going to bow down. I admire the passionate spirituality and trusting spunk of these three. As a reward, God not only spared their lives, but they were accompanied in the furnace itself by one whom Nebuchadnezzar said "looks like a son of the gods". It could have been an angel, or Christ himself in a pre-Bethlehem form.

In chapter 6 of the same book, Daniel evokes the irritation of the other government leaders by distinguishing himself in the king's service. They decide to trap him, but the only thing they can catch him in is his religiosity. They get the king to make a decree forbidding prayer to anyone but him for a month. Still Daniel kept on with his faithful routine, praying three times a day on his knees. As a reward for his passionate spirituality, God spared him from the lions' den. And the king was so impressed, he issued a decree honouring Daniel's God.

Peter and John were hauled before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4, and commanded not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. They stuck by their guns and responded, "We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." Such nerve! They are going against the very group that crucified their master just a couple of months before.

Paul and Silas were missionaries in prison in Philippi in Acts 16. About midnight they were praising and singing hymns to God. They didn't know God was about to use an earthquake to get them free. Where did they find the internal resources to praise the Lord despite hardship? Their passionate spirituality.

What is "passionate spirituality" these days? The Natural Chruch Development workshop summed it up in 6 "p's": prayer, praise, personal holiness, positive focus, practising His presence, and pondering His word. (repeat) Passionately spiritual persons find prayer is an inspiring experience, and are familiar with the Bible as another friend. This is applied religion, where the rubber meets the road. If we can't get this right as a church, we're in danger of turning into a social club!

Schwarz puts the question this way: "Are the Christians in this church 'on fire'? Do they live committed lives and practice their fiath with joy and enthusiasm?" Spiritual passion does NOT mean just performing one's duty, or legalism. Churches that are legalistic or pride themselves on their orthodoxy usually have members with below average passion. Pure doctrine, the "right" beliefs, are not enough; the truly "spiritual" person has a genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ. For example, are your bedtime prayers or table graces simply memorized, by rote; or would your children hear you speaking naturally, as to another person? I don't think Daniel braved the lions' den just so he could keep on saying, "Now I lay me down to sleep..."

Fourth and last for today is the quality characteristic, Functional Structures. In our Old Testament lesson, we saw the threats facing Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem as they rebuilt the protective wall that had been broken down before the exile. Nehemiah as a leader responded creatively to the challenge. Half the people worked, while the other half stood guard. Even those who worked carried the material in one hand and a weapon in the other. The bricklayers had a sword strapped to their waist. And Nehemiah kept the trumpet-blower near him, so if the alarm went, people from all over would rally to the spot under attack. They had a plan and they worked it. God granted them creativity to meet the circumstances and get the job done.

The early church didn't get too far off the ground before it ran into complaints. In Acts 6 we read about problems with the daily food distribution: apparently some of the Greek-speaking widows were being overlooked. Peter wisely felt it was not right for the apostles to neglect the ministry of the word or devoting themselves to prayer (verse 4) in order to wait on tables. Instead - another creative response! The church appointed 7 "deacons", who had Greek names and could probably relate well to the people who had the concern. Even today in our United Church governing setup, we have a similar distinction between the Session or "elders" who look after spiritual matters, and the Stewards who look after temporal affairs.

Christian Schwarz found that "Functional Structures" is the most controversial of the 8 quality characteristics, because it brings to the surface faulty but deeply-held convictions. Quality churches agree with the statement, "We have created ministries, trained and supported people so as to fulfill the vision and mission of the church." What's so controversial about that? Too many churches don't HAVE a conscious vision or mission, so of course their structures aren't designed to support them. And what do you do if you don't have a vision? Why, you do the same thing you did last year! Fully half, 50%, of low-quality declining churches had members who said, "I consider our church to be tradition-bound." (In other words, "I love yesterday!") By contrast, less than 10% of quality churches struggle with traditionalism.

For example, Schwarz notes what he calls the "department head" principle: 4 out of 5 quality churches had department leaders for the individual areas of ministry in their church; less than a third of low quality, declining churches did. This highlights the advantage of structures which promote an ongoing multiplication of the ministry. Leaders are not simply to lead, but also to develop other leaders.

One church had been having a Wednesday night prayer meeting for years which had dropped off in attendance. When they changed the focus to discipleship, new people started to come out. But it required a change in direction.

In architecture, the saying is, "Form follows function." You want a candle if you're going camping, but an electric bulb for a lamp at home. Just so, our church structures need to be creatively adapted to the need of those Christ is calling us to serve.

Rick Warren is brutally blunt in his book, The Purpose-Driven Church. He says, "Always clarify the purpose for every program in your church. KILL any program that doesn't fulfill a purpose. Replace a program when you find one that does a better job than the one you're using. Programs must always be the servants of your purposes." Programs and structures must be functional, working to fulfill Christ's mission.

In closing, a true story of an UNhealthy church from Oklahoma. A young minister had come to this little church in hopes of reviving it. But it seemed to just keep on dying, no matter what he tried. Finally he had one last idea.

He announced in the local newspaper that the church had died, and on Sunday afternoon there would be a funeral service at the church itself. For the first time in years the church was packed. People were standing outside on tiptoes looking through the window to see this most unusual funeral service for a church.

To their shock, there was a casket down front, smothered with flowers. The pastor told the people as soon as the eulogy was finished they could pass by and view the remains of the dearly beloved that they were putting to rest that day. They could hardly wait until he finished the eulogy. He slowly opened the casket, pushed the flowers aside, and people walked by, one by one, to look in. They left sheepishly, feeling guilty as they walked out the door, because inside the casket he had placed a large mirror. As they walked by, they saw the church that had died.

How do you grow a healthy church? Keep up the quality of your own walk with Jesus! The seed of the Kingdom is within you, waiting to grow "all by itself". Empowering leadership, gift-oriented ministry, passionate spirituality, functional structures...start by letting God through His Word and prayer hold a mirror to you before you find yourself in a casket. Let us pray.

"Worship, Fellowship, Telling, Loving: Qualities of a Healthy Church, Pt.2" - January 30, 2000

Back in October the Chairperson of Session accompanied me to a workshop on Developing Healthy Churches. At the end of one section of the presentation, a cartoon was put up on the overhead. It showed a group of people, obviously church members, seated around a table. The leader was standing up and saying, "That settles it, then. The new Vision Statement for First Presbyterian Church will be this: 'Misery Loves Company.'"

As we prepare for our Annual Congregational Meeting this Tuesday, hopefully our vision will be more positive than that. We are called and inspired by the most positive person in all of history, Jesus Christ -- not even a cross could keep him down! Perhaps misery does love company, but those who truly believe in Jesus and are filled with his Spirit have a habit of attracting others, not because they're miserable, but because of the loving warmth that comes from being assured of God's acceptance and grace. Today we continue our exploration of Christian Schwarz's 8 quality characteristics of healthy churches, churches that obviously love company because they're growing or high-quality.

Last week we talked about the qualities of Empowering Leadership, Gift-oriented Ministry, Passionate Spirituality, and Functional Structures. The fifth quality of healthy churches is Inspiring Worship. You wondered when we were going to get to this one, didn't you? It wouldn't be church, the place we honour our wonderful God, if we didn't have worship! But admittedly not all our worship can be classed as "inspiring worship". When worship is inspiring, it has that once- and- only- once quality of uniqueness, impossible to repeat exactly. Somehow you feel God came to visit: "You had to be there."

Back in Exodus 3, Moses was out herding sheep when he noticed a burning bush. God called to him from out of the bush, because God had a job for him to do: lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. First though Moses had to meet God face to face, a holy experience. When Moses came over to look at the bush, God said, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Removing sandals was a sign of reverence, the bush and its surroundings were mysteriously changed by God's presence; as a result, Moses was changed as well. The Holy Spirit would enable him to boldly approach Pharaoh and perform God's miracles until Pharaoh relinquished and released the people. The Exodus began, then, with real heart-felt inspiring worship.

Once the Hebrews had left Egypt and made it to Mount Sinai, God instructed Moses how to build a Tent of Meeting or Tabernacle where many people could worship. In Exodus 40 we're told that when Moses finished setting up the Tent, the dark cloud of the Lord's presence covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tent of Meeting -- so much so that Moses couldn't even enter. God had really come amongst his people. A similar thing happened in 1 Kings 8 when Solomon completed his beautiful Temple: again the glory of God's very presence filled the place, so not even the priests could enter!

The New Testament church did not seek to construct tabernacles or temples for worship, but gathered to celebrate the Risen Lord Jesus who had himself "tabernacled" or dwelt among us. In John 20, the evening after the resurrection, Jesus came and stood among the disciples even though they had the doors locked. He showed them his hands and side, that it was really Him who had been crucified, and they were overjoyed. "Peace be with you," he said; and "Receive the Holy Spirit." All our gatherings in His name since then hearken back to that first resurrection appearance to the gathered followers. Inspiring worship has a sense that "He's really here! God is speaking to us, reassuring and touching us, calling forth change and fresh starts amongst us!" At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended as in tongues of fire on each one. After Peter and John were released in Acts 4, they rejoined the other believers, and the whole group "raised their voices together in prayer to God." That's the essence of worship, coming together to address God and enjoy His presence. Afterwards, "the place they were meeting was shaken, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God boldly." True worship fills us with an awareness of God's powerful Spirit, and leads us to bubble over telling others how God has been active in our lives.

When Christian Schwarz surveyed 1000 churches on 6 continents, one criterion in the area of worship separated growing churchs from stagnant and declining ones. Members of growing churches put it this way: "Attending our worship services is an inspiring experience for me." Inspiring means that when the Holy Spirit is truly at work in a meeting, he will have a concrete effect upon the way a worship service is conducted, including the entire atmosphere of a gathering. People even indicate that "going to church is fun"!

Contrast that with other motives for attending church. Some people go to church to fulfill their Christian duty, maybe to do the pastor or God a favour. Some even believe their faithfulness in enduring boring and unpleasant services will be blessed by God. Strangely, those who think this way will always tend to pressure other people to attend church. However when worship is inspiring, it draws people "all by itself."

Rick Warren writes of a common denominator behind every growing church: "They have figured out a way to meet the real needs of people...If your church is genuinely meeting needs, then attendance will be the least of your problems - you'll have to lock the doors to keep people out." For example, his church's vision statement is not "Misery loves company" but, "It is the dream of a place where the hurting, the hopeless, the discouraged, the depressed, the frustrated, and the confused can find love, acceptance, guidance, and encouragement." I think I hear someone thinking, "I'll buy that!" How can they deliver on that dream? A main way is through inspiring worship.

Schwarz notes that so-called "seeker sensitive services" are not a church growth principle; they're not appropriate in every context. Undoubtedly the younger generation often finds contemporary music more inspiring than hymns from a previous century. But better questions to ask ourselves include, "What needs to occur for the unchurched to be able to say, 'God is here?' Is there a sense that God was in His house that day? How can we remove the hindrances and spiritual strongholds that are holding God back?"

Quality characteristic 6 is "Holistic Small Groups". Back in the pioneer days, the Methodists had a secret weapon compared to Presbyterians and others. That secret weapon was the class meeting. True, there were also the circuit-riding preachers, that didn't depend on an established flock the way a settled clergyman did. But in between the visits of the circuit rider, the class meeting continued every week, often meeting in homes or a log schoolhouse, led not by a trained professional but by a faithful local settler. This distinctive and highly successful feature of Methodism called the class meeting was just another form of Small Group. It's in small groups that God's people become real, known, available to each other, that genuine loving and caring can take place.

In Exodus 17 we see the importance of small group solidarity during a crisis for the Hebrew slaves, recently released from Egypt. They're attacked by enemies. While Joshua leads the army on the battlefield, Moses holds the miraculous staff up with both arms on the hillside. When his arms start to get weary, the enemy begins to win. Solution: Moses sits on a stone while Aaron and Hur, the other members of the small-group foursome, each hold up one of Moses' arms. Literal small group support.

In Daniel chapter 2, the wise men of Babylon are going to die unless they come up with an interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Which they happily would, except he refuses to tell them the dream. Daniel and his 3 close friends pray for mercy to interpret the king's dream. As a result, God shows Daniel the secret, and everyone's life is spared. A small group, pulling together.

Did you know Jesus had his own "small group"? I don't mean the twelve disciples; there was an inner small group. When Jesus raised Jairus' daughter; when he went up the Mount of Transfiguration; and when he stayed awake and prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, you'll note each time he took with him Peter, James, and John, his "inner circle", his special support group. The ones to whom when he was most distressed he could say, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death; stay here and keep watch." We all need a few best buddies we can say that to.

When Peter escaped from prison, he went to a house, and who was inside? A group of close friends, praying for him. They were so intent on praying for him in his dire circumstance they could hardly believe it was really him at the door! The Lord answered the intercessions of another small group.

We're covering a total of 8 qualities of healthy churches. When the researchers had completed analyzing all 4.2 million answers, which of the 8 do you think was most important? They're all significant, but the single variable that was most highly related to church growth was this one: "Our church consciously promotes the multiplication of small groups through cell division." This is it, folks! In high quality churches there's even a tendency to give small groups priority over worship service attendance. The largest church in the world, which is in Asia, has over a million members; and it's built around small groups. We're told that if the majority of people in a church were in small groups, and if each group wins just one person each year, the church would double in size in 5 years. Sound exciting?

The word "holistic" means groups go beyond just DISCUSSING Bible passages to APPLYING its message to daily life. Members are able to bring up issues and questions that are immediate personal concerns. you just can't do that in big-group Sunday morning worship! Small groups focus on meeting the real questions and needs of their members, and are the natural place for Christians to learn to serve others with their spiritual gifts (that's "gift-oriented ministry" we talked about last week).

Seventh - second last - is the quality of Need-oriented Evangelism. In some churches, evangelism is almost a four-letter word, because of our prejudices and stereotypes. I remember a Covenant Players presentation in which the a man was standing by the bus stop. Along came a second actor, bopped him over the head with a rolled-up newspaper and declared, "I am an evangelist!" Not the way to earn a hearing.

"Evangel" literally means "Good News". The whole message about Jesus is summed up by the New Testament as Gospel, or "News" that is "Good". Note Jesus' own openers in each book about him. In Matthew he starts off with the Beattitudes, how blessed or happy people are who seek God. In Mark he begins dramatically, "The Kingdom of God is near; repent and believe the (what?) Good News!" Jesus' first sermon in Luke 4 quotes from Isaiah about preaching Good News to the poor. And in John, we're introduced by being told the Word has become flesh, his glory has been seen, full of "grace and truth". Jesus is God's own Word being told, God's "communication" or broadcast of what he's really like. And Jesus' first words to the inquisitive are, "What do you want?" He began where they were at, need-oriented.

The apostle Philip was a natural evangelist. You get the feeling that telling others about Jesus came as easily to him as breathing. In Acts 8, hitchiking in the wilderness, Philip gets a chariot ride with a black man returning to Ethiopia. This court official happens to be reading from the book of Isaiah, maybe he was able to buy a copy hot off the scriptorium when he was in Jerusalem. Philip doesn't miss a beat. It says he "began with that very passage Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus."

Writing to the scattered Christians in time of misunderstanding and persecution, Peter writes in his first letter, chapter 3: "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." He's telling that to everyone, not just those who have a gift for evangelism like Philip. Everyone needs to be ready to give an account, to tell what Jesus has done for you. John Douglas Hall, a Canadian theologian and member of the United Church, and certainly no high-pressure evangelist, reminded Bay of Quinte Conference of this verse at its most recent annual meeting. Hall warns us as a church that "the days of automatic Christianity are over". The United Church is no longer part of the establishment; this century we'll be more and more like little flocks spread out all over, as the Christians were dispersed in early times. I quote from Professor Hall: "It is 'Gospel' that [the church after Christendom] must learn to interpret and affirm...We will simply atrophy and, eventually, disappear, unless within the next century we become clearer and more articulate about our basic reason for existence: Gospel." Referring to Peter's admonishment to "Be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in you," Hall comments, "It is not enough to have such hope. It is not enough to do the good and resist the evil that such hope inspires. An account has to be given, wherever it is called for; and in a world where genuine hope...is extremely rare, a reason for hope is nearly always called for."

Relax. It is not true, as some have said, that "every Christian is an evangelist." Schwarz's studies tended to confirm Peter Wagner's thesis that no more than 10% of all Christian have the actual "gift" of evangelism. But in quality churches, the leaders know who has the gift of evangelism and steer them into a corresponding area of ministry.

Having said that, it IS the responsibility of each Christian to use his or her gifts to serve non-Christians with whom they have a relationship, to see to it that they HEAR the gospel, and to encourage contact with the local church. As a church we need to occasionally organize public events to which members can invite their unchurched neighbours. This doesn't even mean you have to go knocking on doors (though I won't stop you! If you feel led to, maybe evangelism is your gift): Christians in both growing and declining churches have exactly the same number of contacts with non-Christians (an average of 8.5 contacts). Just use your already existing relationships as contacts for evangelism.

It is important that it be "need-oriented" evangelism, focussing on the questions and needs of non-Christians. Rick Warren writes, "You need to survey your own community because every area has its own unique needs. I know of a church that discovered through a survey that the number one felt need in their community was potty training for preschoolers! The area was filled with young couples who wanted help with potty training. Rather than ignore this need as "unspiritual", the church used it as an opportunity for evangelism. The church held a "Parenting Preschoolers" conference which, among other things, taught this vital skill. Later the pastor joked that their biblical basis was Proverbs 22:6: 'Train a child in the way he should GO!'"

Last but not least, Christian Schwarz found an essential quality is Loving Relationships. The Old Testament prophet Amos warned the nation of Israel during a time of a booming economy that the poor were being taken advantage of. Despite the elaborate religious rituals of the day, God was not pleased; people had the pagan idea that if you performed the prescribed sacrifices at the temple, you could scoot out the door and then do whatever you liked, especially in business. Not so! In chapter 8 God showed Amos a vision of a basket of ripe fruit. Israel was ripe to be plucked, the Lord warned, because they were trampling the needy, doing away with the poor, inflating prices and cheating, and using dishonest scales. The poor were being bought with silver, the needy for a pair of sandals. God would turn the songs in the temple into wailing, the religious feasts into warning. Religiosity was not enough: God was looking for the fruit of loving relationships.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest command was in Mark 12, he tied "love your neighbour as yourself" to the command to love God totally. This linking would seem to question whether you can really be loving God if you're not showing it by loving your neighbour. Too many churches over the years have become places where you come in, sit down, profess your devotion to God, then head home again without having any loving contact with another human.

In John 13, Jesus set forth what he called a new command, HIS command: that the disciples love one another. This is to be our distinguishing feature as his people. He said, "By THIS all will know you are my disciples, if you love one another."

And the picture we have of the early church in Acts 4 backs up the importance of practical love in fostering rapid growth. We read that all the believers were one in heart and mind; they didn't claim their possessions were their own, but shared everything, so there were no needy persons among them. What was the result? It says, "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all." Do we want that power and grace enough to let the Lord pry our fingers off our possessions, so they become means of loving the needy who are on his heart?

How did the researchers determine whether churches were loving? They asked about very concrete things, like how much time members spend with one another outside of official church-sponsored events. When people in high-qulaity, growing churches were asked, "How often have you invited someone from the church over for a meal or a cup of coffee in the past two months?" the average answer was 17 times. Outsiders don't find it hard to penetrate cliques. Loving churches tended to dole out compliments more; the pastor was aware of the personal problems of the lay workers in the congregation; and 2/3 of church members agreed with the statement, "There is a lot of laughter in our church" - twice as many as in low quality churches. Summing up, Schwarz writes, "Unfeigned, practical love has a divinely generated magnetic power far more effective than evangelistic programs which depend almost entirely on verbal communication. People do not want to hear us talk about love, they want to experience how Christian love really works."

One way we can show love is by what Rick Warren calls a "high-touch" ministry. He says, "We give a lot of hugs and handshakes and pats on the back. Our world is filled with lonely people who are starving for the affirmation of a loving touch. Many individuals live by themselves and have told me the only loving physical contact they ever get is at church. When I hug someone on Sunday morning I often wonder how long that hug will have to last them."

Rick continues, "I recently got this note on a registration card: 'Pastor Rick, I can't tell you what it meant to me when you put your arm around me in comfort today. I felt as though Jesus was hugging me in such compassion and tenderness. I now know I will make it through this scary time, and I know he sent you to help me. It's wonderful that there's such caring and love in this church. Thank you.' I had no idea when I hugged her she was going in for breast cancer surgery the next day."

Worshipping, meaningful small groups, telling the Good News, showing real love -- what could hold such a church back? May the Lord help us develop all 8 qualities so we may not just grow in numbers, but become more truly the loving healthy active church that resembles Him in His ministry. Let us pray.

"A Time and a Place" - Funeral of Estella Kathleen Adams - February 7, 2000

Psalm 46:1-5,10-11; Ecclesiastes 3:1-13; Romans 8:28,31-32,35,37-39; John 14:1-6,18-19,27

As we gather to remember Estella's life today, the Preacher of Ecclesiastes reminds us, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." A time and a place. We are thankful for the time we had with Estella, and the place she had in our lives and our hearts.

There is a time, Scripture says, to be born, and a time to die. The funeral is but one small moment in a Christian's history, a transition to the next stage. Estella knew the joys of giving birth and family life as well as the loss of her physical health. She was a daughter, mother, and grandmother, and so knew the full range of life's joys and concerns associated with those roles. As she was born and in turn gave birth, so we who remain alive are invited to carry on in some way the good things she stood for, and endeavoured to pass on to the next generation.

The Preacher speaks of "a time to plant and a time to uproot". Estella was one of the most "planted" people I know of: most of her life was lived within a few miles of Londesborough. She was very much a farm girl, rooted in the sod, working alongside the rest of her family to earn a living from the soil. She also strove to give her offspring a grounding in the eternal truths of the faith. Her approach to life was practical, down-to-earth, understanding others.

There is "a time to weep and a time to laugh". Estella knew both loss and sacrifice, and how to enjoy life with others. She had attended high school in hopes of becoming a teacher, but when her mother died while Estella was a teenager, she returned home to help her father manage the farm. A sacrifice for the family because they needed her. However she also learned to celebrate life, enjoying euchre, going to dances, being part of the Happy Gang and Cheerio Club.

Scripture says there is "a time to embrace and a time to refrain". Estella was a caring mother; she would do anything for her kids. But as they became adults, she was also able to let them go: encouraging them to follow their own interests and gifts, freeing them to live their own life. Estella was quite independent, which allowed others their space and room to grow.

We're also told there is a time "to be silent, and a time to speak". Estella was a tough farm girl who put up with some rough times without complaining. Yet her family knew she could be supportive by speaking, too. On the phone she would keep the kids filled in on the local happenings; and more, she was a friend as well as a mother, you could share freely and openly with her.

Finally, The Preacher says there is a time "to mourn, and a time to dance". We mourn and grieve today because we've lost someone who was dear to us. But as believers in Jesus Christ, the Risen One, we do not mourn as do those who have no hope. As with God's help Estella was more than a conqueror through the problems that beset her, so Jesus' sacrificial death for our sins means we can be more than conquerors with him despite death itself. Not even death, nor things to come, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our mourning will turn to dancing.

So there is a time for all these things; there is a sense of completeness, of fulfilment as we look back on Estella's life. Somehow this was meant to be, it all worked out. Our time with her was quality time. God's Word assures us that not only is there time, there is a place; a place where our relationships with our loved ones who loved the Lord can continue. Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many rooms...I am going there to prepare a place for you...I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."

Estella will always have a place in our hearts because of the memories we shared with her, the way she gave of herself into our lives. Her grown children viewed her more as an equal, a friend or companion than a parent, because of her love and respect; there was no "generation gap". Christ gave himself in love, so that there might be no gap between God and us. The Lord desires us to be with him, to come to his place, that we might continue the companionship started in our earthly life. Jesus said we could come to the Father through Him, He is the way, not leaving us as orphans but longing for us to enjoy the rooms he's prepared. So joy chases our tears as we anticipate seeing our faithful loved ones in heaven.

The Preacher concludes, "I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God." Estella accomplished much in her life, and has left us for a while to carry on the qualities and priorities which gave her life meaning and impact. Knowing God's timing for us, our place in his care and eternal realm, we can continue, confident in the peace Jesus gives. Amen.

"The 5 Love Languages" - Feb.13/00 Prov.12:13-25 Jn.13:1-5,12-17

Say! Did you know God loves you? Jesus is God's expression of his love for us. The Bible tells us so. The sacraments tell us so: they are visible signs of God's invisible grace, reaching out to us through the events of Christ's life.

And that's not all. More than likely you are loved by several people, too. If that's hard to believe, perhaps it's because we stumble and stutter when it comes to outright telling someone they're special to us. One reason Valentine's Day became so popular is it gives people an excuse and a means to express affection by cards, chocolates, flowers and so on.

If we were to get better at communicating our love for one another, might it not also help us understand God's love for us, and give us ways to express our love to God in return? Dr.Gary Chapman counsels married couples and directs marriage seminars. He has written a book called "The 5 Love Languages" to help couples express their heartfelt commitment to each other. As we consider these 5 ways of communicating love on the verge of Valentine's Day, we can also consider how they apply to our relationship to God.

The first love language Chapman calls "Words of Affirmation". We just read in Proverbs 12 that a kind word cheers a person up. Chapter 18 notes that the tongue "has the power of life or death". By our tongue we can build people up or tear them apart. For an example from Jesus' life, recall what he said after Peter confessed him as the Christ. Jesus responded, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!" Christ knew how to affirm people with a few simple words.

What might affirming words sound like around your home? "Do you ever look nice in that dress!" "You must be the best potato cook in the world.I love these potatoes." "I really appreciate your washing the dishes tonight." "Thanks for getting the baby-sitter lined up.I want you to know I don't take that for granted."

Encouraging words can awaken hidden potential in a loved one, for example if they're a writer, giving them the boldness to submit some articles to a magazine. Or you might spur them on to develop an interest they already have, like taking a night course in a particular hobby. Note: a lot has to do with the tone of voice, as much or more than the actual words you use. It's no good to say, "I would be delighted to wash dishes tonight," if you're snarling. The Bible says "a soft answer turns away wrath." Empathy is important, trying to see the world from your spouse's perspective. Forgiveness is a must, otherwise bitterness and resentment are bound to harden your tone.

Love makes requests, not demands, so it helps if you can approach your partner humbly. One husband says, "You know those apple pies you make? Would it be possible for you to make one this week? I love those apple pies." He's giving his wife guidance on how to love him and thus build intimacy. Contrast the guy who says, "Haven't had an apple pie since the baby was born. Guess I won't get any more apple pies for 18 years!" Humility definitely helps.

The second love language is Quality Time. Spending time together was important for Jesus and the disciples. When he chose them in Mark 3 we read, "He appointed them in order that they might be WITH HIM - AND to be sent out to preach and to have authority to cast out demons." The functions of the twelve came secondarily to their spending time with the Master. At the end of his ministry, Jesus looking back said, "You are those who have stood by me in my trials, and I confer on you a Kingdom..." He appreciated the fact that they had been there for him, at his side, through thick and thin. They had spent 3 years solid together.

So for some individuals, quality time may be their #1 love language. One husband made a list like this of things his wife had always wanted to do: "Spend a weekend in the mountains; meet her for lunch, at a nice restaurant or sometimes even [Tim Horton's]; when I come home at night, sit down and talk with her about my day and listen as she tells me about her day (without trying to watch TV while this is happening); go walking with her and talk as we walk."

A central aspect of quality time is togetherness. The key feature is focused attention. It can involve an activity such as badminton or cards as long as the attention isn't focused on the game. I have a somewhat distant relative who always complains about his wife trumping his cards in euchre when she's playing against him. It's not that she's trying to be malicious, she just has the cards and wants to help her partner win, yet her skill becomes a cause for her husband to put her down. Keep togetherness the focus, not the activity itself.

Quality time also includes quality conversation. This is different from Words of Affirmation in that it's more a matter of listening sympathetically, drawing them out. Don't try to solve her problems, just ensure she feels heard. Maintain eye contact when your spouse is talking; don't listen and do something else at the same time; listen for feelings; note body language such as clenched fists, a furrowed brow, or defensively crossed arms; refuse to interrupt. And, guys, if you really want it to be quality time, there's really no way around the "f" word - "feelings". Intimacy requires that we learn to reveal ourselves, and that means getting in touch with our feelings.

A third love language is Receiving Gifts. How did God express his love for the world? John 3:16: "God so loved the world that he GAVE his only Son..." Jesus is God's love-gift, the swaddling clothes were the wrapping paper. In Luke's account of the Lord's Supper, Jesus says, "This is my body, GIVEN for you..." And John in his first letter implies that if we have material possessions and see someone in need, love translates into sharing what we have with them, giving them something.

Gary Chapman notes, "A gift is something you can hold in your hand and say, 'Look, he was thinking of me,' or, 'She remembered me.'" The gift itself is a symbol of your thinking of the other person. Gifts are visual symbols of love.

It doesn't have to be expensive. It can be a heart shape cut out of paper rescued from the trash can at work, folded, signed, and with a few words of affection written on the front. It just shows you were thinking of her or him.

An important gift can be the gift of self. One husband left his wife and newborn baby at the hospital in order to go play softball 10 minutes after the baby was born, leaving his wife to lie there in bed by herself all afternoon. The same guy dashed off to play ball right after his wife's mother's funeral was over. When I hear that example I feel guilty, because when Meredith was born at Stratford hospital about 10:20 am, I still made it out to Hibbert United at Staffa in time to finish off the 11 o'clock service! Chapman says, "Physical presence in the time of crisis is the most powerful gift you can give if your spouse's primary love language is receiving gifts -- your body becomes the symbol of your love."

Fourth is Acts of Service. For many years I made the mistake of acting as if this was the only one; I tend to try to show love by DOING something for someone.

Deeds are important, even if they're not the only love language. In the John 13 passage read earlier, we see Jesus give a lesson in loving by doing something for the disciples: washing their dirty feet! The point of the lesson was unmistakable and straightforward: "I have set you an example," he said, "that you should do as I have done for you." This, John notes, was how Jesus "showed them the full extent of his love." Further, the cross itself is Christ's ultimate action proving his love for us: taking the punishment that should have been ours, so we could enjoy full fellowship with a holy God. Love is a verb. 1 John 3:16 says, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." That was the supreme Act of Service.

In a relationship, Dr.Chapman defines these as "doing things you know your spouse would like you to do." Some examples: cooking a meal, setting a table, vacuuming, getting hairs out of the sink or the ring off the tub, removing the white spots from the mirror, bugs from the windshield, changing the baby's diaper, changing the cat's litter box. Now it may not exactly qualify as an act of service in your spouse's mind if it's already been agreed that it's your job anyway. Love goes the extra mile, doing the unexpected. Mind you, if you're a novice, you might want to ask for some tips first. One husband had the initiative to help with the laundry, but used undiluted bleach instead of regular detergent. The blue towels came out with white polka dots!

Love can't be demanded, it's freely given. No good nagging your spouse to try to manipulate them into performing an act of service. Also, you may need to learn the person's specific "dialect" in this language of love: what do THEY perceive as an act of service (as opposed to just your duty)?

If you are mature enough to accept it, your spouse's criticisms can be an invaluable clue to you about the area in which they themselves have the deepest emotional need. Chapman says, "My spouse's criticisms about my behaviour provide me with the clearest clue to her primary love language." One woman blamed hunting as the thing that kept her husband from washing the car, vacuuming the house, and mowing the grass. When he learned to meet her need for love by speaking her emotional love language (doing those things), she became free to support him in his hunting.

Words of Affirmation; Quality Time; Receiving Gifts; Acts of Service; the fifth and last love language is Physical Touch. (or as I try to remember them, talk time tokens talents touch) Our skin is our largest organ, if you stop to think about it. It's a prime means by which we receive messages from our environment. Research has proven that babies that receive adequate holding and cuddling are healthier. Mothers brought their children to Jesus - why? so that he might TOUCH them. When he blessed them, Mark records that he "took the children in his arms" and "put his hands on them" - one of the most endearing images in all Scripture. When Martha's sister Mary anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume, that also was a "touching" scene - she wiped his feet with her hair, very tender and intimate.

With regards to finding the best points of contact, your best instructor is your spouse; it can be simple things like a hand on his shoulder, brushing against her as you pass, sitting close as you watch TV; a kiss or hug when one leaves or returns; a back rub with some delightful-smelling massage oil, or running your hand through her hair. There are many ways to touch besides the sexual ones.

In a time of crisis, touch means so much, and can be the most powerful of all the love languages. Many times when a person is on their deathbed a family member or I myself have held their hand or brushed their hair or forehead gently. Dr.Chapman writes, "The most important thing you can do for your mate in a time of crisis is to love him or her. If your spouse's primary love language is physical touch, nothing is more important that holding her as she cries...Your tender touches will be remembered long after the crisis has passed."

As we wrap this up in the context of today's worship, consider how the sacraments employ these languages to communicate God's love to us. Affirming words are spoken; baptism is a naming of the person as God's dearly-loved son or daughter, through faith in Jesus. The prayer before communion blesses God in words for the gift of his Son represented in the elements. We gather as God's people to spend Quality Time together in worship, recalling the time of Jesus' life. We have received Gifts of God's grace, symbolized in the water, bread, and wine. These harken back to Christ's supreme Act of Service at the cross, reconciling the world to God. And religion might be a head-trip, purely spiritual, except Jesus commanded us to observe these sacraments as means of God touching us physically, reassuring us that He loves us totally by an emblem we can hold in our hand. One worship expert defined worship itself as "speaking and touching in God's name."

This coming week, on Valentine's Day and throughout the year, may the Lord guide us to speak and act all love's languages - to those in our family, and our precious Saviour. It's a message that won't go unheard! Let us pray. (Pastoral Prayer)

"Missions, Relief, and Compassion Fatigue" - Feb.20/2000 - World Development & Relief Emphasis - Mk.1:29-39 Isaiah 40:25-31

"It's a small world, after all." Or so the song goes. Yet we share this world with billions of other people, and each person has their own unique needs. So although it may be a "small, small world", it is also a very, very needy world. On this Sunday when we're featuring World Development and Relief, where do we begin amidst this sea of need?

Let's begin with Jesus, for he walked this same planet, heard these same cries for relief, interacted with people who were every bit as needy. Yet it didn't stop him or make him balk for a minute. Within the limited time he had, he brought God's resources to bear on the situations he encountered in a loving, creative way. As we begin to follow Jesus through a day in the world's need, we discover that Christ's love compels us to live out the Gospel in practical, caring ways.

In our passage from Mark 1, Jesus has just concluded teaching in the synagogue. Now perhaps the Saviour was wired differently from me, but when I'm done the worship service, early Sunday afternoon I need to crash. My adrenaline is gone. It's almost a requirement for me to lie down undisturbed for 20 minutes just to get my wheels back under me.

But this particular Sabbath Jesus didn't get much opportunity for that. When he arrived at Simon Peter's house, he found Simon's mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever. (Yes, incidentally, you heard me right: the founder of the long line of popes was married!) But Jesus didn't beg off, saying he had to recharge his batteries. He took her hand and helped her up. Made well, she began to serve them. We are healed in order to minister in turn ourselves.

Christ was only practising what he preached. He talked about love, he demonstrated love by the way he lived. So for us, if we praise God for his unfailing love at church then walk out but don't help another soul, we're living a lie. Christ's love compels us to do what we can for those in need, even when, frankly, it's inconvenient. James wrote (1:27): "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." Religion becomes REAL when we live it out, helping others with their felt needs in a practical way. The story of the Good Samaritan reminds us that the despised foreigner was more worthy of mention than the religious professionals, the priest or Levite: they passed by on the other side, but HE inconvenienced himself in order to save the life of a dying man.

I am happy today that the Sunday School is having a luncheon partly in order to raise money to sponsor a boy in Uganda named Swaibu Ntale. Sponsoring a child is a very practical, hands-on way to help someone who is underprivileged in a needy part of the world. It is good there are other ways to help people without having to know the details one-on-one, as in mass food-for-work programs and relief projects where we trust the administrators to give the money where it's most needed. But sponsoring a child helps "humanize" the whole issue of development for us, making us aware that these are real people, with faces and names and struggles just like you and me.

In his letter to us of October 9, Swaibu writes, "At home we have a garden; we plant maize (corn), beans, potatoes. We also plant coffee. We also have fruits like pawpaw (papaya) and jackfruit." At this end, we may grumble if we have to settle for an ordinary hamburger instead of a quarter pounder when eating out. But for much of the world's population, meat is a luxury. Corn and beans provide the basic starch and protein to survive. When we have our luncheon, we can be extra thankful remembering many people in the world don't usually eat nearly that well. By the Sunday School's help, Swaibu is getting some supplement that otherwise wouldn't be available.

Interesting that he also mentions about planting coffee. The "Ten Days for Global Justice" materials report, "World coffee prices have dropped in the past 2 years, and small coffee producers are getting hit harder than ever. By buying 'fair trade' coffee and educating about fair trade, you can help support farmers' efforts through changing the system rather than offering charity." Practical suggestions for us from the Ten Days committee: "Ask grocery stores and coffee shops to carry at least one fairly traded coffee; and ask your church or workplace to become a 'fair trade zone'." Coffee and other products with the Bridgehead label are means of giving small growers like Swaibu's family a better price for their product.

Our church's World Development and Relief fund is another very practical way of sharing aid where it's needed. Over $600,000 was offered this way by congregations last year, and this prompts governments to chip in hundreds of thousands of additional dollars. Listening to some of the projects that received grants, and reading the list of emergencies we responded to last year with supragifts and the emergency fund, gives one a good feeling at being to help in so many vital ways around the world.

Yet, once you start, it's hard to know where to stop. Our small small world is a needy needy place. If we are truly caring, we may soon be swamped by the world's massive level of need.

Back to Jesus' Sabbath. It already wasn't turning out to be much of a day of rest: he'd delivered a man from an evil spirit during synagogue time, then healed Peter's relative from her fever. Both of which, by the way, put him in the religious folks' bad books for working on the Sabbath. But that's beside the point, it's just a risk he took in response to these persons' suffering.

Perhaps Jesus got a chance eventually that afternoon to put his feet up for a few minutes, but by sundown, guess who was knocking at the door? The whole town! Literally, Mark says, "the whole town gathered at the door." Word travels fast in these small towns. People were bringing to Jesus anyone and everyone that was sick. With the coming of dusk and the end of the Sabbath, people couldn't wait for the visiting doctor to get busy seeing patients. What a night! Jesus healed many who had various diseases, verse 34 tells us, and he drove out troublesome spirits - perhaps particularly draining work.

Did Jesus have the feeling he was drowning in a sea of need? Sometimes we can relate to that. Bad enough all the flyers that come, all the phone campaign solicitations that interrupt you as you're just about to sit down to your evening meal. Does Jesus really want us to go beyond our immediate circle, to make ourselves aware and vulnerable of people in need anywhere? Where would it stop? At one point (Luke 6:30), Jesus said, "Give to EVERYONE who asks you..." Uh, just a minute, Lord. Can you rephrase that a bit? How 'bout, "Give to SOME of those who ask you?" I mean, where's it going to end?

The modern term for this weariness of feeling obligated to help others is "compassion fatigue". I think it first became recognized in the 70's, around the time of the starving Biafrans. A more recent example is a PHOTO in the January Focus on the Family magazine showing a hunger-wracked child from Sudan. The veins stand out on his head, the arms are almost skin and bone, the head is the wrong shape for his body size. It's grotesque. We try to turn the page, or if we've seen many, the child may be almost invisible to us. What initially is very gripping becomes annoying when we feel it's hopeless for us to begin to confront the massive problem. After repeated exposure, we "turn off" in order to protect ourselves.

But these are real people, the stories are too human, too real. We find them wherever we turn. Last month Yvonne and I received a card from Captain Cox Crowhurst, my former boss when I worked with the Salvation Army in Congo on a project of Christian Blind Mission in the early 80's. She writes, "News about Congo is rare.There is a quiet period but people do not trust it. Talks are going on between the parties..." The "parties" likely refer to the animosity between the rural northern tribes, who favoured communism, and the urban business-oriented southern tribes, who didn't. In December 1998 many had to flee from various areas because of the fighting that was going on. Captain Crowhurst, a career nurse, must be particularly saddened to relate that "only one clinic is functioning; the others are damaged and looted and the area too dangerous." She notes the Congolese money has been devalued by half: how would you like it if the Canadian dollar suddenly went from 76 cents to 38 cents U.S.? As the back of the bulletin notes, debt relief for the Third World is long overdue: for every every dollar of aid given by well-off countries to poor ones, $5-6 comes back in the form of interest payments on their debt to us. Captain Crowhurst continues, "The economy is rock bottom...unemployment is high and schooling haphazard and young people have no future -- no university -- no work. And until they can make peace by agreeing to work together, the situation cannot really change."

The saddest part of the letter for me is news of those I knew personally while there for two years. Captain Makosso was my right-hand man; he "died in January 1998 of complications of diabetes and lack of care (none available)." Major Nsingani "was shot and died when on a peace mission with other church leaders -- seven were killed." My job involved helping blind people find work through garden and handicrafts. One of them was a pleasant young woman about 30, "Mama Marianne", who though blind learned to knit granny squares which could be sewn together into blankets. Captain Crowhurst reports she died of a heart attack when they had to flee the area. It's all very sad for me because these are people I worked with, people with real names and faces, people who deserved to still be alive every bit as much as I do, maybe more given their courage. It's disheartening, frustrating, almost overwhelming.

So how can one keep on? Must we give in to the flood of human need and be sucked into the undertow, totally drained ourselves? How did Jesus keep going and going, day after day, surrounded by such endless demands? In this scripture passage, Jesus shows us that our relationship with God is the secret to continued effectiveness and eternal priorities.

You might have thought that after such a heavy evening Jesus would have wanted to sleep in. He DID get himself some rest, but in a different way: by restricting his commitments to those that were clearly God's priorities for him. Verse 35: "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." Jesus withdrew to the source. His spiritual emphasis was the key to his practical effectiveness. Because he spent time with the Father in prayer, reviewing what was important from heaven's perspective, he didn't get mired down in life's daily demands. Prayer, conversing with God, restored his vision and vitality. It prevented him from the problem of not being able to see the forest for the trees; prayer saved him from the tyranny of the urgent. Here was where the Saviour got recharged. As Isaiah says, God "gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak...those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Relief from compassion fatigue comes from tapping into God's vast compassion and supply for us, coupled with limiting ourselves to his purposes for our unique gifts.

It was just as well Jesus snatched time to get alone with God when he did. His quiet time was interrupted by Peter and the other disciples finding him after a search and exclaiming, "Everyone is looking for you!" I guess so! The locals had twigged to the fact that here was a wonder-worker from God in their midst. They were ready to beg his help for every little problem they could find. Maybe Peter was thinking, "We've got it made, Master. These folks are ready to put us up for life. Let's just settle down, hang out our shingle, and swing into full-time business!"

But that's not the game plan Jesus received from the Chief Coach. Between the lines you can read Jesus saying, "No, not that." What the disciples heard him say was, "Let us go somewhere else -- to the nearby villages -- so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." Jesus wasn't going to give in to the temptation to turn miracles into a means of earning bread, or winning people's popularity. The miracles were just signs backing up his main message, the inbreaking of God's Kingdom through his person. He came to preach, to call people to turn to God themselves for in-depth salvation, not to create dependence by solving people's problems for them. That focused time of prayer had given him a renewed sense of purpose, a fresh awareness of God's specific calling about how to use one's limited resources.

Though today we celebrate all the wonderful good works World Development and Relief makes possible, Christ reminds us the heart of the gospel has to do with the spirit, not just the body. Just as crucial, probably MORE crucial, than feeding and sheltering people's bodies is giving them hope for their souls. Earlier we mentioned the extreme need in Sudan, that photo of the starved child. Did you know that the church is booming in that country? The Christian Education officer for the New Sudan Council of Churches says, "There's been a Christian explosion in Sudan...It's burning like fire in dry grass." There are nearly 7 million Christians today, compared to about 3 million in 1983 when the latest fighting broke out. So Christian aid groups such as World Relief and World Vision are helping the people of the area not only with agricultural assistance, health care, education, and small enterprise development, but also CHURCH development. Another Council representative says, "Ours is a suffering church, but it's a growing church. We may be weak, but we are strong in the Lord. We may be poor, but we are rich in God."

Tom Neven, who wrote the Focus on the Family magazine article, tells of his experience leading worship in a village in southeast Sudan. He says, "Afterward, several worshipers surrounded me. One was eager to show me the fine lines across his forehead, the ritual scarring distinctive of the Dinka. Another had a pattern of small dots across his brow, the ritual scarring of the Nuer tribe. There were also men from the Anyak and Kakwa tribes. The mixing of these different peoples is not to be taken for granted; the Dinka and Nuer...have been warring for generations, stealing each others' cattle, stealing children, killing each other at times. Now these men stress that they are all brothers in Christ."

Do you catch the significance of that? It is not relief supplies that has made the warring stop, but the gospel. Without the practical caring of relief, the gospel may not have been taken seriously; but when it is heard, accompanied by loving action, the preaching of Jesus is truly revolutionary. A new social order and cooperation are possible when people receive forgiveness in their lives and have an overflow of God's grace to extend to others. So much suffering in the developing world is caused not so much by environmental factors as by human factors -- "man's inhumanity to man". Both tribal differences overseas, and our own feelings of indifference or ineffectiveness toward those who are suffering, are transformed by the Holy Spirit's witness in our hearts that change is possible, the gospel backed up by our gifts does make a difference. Praise God, Christ's Kingdom coming in our midst by His word gives us hope -- and relief from compassion fatigue. Let us pray.

"Why Be Positive?" - Scout/Guide Week, Feb. 27/00 - 2 Samuel 23:11-17; Acts 4:32-5:2,9:36-42

Christianity shares many emphases with Scouting and Guiding, but a key emphasis is that of being positive. Being positive, redemptive, having something good to share with others. Jesus Christ was the most positive man that ever lived. Healing, kindness, and genuine love flowed out of him continuously. He wanted all people to discover that same positive blessing the Father is waiting to reveal to us. He said he had come that we might have life, and have it to the full, abundantly. (Jn.10:10)

There is so much negativism around in today's world, especially among the younger generation. Black is the colour of choice in fashion. The dark colour may reflect a dark attitude, pessimism about ever finding meaningful employment, about how the economy will ever support all those baby boomers when they try to get pensions; pessimism because so many parents are busy off working or playing with their toys that we've forgotten how to have a family life; pessimism because in the previous century we created an industrial monster that gobbles up resources and spews out pollution so fast, our whole planet is being permanently affected. It doesn't help that secularism has so invaded our public institutions that truth is viewed as relative rather than absolute, that evolution is treated as fact rather than wishful thinking, that immoral behaviour is so tolerated that not much seems to be worth protecting or living for anymore.

This negativism exacts a huge toll on our young people's lives. When there's not much to live for, or you feel unloved and unneeded, it's easy to give in to self-destructive behaviour. This may be a masked cry for help, to see if anyone will get excited enough to step in and stop it. Recently a news story featured a young man who took a couple of hits of a powerful drug in Winnipeg as part of the Y2K bash. Now he's had to have a liver transplant as a result, and will have to receive special medication the rest of his life. Then there are the silent killers: eating disorders, self-mutilation, the "respectable" self-poisoning of too much alcohol. Youths living for the thrill of the moment will take risks and often die as the result of car or snowmobile accidents. In urban areas, the loneliness and impersonal atmosphere get so bad that youths resort to gangs to find some sense of community; however these gangs breed their own brand of negativism, sometimes resulting in swarming or attacks on other people -- something the individual themselves would never do.

Why be positive? Christ calls us to fight evil wherever we find it, to counter the forces that would destroy people's bodies and souls. The Scout/Guide movement is a step in the right direction, along with our specifically Christian organizations like Sunday School, Explorers, and youth groups. Scouting gives youth at least 3 reasons to be positive, reasons that harmonize well with what the Holy Spirit endeavours to foster in believers' lives. These reasons are: (1) Respect for authority; (2) the rewards of self-discipline; and (3) the results of teamwork.

First, there is the emphasis on RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY. Each Scouting group's promise includes something like, "I promise to do my best to do my duty to God, and the Queen." God is honoured as someone to be obeyed and served, and the Queen is revered as the guardian of the laws and historical worth of one's country. Reverence for God is the starting point in the Judeo-Christian heritage: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." (Deut.6:4) Or as Jesus responded to Satan's temptations in the wilderness, "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." (Matt.4:10)

The spirit of independence and disorder of our age shouts, "I don't need to give in to anybody. I'm my own person. I don't need anybody else, I have a right to my own wants and freedoms." That's a good way to build chaos rather than community: everybody pushing and shoving to get their own way. Discovering the true meaning and value of life begins with worship, learning how to relate to God and others who are greater than us, and on whom we depend if we will admit it.

When I was an Akela or "Old Wolf" in a Cub group, the law was, "The Cub gives in to the Old Wolf, the Cub does not give in to himself." Learning and mentoring can take place when we acknowledge someone is wiser than ourself. This grows the virtues of obedience, submission, and a sense of honour within us as something for which to strive. Rather than getting cynical. There is a danger in having no "absolutes" in life: pretty soon, nothing is worth laying down your life for.

I love the story of David's 3 "mighty men" risking their lives to get a drink for him. The enemy Philistines were guarding David's hometown of Bethlehem. Out in the wilderness, stuck in a hot dry cave as a hideout, David with scarcely a thought breathed out a longing for some water from the well at Bethlehem - never thinking anyone would take it seriously. Just a yearning. Well, 3 of the chief men of David's band overheard him, and decided to do a little adventurous scouting of their own. They broke through the enemy lines and managed to bring back water from the well to David. They risked their lives, merely for a heartfelt wish of their beloved leader. As Christians, the Holy Spirit seeks to develop such a love and respect for Christ our King within us, a readiness to lay down our live for His wishes, just as Scouting seeks to inspire respect and obedience for God and the Queen.

A second reason to be positive comes from the results to be had from self-discipline. One of the gods of our age is the tube: the TV tube, Nintendo tube, computer tube. It's a very hot medium, now interactive with the advent of the computer game and DVD movies. But too often young people are left to sit and lose their souls in front of hours of programs and commercials. This tends not only to make us get out of shape, but also breeds general lethargy, and an attitude that demands, "Entertain me!" Scouting or Guiding helps kids uncover many abilities, whatever their area of giftedness. There are all kinds of badges, crafts, and skills to be learned. To manage a winter camp-out and survive builds a real sense of self-esteem, an appreciation for the abilities God has given the individual, a little less dependence on the "creature comforts" of modern society. One summer campout near Thessalon, I helped a group build a rope flyway: you held on to this pulley attached to a rope at the top of a hill, and went zooming down to the bottom. Great fun! And we made it ourselves! So the results of self-discipline pay off in diligence, self-control, and resourcefulness.

Shammah was one of David's mighty men. He disciplined himself to become a great warrior. We're told one time when everyone else was fleeing, Shammah staked out a field of lentils and determined to defend it to the death. As a result the Lord helped him win a great victory. God blessed his initiative.

Tabitha, or Dorcas, was a Girl Guide long before Lord Baden-Powell invented the term. Scripture tells us this believer in the ninth chapter of Acts "was always doing good and helping the poor". One of Scouting's objectives is to "do a good turn for somebody every day". When she died prematurely from sickness, and Peter had come, all the widows were standing around crying and looking at the robes and other clothing Dorcas had made. Shammah had busied his hand with the sword, but Dorcas was industrious with her sewing. She had made a positive contribution to those who were needy in her time. Perhaps partly as a reward, and to demonstrate the reality of the gospel in which Dorcas believed, God raised her back to life. He did her a "good turn" too.

The dedication and self-discipline of such believers had its reward: they made a mark on their society, through diligence, self-control, and resourcefulness. They knew God had a purpose and meaning for their lives. The theory of evolution hadn't grabbed them with its lie that humans are just slime scaled up a bit, that random chance and accident can somehow account for the tremendously organized and delicately balanced systems of DNA and biochemistry that make higher life forms possible. Shammah and Dorcas knew their Creator, that God had equipped them with certain talents for a purpose; and they found fulfillment in putting these skills to good use for God's glory.

A third reason to be positive is the results that come from teamwork. We live in a very individualistic, independent society. From pioneer days some choose to elevate the myth of the Lone Ranger, the self-guided man or woman who can manage on their own without help or interference from anyone else. We forget that the pioneers probably survived more because they learned to work together and co-operate, than by trying to tough it out alone. Stories still circulate of barn-raisings, threshings, bees, and community dances that made life in colonial times bearable. So in the Scouting movement we learn to take our turn and pitch in together on projects: rotating duty rosters at campouts, getting together to rake leaves or plant trees or pick up litter. Everything goes so much faster when we work together as a team.

That was the secret of the early church. Teamwork. The Holy Spirit within helped them realize they belonged to God because Christ had bought them back from sin; hence, they belonged to each other as well. Luke records, "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had." Those who had emergency need were provided from by the surplus of others. Barnabas, whose name means Son of Encouragement, was one who sold some extra real estate and entrusted it to the apostles to distribute to the poor. By contrast, Ananias and Sapphira thought they could lie to God and tried to trick the church leaders into believing they'd offered all the proceeds from the land they sold. Their fatal sin wasn't keeping back some of the money - they had every right to do that - but in pretending they were giving it all when really they weren't. They failed to accept the attitude of teamwork and co-operation that was so exciting in the early church, and impressing outsiders. They were trying to hold back for themselves instead of making a positive difference for others.

Recently on a live TV show a woman married a multi-millionaire named Rockwell. But apparently Mr.Rockwell is going to be up for grabs again. The woman who married him is seeking an annulment, saying all she really wanted was a nice weekend in Las Vegas! She hasn't discovered the joy and satisfaction that comes from fully giving yourself to someone else; she held back, and apparently was trying to trick God as well as her rich groom at the wedding. Jesus, on the other hand, tells us that we find our life by losing it in love for him and others. He poured his life into developing a team of apostles, then once he was no longer physically present, they were empowered by the Holy Spirit to carry on the Kingdom' program.

Why be positive? In Christ, we have a goal for our life; he supplies strength and guidance so we can keep our promises to him. As God's people we discover respect for authority, the rewards of self-discipline, and the results of teamwork. Michelle Akers is a world-class champion soccer player. Her team won the World Cup in 1999. But she has higher goals in life than just winning soccer games. She has started a ministry called "Soccer Outreach International" that combines her love for God and for soccer. She says, "After the 2000 Olympics, I'm going to retire and devote myself full-time to reaching kids for Christ. It's become my passion."

Michelle has other battles to fight than on the soccer field. She suffers from Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, which drains her energy and causes migraine headaches. At one point she was so sick she couldn't take a 5-minute walk without needing two days on the couch to recover. Her sickness forced her to spend a lot of time thinking about who she was, and she didn't like what she saw. She had received Christ in high school, but ignored God in college and after graduation. She accepted an invitation from her coach to attend his church. She knew she "needed to get things right with God". She explains, "Looking back, I think God was gently, patiently tapping me on the shoulder and calling my name for years. But I continuously brushed him off, saying, 'Hey, I know what I am doing. I can make these decisions. Leave me alone.' Then I think he finally said, 'Okay,' crossed his arms and looked at me sadly - because he knew I was going to make a lot of mistakes by ignoring him. He knew I would be hurting in the future. It took total devastation before I would acquiesce and say, 'Okay, God. You can have my life. Please, help me." She views her struggles as a wake-up call: "God was saying to me, 'Pay attention! This is important! Rely on me and I will give you what you need." She finally told God, "You can have this body. You can have this life. You can have me, because I've made a mess of everything."

Of the World Cup championship against China, she recalls finding comfort and courage in Christ's crucifixion and his temptation to evade his call. She says, "Like Jesus, I am sometimes tempted to take the easy way out. His courage to face the cross gave me courage to be faithful to the challenge and privilege God placed before me. I make it a habit to dedicate each game to a friend or family member by writing his or her name on the ankle tape around my socks. For the World Cup final, I simply wrote Joshua 1:9 on the tape. It reminded me to be strong and courageous because God is with me. If I wimp out or give less than my best, then I am disobeying God. My courage and strength come from him. If I am living out God's will and my body is totally thrashed, then even though I might not be getting up on the outside, I am still standing up in triumph on the inside."

Whether soccer players or armchair quarterbacks, Scouts or Guides, older women like Dorcas or young soldiers like David's mighty men, God's strength and purpose make the difference in our lives. Jesus helps us be positive in a tough world, for he has overcome. Let us pray.

"Listen to Jesus, Rise Above the Muddle" - March 5/00 Transfiguration - Mk.9:2-13 2 Cor.4:3-15

On a movie we watched recently, the family was in the habit of doing what they called "hi/lo": going around the supper table and saying what their high for the day was, or the low for the day. Does it seem to you that some days seem to have far more than their fair share of the lows? God's loving grace, distilled in Christ, helps transform those lows so they're not so bad.

Marijean is married to Steve Green, a Christian musician. She recalls an incident that took place when she was 12 years old, an age when children need to feel accepted and girls and boys are just starting to notice each other. She says, "One day during recess as I waited for my turn at a game of four square, a classmate named Rose came over to stand in line behind me. She proceeded to tell me that one of the boys in our class didn't like me because I had 'black teeth'. She didn't know that I had been sick as a child and the medicine prescribed for my asthma had caused my teeth to discolour and turn gray. Crushed in my spirit and trying to hide my hurt, I left school feeling angry, alone, and ugly.

"My mom greeted me at the door with her usual smile. 'Hello, honey. How was your day?' With head low I muttered, 'Fine,' then headed straight for the piano. She could always tell what mood I was in by the way I played. After allowing me to vent my frustrations on the keys, she lovingly sat me down on the couch and we talked. I cried as I expressed my hurt, and she responded tenderly with a promise: 'Your dad and I will do everything we can to make your smile just the way you want it, but I want you to know that you reflect a beauty that goes beyond any smile because you reflect Christ who is in you.' Her words planted hope within me."

Marijean's mother showed loving grace and understanding as she reassured her daughter. Sounds like something Jesus would do, turning a real negative "low" into a "high", by a promise to treasure forever. The transfiguration was like that, a real "high" for Jesus and the disciples, an expression of God the Father's reassuring value and care that turned all the lows around it into something worthwhile. The transfiguration was a real MOUNTAINTOP in the middle of a real MUDDLE giving a real MESSAGE which brings real MEANING to this madness.

First, it was a real MOUNTAINTOP. Peter James and John must have been excited to climb the peak and get some time alone with the Master, away from the hubbub and press of the crowd below. They would have become even more excited when Christ's clothes started to shine a brilliant white. (Wouldn't you be surprised if you were standing beside your friend when they suddenly started to glow!) The word in the Greek is "metamorphosis", like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly: some of the limitations of the earthly features of Jesus began to fall away and they were getting a glimpse of his true, glorified being.

Next, 2 strangers joined them out of thin air: strangers that turned out to be none other than Moses and Elijah. These were the two "heavyweights" of Old Testament revelation, one representing the books of the Law, the other, the Prophets. What more could one want? The disciples must have begun to think they'd got it all right here, they'd want to park right there at heaven's doorstep. Peter suggested they build 2 lean-tos, explaining, "It is good for us to be here." I guess! Who wouldn't give their eye teeth to have been there? Maybe Peter's mind was beginning to race with the possibilities. They could set up a souvenir stand - selling "glow-in-the-dark Jesuses". Perhaps they could run a hydro line and somehow tap into that mysterious power, then sell the current south of the border in Egypt. Or why not start a seminary? I can see it now: "Mountain Ministry of Metaphysics: All your toughest theological questions answered by the experts"...

But Peter hadn't noticed the sign stuck in the ground up there at the crest of the mountain. On the sign it said, "No overnight camping." Jesus did not have plans in any of those directions. We need occasional mountaintops, but our whole life can't be like that. God's design for growth involves lows as well as highs. Greenhouse Christians wouldn't stand up in the real world. If the spring weather keeps up, before long gardeners will be "hardening off" the transplants they start indoors. In "hardening off" plants are placed outdoors for increasing periods of time, giving them exposure to the cold and wind so they will survive when they're finally planted out. We can't camp on the top of the mountain with our favourite heroes for the rest of our life. God wants us to take what we learn up on the mountain back down to the valley.

You see, this mountaintop was in the middle of a real MUDDLE for Jesus and the disciples. The context is the suffering of humanity in general, and of Jesus in particular. As soon as they come down the mountain, they're met by a man whose son is ravaged by an evil spirit -- symbolic of all the sickness and distress around in Jesus' day, and our day. What is the particular context for Jesus? Right before, in chapter 8, he has just begun teaching the disciples what his Messiahship is all about. We find his first prediction that he must suffer many things and be rejected, killed, and rise again. What was he talking about with Moses and Elijah on the mountaintop? Matthew's account includes the detail that they were discussing "his departure which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem". Departure? Too nice a word for such a gory exit. And no sooner do they start down the mountain than Jesus is mentioning in verse 12 that "the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected." He was going to be outlawed and treated just as Elijah and John the Baptist had been mistreated. Of John he observed, "They have done to him everything they wished" - as far as imprisoning him and beheading him, and Jesus expected worse.

Throughout the ages the world is made uncomfortable by those who are holy and devout, and tries to undo them. Paul describes his missionary troubles to the Corinthians with phrases such as, "hard pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted, struck down...we carry around in our body the death of Jesus...death is at work in us." How'd you like that for a job description? Any volunteers? The world is in such a muddle, moral and otherwise, it can't stand goodness. Holiness is sour to sin, so sin tries to spit it out as fast as it can.

Nevertheless, before they head on their way, there is some special content from above, a real MESSAGE, injected into this whole situation. The disciples noticed a cloud enveloping them -- not unlike the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night that accompanied the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings. Then, more astounding, they heard a voice from the cloud. Does it strike you as strange that God the Father could make Himself heard by a voice? God communicates, that's part of our likeness to his image. God is not dumb or silent, but delights in revealing himself and his purposes. He who fashioned the ear and tongue can surely get a message across when he wants to -- whether the air particles actually vibrated in the process or not.

The voice that came from the cloud said: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" Then, just as quickly, Moses and Elijah vanished. It was the Father's way of taking a highlighter and singling out Jesus, His unique Son. In Him God was showing how much He loves us, is waiting to receive and bless us; in Jesus we see how the way of grace -- humility, servanthood, self-giving agape -- is far better than the world's way of selfish clamour, competition, and discontent. Here was God's dearly-loved Son walking among us, demonstrating what he preached about a forgiving, generous God who delights to bless His creatures.

What were those closing words? "Listen to HIM!" Rather than getting hung up on what Moses or Elijah said or left unsaid. This underlined the singularity of God's pulling-back-the-curtain in Jesus when it came to setting policy for Peter and the early church: the fact that the Holy Spirit anointed even Gentiles was more important than the burdensome legacy of Old Testament dietary and ritual laws. Jesus is the key to interpreting any Scripture: listen to Him first.

"LISTEN to Him!" There's a command to carry into Lent. To whom are YOU listening? Are you giving Jesus enough airtime in your consciousness? It's easy to become inundated with pleasurable media -- songs, movies, easy-listening programs, sitcoms, talk shows. These may anesthetize us from the struggle of life, for a little while; but they leave us ill-equipped to venture back into the fray. Maybe the programs we listen to draw us into mental lusting as we imagine what it would be like to live on easy street, in a big house, with the fast car, and a perfectly-built mate. If the Lord is prompting you to join the tradition of some churches in giving up something for lent, allow me to suggest you look long and hard at opting out of the TUBE and into the Bible (at least for a portion of your day). Listen to Jesus' Spirit whisper to you as you turn the pages of the book we otherwise "dust and trust". Therein you will find God's promises to help you cope with the stresses and problems that rush at us each day. Next week, the first Sunday in Lent, we'll be looking at Jesus' temptations in the wilderness. It was his remembrance of Scripture that helped him overcome Satan's temptations. So take that Bible off the shelf this week - or get a modern translation if you don't already have one - and "Listen to Him!"

Why do I bring this up? Did you know this was the one passage in all of Scripture that forbids TV? It's actually an obscure variant of the King James Version, Matthew 17:9: "As they came down the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, 'Tel-e-vision to no man...'"!

Seriously, this MESSAGE brings real MEANING to this madness in which we find ourselves down in the valley. Jesus did order them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. There was a danger that the news would be misunderstood. You see, following Christ is NOT an easy glory trip, these "highs" come to us once in a while so that we can cope with the "lows". Church is not meant to be an escape to "feel-good land", where warm fuzzies stimulate us while disconnected from the world of hurting neighbours we're put here to love. The glory is for those who, by God's grace, are prepared to go back down the mountain and serve others, even if it means entering their pain and hurt, even if we wind up rejected as a result of their fear, jealousy, or suspicion.

The memory of the mountaintop - of God's real expression of commitment and unconditional love, captured in the promises of Scripture, snippets of hymns, the sacraments, the handshake or hug of a brother or sister in Christ - the memory of the mountaintop gives us hope when times are tough. As the apostle Paul wrote, "God made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Christ." That relationship with the Father is ours when we turn to Jesus, His dear Son. Paul says this "all-surpassing power" is from God, so we are NOT crushed, in despair, abandoned, or destroyed. Yes, death haunts us, pursues us, indwells these failing bodies and faulty souls, but only so that through faith the life of Jesus is also being revealed in our body. Verse 11 repeats it in case you missed it the first time: "We who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, SO THAT his life may be revealed in our mortal body." That's our own transfiguration taking place, moment by moment, as we walk in the Spirit.

Someone has remarked: "Like plants and trees, we grow spiritually not only in sunshine, but in rain, wind, lightning, thunder, hail and, yes, even in the earthquake.In the adversity and darkness of our lives we sometimes see lights which were invisible to us when our lives were all sunshine."

Another shorter quote puts it this way: "A Christian is like a tea bag: he's not worth much until he's been through some hot water."

The transfiguration is not only for Jesus' benefit, but for yours and mine, whenever we know we're going to have to descend a mountainside. A real MOUNTAINTOP in the middle of a real MUDDLE gives a real MESSAGE which brings real MEANING to this madness.

In closing, here's a story from the book by Max Lucado featured in this week's Library News. Max writes:

"We have prayed for healing. God has not given it. But he has blessed us." Glyn spoke slowly. Partly because of her conviction. Partly because of her disease. Her husband, Don, sat in the chair next to her. The three of us had come together to plan a funeral -- hers. And now, with that task done, with the hymns selected and the directions given, Glyn spoke. "He has given us strength we did not know.He gave it when we needed it and not before." Her words were slurred, but clear. Her eyes were moist, but confident.

I wondered what it would be like to have my life taken from me at age 45. I wondered what it would be like to say good-bye to my children and spouse. I wondered what it would be like to be a witness to my own death. "God has given us peace in our pain. He covers us all the time. Even when we are out of control, he is still there."

It had been a year since Glyn and Don had learned of Glyn's condition -- amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). The cause and the cure remain a mystery. But the result doesn't. Muscle strength and mobility steadily deteriorate, leaving only the mind and the faith.

And it was the coming together of Glyn's mind and faith that caused me to realize I was doing more than planning a funeral. I was beholding holy jewels she had quarried out of the mine of despair. "We can use any tragedy as a stumbling block or a stepping-stone...I hope this will not cause my family to be bitter. I hope I can be an example that God is wanting us to trust in the good times and the bad. For if we don't trust when times are tough, we don't trust at all." Don held her hand. He wiped her tears. He wiped his own.

"Who are these two?" I asked myself as I watched him touch a tissue to her cheek. "Who are these, who, on the edge of life's river, can look across with such faith?" The moment was solemn and sweet. I said little. One is not bold in the presence of the sacred.

Let us pray. These words are from Richard Langford. "O God, give us enough trials to make us strong; enough vision and endurance to follow Your way; enough patience to persist when the going is difficult; enough of reality to know our weaknesses; and enough humility to know these gifts come from you." Amen!

"Why Worship?" - March 12/00 Lent 1 - Mk.1:9-15; Is.56:1-7,58:13-14

Why worship? Why are we here this morning? What is it we have come to church expecting, what's motivating us? Why not just stay home and snuggle under the covers an hour longer?

People come to worship for all different kinds of reasons. This results in churches which are very different, catering to each person's wants or needs. A humorous email someone forwarded to us this week describes the

TOP TEN WAYS YOU KNOW YOU'RE IN A "DIFFERENT" CHURCH

10. The church bus has gun racks.

9. The church staff consists of Senior Pastor, Associate Pastor and Socio-pastor.

8. They use the "Dr. Seuss Version" of the Bible.

7. There's an ATM in the lobby.

6. The choir wears leather robes.

5. Worship services are B.Y.O.S. -- "Bring Your Own Snake."

4. There's no cover charge, but communion is a two-drink minimum.

3. They have Karaoke Worship Time.

2. Ushers ask, "Smoking or non-smoking?"

And the number 1 way you know you're in a different church is:

1. The only song the organist knows is "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida."

No, we're not that kind of church - we're not here to handle snakes, or sing karaoke, or over-imbibe the communion wine. But just why are we here? Why worship?

William Willimon, Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University in North Carolina, says, "My first responses to the question are more questions. Why worship? Why kiss someone you love? Or, for that matter, why send roses, write sentimental poetry, attempt a moonlight serenade, or put on your best suit? This is all rather ridiculous, useless behaviour which, to an outside observer, would not seem to do anyone much lasting good. Of course, that's just the problem: an 'outside observer' can hardly judge the meaning or the appropriateness of the crude antics of lovers. It only makes sense, if sense be needed, to those who are actually in love...Worship is a countercultural activity in a hedonistic, auto-salvation-oriented, pragmatic, utilitarian society. It is scandalously 'useless'. Worship serves no more worthy purpose than the joy of being with the one who loves and is therefore loved. It ranks somewhere near the top of the list of other useless and purposeless activities such as singing songs, kissing, giving a gift without expecting one in return, sitting quietly with a good friend, or doing nothing but watching a winter sunset."

As for myself, besides Professor Willimon's response based on sheer love for God, here are four fundamental reasons to worship I find in Scripture: 1.God commands it; 2.God deserves it; 3.We need it; 4.God blesses us by it.

First, God commands it. Now let's realize before we get into it that this reason holds more weight with the WW2 generation than with boomers or busters. The reason "God commands it" is akin to the parent saying to the child, "because I say so". And boomers and busters are very skeptical of such an authoritarian approach. There is an element of fear involved here, the threat of painful consequences without a rationale backing up why they're warranted. But it is different with the designer of the universe than with any faulty, self-protective human institution. So let's consider seriously God's commands about worship before we dismiss them as unenlightened blustering.

Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 contain parallel accounts of the Ten Commandments, the very core of Jewish and Christian morality. The stone tablets recording these brief laws conveyed to Moses at Mount Sinai were carried around in the Ark of the Covenant wherever the nation went. In the Tabernacle then the Temple, these key instructions were preserved underneath the atonement cover in the holiest place of the building, the Holy of Holies. The fourth commandment reads, "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." In the passage in Exodus, fully 4 out of 16 verses, or one-quarter of the section on the Ten Commandments, is given over to emphasizing this important command. One day in seven was set apart as belonging to God, distinguished as meant for worship rather than work. Nehemiah berated the nobles for doing business on the Sabbath, saying (13:18), "What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the sabbath day? Did not your ancestors act in this way, and did not our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath." Zechariah (14:17) even says one consequence of not worshipping could be lack of rain.

The New Testament continues this emphasis on worship as a command of God. Hebrews 10:25 says, "Let us not give up meeting together...and all the more as you see the Day approaching." The closer we get to the Day of Christ's return and the Day of Judgment, the more important it is to have kept God's commands. Jesus himself re-emphasized God's command to worship in the temptation as recorded by Matthew when he says, "Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him." (quoting Deut.6:13) The context of that verse warns against following other gods, the gods of the peoples around, for Yahweh is a jealous God and following other idols would bring anger. If we're not worshipping, chances are we have decided to give our time to some other god, some idol of the culture such as sports or entertainment. Really, if you think about it, if you break the fourth Commandment you're also breaking Commands 1&2 - "no other gods" and not bowing down to or serving other gods. We're taunting the Lord by putting other idols before Him. The fact that it's a command makes it not optional.

But before you congratulate yourself for just coming weekly and warming a pew, listen to Martin Luther, the Reformer. He lumps together those who totally ignore this command along with those who come to church but don't pay attention. Luther wrote: "Since, therefore, so much depends upon God's word that without it no holy day can be sanctified, we must know that God insists upon a strict observance of this commandment, and will punish all who despise His Word and are not willing to hear and learn it...Therefore not only those sin against this commandment who grossly misuse and desecrate the holy day, as those who on account of their greed or frivolity neglect to hear God's Word or lie in taverns and are dead drunk like swine; but also that other crowd, who listen to God's word as to any other trifle, and only from custom come to preaching, and go away again and at the end of the year know as little of it as at the beginning." Humph! Lumping respectable church-goers in with the drunken pub crowd! But Luther is saying real worship requires attention to what God is saying to us. He concludes, "Know, therefore, that you must be concerned not only about hearing, but also about learning and retaining it in memory, and do not think that it is optional with you or of no great importance, but that it is God's commandment, who WILL REQUIRE OF YOU how you have heard, learned, and honoured His Word."

God commands our worship. In former generations that's all that would need to be said on the subject. But my generation and those after have been taught to question authority, we tend to rebel against just being told to do something. So let's look at some other reasons. Second, God deserves it. We "owe it to Him". He is WORTHY - that's the root word behind worship anyway, worth-ship. Jeremiah wrote (10:7), "Who should not revere you, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you." The Psalmist sang (18:3), "I call upon the Lord, who is WORTHY to be praised..." God not only made the world and all in it, he sustains us day by day, saving us from enemies. 1 Chronicles (16:29) urges us to ascribe to the Lord the glory DUE his name.

In the New Testament, Romans 1:20, the apostle Paul says people who neglect to glorify and thank God are without excuse because God's invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, are understood or obvious from what has been made. Besides honouring God as our Creator and Sustainer, we owe credit to Him as Redeemer on account of Christ's action dying for us and being raised for us. He bluntly told his disciples at the Last Supper, "DO this in remembrance of me." We owe God heartfelt worship because of Christ's complete self-giving for us, proving God's love for us at the expense of his own life. He loves us that much!

In a way, we can pity atheists - they must be the most frustrated people in the world, because whenever they get feeling grateful, they have no one to say thanks to! Believers know God deserves credit, so we worship.

Why worship? A third reason is, We NEED it. Physically, a day to worship offers welcome rest. In Exodus the rationale given for the fourth commandment is that God rested on the seventh day from the work of creation. In Deuteronomy the rationale is that the Israelites themselves suffered as slaves in Egypt, so should be especially conscious of making sure their own servants get enough rest. Martin Luther said we keep the fourth commandment "first of all for bodily causes and necessities, which nature teaches and requires; for the common people, man-servants and maid-servants, who have been attending to their work and trade the whole week, that for a day they may retire in order to rest and be refreshed." I do believe God honours and blesses businesses and farmers which give their workers Sunday off, as much as possible. We need the rest a day of worship provides.

But we also need it just as much spiritually. Worship helps us keep things in perspective; frankly, it keeps us from getting "too big for our britches", or overwhelmed by our current problems. Willimon notes that in our "Me Generation" the question behind "Why Worship?" is the more revealing "What's in it for me?" He says, "Christian worship is bound to be judged irrelevant in a culture that is unable to see beyond the limited confines of its own nose; that assumes that reality can be adequately described and experienced wholly within the self; that cannot see even the neighbour - much less God - because it is so busy looking at its own vaunted needs and self-authenticated truths; that values things, people, and experiences only for what they can give." In such a context, worship saves us from ourselves, from our own narrowness and selfishness. We need it to prevent over-inflation and subsequent puncture of the soul. As Willimon says, "What more revolutionary, subversive activity could one undertake in this 'Me Generation' than to be caught singing a doxology?"

We need it as well for protection from evil. In Ephesians 6, when Paul describes the whole armour of God, the only offensive item is the "sword of the Spirit" which is the Word of God. Worship centres on God's word, taking it into our hearts, applying it in our lives. Luther warned Christians, "Still you are daily in the dominion of the devil, who ceases neither day nor night to steal unawares upon you, to kindle in your heart unbelief and wicked thoughts against the foregoing and all the commandments. Therefore you must always have God's Word in your heart, upon your lips, and in your ears. But where the heart is idle, and the Word does not sound, he breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware." Worship is to the Christian what VirusShield is to a computer in a virus-infected internet culture. It gives us ongoing protection from harmful thoughts and temptations.

Finally, God BLESSES US by it. In Exodus 16, God promised to provide enough manna to last for 2 days each week instead of just one if the Hebrews respected His Sabbath. Isaiah relays God's promise in 58:14: "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." Jesus promised in Luke 11(28), "Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it." God designed the universe to work best around his principles and commands: if we follow his recipe, things will generally come out better than if we ignore it. Paul told the Colossians (3:16), "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." Doesn't that sound great? Worship becomes a real blessing, it gives Christ's message and teaching opportunity to plant gratitude and wisdom within us. And Hebrews 10:25 reminds us that "encouraging one another" is a chief part of worship, we build each other up just by being here, and conversing together.

Very quickly, you can see some benefits of worship in the story of Jesus' baptism, temptation, and launch into ministry from Mark 1. In the ritual or ceremony (vv.9,10), Jesus RECONNECTED with God, heaven was torn open, worship ushers us into the realm of God's Spirit. Verse 11, the voice (God's word heard in worship) REASSURES us of God's unconditional love. "You are my dearly loved child..." God is pleased with our worship, our seeking to spend time with him in faith. Verses 12,13 briefly mention being tempted in the wilderness: Worship REINFORCES us against evil's testing. Jesus was empowered to resist Satan's offers because he had God's word hidden in his heart. He would quote, "The Scripture says..." etc. Even the Son of God didn't try to make up arguments against the devil on the spot, but relied on God's revealed truth which had been ingrained in him through study and his custom of weekly synagogue attendance. Verse 14, worship RECOMMISSIONS us for ministry to others: despite the fact that John had been thrown in prison and danger was great, Jesus began preaching in Galilee. And verse 15, worship helps us REFOCUS on God's "good news" Kingdom.

This section we can sum up in the words of the 1944 United Church Catechism. One question asks, "What benefits flow from common worship?" The answer: "If we worship God regularly and devoutly, we shall receive strength to follow Christ with willing loyalty, and we shall partake of the vigour and joy of the whole fellowship in heaven and in earth."

The recent devastating floods in Mozambique provide a surprising example of the place of worship in keeping us connected to God through tough times. Bill and Karen Butt in a recent letter describe taking a layette or kit of clothes and things for a new baby to a couple named Abel and Carlota. This couple had lost their house in the flood, and Carlota had given birth to their fourth son in the crowded emergency centre at a school. In return for the gift of the layette, they extend the privilege of naming their new son to the Butts and their colleague from the Christian Council of Mozambique. Now notice what happens immediately after. Two "aunties" from the neighbourhood lead a naming prayer in the local language, and they sing a verse of South Africa's anthem, "God bless Africa", followed by a short spontaneous dance with the parents and cousins and CCM folk and all the neighbours on the damp mud floor. They worship!

Bill and Karen conclude, "We don't know why calamities like these floods must come. Meteorology can say how, but theology can't say why. We don't know what the future may bring for [the baby boy]. Abel has no job, they have no house, they having nothing but their faith and four sons now to feed. But we do know that in one small space a family, a neighbourhood, a tiny community is pushing on in the middle of disaster."

In worship we are reminded of and celebrate God's promises to never leave us nor forsake us, Christ's word that where two or three gather in his name, there He is present too. And that knowing keeps us going. Let us pray.

"Faith - not Luck - Hits the Jackpot" - March 19/00 2nd in Lent - Gen.17:1-8,15-16 Rom.4:13-25

"Good luck!" someone says. They mean well, but do they know what they're saying? Our society seems obsessed with this thing called luck. People routinely head off to the casinos at Rama or Las Vegas. Lottery tickets are inescapable when you go to pay at a convenience store. I walk into a bank and a sign suggests I try winning a vacation by using my credit card. Visiting a local store this past week, I could hear the radio broadcasting away - some woman supposedly telling another's future by reading tarot cards. What the devil has gotten into us?

I was brought up short myself nearly 20 years ago when I mentioned the word "luck" and Major Fred Crowhurst, a staunch Brit who at that time was treasurer of the Salvation Army in Congo, told me flat-out that there was no such thing as luck. Was he right?

The short answer God's Word gives us is yes. Luck is a pagan concept, misfortune is a condition of our fallen world. God's game plan is to bless us, not keep us guessing. Faith is the winning combination that opens up God's promises to us and escorts us into the real blessing of being Christ's.

"Luck" is a pagan concept. The word comes from Latin and Greek roots, not from Scripture. "Luck" and "chance" were very popular words in the Greco-Roman world. The Greeks were always ascribing things to the Fates, those women who sat at their spinning wheel in heaven and, when their thread broke, broke the life of some poor mortal here on earth. Homer said our lives are mere playthings of the gods.

The Bible presents a better scenario, saying God is in control. God's name in Hebrew, Yahweh, implies God is the God of all being, the God of what is and what will be. Yahweh makes things happen - within the limits imposed by granting his creatures freedom. In Genesis 17 God says to Abraham, "I am God Almighty...I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will increase your numbers...You will be...I have made you...I will make you...I will, I will, I will..." God is very clearly the determining force here, Abraham's life is going to be impacted by God's decisions, promises, and power to intervene. There is no mention of luck, or of chance; but of Yahweh, God Almighty, El Shaddai, Elohim - the one true God.

So if God is good, where do all the bad happenings come into the picture? Who threw the wrench into the works? Our Basis of Union holds that God made us "free and able to choose between good and evil, and responsible to [our] Maker and Lord." Being free, we were real agents, our actions were significant not just puppetry. The Basis continues, "We believe that our first parents, being tempted, chose evil, and so fell away from God and came under the power of sin, the penalty of which is eternal death...by reason of this disobedience, all [people] are born with a sinful nature, we have broken God's laws..." The world is no longer perfect because its inhabitants are imperfect. So-called "bad luck" is just a condition of our fallen world, a world subjected to "frustration" as Paul puts it in Romans 8; a world in bondage to decay, groaning in the pains of childbirth. A "bent" world in which a couple like Abram and Sarai can reach nearly 100 years of age without being able to conceive a child.

The life insurance industry would tell us that very little happens to us by mere chance. Actuaries are hired by insurance companies to predict how and when each of us will die, how many children we will conceive, etc. From an actuarial point of view, there is not much room for chance or luck. Until Jesus comes back, our mortality rate will always be 100%!

Science also questions the notion of luck. Albert Einstein (who knew a thing or two about the cosmos) said, "I don't believe God plays dice with the universe." A scientist noted it is ironic that we speak of "chaos theory": if a phenomenon is coherent enough to have a theory about it, it's really not chaotic, but discernible, patterned, even predictable. Pascal wrote that science shows there are certain laws of probability, but never anything in the world that could be called chance. Over a long enough period, when processes are repeated, patterns appear. When we observe the natural world, there does appear to be a kind of randomness. But keep watching and you'll see patterns even in the randomness. Flip a coin 100 times, and it's not by luck that half the time it will come up heads and half tails. There are rules for randomness, rules called probability.

Even the gaming industry will tell you there's no such thing as luck. The person playing a slot machine in a casino may think he's going to have "good luck". But those who build and finance the casinos don't believe in luck at all! Millions of dollars aren't invested on something as intangible as luck. No, they can tell you exactly, down to the cent, what your chances are of winning. They can tell you exactly what they will earn from your dollars played in their casino. When you win it is not by "luck" but by definite, predictable laws of probability. In casinos, the only people dumb enough to believe in luck are the customers!

But there is another game plan - God's way. The Lord did not build the universe like some grand-scale casino, just to "milk" us. No; God's game plan, His basic intention, is to BLESS us. Yahweh pledges to Abram back in Genesis 12: "I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.I will bless those who bless you...and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Look in 17:16 at God's promise for Sarah: "I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations..."

God wants to bless us! That's his purpose right through the Bible. What's Jesus begin the Sermon on the Mount with? Beatitudes, or "blessings"! Peter tells people after the resurrection, "And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, `Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.' When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways." Paul's theme in Romans 4 is the blessedness of those whose sins are forgiven, Gentile or Jew. To the Corinthians he writes, "God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance." (2Cor.9:8) He tells the Ephesians (1:3), "God has BLESSED us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Shake off your notion of God as some arbitrary deity amusing him or herself by playing with our lives, or snipping the thread of our existence short just on a whim. That's the pagan view. God's overall plan and will is to save and bless those who turn to him, just as he blessed Sarai and Abram, just as Jesus was a blessing to those who knew him. Why gamble on luck when you could be a winner with God instead?

Now don't get me wrong. This does not mean you're going to wake up tomorrow with a Winnebago in your driveway, or whatever you want. The blessing God wills for us is to come to be conformed to his Son Jesus, indwelt by the Holy Spirit. It's not about money or material goods (though your stewardship will improve). Jesus could even say, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven..." It's not about earthly toys. In Galatians 3:14 Paul says, "He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, (now what's he mean by that??) - so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." Prizes exist in the material realm, but blessing is something that's in the realm of your spirit, your soul, that deep-down core of you where God longs to reside and be in touch.

How did Paul say we receive it? "By faith." Faith hits the jackpot as far as God's concerned. Faith in Christ is the winning combination in heaven's game show. And God guarantees it will work 100% of the time! In Genesis 22 (17,18) Abraham has a test, a real opportunity to demonstrate his faith when God asks him to be prepared to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Because Abraham doesn't withhold his boy, God intervenes to save the child of promise, and reiterates, "I will surely bless you...through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed."

In Romans 4:13, how does Paul say Abraham received the promise that he would be heir of the world? Not through law, but through the righteousness that comes by - FAITH. Verse 16, the promise comes by faith. Next verse, Abraham is our father in the sight of God, "in whom he believed": notice the ending of verse 17, very important - "the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." Yahweh is the One who makes things happen. Blessing comes not through our own piddly effort but by connecting with the Master Designer's great plan and power.

There's a little phrase we use when we want to describe something as nearly impossible, something that pushes the limits of probability. The phrase I'm thinking of is, "Against all odds." The secular person would say you were very lucky if something happened in your favour "against all odds". Now look at Romans 4:18. The NIV translates Paul's phrase "against all hope" - quite similar to "against all odds"; literally Paul's saying "Past hope in hope, Abraham believed." It was a most unlikely thing - who would have dreamed that a 90-plus-year-old couple could conceive and have a healthy child? In their own capacity, Sarah and Abraham were "as good as dead" as Paul puts it. But Abraham didn't waver in unbelief, but was fully persuaded God had power to do what He promised; he was fully convinced, assured, it was a "done deal" as far as Abraham was concerned.

Perhaps you doubt your own salvation from time to time. It's not that uncommon; many people throughout history have wondered if they had done something so bad they could never be forgiven. Perhaps you feel ashamed, no good, maybe others have pounded it into your soul that nobody could ever love you, not even God. But it's just the Accuser whispering in your ear. No sin is too big for the cross to handle. The church is a hospital for sinners, not a fashion show for the holy. Jesus said he came not to call righteous people, but sinners to repentance; not to condemn the world, but to save it; to seek and to save what was lost. He came for you. And we have God's solemn promise that if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jn.1:9) Let God do the clean-up job, but never doubt that He loves and wants you as His dear child! Meditate on these promises, be strengthened in your faith, and give glory to God rather than give ground to the one who would make you grovel. The Holy Spirit helped Paul see that Abraham is our father, our pattern in faith. Abraham believed God, who credited this to him as righteousness. Paul says (v.24) God will credit that same sense of trusting by us, when we believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. God didn't set up a casino in the sky, He offers heaven as a "sure thing" to those who will receive his Son. That was God's game plan, his economy or scheme of salvation; as Paul puts it, Jesus "was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification", our being "put right" with God. That's the real jackpot!

In John 11, Martha and Mary were two sisters who faced a challenge to faith similar to that confronting Abraham and Sarah. Their dear brother Lazarus had died prematurely. When Jesus finally arrived, he challenged Martha to stretch her faith, saying, "Your brother will rise again." She responded, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." But Jesus meant something different. He declared, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Just as God assured Abraham that he could overcome the deadness of the couple's reproductive organs, Christ was telling Martha he too had the power, not only to heal Lazarus before he died, but also to restore her brother to life there on the spot. This prize required her to put her faith in Jesus. Oswald Chambers writes: "Martha believed in the power at the disposal of Jesus Christ, she believed that if He had been present He could have healed her brother; she also believed that Jesus had a peculiar intimacy with God and that whatever he asked of God, God would do; but she needed a closer personal intimacy with Jesus. Martha's programme of belief had its fulfillment in the future; Jesus led her on until her belief became a personal possession, and then slowly emerged into a particular inheritance - 'Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ...'

"To believe is to commit. In the programme of mental belief I commit myself, and abandon all that is not related to that commitment. In personal belief I commit myself morally to this way of confidence and refuse to compromise with any other; and in particular belief I commit myself to Jesus Christ, and determine in that thing to be dominated by the Lord alone. When I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and He says to me, 'Do you believe this?' I find that faith is as natural as breathing, and I am staggered that I was so stupid as not to trust Him before."

So let's have no more of wishing each other "good luck" or pretending things depend on chance. Instead say, "God bless," or "I'll be praying for you," or "May the Lord be with you" (if that doesn't sound too much like Star Wars!). God's game plan is to bless us, so much as possible in the confines of this sin-sickened sphere. Faith is the winning combination that opens up God's promises to us and escorts us into the real blessing of being Christ's. Let us pray.

"God's House: in Church and in Me" - Jn.2:13-25 Rom.8:9-17

What do the words "God's house" mean to you? Do you think of a church building? A stately cathedral? What about - a person?

Lately Presbytery has had me supervising the Belgrave Pastoral Charge while they're without a clergyperson. This particular supervision is more interesting than some because one of the points on the charge, Calvin-Brick, a small country church about 5 miles southwest of Wingham, is closing. The congregation decided that the small attendance just didn't justify the needed repairs to the building. We've held congregational meetings, involved Presbytery, and now the final service is set for April 9, followed by an auction later that month and the demolition of the building.

This whole process reminds one of the loaded meanings attached to church buildings and property. Do we offer the communion set back to the donor or to the other point on the pastoral charge? Why would it seem sacrilegious to hold the auction immediately following the final worship? What uses would or wouldn't be appropriate for such a building in its next life? And - that mysterious question that's been nagging the community of faith for centuries - just what IS the appropriate way to dispose of old hymn books?

Clustered around church property issues is a whole cloud of subliminal, shrouded associations we've unconsciously soaked up ever since our parents first told us not to run in the aisles and we wondered if heaven was a place where one could play. Our Anglican forebears would refer to this as "the house of the Lord" and even bless material things like manger scenes. My first church home, Roy's Church between Staffa and Fullarton, closed when I was 12 then was turned into a gift studio. This scandalized some people, but I kind of like to drive by and still see it there, same pattern as Walton. What is it about a church building that's different? When does reverence for the material and tradition cross the line and become unhealthy superstition?

Jesus' statements around the clearing of the temple in the second chapter of John suggest there are a couple of ways in which we can talk about "God's house". One is, the Church as God's house. The other is, God's house in me.

First we'll consider the Church as God's house. Picture the temple at the time of the Passover when Jesus arrived. Crowds thronged the courtyards: many had made the pilgrimage to the Holy City for this holy time in the Jewish year. Furthest to the west was the central building, the temple proper where priests offered sacrifices and once a year the High Priest entered the curtained-off portion known as the Holy of Holies. Around the temple and down 12 steps was the Court of the Priests, with the altar of burnt offering. Around that was the Court of Israel, accessible to all Jewish males, who had a good view of the sacrifices when they were being offered. Outside a cross wall to the east was the Women's Court, where women and men were permitted and which had 13 offering-chests for temple expenses. Outside another stone wall 6 feet high was the Court of the Gentiles. This was not considered holy ground, so buying and selling were permitted. Imagine the din and the smell as buyers and sellers haggled over prices of doves, sheep, and cattle; money-changers convinced visitors they did in fact have to pay the outrageous exchange rates for Jewish coinage, a trade that is estimated to have netted the priests some $300,000 a year; and animals did whatever animals do when they're stressed, thirsty, and hungry. More like a stockyard than a place of worship!

Into this madhouse strode Jesus Christ, with a whip in his hands and a determined look on his face. Jerome says: "A certain fiery and starry light shone from his eyes and the majesty of Godhead gleamed in His face." He cleared the whole mess, he did: animals and coins and all. Suddenly it got very quiet. To the astonished sellers he exclaimed, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" In Mark's account, he says they have turned what was supposed to be a "house of prayer" into a "den of robbers".

"My Father's house." Jesus is obviously referring to the temple itself. Two initiatives or long-range plans of God were guiding Jesus' actions that day. The first initiative was God's plan from centuries past to draw all people to Himself when Jesus was lifted up (John 12:32). God had prophesied through Isaiah concerning foreigners: "these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." God's plan in Christ was to break down the dividing walls, so not only priests, but men and women, boys and girls, Jews and non-Jews, - EVERYBODY could come to him in prayer, in relationship. Praise the Lord, in Christ not only our sins are forgiven when we confess them, but all the barriers of race and sex and age and class are overcome by God's cords of love, reaching out to everyone in the world. Clearing the courtyard of noisy animals and greedy moneychangers was not only an immediate improvement Jesus made in the foreigners' worship experience; it was symbolic of the way he would drive away every barrier Satan could try to erect between us and our Saving God.

God wants us in His house, He enjoys our worship, He seeks for it to be an undistracted experience. So, in one sense, this church building (like others) is God's "house". We as His people need to not only come and enjoy him, we also need to offer public space for worship (as long as we can in this country). Space that is conducive and accessible for worship.

The objective is to provide space. That may mean enlarging or changing facilities if needed. Saddleback church in California used 79 different facilities in their first 15 years as they grew to 10,000 members. They often said Saddleback was the church you could attend - if you could find them! They used to joke that this was the way they attracted only really smart people. Pastor Rick Warren says, "The shoe must never tell the foot how big it can grow." May God help us get the message out and grow to the point we have a seating problem!

So if this is the Father's house, we have an obligation to provide public space for worship. We also would want to avoid putting barriers in people's way as did the sheep-sellers and money-changers. On the one hand, opportunistic churches can fall into the trap of profaning religion by retail relicry -- trying to make a buck off their enterprise. I enjoyed the Martyrs' Shrine at Midland some time ago, but it starts to get trivialized by the sight of too many souvenirs for sale at the conveniently located gift shop right next door. Closer to home, I want to support the Mission & Service Fund, but don't want to overemphasize the Minute for Mission to the point that it seems a demand. Some churches just have a box at the back for offering rather than passing the plate, wanting newcomers not to feel they're unwelcome if they didn't happen to bring money with them, or are economically challenged. We want the emphasis to be missionary, not mercenary.

With their carefully designed temple system, the Jerusalem elite controlled who got how close to the height of the action. One wonders if the view was as overwhelming as the smell from the Court of the Gentiles! Who, say, might we unwittingly be discouraging by our protocols of worship? Is our dress code flexible enough to welcome those of lower income levels, or whose tastes are different from ours? Do we grumble if someone new takes our favourite pew? Is the ritual explained enough so that someone just in off the street can understand what's going on? Are our music styles varied enough to intrigue both the Country and Western and the pop or rock music fan? Do our services demand that a person have an extremely good sense of seeing, or hearing? Some churches have installed infra-red transmitters and headsets so people can adjust the sound to the level they need. Would you sit as long in our pews as in a theatre or bucket seat? And what about people who have trouble climbing stairs? Yes, it is wonderful to be in God's house; but let's remember God's intention is for all nations, all kinds of believers, to come together in it for prayer.

But there's another aspect to the phrase "God's house" than just a building of bricks and wood. God wants His house to be in you and me, too! Jesus' overturning of the coin-dealers' tables was not nearly as upsetting or revolutionary as what he said later when his opponents demanded of him what sign he could give to prove his authority to do these things. Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." They misunderstood him to mean Herod's temple, and got quite defensive. Hadn't this magnificent building, 150 feet high and just as wide, built of gleaming white marble and gold, been in process for 46 years? In fact although started in 20 BC, it wouldn't be completed until 64 AD. Josephus reports that in some cases a single stone was 37 feet long, 12 high and 18 wide. That's a colossal chunk of rock! On one occasion even the disciples were exclaiming to Jesus, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"

Jesus would never have made it as a tour guide for he responded, "Do you see all these great buildings? Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." And he was right. In 70 AD, only six years after it was completed, the Romans tore it to the ground. They even pried the stones apart to get the gold leaf that had melted off the roof when they burned it. The glorious temple of Herod was reduced to a pile of rubble.

God's really not into building polished edifices; God's into building people. Hear again Jesus' words: "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." He wasn't talking about Herod's temple at all, but as John records, "The temple he had spoken of was his body." God's second grand initiative we see here is to turn PEOPLE into walking TEMPLES. Jeremiah (31:33) prophesied that God's new covenant would involve God writing his laws on people's minds and hearts. God's shekinah glory may have filled the tabernacle of Moses and Solomon's temple when they were set up, but Joel (2:28) foretold that God would pour out His Spirit on all people, male and female, young and old - unlike the temple fences separating various categories from getting too close to the action. Peter quoted Joel to explain what happened at Pentecost, the church's birth-day, when the Holy Spirit came and indwelt those who believed in Jesus. Paul told the Romans in 8:9f, "The Spirit of God lives in you...Christ is in you...You received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, 'Abba, Father'." Whereas the Old Testament spoke of the Holy Spirit coming UPON people, in the New Testament he comes right INSIDE. Paul puts this most clearly in 1Corinthians 6:19 when he says, "Your body is a TEMPLE of the Holy Spirit."

Do you see God's long-range plan? It is good to worship God together at his house "out there", the church building. But Christ's vision is for each believer to realize my BODY is a living temple. Religion is no longer something that happens just "out there", but also "in here". It is a matter of personal relationship, one-on-one, very intimate; God loves us dearly as individuals as well as corporately. Giving your life to Jesus is the key to a magical makeover that changes your person from a hovel of hurt to a palace for a loving, true, never-failing king.

Having God's house "in me" entails both privilege and obligation. On the privilege side, now we can worship God anywhere! Jesus hinted at this when he told the Samaritan woman it wouldn't be a matter of deciding to worship either at the mountain in Samaria or the temple in Jerusalem; instead, people would "worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." Isn't that exciting? God actually SEEKS your worship! And you don't have to make a long pilgrimage trek to do it - Jesus suggested we just close our door, and pray to our Father in secret. No middlemen, no grabby moneychangers or slaughter of innocent animals: Jesus has prepared the way for you right to the Father's throne.

Along with the privilege, there is an obligation. If God's house is ME, our personal upkeep is not something to take lightly. What's cluttering the temple of my life? What braying of oxen or clamour of bargainers is distracting my soul from a free and open interchange with the Father? What attractions or resentments are putting up walls that would separate us, keep us distant from the Holy of Holies like the partitions in Herod's temple? Let's begin by making sure God is at the centre. E Stanley Jones wrote: "Christ is Lord, not you. This is the crucial step. If you slur this over, then nothing will come out right. And the step is simple. Everyone goes into the shrine of the heart and bends the knee to something; something has the place of supreme allegiance. Some bow the knee to what others will say. They look around before they act. They don't act; they only react. Their god is public opinion. [The phrase] 'Everybody does it,' decides it for them.

"Others bend the knee to themselves. Self-interest is supreme. Their first reaction is: How will that affect me? Their god is self. We could name others: money, sex, ambition, fear - any one of these may be the centre of allegiance. Everybody bends the knee to something. If so, I choose -- I choose Christ. I am not God; He is! I whisper the inner consent, the consent of abdication. He commands; I obey. From this moment I do not belong to myself. I let go the one thing I won -- myself. I am free from self-domination; I choose Christ-domination. I let go at the centre."

Once that issue of surrender is settled, yielding control to let Jesus run your life and be the focus in the temple of your person, other things follow. Behaviour is affected. Study 1 Corinthians 6 where Paul describes our bodies as temples and you'll find the context is all about our actions. Christians are not to be sexually immoral, thieves, greedy, drunkards, slanderers, or swindlers -- because we're temples, we're not to let wickedness of any form master us. Paul tells them point blank, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Check yourself this week: ask, "Would this conversation, this TV program, this behaviour, belong in church? And if it wouldn't belong in church, what am I doing bringing it into the temple of my own being?" Clear the clutter! Take a whip and drive out the encroachers that are interfering with what could be a more intimate walk with God!

And what was the original temple for? God wanted it to be "a house of prayer for all nations." Is our personal life a "house of prayer"? Paul urges us to pray without ceasing, to give thanks in ALL circumstances. How can we make our day-to-day life more of a living temple experience?

William Parker and Elaine St.Johns in their book "Prayer can change your life" suggest ten steps: 1.Pray the last thing at night before going to sleep. 2.Pray the first thing in the morning. 3.Pray for the world. 4.Pray for others. 5.Pray for our enemies. 6.Ask ourselves daily what we truly desire. 7.Each day try at least once to be consciously WITH people (or one person). 9.Determine daily in one specific area to affect your environment instead of reflecting it. 10.Each day say a definite NO to some activity, and a definite YES to another.

It is great to be able to come and worship God together in this building - the Church is our Father's house. It's even more exciting to realize "God's house" is also in ME. Church buildings like Calvin-Brick can be built and sold and demolished, but true spirituality means you won't sell out yourself to anyone but Christ. He only wants to keep on building you personally! And when he's through clearing the junk out of your courts, you'll find other people will be much more attracted to you, too. Even the air around you will seem to smell fresher! Let us pray.

"Lessons to be Learned" - Funeral of Mary Kathleen Holland - April 12, 2000 Psalm 78:1-7 Titus 2:1-15 John 13:1-5,12-17

The Psalmist cried out, "O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth." Life is full of lessons to be learned. The world is a classroom, if we are but receptive.

Jesus was primarily a teacher during his ministry; "Rabbi" they called him. As we approach Easter, it's appropriate that we remember Jesus' final acts with his disciples the night before he was crucified. He accepted the title "Teacher" by which he was called. He even did some teaching that last evening, setting forth an object lesson, a demonstration, by washing the disciples' feet. He said, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you." Jesus was a teacher to the very end, wanting his followers to learn the lesson of loving servanthood. He promised we would be blessed if we learned to help one another in humble ways. He went on the next day to give us the supreme lesson, dying on the cross in our place for our sins so we might be forgiven and receive eternal life through faith in him. After his death and resurrection, the apostles looked back on his life and recalled many teaching stories and analogies he'd used to try and get the message of God's kingdom across in a way they could remember. He is our Primary Teacher as well as our Saviour.

For a good portion of her life Mary was a teacher too, an extremely dedicated one. She attended Stratford Teacher's College, then taught in several small country schools. Between 1949 and 1971 she taught here at Blyth Public School, from which she retired. Who knows how many lives she influenced for good throughout the course of her career?

But Mary's lessons were not just confined to the classroom. We can see in retrospect that she was also teaching us about the life of faith. She was a very active member of Blyth United Church, serving in the UCW and Stewards. She capitalized on her vocational skills by also teaching Sunday School. It was very important for her that her lessons be adequately prepared. She sought to do what the Psalmist talked about: "We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born..." What is the value in teaching our children how to drive and cook and make money if we don't also teach them what's worthy living FOR, what are the ultimate values in life? And Mary didn't just talk about these things, she lived them, reading her Bible and exercising a deep faith in God.

Besides the school of faith, there is the school of family: one of the most demanding classrooms because these are the people who know us best. We have the choice to either get on each other's nerves or wash each other's feet, refreshing one another in kindness and caring. Mary chose the latter. There was close sharing with her daughters. She loved her grandchildren dearly, and was never too busy to play cards, go to the park, or read them a story. She employed her imagination and creativity in making up stories about a character named "Minnie". And she would just beam when watching her great-grandchildren play.

We can learn a lesson too from the closeness Mary and sister Ollie shared. There is a stack of evidence in the letters and photographs Ollie sent to Mary when in the nursing home over the weeks and years. Phone calls kept them in touch as well. How many sisters do you know that could stay up til the wee hours of the morning playing Canasta (and remain on good terms)?

Last, we can learn a lesson from Mary in the school of fun. I understand she had a terrific sense of humour. Hers was a sunny, benevolent disposition, extremely giving, always seeing the good in people rather than being condemning. The staff at Seaforth Manor are to be commended in caring for her, but she was probably one of their easier residents to deal with; even in that restricted setting she was contented and happy. I believe Mary's attitude had a lot to do with her deep-down, sincere trust in God. Paul writing to Titus about what he should be teaching the early church noted the HOPE that is ours in Christ. He said, "For the grace of God that brings salvation...teaches us...to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who 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." We who give our lives to Jesus can be positive in our attitude, even while washing others' feet, because Jesus' own love moved him to give himself for us. Now we can have hope that the grave is not the end: while we await Jesus' return with those who loved him in the past, we are empowered by God's strength to be eager to do what is good. Here is the best lesson of all, learning to be a blessing to others because God in Christ has already richly blessed us. His Spirit can help our own disposition to be sunnier, involved and caring like that of our Lord and Teacher.

Some of the lessons Mary learned early in life went down a long way, especially poems. Even when her mind started to go towards the end, Ollie could get her to finish the lines of poems she'd start on the phone. I'd like to close with one about leaves settling down for their winter nap. Though it's April on the calendar, with the snow outside this shouldn't be too hard to picture! Instead of wind and leaves, take this as an analogy for God's Spirit beckoning our loved ones away for a little while until the spring of our Lord's return. (Psalm 104:29,30)

"'Come, little leaves,' said the wind one day

'Come o'er the meadow with me and play.

Put on your dresses of red and gold

Autumn has come and the days grow cold.'

Soon as the leaves heard the wind's loud call

Down they came fluttering, one and all.

Over the brown fields they danced and flew

Singing the soft little songs they knew.

Soon fast asleep in their leafy beds

The snow laid a coverlet over their heads.

Into dreamland they quickly went...

Winter had come and they were content."

"My God, Why? Yet..." - Good Friday April 21/00 - Ps.22 Is.52:13-53:12

Jesus called out in torment, "My God, my God, why...?" Why the cross? Why, indeed? Does an intelligent, advanced, sophisticated culture like ours need it any more? The further we get removed from an agricultural way of life in which people's lives depend on livestock, the more hardened our consciences get as news reports and subtly makes more acceptable weird or immoral behaviour, the more people question what Jesus had to suffer for. In an increasingly secular society, doubt grows about the value of the cross. Leif Vaage, professor at Emmanuel College in Toronto, states that current theologian Marcus Borg does not view the historical Jesus' death as inherently necessary. The professor observes, "Borg and others...reject the sacrificial - substitutionary - theory of humankind's atonement with God through Jesus".

Jim Taylor is not a lettered professor, but he has been influential in the United Church as publisher of the Whole People of God Sunday School curriculum along with Ralph Milton. Yet even he seems to be questioning the value of the traditional understanding of what happened at the cross. In the April Observer's Front Page article, Taylor suggests the United Church should give itself a gift for its 75th Anniversary, namely jettison the 20 Articles of Faith in the Basis of Union. He argues the pre-1925 language is virtually unintelligible, that words such as "justification" and "redemption" require translation for ordinary members. Perhaps he thinks we can do without such terms because he also has trouble with the phrases "the finally impenitent shall go away to eternal punishment", and "the Holy Scriptures...[contain] the only infallible rule of faith and life..."

Regardless of our theological bent, Good Friday forces us to face the fact of the cross of Jesus, and try to answer for ourselves why this happened. What was going on in this death of an innocent man? Was it just another senseless waste of human life, another case of might over right? The system protecting itself? If Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God, why was his death necessary - what did it accomplish?

Professor Vaage attributes the sacrificial or substitutionary theory of atonement to medieval theologians, Anselm in particular. But a look at Scripture shows it goes much further back. How does Jesus interpret his own death?

When he called out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus was not simply expressing anguish out of the blue. He was quoting Psalm 22, written about a thousand years earlier by King David. What was a vision for the songwriter became true in the last hours of Jesus' life. It detailed the sufferings of a person dying in a way that was not even known among the Jews, for crucifixion was promoted by the Romans. We read, "All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: 'He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.'...a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." These graphic details of "the suffering of the afflicted one" were fulfilled centuries later that day at Golgotha. Of course Jesus would quote these words, they were about him and that very moment! The Psalm's closing words, "They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn -- for he has done it," sound like Jesus' exclamation later that day, "It is finished!" It's done! (can also mean) It's paid up! What's paid up? God's righteousness is shown in that the bill for our blatant sinning has been charged to his Son's account. The Psalmist prophesied that somehow God was going to make it possible for all nations to come to God, not just the chosen Jewish race. God's plan was that through this one person's suffering, "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him." A much broader plan than the Jewish wish for a Messiah who would liberate them as a nation politically.

Our passage from Isaiah 52-53 was written later than the Psalm, but still some 700 years before Jesus came. The risen Lord no doubt referred to it when opening the minds of his followers to understand what had been written about him in the Law and the Prophets. Isaiah said, "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows...he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; he 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...he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." The idea of peace with God by a substitutionary sacrifice was obviously not the invention of Anselm in 1100 AD but was voiced by Isaiah centuries before Jesus was born.

Christ in his earthly life highlighted this meaning of his coming. He said in Mark 10, "The Son of Man came...to give his life as a ransom for many." At the Last Supper he said of the cup, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." His own words! Let the man himself interpret what he means by his actions!

There is a secret shape of the cross. You probably thought the cross was shaped like this. (draw cross on overhead) The secret shape of the cross is made up of two parts. (draw 4 / u) Scripture reference? Paul's account of the Last Supper in 1 Corinthians 11. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you." There are echoes of this throughout the New Testament: "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." (2Cor.8:9) "Christ suffered for you..." (1Peter 2:21) Does the 4/u together not look a bit like Satan's sceptre or pitchfork? According to the Creed, Christ descended to Hell in our place, he underwent the suffering, the separation from God, that should have been ours.

The meaning grows if we allow other combinations of words such as "for us" or "for all". Romans 5 says God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Later, "The death he died, he died to sin once for all." (6:10) The book of Hebrews probably spells out best what atonement, at-one-ment is all about, how Christ's sacrifice ended the ineffective or symbolic order of Old Testament animal sacrifice and truly made it possible for us to be "at-one" with God. "He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption...he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself." (9:12,26) Peter puts it concisely: "Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." (1Pet.3:18)

The word "redemption" has a very big meaning for the people of Sudan. In recent years, the Islamic government of the north has been fighting a jihad or holy war against Christians in the south. In March Glen Pearson and Jane Roy of London made a return visit to Sudan to document human rights abuses and facilitate a redemption or "buying back" of almost 5000 women and children from slavery, as agents for Christian Solidarity International. Independent investigations have found that in recent years more than 100,000 slaves have been taken to the north, 2 million people have been killed, and millions more displaced in the conflict. One photo shows a Sudanese father who tried to retrieve his wife and children after they were abducted by northern soldiers. When he was caught, his arms were cut off and he was left to die. Freeing slaves is risky business. That's the redemption Jesus won for us at the cross: freedom from slavery to sin and Satan, freedom to enter God's kingdom by faith and receive the Holy Spirit our inheritance. But it cost him more than his arms: it cost him his life.

Another word Jim Taylor said needed translation was "justification". Those who use word processors or email may already know that to "left-justify" a document means the words all line up along the left side, and it's ragged on the right. To be justified means to be "put right" with God, the cross trims off the ragged effect of our wrongdoing, our transgressions or crossing the line. In a fuller sense, we know it's hard to justify certain actions: for example the Canadian oil company Talisman Energy making money by drilling in Sudan and indirectly subsidizing the war against people in the south by resource royalties paid to the north. How can you justify us getting richer at the expense of someone else's suffering and terrorization? In our families, in our working relationships, we know the difference justification makes as well: the edginess and tension of being "at odds", or the peace and harmony when we're "getting along". The cross of Jesus opens the door so the barrier of our sin can be taken away and we can "get along" with God, be "justified" or no longer "at odds" with the Holy One.

Frankly, fallen modern man would question the relevance or significance of the cross not because we don't understand the language, but because we're loathe to admit we need a Saviour. We want to be in control, to do it all on our own, be our own boss, pretend we've got it all together. If we acknowledge God in Christ was really doing something at the crucifixion, it forces us to accept or reject His offer of Lordship and eternal life. And we like it too much in the driver's seat. We prefer our delusion that "there ain't no flies on us", we're A-OK. We'd really rather not admit our need, how much we've fallen short, our guilt in offending God and making others suffer because of our own selfishness, laziness, and misguided priorities.

Today, as you come to the cross, ask God to help you realize how much it is FOR YOU. The answer to Christ's agonized cry, "My God, why...?" has to do with our salvation, our rescue from evil's grip. Psalm 22 doesn't end there, and neither does Golgotha. Beyond the "Why" there is a "Yet". Verse 3, "Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One...[our fathers] cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed." (19) "but you, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. Deliver my life from the sword, rescue me, save me from the horns of the wild oxen." The Psalm ends on a confident note: "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you." This foreshadows Christ's victorious rising from the dead, and appearing to the gathered disciples. He is not ashamed to call you or me "sister", "brother". For God did not despise the suffering of the afflicted one; when we go through hard times, he will listen to our cry for help, too.

Ott McKennitt tells of a sermon preached in Notre Dame Cathedral by an archbishop of Paris. In the sermon he told of 3 young men, wild and worldly, who came into the cathedral one day. There was everything to give the impression that they were godless young fellows. Two of them bet the third that he would not have the nerve o make a false confession. The latter accepted the challenge. It was apparent to the priest who heard the confession that it wasn't sincere.

When the confessor had finished, the clergyman said, "To every confession there is a penance. You see the great Crucifix over there. Go to it, kneel down, and repeat 3 times as you look up into the face of the Crucified, "All this you did for me, and I don't give a damn." (sic) Ignoring the priest's instruction, the young man joined his pals, told of his confession and the priest's request and asked for the wager. "Oh no," they said, "first complete the penance, and then we will pay the bet." Reluctantly he went to the Crucifix, knelt down, and looked up into that face with its searching eyes of oppressed love. Then he began, "All this you did for me, and I..." He got no further. Tears flooded his eyes. His heart was torn by the pain of repentance. There his old life ended, and there the new one began. Finishing his sermon, the archbishop said, "I was that young man."

Why the Cross? Jesus died FOR YOU. And me. All the wrong we have done, all our bentness from what God intended, can be swept away when we trust in His giving of Himself for us that day. "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." Amen.

"Shocked, Blocked, Re-stocked" - Mk.16:1-20 (Acts 9:1-22) - Easter Sunday/Confirmation Apr.23/00

The Lord has blessed his people! I don't know about you, but when I first heard the responses of the confirmands to the 2 questions at our final session Wednesday night, I was really moved and uplifted -- blessed. It was so marvelous to hear these young people expressing in their own words what Jesus meant to them. It's like 7 sermons all rolled together! So my message this morning is just a wrap-up, some reflection on the resurrection account and an example from life today.

What does the risen Christ do for us? First he shocks us, and blocks us; but then he re-stocks us.

The overwhelming impression you get from Mark's account of the resurrection is one of shock and denial. The women go to the tomb expecting to anoint a dead body - If they can ever get the door open. But upon arrival they see the huge security feature already rolled away, and a messenger from God tells them the crucified Jesus has risen, and they will see him again. In fact at least one of them does see him that very same day. What would be YOUR reaction if you met a person you thought was dead walking down the street? SHOCK would be a mild word to describe it. Mark says the women didn't tell a soul, at least right away, because they were "alarmed, trembling, bewildered, afraid". When we first come to grips with the fact of the resurrection, it is a shock to our mortal expectations. That sort of thing just doesn't happen! A crucified Son of God, back from the dead, intent on meeting us face to face - that grabs our attention, Jesus shocks us.

Next he BLOCKS us from our old, misguided ways. Before the apostle Paul was converted, he was called Saul, an archenemy of Christians, the number one "hit man" of the chief priests in Jerusalem who wanted to stop this new sect. We read in Acts 9 that Saul got authorization to go to Damascus and arrest any followers of the Way (that is, Christians) and imprison them. But on the road to Damascus, Saul met the risen Jesus. A light from heaven flashed around him. Saul fell to the ground as if he'd just been body-checked in the playoffs. He heard Jesus say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?...Get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." When he got up from the ground and opened his eyes he couldn't see a thing. Christ sent another follower, Ananias, to restore Saul's vision. Ananias had reservations about going to help someone who'd come to throw Christians in prison, but the Lord explained he had plans for Saul's life. He said, "This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." Here we see both the privilege and the challenge of the Christian life. "My chosen instrument to carry my name..." It is an honour for us to belong to Jesus Christ. He has saved us, given our life new meaning, his Spirit empowers us to preach and pray for others and heal and generally be his witnesses. Young people, don't be ashamed to be known as a Christian. It is a privilege. As we talked about in confirmation class, Jesus promised that whoever acknowledges Him before other people, He Himself will on judgment day acknowledge as His before the Father, God Almighty. That's his promise to us.

Yet in Saul's case Jesus added, "I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." At first even the Christian leaders didn't accept him, they were afraid of him until Barnabas introduced him and assured them he had changed. In another place (2 Cor.11:23-28) Paul talks about how many times he was imprisoned, flogged, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and in danger. Yet the Lord gave him a miraculous ability to survive the suffering, to recover somehow, stand up, and keep going.

The Christian life is not all rosey. There will be times, young people, when you will be made fun of, ridiculed, left out, or not taken seriously because your worldview has Christ at the centre instead of self or some other god. The Lord blocks us from just going on our own steam, what seems best to our fallen human way of proceeding. You are called to live differently from the majority, to say "no" when others jump on board, to say "yes" when others turn away from real needs, the Lord calls you to stand up and be counted for what's right and pleasing to Him even when nobody else with their mortal preoccupations understands.

The risen Lord shocks; blocks, until we accept the Way; but also he RE-STOCKS. We saw how each time the apostle Paul got knocked down, the Lord picked him up again until he accomplished the mission. When the disciples got over the shell-shock of the empty tomb, Jesus appeared to them in person and gave them fresh power and direction. He told them to go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation, to drive out evil, to pray for the sick, to baptize believers as a sign they are saved. And the experience of the early church was that as they did these things, the Lord Himself "worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." God by the Holy Spirit working in and through us re-stocks us for service, doing what he wants done here on planet earth until Jesus returns.

Now when he says "preach the good news", that doesn't mean we need to drag a soapbox around with us wherever we go, looking for crowded streetcorners to start preaching in the traditional sense. Young people, Jesus just wants us to get the word out, spread the news, share the message. Publish it, talk about it, live it. YOU are the only Bibles some people will ever read; YOU are the only sermons they will ever hear. Use all the creativity you have in this technological age to bring your friends face to face with the Lord Jesus who can help them. Stick a verse on your webpage. Add an intriguing Christian symbol or your favourite verse to the signature in your emails. Start a Bible study group or Prayer home room at school. Invite someone to a Christian music concert. Wear a smile while you're candy-striping at the hospital. Play hymns on your instrument for an old person who can't get out much. Offer to pray for a classmate who's ill or in a dilemma. Put your heart into helping with the Sunday School class or midweek group. The news about the Saviour is not to be confined to the pulpit on Sunday mornings; it's most convincing when lived out by your actions and your attitude. The world is hungry for real, working, life- and hope-giving alternatives to materialism. You are part of the body of Christ; stay connected to the Head, read your Bible each day, pray, and he'll show you what's important, he'll give you a passion for what's best.

Stephanie McClellan is a young Christian who lives in Vancouver; she works at a university disability resources centre and as youth pastor at a United Church. This year she received the King Clancy award from the Canadian Foundation for Persons with Physical Disabilities. Stephanie made news with her "On wings like Eagles" hand-propelled bicycle trek from Vancouver to Ottawa last summer.

In Fellowship magazine she tells how it has not been an easy road for her as a believer. She recalls: "I headed to the University of Guelph with my mind set on an education degree that would lead to becoming a physical education teacher for the deaf. After my first year, I developed sudden adult onset rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. Within a week, I went from being an able-bodied athlete to needing assistance in every area of daily life. After 7 months of undiagnosed pain and immobilization, a diagnosis came and I spent five months relearning basic life skills: dressing, tying my shoes, walking. Family and friends prayed for and with me; the church became my lifeline. And I found personal encouragement from a loving and powerful God. The words from Isaiah gave me special hope: 'Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.'"

8 years later, as part of a team, the "On Wings like Eagles" tour set out to show what people with disabilities CAN do, instead of what they can't. They shared the good news that God has gifted each person to be an active member of the Body of Christ. And God helped Stephanie hand-cycle 5809 km, all the way to the Peace Tower.

The hardest moment was in the Prairies, where the wind gave Stephanie the first day she did not reach her distance goal for the day. That night, physically exhausted, she also received a nasty, discouraging email that floored her. She says: "The next morning I did not want to get back on the bike. Our team always started with prayer and as they finished a reading from Luke, I burst into tears. I felt dejected and not physically strong enough to face the winds again. But despite fear and exhaustion, we started the wheeling for the day.

"Just after we crossed the border from Alberta to Saskatchewan, there was a valley. As I raced down the hill, I noticed a man standing against his van at the bottom and when I got close, he yelled, 'You're doing great! Keep going!' As I topped the hill, he motioned to the team van to pull over and gave them something, which they gave me that night after I had finished my distance. The man was the coach of a Paralympic Athlete who had won the silver medal in alpine skiing. The athlete wanted to thank and inspire his coach and gave him his silver medal. When the coach heard about us on the news in British Columbia he got into his van and set out to meet us on a highway in Saskatchewan. He gave me the medal to inspire me because he knew that [in his words] 'some days could get discouraging and he wanted me to have it.' I never felt discouraged like that again throughout the trip."

The risen Jesus shocks us, and blocks us - as he blocked the women, Saul, and Stephanie McClellan from pursuing their original goals. But he re-stocks us for his purposes so that with his help we too can soar "on wings like eagles". We may be apostle Pauls and Stephanie McClellans, or we may simply be like Ananias and Barnabas who helped Paul, or that guy with the van who encouraged Stephanie. Together we are part of the Body of Christ, equipped to preach the good news everywhere, making his love and power known to anyone who will receive it. Thanks be to God!

"A Joy to Feel, A Job to Do" - Jn.20:19-31 1Jn.1:1-2:2 - 2nd of Easter April 27, 2000

It was night. Just two days before, the leader of the frightened group gathered in the shuttered and locked room had been suddenly put to death on trumped-up charges. The men and women who just a week earlier had entered Jerusalem with shouts of praise and triumph scattered and fled like mice scuttling for cover when a light is turned on. Tonight they had mustered enough courage to at least come together in this darkened, locked room. To mourn, to console one another, to try to make sense of the sudden turn of events and some strange rumours that had been circulating.

Strange rumours but not ones to be taken seriously. The sort you might expect from people who'd depended intimately on one person for three years then had the carpet pulled from under them. Rumours of mix-ups and empty graves, of being met by phantoms, of eery figures who disappeared as fast as they came. Rumours, but no substance.

Do we not at some point in our lives find ourselves with the disciples in that locked, fear-filled room that first Easter evening? A check-up finds a growth that shouldn't be there. Late at night the phone rings with the call that all parents fear. A marriage so shaky that you wonder whether it needs legal advice or palliative care. Or perhaps the despair of personal defeat, redundancy, or failure. News reports this week carried the story of a doomsday cult in Uganda resulting in dozens of bodies being found in a house. But we don't need to be part of a cult to feel hopeless or overwhelmed. What's got you locked up and frightened?

But suddenly, although the door was locked, Jesus was there. Jesus, large as life, whom they'd seen crucified and drained of life and laid in the ground only a couple of days before. Yet he was different. Same, but different. His greeting was the same; he seemed eager to show them his hands and side, which definitely bore the marks of the Roman nails and spear. But there was something special about this new body, a quality of everlasting-ness. As if it had taken everything bad the world could throw at it yet came back smelling like roses. A body that wasn't deterred by a barred door, yet was no ghost. It was really Him! "The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord."

So the first major change that Easter evening brought about was a change from fear to joy, from trembling to exultant triumph. Humanity was no longer bound by the grave! God who created us with limits had also made it possible for His Faithful One to continue past death. Sin and corruption had lost their death-grip on our personal being. How wonderful! A joy to feel, a victory to savour, a celebration deep down to our soul!

And in case anyone doubted after the first time, it happened all over again just for Thomas who hadn't been there. Of course he doubted the reports of the others. Who ever heard of somebody back from the graveyard? Thomas wanted hands-on evidence. He said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

And the next Sunday night, when they were gathered again, Jesus met his demand. He knocked sky-high the walls of Thomas' resistance. Not only was there the evidence Thomas could reach out his hand and feel, there was the fact that right off the bat Jesus turned to him and told him to satisfy his skepticism. How did Jesus know unless he had been present in Spirit and heard Thomas' protests? "Stop doubting and believe," Jesus urged; and Thomas did, exclaiming, "My Lord and my God!" Fear and distrust again turned to joy and conviction.

Christ continues to bring that change in people's lives, from despair to delight. It's based not on what they've done, but what HE's done for us. Sheer grace, pure gift. Joy is a common experience when people believe and accept the truth about the risen Lord.

Christian camps can be a starting-point for many in their walk of faith with Jesus. It's particularly gratifying to see young kids who come from rough home situations get a taste of love and acceptance by being part of a Christian living experience. One summer when Keith was a counselor at Camp McDougall, the United Church camp in Algoma Presbytery, I stopped in to see him on the way to campfire with his cabin of boys in tow. One little guy was so glad to be around Keith he even jumped up on his back and was hanging around his neck! If we truly knew the setting some of these boys and girls have to contend with when they head back home, we would be shocked. So when they taste Jesus' love and caring through counsellors and staff, lives are touched with joy.

Whatever our problem, whatever our fear or confinement, when we receive the Risen Jesus and reach out to his scarred hands and side to hold and accompany us through it, changes happen. A man was once tortured in a South American torture cell. Later he said that all Christian doctrines disappeared then and that only the knowledge that Jesus had been where he was, and stayed with him, sustained him. Whatever befalls us, encountering the One who suffered and rose again gives us a JOY to feel.

But it doesn't stop there. Christianity is more than warm fuzzies, a private spiritual experience, an emotional massage or whirlpoolish worshiptime. Jesus calls us to be a hospital for the hurting, not a holy huddle. That first night, Christ said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Get to it! You've got a JOB to do! New orders from the Boss! "This mission, should you choose to accept it..." - and we strain to catch every detail before the tape (or, in this case, the messenger) disappears. What are we being sent for? How'd that verse go the confirmands quoted a couple of times? "God so loved...gave his Son...should not perish but have eternal life." Or the one that follows: "God SENT His Son into the world, NOT to condemn the world, but to SAVE the world through him." The Father sent Jesus; He in turn is sending us, to continue his work of saving the world, through him. Not by our own human methods, such as residential schools, or gimmicky TV evangelists, or boycotts. It's got to be one person at a time. You can't turn redemption into a machine or institution and mass-produce it. Jesus is sending EACH ONE that he has touched to transmit "the Way".

Dawson Trotman, founder of the Navigators, calculated that if each person who came to know Christ was faithful in bringing another to belief every half year, a church could grow from one person to 1,024 persons in just five years. At the end of 15/5 years, there would be 2,147,500,000 people in that church! What reproductive capacity we have in faith! But reproduction requires maturity. Jesus is sending us, authorizing us to continue what he started.

John records Jesus then breathed on the disciples (quite a feat in itself if thought this was just a group hallucination!), and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Obviously the Holy Spirit is the equipment, the empowerment, required for us to carry out the Master's will. You wouldn't send a worker onto a construction site without steel-toed work boots, safety helmet, and work gloves. Or a teacher into a classroom with no chalk, overhead projector, or textbooks. The Holy Spirit is the Lord's way of equipping us for the job at hand. Without the Counselor, we'll get hurt or at least be inadequate.

There is real authorizing going on here, it's as if you're a fully franchised and backed outlet agent for the Kingdom. That's why Jesus emphasized our authority by saying our loosing or binding of sins is very definite. This was the very thing He was criticized for at the outset of his ministry: the religious folks were aghast, saying, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21) But this principle of assuring repentant sinners of their acceptance by God was so important, so essential to the whole ministry of Jesus, what he came for and was about, that he was prepared to die for it. Now he has passed on to his followers this same awesome privilege of announcing people can be totally put right with God when they believe in the Son he sent to take the rap for their faults.

Our job is to share the good news behind the joy that we feel. Deep in everyone's psyche is the fundamental longing for significance and security, to know at our core that we're accepted, all right, loved and wanted in the universe. A sense of being blessed by God, totally at peace and "right by" Him. Sin and evil, by contrast, lead us to experience shame and failure, the gnawing whisper that we're not "good enough". We ask secretly, "Am I a SOMEBODY or a SCUM-body?" So Jesus zeroes in on this core issue, not of physical healing or externals, but of spiritual health and wholeness. The forgiveness of sins, how to clean up our moral mess, is central to the church's calling. People are already aware they've fouled up their chances of ever getting to heaven on their own merits; they're crying out inside, if you can hear it past the smoke screen of material goods and pleasures and diversions and drugs - they're crying out for a clean heart, a fresh start with God.

So the disciples got on with the job. The very reason we can read about what happened is John's determination to write these things, as he says (31), "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." Note the emphasis on getting the word out in 1 John 1: "we proclaim" (1,3), "we write this" (4), "this is the message" (5), "I write this to you" (2:1). Note especially 1:4: "We write this to make our joy complete." We feel the joy already, because of the resurrection; but the joy is made complete by communicating the great news to others, doing the job.

And it's not a fairy tale! The apostles gave their lives to back up the truth that Jesus rose. Look at the "hands-on" evidence the author refers to in 1 John: (1) "which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked at and our hands have touched..."; (2) "we have seen it"; (3) "what we have seen and heard" - 7 times he uses sensory terms. Thomas did the touching for every one of us who couldn't be there in person. This news is so startling that it's like the birth of your baby - you've just GOT to tell someone! It's real, alive, practical. Such wonderful news deserves to be heard.

A pastor had a weakness for playing golf, so much so that one Sunday he called in sick and made the Pulpit Supply committee scramble to come up with something. Without anyone knowing the pastor sneaked off to a golf course in a neighbouring town. Of course, the angels saw all this and were very displeased. They asked the pastor's guardian angel how he was going to try to bring the pastor back to his spiritual senses. They asked, "So how do you plan to get the pastor back into his pulpit? A thunderbolt from the sky? What possible pain can you arrange that will make him repent for deserting his flock?" "Just wait and see," was all the guardian angel said.

So the angels all watched as the pastor unloaded his golf clubs and walked up to the first tee. It was a beautiful sunny day, just a light breeze, hardly anybody on the course. The pastor pulled out his number 1 wood, wound up and whacked the ball. It sailed high and far through the air, bounced onto the green and sank into the cup. A hole in one!

Now, all the other angels were quite chagrined and demanded of the guardian angel, "What did you do that for? You're supposed to be making things difficult for him, not granting him a hole in one!" The guardian angel just hovered there and smiled. A moment later he added, "But who's he going to tell?"

Our news is just as exciting, just as wonderful; Jesus wants us to get out there and communicate the awesomeness of the cross and his teaching. Christianity is not just a bunch of theories or philosophy, it's practical hands-on guidance for daily living so we're not dominated by fear or crushed by futile temptation and worry. It works, in every kind of human relationship, in our homes, workplace, and community.

Christian camping is a natural way to share the gospel subtly but powerfully. It's a whole-life exposure, round the clock, day in day out, not just a tiny slice like a sermon or Sunday school class. Campers are impressed by Christ because they see Him alive in their counselors, the Director, the staff, in every possible kind of situation. More impact can be felt in one week of camp than in a whole year of strung-out, occasional church activity. In the calm of nightfall, in the lull after lunch, campers have the freedom and privacy to share their deepest thoughts, hopes, and insecurities with someone who will care and listen. And introduce them to Jesus who will go with them back home where the counsellor can't.

Camping is a great experience for a family, too, to draw closer to God through nature and by getting away from all the electrical gadgets we use to amuse ourselves while we avoid one another at home. Christian counsellor Gary Smalley recommends families go camping at least once a year. Why? Because usually when you're camping there's a crisis of one form or another. The canoe springs a leak. The macaroni gets burnt to a crisp. A mighty thunderstorm wakes everyone up in the middle of the night. These crises make memories, and what's more, they bond a family in a way it wouldn't any other time. Invite Jesus into your crisis and he will give you joy eventually as he weathers it with you, and you will have an experience of his help to share with others later.

Samuel FB Morse was devoted to art the first half of his life. By 1835 he was very close to the top of American painters. But things just didn't work out in his favour. By apparent coincidence he lost the government commission to paint one of the historical panels in the rotunda of the new Capitol building in Washington. He was deeply grieved by this blow, and even more discouraged by the failure of America to appreciate his artistic powers.

But Morse did not whine. Without any loss of faith in God or in himself, he quietly turned to his other dominant interest. He was eager to perfect a system of communication over electrical wires. His work was successful, resulting in what we call the telegraph. He took his place in a little group of the world's supreme inventors. Unfailing faith resulted in joy.

Jesus is with us in our darkest moments, even when we've locked everyone else out. His scarred hand and pierced side are the signs how much he loved us and longs for us to share the joy he has with the Father. May the Holy Spirit help us do the job he's given, communicating the grand news to others! Amen.

"Blessing for the Distressed (including Farmers)" - May 7/00 Rural Life Sunday - Acts 3:11-20,25-26; Psalm 4

"Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer." Psalm 4 voices an anguished cry for relief of a soul in distress. From time to time in life we will all meet with stresses of one kind or another, pressures we're afraid we won't be able to bear up under. God's word assures us that He not only hears the cry of those who turn to Him for help, He grants strength and help to those in need. In fact it's God's desire to bless all those who seek to be refreshed and restored by trusting in the Special Agent God sent, His Son Jesus.

On this Rural Life Sunday we must recognize that some farmers will fall into this category by virtue of their occupation. Although rural people have no monopoly on stress or pressure, they do face significant struggles in our current economy and food system. Acts 3 begins with the description of a beggar, handicapped in his legs from birth, who was brought each day to beg for alms at the gate of the temple. Although he was looking for a handout, Peter was able with God's help to extend to him something far better: restoration of strength to his feet and ankles. The man then proceeded to go around the temple courts, "walking and jumping and praising God," a vivid picture of God's ability to help those in distress.

The path to blessing begins with a cry for relief. Then we must turn to God, away from other idols, trusting in Jesus and what he's done for us. Also we need to be able to recognize the blessing when it comes, even if it's not the handout we were expecting.

Are farmers today crying for relief? Is it too much to compare them to the lame beggar, crippled and dependent on others for support? Certainly there are apparently prosperous farmers around today, but there are also ones who are struggling. Some just can't seem to make it on their own strength. The Psalmist cried, "How long will you turn my glory into shame?", referring likely to those of other religions who scoffed at his fear of Yahweh. Though farming is an honourable occupation, necessary for society in order to eat, many youngsters raised on the farm today do not see it as an enviable occupation to take up. The number of family farms is so low, about 270,000, somewhere around 3% of the population, that it is becoming easier for the public at large to have caricatures of farmers as someone in a straw hat and overalls, chewing on a stem of grass while pumping the tail of the cow to get the milk out. Farm kids grow up knowing enough about the long hours, hard work, and limited rewards of farm life that, although they're not exactly ashamed of it, it's not their top choice for a livelihood.

What are some of the crippling stresses farmers face? I polled some local farmers. They mentioned the hectic pace of modern agriculture. Part of this results from feeling like you need to keep getting bigger and bigger in order to compete. Bigger farms require bigger implements to get the crop in, which requires more financing, which takes more production, and so on. More people work off the farm to subsidize the low income: in 1965, the amount of average farm family income that came from on the farm was 46%; in 1996, that was halved to 23%. In other words, more than 3/4 of the average farm family income now comes from off-farm sources, 2/3 of that from wages and salaries.

Farmers also mentioned to me the financial pressures, the stress caused by having so many dollars invested in the operation. Mortgages and operating loans to pay. "You have to spend half the time in the office," one said; there's so much paperwork and regulations, you need a computer, not just "a 5 cent scribbler and the stub of a pencil" like 50 years ago. Commodity prices are very erratic. One hog farmer noted that just a couple of years ago a pig that today sells for $170 was selling in the $30 range. From 1983 to 86, the price of corn dropped from over $150/bushel to about $90/bushel. Makes for an interesting business plan to show the banker!

While commodity prices fluctuate unfavourably, input costs keep going up and up. 25 years ago land was $1-2,000 per acre, now it's double at $4,000. Property taxes increased 49% from 1986 to 1998. Over the same period, hired farm labour rose 50% in price; combines, 56%; tractors, 38%; fertilizer, 21%; seed, 29%; pesticides, 30%. To sum this up, between 1986 and 95 farm product prices rose 8%, but input prices rose 22%. The squeeze is on!

The average person in the supermarket might think farmers must be doing all right, because the price of the typical grocery cartful has risen steadily. Between 1977 and 1998, the cost of retail pork chops about doubled from $4.45 to 8.76 per kg. But that wasn't padding the farmer's pockets! At the end of that period he or she was receiving .22 LESS than two decades earlier. The farmer's share of the consumer dollar for pork chops shrank from 30% to 14% of retail price.

Or take a box of corn flakes - THIS ONE for example. From 1975 to 1998 the retail price of a 525 g box of corn flakes rose from .43 to $2.36, costing five-and-a-half times as much. The cash cropper's revenue from the corn in that box of flakes rose from .05 to .08! Their share of the purchaser's dollar shrank from 13% to just 3% of the total price. Just for comparison, there were 525 g of corn flakes in this box and they cost 2.36; 525 g of corn itself (exhibit) today is worth 6.4 cents. Does that not strike you as strange? Now you know why I eat granola!

Similarly for a loaf of bread: between 1975 and 1998 the cost of a loaf of bread tripled, while the value to the farmer of the wheat in that $1.31 loaf was only 11 cents. The farmer's share of the consumer's dollar was halved from 17% down to 8%.

Escalating input costs and low commodity prices spell minimal profits for farmers. Bumper crops like last year's 200 bu/ac corn help, but you can't count on them every year. Return on equity is low (that's the ratio of net income to money invested in the enterprise); one NFU study reported farmers earned .3% return on equity in 1998. Another farmer I talked to estimated his was 5-15% based on old land values. One person wondered whether those paying 4,000/ac for land should get their heads examined. I ask, with mutual fund returns at 15% and the cost of land so much, what crop can I grow that's going to net me $600/ac?! Meanwhile in 1998, breakfast cereal companies Kelloggs, Quaker Oats, and General Mills earned returns on equity of 56, 156, and 222% respectively. One non-radical cash cropper put it something like this: "At what point are you no longer farming as a livelihood and instead paying to support it as a hobby?"

In March I attended a workshop in Woodstock put on by the Rural Life Committee of London Conference. David Older, a Ridgetown grad and dairy farmer with 50 cows and 300 acres, reported farming is 4 times as capital intensive as mining, 8 times manufacturing, and 15 times construction. It takes 5 years' of sales in agriculture to equal capital invested, compared to just 1 year 2 months in manufacturing. He explained that whereas the Chicago Board of trade used to be just a place for processors to hedge risks, now speculative funds have introduced a "whipsaw" effect. There also is less collegiality between farmers, he feels: "hard times have made them harder".

George Stock has farmed on a Century Farm near Tavistock, and works off the farm in the mental health field. He said a 1987 study of farm suicides in Oxford-Elgin-Middlesex showed the rate was 10 times normal. Symptoms of stress reported by farmers include chronic fatigue, forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, loss of temper. Stressors range from the traditional ones of weather, disease, and market cycles, to time stressors (seasonal rushes, interruptions, breakdowns), special interest politics, government regulations (where are you going to put your manure?), intergenerational transfer, and personal links to the farm or community -- such as the perceived shame of losing the family farm, or simple financial failure.

Listen to this quote from a Saskatchewan Qu'appelle Presbytery farmer in response to the extreme rains last year in southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba. "Harvest is done now, and our yields were low. You cannot seed in the mud as it just does not grow properly. Another year, perhaps? We can't see ourselves able to hang on farming much longer. Fourth generation farm down the tube! I have an off farm job so we can eat and exist, but many of our neighbours do not have money to buy food nor to clothe their children. This crisis is worse than the 30's. Support systems and welfare are there for other groups of Canadians, but not for farmers and farm families. To me, this is a national crime to leave families with no hope, no support and most of all no future. I pray for all people and hope that other Canadians pray for us the farm families in this our greatest time of need. Any help will be greatly appreciated by a broken people who are struggling just to survive."

There is a definite CRY FOR RELIEF. Some farmers are definitely feeling like that lame man in Acts 3, begging for help. But Peter and John didn't just leave him sitting there. God wants to bless us. Peter proclaimed, "And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, `Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.' When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways." God's will is to bless us. That becomes possible when we first turn to Him, away from the idols and drives that consumed us before. Peter urged the people to turn from their wicked ways; (19) "Repent...and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out..." The Psalmist said, (2) "How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?"

What idols might these be as they affect rural life? Affluence: do we really need to work so many hours on and off the farm, cutting into family time? For consumers, are we willing to pay more than our current amount of 12% of disposable income on food? How about nearer 20% like Europe, Japan, and Israel? There's the idol of brand-spankin' new machinery - that half-ton or tractor like the Joneses just got. Perhaps consumers have made an idol of flawless-looking food: the year-round tomatoes and apples flown in from offshore have spoiled us for the local "in-season" slightly imperfect produce. How many miles is it reasonable to bring the food for our table, at what cost to the environment, creating what level of dependency and vulnerability on outside sources? God wants us not to be deluded, or seeking false gods.

Next, after turning to the Lord, we can trust Him. Peter said, "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong.It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him..." (16) The Psalmist urges, "Offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord." (5) Trust and faith are matters of commitment, priorities, values, what's important to you. We can ask, "To what am I prepared to give my time, my resources, my life?" "Can I get by without that new vehicle, that extra acreage?" (For the consumer) "Can I afford to pay more for food?" Else we may be relying on farm families to make sacrifices to support our standard of living. "What commitment am I as a consumer ready to make so farmers don't have to push themselves so hard?" And for those of us who like to eat lots: "Can I get satisfaction from other things rather than demanding to be able to afford lots of cheap food?" Now you're getting close to the quick. "Farmers, we love you, but don't ask us to pay more for milk and cheese and cake and..." ("Darling, I love you, but give me Park Avenue...")

Faith is essential, trust is necessary, in any relationship; especially in our relationship with God. In my poll, one farmer commented to me, "It requires faith in God to put the crop in." Weather can be so spotty, one cropper has a failure while a few miles away they receive just the rain that's needed. It does take trust in the Almighty to plow thousands of dollars' worth of inputs into the ground, and believe God will make something of your efforts. It takes commitment to stay farming one more year when you've had a loss, or you know you could stick the money in the bank and earn more but care about your family's lifestyle and feel called to produce food for the world.

Finally, the path from distress to blessing requires us to be able to recognize the real blessing when it comes. What kind of blessing are we expecting? Is it based on material goods, having as much as the neighbours? George Stock said some farmers' definition of "success" means money, time, control, new "tin", top production, lots of land; while to others success means satisfaction, being happy, enjoying one's family. On a human level, he said, "I am what you think I am" - we're all living in somebody else's goldfish bowl. But that's measuring blessing on a simply human scale. Real blessing, by God's definition, is spiritual, not material. Peter spoke of "times of refreshing [that would] come from the Lord...that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you..." Blessing is about intangibles: the smell of a fresh-mown field; a splash of warm milk straight from the cow; helping in the birth of a new calf, even if it IS 4 in the morning; a harvest safely stored in the granary or mowed in the barn; being your own boss; a tear as that long-time good milker goes off to market; working together as a family to put out a grass fire; kids that are used to working, and have had the responsibility of caring for a 4H calf that won the ribbon. There are spiritual values behind these intangibles. Christ is coming. All the toys and tin in the world won't count for a hill of beans on that day; what's most important then is whether we know Him already, whether we've loved, and what we've made of whatever gifts He's entrusted to us. We are heirs of the Covenant, adopted into the rights of a heavenly Father's bequest.

The Psalmist put it this way (7,8): "You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." Blessing doesn't mean our material goods abound - even for a farmer. Our hearts are freed to receive God's blessing when we put Him first, whatever our vocation, consciously serving Him and others in good times and bad.

A parting comment from my poll. One farmer said his concern was "trying to remain aware of God's presence and leading in a hectic pace of life". That's where we gain true peace and security, seeking the light of the Lord's face. What have we gained with all our civilized doodads and social busy-ness if we're distracted from the One who is able to give life real meaning? When we're in distress, whether we're farmers or not, may we turn to God, trust in Him, and recognize His blessing when it comes. Let us pray.

"Mothering: an Impossible Job?" - May 14/00 Mother's Day - Jn.10:11-18; 1 Jn.3:16-24; Ps.23

Mothering is a difficult task; to be a good mother at times seems well-nigh impossible, at least in our own human strength. In "Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul" Joan Beck shares job descriptions for various stages of mothering. Here's an ad for an ideal mother for a toddler:

"Wanted - athlete in top condition to safeguard tireless toddler. Needs quick reflexes, boundless energy, infinite patience. ESP helpful. Knowledge of first aid essential. Must be able to drive, cook, phone, work despite constant distractions. Workday, 15 hours. No coffee or lunch breaks unless child naps. Would consider pediatric nurse with Olympic background."

The demands change as the child grows. For example, these might be the requirements for a mother of a teenager: "Job Available - For specialist in adolescent psychology, with experience in large-quantity cooking. Tolerance is chief requirement. Slight hearing loss helpful or must provide own ear plugs. Must be unflappable. Should be able to sense when presence is embarrassing to child and disappear."

To be a good mother is so demanding, so challenging. It's so daunting as to seem impossible. But God who designed the family system will help when moms are feeling overwhelmed. Amidst the challenge of mothering, God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit brings a life-restoring supply; and Christ's love becomes our continuing motivation.

Back to the challenge of mothering for a minute. It's really not surprising that mothering is so difficult when you consider what it was like for the original mom and even the mother of our Saviour. The original mom, Eve, with her husband's co-operation instigated the problems of the world when selfishly they decided to do things THEIR way instead of God's way. The disobedience of Adam and Eve introduced guilt, shame, alienation, and fear to our race. As a consequence God told Eve that her pains in childbearing would be increased; "with pain you will give birth to children." It's not easy, from the word go. Right away in Eve's own sons, Cain and Abel, we see the spin-off of the parents' selfish attitude: one murders his brother in jealousy, the first example of sibling rivalry.

Even the mother of our Lord, Mary herself, was not exempt from hardship. Jesus was barely a week old when Simeon met the new family in the temple courts and warned Mary explicitly, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel...and a sword will pierce your own soul too." Imagine the heartbreak Jesus' mother must have felt when her firstborn, so full of wisdom and miraculous power and compassionate goodness, was whipped and nailed to a cross to die. So even for mothers whose offspring turn out better than Cain, it can still be a painful experience: a fallen world can be cruel, especially to those who are good, innocent, holding out high ideals. Even in the elementary grades they start to get labeled and ridiculed: "goody goody", "browner", "teacher's pet", "suck", "square", "self-righteous". While a mother may long for her child to excel, to rise above the crowd, the crowd can't stand such deviation and tries to make things unpleasant and bring the individual back down to the lowest common denominator. And when a child hurts, the mother hurts too.

Meanwhile, all the time mothers are trying to pour themselves into their youngster to heal their hurts and build them back up, our modern society consistently undermines the value of motherhood in its TV shows, movies, and unspoken public attitude. Working women (working OUTSIDE the home, that is) are viewed as more interesting, more significant than a woman who stays home and is (quote) "JUST a housewife". The demoralizing lack of respect for full-time mothers is hinted at in this poem by Caryl M Kerber, "Housewife's Lament".

Make the beds, bandage heads, straighten up the room;

Wash the windows, cut the grass, see the tulips bloom.

Drive the children to school, drive them back again.

Have the Cubs to meeting then I clean the den.

Serve on my committee, attend the PTA.

Forgot to buy the children shoes...can't do it today.

Pay the bills, write a note, fill the cookie jar.

Oh dear, I forgot to go and have them grease the car.

Catch up on the ironing, scrub the kitchen floor.

Answer phone and doorbell, need I list some more?

My pet peeve I must admit, you surely will agree,

When someone asks, "Are you employed?" I answer, "No, not me."

Mothering would be an impossible job, energy-draining and unrecognized as it is, if it were attempted in just our own human strength. But the Christian message brings hope and relief, for all believers but especially for mothers. God offers mothers a life-restoring supply. If we will receive him, Jesus pours his own life into ours to make up what we lack or what we've been drained of in serving others for him.

You've probably not thought about John 10 as a passage on mothering. But there are many parallels between a good mother and a "good shepherd". The shepherd Jesus describes is "good" in the sense of being competent, able, proven. Jesus implies in this passage that he is both our model and our energizer: in verses 11,15,17,18 he repeatedly emphasizes, "I lay down my life for the sheep." It's not just an aimless loss of life; the good shepherd, like a good mother, intentionally puts his life at stake for the sake of the sheep. You don't want to get between a mother bear and her cubs; but you also wouldn't want to be a bear trying to get between David and his sheep. John in his first letter (3:16) defines love in this self-sacrificial sense: "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." Not only "ought", we are empowered by Christ to lay down our lives for others. Rather than being like a hired hand who sees the wolf coming and runs for his life, abandoning the sheep to be killed and scattered.

Dear old Psalm 23 is so well-liked undoubtedly because it too reflects God's life-restoring supply. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want..." Literally, whatever needs I may have, God is going to supply (as I do my part in faith). "He restores my soul...He prepares a table before me..." The image blurs from that of a shepherd pulling weeds out of the pasture, to that of a mother setting a table with all sorts of good food. God is saying, "Whatever your needs may be, however stressed you get by legitimate demands, I will be your supply. I'm going to look after you like a trustworthy and experienced shepherd, like a generous caring mother." "As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you..." (Isaiah 66:13)

How does this happen? The hook-up of God's supply comes to us through the Holy Spirit. 1John assures us that when we are being obedient to the Father, we will receive what we ask from him. And not just his favour, but his very presence. "Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us." When a child calls out in the middle of the night, it's not just a drink of water or light turned on that they want; they want the assurance of the parent's presence, knowing someone is right there with them who can calm them and dispel their fears. God makes himself available to us as a life-restoring supply, so we in turn can handle the demands of loving and parenting.

Susannah Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, founders of the Methodist church, had 19 children; ten survived infancy. She set up a school in her home, six hours a day, six days a week. Weekly private conversations with each child formed the basis of their spiritual formation. (Today's parents average 7 minutes one-on-one with each child per week!) How did she do it all? She found strength and refreshment in God. The children learned that, when she was sitting down and threw her apron back over her head, she was praying and not to be disturbed. Amidst the commotion of a busy household, Susanna carved out a way of finding her supply in her Lord.

It's not easy to lay down your life for anybody else. That cuts across the grain of our selfish fallen nature. Along with God's life-restoring supply comes Christ's love as our continuing motivation. Think for a minute about the hired hand Jesus described. Why did he run when the wolf came? Because he's in it for the money, he "cares nothing for the sheep". (10:13) His real goal is not sacrificial shepherding, but self-preservation, self-promotion - even if it's at the sheep's expense.

By contrast, what was the motivation of Jesus, the Good Shepherd? His love for the Father, and love for us. Verses 17,18 show the importance of his love for the Father. He was ready to lay down his life in order to carry out the Father's plan of reconciliation. He says, "I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." The actions Jesus undertook for us sprang from his awareness and identification with God's plan to seek us out, draw us back, and make atonement so we sinners could be reunited with an absolutely good and holy God. Because it was important to the Father, it was important to Jesus, who willingly stepped into the role prepared for him.

As mothers and fathers, we need to keep reminding ourselves of the awesome privilege and responsibility it is to be parents. Jesus received his orders from the Father concerning us. Similarly, our children are entrusted to us by God, we are accountable to Him, He's looking to us to raise up godly offspring. Yes, "the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world," but the effects of our child-rearing go beyond this world. Our impact on our children has significance for eternity. The worth of mothering just isn't on the same scale as if it could be compared to typical monetarily-rewarded careers. Abraham Lincoln, respected president, said: "No one is poor who has a godly mother."

As Jesus revered and loved God and accepted his role of becoming our Saviour, the Father put his love for us inside Christ's heart. 1John argues that if we have God's love in us, when we see someone in material need, we won't slam the door of our compassion against that person. It is the nature of God's kind of love to lay down one's life for those loved. Jesus directed his attention and concern toward us, pouring out his energy in an effort to become familiar with us and communicate the depth of God's caring in our direction. He said (10:14), "I know my sheep, and my sheep know me..." The good shepherd spends time with his sheep, examining their coats for insect pests, anointing their cuts with medicine, counting them each night as they return to the fold, laying down across the gap in the stone wall of the fold so that enemies will have to come in over his dead body. Yes, the shepherd even starts to smell like a sheep! So Jesus' motivation, and our motivation in mothering, can't be for money or selfish goals. It springs from an internalizing of God's love for the sheep or our children.

A shepherd's life is bound up with that of his sheep; he is for them, with them, beside them all the way. If he cares for them. A mother's life becomes so bound up with her children that the boundary between self and offspring fades at times; the mother bird or bunny is glad to use her own feathers or fur to make the nest more comfortable for her young. I'd like to close with an article by Dale Hanson Bourke telling how much mothering can change your life. A friend mentions she and her husband are thinking of starting a family; the biological clock is running out, and she asks, half joking, "We're taking a survey; do you think I should have a baby?" Dale Bourke replies, "It will change your life." The friend responds, "I know: no more sleeping in on Saturdays, no more spontaneous vacations..." Dale thinks to herself:

"But that is not what I mean at all. I look at my friend, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in child-birth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of childbearing heal, but that becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will be forever vulnerable.

I consider warning her that she will never read a newspaper again without asking, "What if that had been my child?" That every plane crash, every fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.

I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a souffle or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation...

Looking at my attractive friend, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years -- not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish his. I want her to know that a caesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honour...

I wish my friend could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried desperately to stop war and prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to my children's future.

I want to describe to my friend the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to hit a baseball. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog for the first time. I want her to taste the joy that is so real it hurts.

My friend's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. 'You'll never regret it,' I say finally. Then I reach across the table, squeeze my friend's hand, and offer a prayer for her and me and all of the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this holiest of callings."

Let us pray.

"Putting Out Into the Deep Waters" - adapted from Shannon Tennant, Kirkton-Woodham - (for Conference Annual Meeting Sunday; - based on Psalm 93, Luke 5:1-11)

Do you remember learning to swim? It's a different experience for everyone, of course. Some people take to swimming like ducks to water, but others have fears to overcome: fear of water, fear of putting their face in the water, fear of getting out too far and not being able to get back, fear that the water isn't trustworthy and won't hold them up.

One of the greatest fears - even for able swimmers, is of getting out into deep water, too far from shore, without the energy or the ability to get back. Even when people are out in a boat, there is always the possibility of an accident, with the boat overturned and everyone thrown out. Something that people use to make deep water safer is a life jacket.

Of course, back then, Peter and the other fishermen didn't have life jackets. And even if you know how to swim, deep waters can be treacherous, if a storm is coming up or if you're already tired out from casting nets out and hauling them in again.

There are risks in deep water, whether or not you can swim. You don't know what's under there. It's cold. The water's dark. You're a long way from home and from safety. It's tiring to stay up and keep going. And - if you're far enough out - you may not know if you're headed in the right direction to get back to shore.

A life jacket (or personal flotation device) helps with some of that. You still don't know what's under there. It's still cold and dark and a long way from home. But there is something that's holding you up. Your head isn't going to go under. You may not know where you're going, but you've got something to help you and to keep you up even if you have to turn around and start again.

Jesus asked the disciples to put out into the deep water without the assurance of having life jackets. After obeying his suggestion to put out again and then finding a miraculously huge catch of fish, they began to understand. And as they went along they learned they could trust and find support in Christ. As they went along, their life jackets got better and better, their life jackets of trust in Jesus Christ, in what he was doing and how he was doing it and what their role was with him. He can become OUR life jacket, too. He strengthens us to take risks, to move into the unknown because we believe he knows what he's doing and we're responding to his call to carry on his ministry.

Of course, knowing that the life jacket is there doesn't always mean that we DO take those risks or move into the unknown -- whatever it may be. Like the disciples in their boat, we are tempted to stay in the more familiar and safer shallow waters.

The ship is an ancient symbol of the church. Partly because Jesus urged the fishermen to leave behind their nets and catch people instead of fish. The ship is the safe place from which we throw out our nets to catch whatever - or whoever - may swim into them.

But somewhere along the way of the last two millennia, we've found ourselves drifting, worn out and empty, in familiar, safe, shallow waters. And when we do from time to time just for habit's sake cast our nets, we become discouraged because we don't get anything much back. Why are we stuck where there aren't fish? Why should we keep on expecting to get more and more fish out of the same waters? We Canadians, of all people, should be able to take a lesson from the exhausted Grand Banks and change our approach! Why are we so reluctant to leave our familiar territory and push the boat out to deeper water?

Maybe it's because it hasn't occurred to us. We've been busy singing sea shanties and dipping the occasional new sailor in the water without really explaining what a death to self and immersion into Christ's new life baptism is. Maybe it's because we haven't studied our maps (the Bible) in a long time, or tracked the fish migration (population trends) and don't know where the deep waters are. Maybe it's because we're worried about what might happen if we did put out into the deep water. It's probably a combination of all of these.

The first reason, "it hasn't occurred to us" that there are deep waters, is easy to overcome: in choosing this as her theme, Conference President Anne Beattie-Stokes has made the suggestion that there is deep water and we should think about putting out into it.

The second reason, not knowing our maps or what the fish are up to, takes a little more effort to solve. There are no easy, universal answers. The deep waters will be different in every community and for every congregation. We have to find our own, praying for God to reveal how he wants us to share His Word, praying for discernment to become aware of hurting people's real needs. Blyth is a little different from your typical rural community because we've got all these theatre people swimming right up to the edge of our boat. What peculiar kind of bait might interest them? What might interest those of other walks of life, the unchurched of various classes - what diversions are they looking to now for the fulfilment that only comes from peace with God? Are we even friends with some of them so we'd know?

The third reason, fear of what might happen if we launched out into unfamiliar waters, is the hardest of all to conquer. Because in order to overcome our anxiety we have to be willing to take the risk of going out into water that may not be well known and certainly will be risky. There might be rocks, or deadhead logs, or storms. People might actually ask us to explain just why WE follow Jesus, what difference he makes in our lives. We may have to get creative in order to show how Scripture has answers to today's concerns, the alienation and meaninglessness that plagues modern life.

Imagine - just IMAGINE - if we cast out our nets in such deep waters, and pulled in nets so full that they were too heavy for our ship. It might sink. It might break. And then where would we be? Imagine having to go to a different building, a different time to worship, even different ways of meeting so that the real purpose of church - fellowship with one another and the Lord - HAPPENED in a more powerful way.

Our survival of deep water depends on the state of our life jackets. How strong are they? In other words, how much faith do we have in the ability of Jesus to save us if things get rough? Are our life jackets as good as a FROG - "Fully Reliant On God"? Have we the humility with Peter to fall at Jesus' knees and admit, "Lord, I am a sinful man!" To admit our need of a Saviour?

We are called to put out into the deep water. We are called to take some risks and to go where we haven't gone, trusting that we will be kept afloat, although not necessarily in our same old boat.

The Master Fisherman assures us that we will be safe, and that this risk is necessary in order to show God's love and calling in the world; in order for people to hear God's voice, be challenged out of their idols and deceptions, and experience the reality and wonder of God's love and grace. If we do not take the risk, our communities will have to go without something they need.

It will be rough at times. It may even be frightening. But, with God's help, we can do it. And the reward will be great - not just for us, but for everyone. And if we invite him, Jesus will come with us, as we put out into the deep waters.

(story: Charles Swindoll, Tale of the Tardy Oxcart p.89)

"Wise as Ants" - Sunday School Picnic June 4/00 - Prov.6:6-8;30:24-25 Jn.17:6-11,14-23

Here we are at Camp Menesetung, on the occasion of our Sunday school picnic. And when you go camping or on a picnic, what do you find? Ants! Leave a bit of food uncovered on the ground and before long you'll find a dedicated ant with friends trying to haul some of it away. Did you know the Bible tells us to be wise as ants? In the book of Proverbs we read, "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest." So I thought it appropriate for us today to try to learn something from the ant, to become at least as wise as these little creatures. Along with Jesus' prayer in John 17 the ant gives us this guidance: 1.Follow the leader. 2.Good things are for passing on. 3.We need somebody bigger to protect us. 4.God has a special purpose for your life: you are unique, custom-made to meet a specific need. 5.However little I feel, trusting Jesus I am part of God's big plan to bless the world through our Saviour.

The first lesson is, follow the leader. (picture - ant life stages: Here's the critter we're talking about, from egg stage to larva, then pupa in a little case, and finally adult.) As the life cycle suggests, we follow a course, somebody has gone ahead of us to make life possible. When we were in Congo, we tried to discourage the ants finding the table by setting the table legs in tall tin cans. But sometimes a bit of food would fall to the floor (we had two toddlers back then) and before long you'd see a continuous line of ants down from the window, along the wall, across the floor to the bit of food, and back again. How did they know? Ants have a good sense of smell, and when one finds food she makes a trail marked by special smells called pheromones back to the nest. (I say "she" because workers are females - there are very few male ants) So soon you have this long line of worker ants following the lead of the trailblazer, hauling the yummy food back to the nest.

In our spiritual life we need to "follow the leader" too. Jesus said in John 17:6, "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world.They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word." Jesus is the Son of God, the divine Word become flesh; he is the one who has come from heaven and made a trail for us to return with him. The markings are not pheromone chemicals, but his teaching during his life and his blood given at the cross so we could be forgiven. He is the Way to God; all we need to do is follow the leader, obey his Word, and we can find God, who is waiting to reveal Himself to us personally.

Jim Burns tells the story: "Once upon a time there was a colony of ants who were busy doing whatever ants do with their lives. God wanted to tell the ants of His love for them and His eternal home prepared for them. What was the very best way for God to communicate to those ants? The only possible way to speak to the ants was to become an ant and speak their language. So He did, and they believed." That story captures something of how wonderful it was that God became human in Jesus, bridging a gap even bigger than between us and ants. He came to convince us how much he loved us, and to show us the way home.

So lesson 1 is Follow the Leader. Lesson 2 is, Good things are for passing on. Suppose two ants are sauntering toward each other. When they meet, they smell each other with their antennae; it's thought that ants from the same nest all share the same distinctive odour. If they're not from the same nest, they might fight or shove. If they ARE from the same nest, the two ants may stand mouth to mouth. One ant then regurgitates a drop of liquid for the other. (It sounds worse than it probably is; think of it as a handshake or offering a breathmint!) You see, ants have a specially designed pouch inside their mouth that stores the fluid they squeeze out of plant material. This storage pouch is far away from their true stomach hence ideal for a little "pocket" to pass on a snack to another ant.

Jesus said in verse 8, "I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them.They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me." Jesus passed on the good things he got from the Father, and the disciples not only accepted the good news, but passed it on to others in turn. That's why our Sunday School teachers are so important: they're not hogging the wonderful truth in the Bible for themselves, but passing it on to young people, the next generation. So remember this week when you meet someone, try to pass on something good like the ants sharing a snack. Build up a fellow believer with a word of encouragement, share Jesus' concern and sensitivity toward an unbeliever. Good things are for passing on.

Lesson 3: We need somebody bigger to protect us. (picture - Notice how different in size various ants in the same nest may be: Queen, male, worker, and - what have we here?? Soldier) The soldiers are just that, they protect the ant colony from enemies. Their heads have large mandibles, things like jaws that go crosswise for fighting. They defend the entrance by actually sticking their head in the entry hole to block it! So you can guess if an intruder does get in, some poor soldier has lost his head. They lay down their lives for the nest.

Jesus said, "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me...My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." The Soldier Ant guarding the entrance to the believer's life is Jesus, we can be protected from the Accuser by God through the power of Jesus' name. Let's remember though that if we want to benefit by saying Jesus' name against evil, we need also to be living in Him day-to-day.

The fourth lesson is that God has a special purpose for your life. you are unique, for meeting a specific need. (picture - ant anatomy: I was surprised to find how complex ants are inside, with their specially designed digestive, nervous, circulatory, and respiratory systems. Very delicately built, yet some ants live up to 20 years!) Even more amazing is the great number of types of ants that exist. There are 20,000 species of ants, and it's estimated that on the planet at any given time the number of ants is about 1 quadrillion (that's a 1 with 15 zeroes behind it). There are 6 main groups: army ants, slave makers, harvester ants, dairying ants, honey ants, and fungus growers. This is where it gets really fascinating. Harvester ants go out through the summer and bring in seeds from plants; they don't just dump them, but take the hull off first, and store the seeds in special chambers. Dairying ants live off the honeydew produced by aphids and plant lice. In many cases, a plant louse will release a drop of honeydew whenever an ant "milks" the insect by stroking it with its antennae. The ants protect the lice by fighting insects that come near while the ants are feeding. Some colonies actually keep their own "herds" of lice "cows" right in the colony; when a queen ant goes to start a new colony, she carries a louse with her in her mandibles to start a new "herd" too.

And did you know there are actually gardener ants? Well, almost. It's just that their "flowerbeds" are filled with mould- or yeast-like fungi. Ants can't digest the cellulose in plant walls. So fungus-growing ants drag leaves, flower petals, and other plant material into the nest, chew it up into a kind of mulch or compost, and fertilize the fungus beds with it. Then the ants eat the tiny nourishing knobs the fungi produce, like little mushrooms. Can you guess what the queen takes with her to start a new nest? A pellet of fungus, of course. How amazing is God's unique design!

Tropical weaver ants construct nests from tree leaves. To make a nest, some of the workers hold the edges of leaves together, while other workers carry silk-spinning larvae back and forth across the edges. The larvae produce a thick sheet of silken webbing that binds the edges of the leaves together. Clever, huh? Almost like using a tool!

From these very specialized types of ants we can learn that God has designed each one of us uniquely, with a particular purpose in mind. Jesus asked God in verse 17 on, "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." The word "sanctify" means to set apart for God's use, to designate as special to God, holy. Jesus sanctified or set himself about God's special work for him of redeeming the world, making it possible for sinners to be reconciled to a perfect, holy God. In the same way, Jesus prays God will set us apart, sending us into the world as his messengers of grace and truth. How do we become sanctified? "By the truth," Jesus says, that is, by accepting God's word and letting it shape and transform our lives. Holiness is something only God can do: He speaks and it happens, as we give him our attention and acquiesce. One commentator said, "Christ prays for their consecration by the power of the word in their hearts.Every disciple should be thus consecrated...the means is...the reception of God's word into our hearts and the complete surrender to his will spoken in his word."

Those amazingly diverse ants discover their path by heeding the instructions in their DNA, so a fungus-growing ant doesn't suddenly try to start milking aphids amongst the compost. Thus as we pray and give our selves to God, listening to His voice, he will show us the customized gifts and talents he's endowed us with to live for him and speak his message to our peers in a convincing way. That's the purpose Jesus sends us into the world for: that the world may believe he the Messiah was sent by God, and that God loves his people dearly as he loves his own Son. Sanctification, being made holy or set-apart, means God has a special purpose for your life; you are unique, for meeting a specific need, reaching those you know for the Lord.

The final lesson from the ants is this: However little I am, I can be part of God's big plan to bless the world through Jesus. Ants are not individuals, they're perhaps the most highly developed form of "social insects": they live in organized communities, with hundreds of thousands or even millions of members in each colony. (picture - ant nest: here's a cross-section of an ant colony, with all the different store rooms, queen's chamber, nursery, and guard on duty at the door.) Where do all these members come from? Usually there is just one queen in a colony, and almost all the other ants come from her. They're one big family. And though each ant individually is small, together they are a force to be reckoned with. A colony of leaf-cutter ants can even strip all the leaves from a whole orange grove in one night! Ant nests can extend 3 feet above ground, and 40 feet below ground. Such amazing coordination and cooperation is made possible because they're all on the same wavelength, they're united in their goal.

This is the concept behind the union of our church 75 years ago this week: though on our own we may be small, together we can make a big difference. The motto on our United Church Crest, "that all may be one", comes from John 17:21-23. Jesus prays "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us...I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me.May they be brought to complete unity..."

The ants in a colony are united because they're basically all from one source, the queen. The unity Jesus describes is not just a oneness similar to that bonding the Father and the Son, but that very unity itself enlarged and extended so as to include believers within the very fellowship the Trinity knew from eternity past. We are included in this heavenly "colony" when we receive Christ as Lord and Saviour, becoming God's own sons and daughters by faith as the apostles taught. This is an essential goal toward which our Sunday School, our parenting, and all our Church programming needs to be heading -- and beyond to maturity in Christian discipleship.

This becomes real to us through the Holy Spirit. Note Jesus said, "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one..." McGarvey writes, "God gave Christ the glory of Sonship and this resulted in their unity.So Christ gives to his disciples the glory of becoming the sons of God (Jn.1:12;1Jn.3:1)." This glory, the adoption and gift of the Spirit, makes it possible for Christians to be one as Father and Son are one. Ants in a colony share the same mother, the same smell, the same communication; Christ longs for his church to demonstrate the same oneness of will and spirit he felt with the Father.

You don't need to BE big to be part of something big. God loves each of us dearly, and has a role for us. However little I am or can do, I can be part of God's big plan to bless the world through Jesus. The Lord said (Luke 7:28) humanly speaking there was no one ever born who was greater than John the Baptist; "yet the person who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he." Another time (Luke 9:48) he said, "Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.For he who is LEAST among you all - that person is the GREATEST." Praise God, even little ants like you and me are important - perhaps MOST necessary - in showing the world God's incredible love and kindness for all. Let us pray.

"Whaddaya Mean, 'Look Out for the Tree!'?" - Mt.23:1-12 1 Kings 18:16-24 - Thamesview UC 32nd/ UCC Anniversary/ Pentecost

Anniversaries are excellent opportunities to look back and look ahead. The image that came to me for this occasion that of a World War II cartoon by Bing Coughlin, from a book my father has. It shows an armoured scout car with two soldiers' heads racing down a slope. Obviously it's the type that had two drivers' positions, for one soldier is shouting to the other: "Whaddaya mean, 'Look out for the tree!'? I thought YOU were driving!!"

We are a big church in the UCC, with over 700,000 members across the country. Thamesview has been a very active church since its local consolidation in 1968, when people from six different churches came together to form a new congregation. It's very easy sometimes to feel unnecessary in a large organization, or to get peeved about the way somebody else made a decision and sneak off to the sidelines mumbling, "I'll let somebody else do the driving. They can provide the leadership. Then if something goes wrong, it's THEIR fault!"

However God challenges us not to slough off on the responsibility of steering. It doesn't advance the Kingdom when we're hopping around as Israel danced back and forth trying to blend together worship of Yahweh and the popular trendy worship of the Baals. Jesus urges us not to imitate the Pharisees or the Sadducees, the right wing or the left wing, but let Him be at the steering wheel of our life. Then we won't become a wreck against the bush on either side of the ditch.

Around the Blyth area, especially toward Wingham, you still come across Amish buggies driving along the side of the road. They seem like an anomaly, an anachronism, something badly out of place, from another time; the black buggy idles along on the shoulder while cars whiz by on the pavement. That's probably what many churches seem like to modern folk who might step in off the street: it's like entering another time period. Quaint, but not life-changing. So moderns are doing the "church thing" less and less. An Angus Reid poll taken last month revealed that 77% (3/4) of Canadians still identify themselves with a Christian church; 69% agree with the statement, "I feel that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, God provided a way for the forgiveness of my sins"; 67% agree religious faith is very important to their day-to-day life; and 66% (2/3) agree that the Bible is the inspired word of God, up slightly from previous years. Sounds encouraging. But the punch line is that only 20% of Canadians attend weekly religious services. Should be 3 times that much if they were putting feet to their faith! And for young people, ages 18-34, only 15% attend each week! Modern people, even the 77% who call themselves Christian, are passing judgment on the relevance of church by not attending.

Are we bound for the ditch, or crashing into a tree? In an article in the January "Bridge", Augie Meacham, London Conference Personnel Minister back in the 70's, surmises: "Perhaps my age group has a plan (I hope unconsciously). The plan is that when we leave this earth, we take the United Church with us. There would be some members left but not many." Is that what the future holds? Will the national church make it from its 75th birthday to 100? What's wrong with the direction we're going?

As we peer through the future's fog we can dimly see dangers to both the left and the right. First the dangers to the left, which we can call something like "progressive modernism". (I don't want to call it small-L liberal because Christ's love has a liberality to it which drew people to him.) The United Church has always been strong on social justice. A recent issue of "Context" magazine published by World Vision about the residential schools issue had the United Church come through looking fairly good compared to other denominations. I applaud our ongoing stand against lotteries and gambling. Some of you will remember the infamous grape boycott of years past. Even on a local level - your 1993 historical booklet has a photo of the local township council beside which my mother scribbled a note "We regret the headless reeve!" (happens to be my uncle Don); but the United Church has always attempted to cut politicians down to size!

As a local church you have had a somewhat liberal, progressive vision for mission. In the 70's you sponsored a refugee family from VietNam; in the 80's, Laotian refugees, and the Adult Class helped sponsor African Michael Butera. You have been very active in Canadian Foodgrains Bank projects and are now loaning Susan to its national Board of Directors. Even the Hi-C were outreach minded: back in 1968 they held a 19-mile walkathon to Stratford to raise money for a foster child. Makes my feet sore to think about it!

Yet there are dangers in going too far to the left, even if it is a benevolent progressive modernism. Fallen humans cannot build utopia. The heady optimistic liberalism of the early 20th century resulted in the most deadly 100 years our world has known. The danger in a "Mending the Earth" philosophy is imagining we can do it ourselves; preoccupation with social justice can tempt us to overlook Christ and forget God's version of the solution for the world's problems, which starts with the Gospel. For example, anthem for the United Church's 75th anniversary may have nice music but nowhere does it make any reference to Jesus Christ. Instead it is love that "makes free" the "precious planet". Similarly, the winning hymn for the 75th anniversary has some very faulty theology. Supposedly the "Word made flesh declared the truth of human worth"; the author urges us to "let doctrine of a world made whole become the truth by which we're freed." Why then would Peter at Pentecost urge the crowds to "Repent and be baptized...in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins...Save yourselves from this corrupt generation"? If "human worth" is already a truth, who needs a Redeemer?

A church that would contemplate jettisoning the 20 Articles in the Basis of Union because it has trouble with phrases like "the only Mediator", "justification" and "redemption" needs to contemplate the timeless reality behind what Grant Mills wrote 30 years ago: "The church is founded upon her faith in God as revealed by Jesus Christ. Though we may change our ways of expressing our love, still we must so love the world that we may continue to give in order that the world may be saved." Made whole spiritually as well as other ways.

Now, lest you peg me completely as a right-wing fanatic, let me hasten to add there are dangers in steering too much to the right as well as to the left. The right edge can be called conservatism, the preservation of tradition. The tendency in this wing is to become reactionary, defensive, even negative or cynical in response to "progressive" national church policies. Conservatives at least since 1988 have in some instances developed a "run and hide" attitude. The temptation is to ignore or deny theological drift. Or we hunker in a fortress mentality behind the impenetrable armour of the good old Basis of Union. It IS GOOD to preserve the timeless truth captured in the 20 Articles, but as they're written their old-fashioned language makes them daunting if not inaccessible, at least to young people. We do need to be able to express in fresh ways the scriptural Reformation principles that summarize so beautifully how a holy God reaches out to help fallen people through Jesus.

There is danger in retaining old structures, formats, and hymns just because they served well in the past. Remember, only 15% of Canadian young people attend services weekly. Who wants to sit in a hard old pew and listen to music from a hundred years ago when you could be on a comfortable couch at home playing a video game, shaking the walls with a music video, taking a stroll with the bass boost of a Discman, even trying out the latest virtual-reality arcade game? Kids are growing up surrounded by pushbutton controls, they want something that's interactive, involves them and gets them participating. the creativity of the advertising and entertainment industry leaves church programming looking pretty dull.

The Christian teen today can go hear some big-name bands in a concert, buy the CD, get the words and guitar chords off the internet, and (in some churches) be singing the words off a big screen with computer projector the next week. The introduction of new worship music and instruments has changed dramatically. Yet in many churches drums and moving your hands or moving to the music while singing are resisted. "Conservers" want to preserve worship just the way it's always been - with the argument that it's us, not the youth, who are paying the bills.

'Twas ever thus. An item from the history of Roys' Church in 1872 noted: "First organ purchased against will of older members." Yet if we don't adapt and risk some accomodation to young folks' ways, we will take the church down with us as Mr.Meacham warns.

The Holy Spirit is expert in helping us learn to think outside the box. A small church near us in Blyth has just purchased a former restaurant in order to have a bigger worship space. They're looking forward to changing from their old oak pews to chairs which will allow multiple uses of the facility. Could we ever imagine a sanctuary like THIS being used as recreational or theatre space for part of the week? It's hard, but we're being pushed to justify our existence in serving the community and making better stewardship use of what we have.

In 1975 this congregation showed initiative in constructing a new CE wing. A courageous and thoughtful move back then, but 25 years may mean it's time to look again at structures and needs.

"Look out for the tree!" You may need to correct your course to the right or the left to avoid destruction. Where is God's way ahead? Elijah called the people of Israel to stop dancing around, hopping back and forth between worship of Abraham's God and worship of the fertility gods. "You can't have it both ways," he insisted. "If Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." Yet the people said nothing. They suffered from inertia, complacency. So Elijah devised a contest to let God's reality blaze forth.

Jesus' time in Jerusalem ended after his controversy with the Sadducees (who were more liberal, compromising with Rome) and the Pharisees (who were more conservative, even unbearably rigid and picky about the Law). Jesus was neither left-wing nor right-wing, and warned his disciples not to get stuck in either. The Pharisees were closest to them, but Jesus didn't like the way they did everything for show. Christ urged his disciples to practise what they preach; to not get puffed-up with titles such as "rabbi" or "father" or "leader". They were to remember they had one Father in heaven, one Master or Leader, Christ Himself. As he said elsewhere, "I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life." Don't get off-track to the right or left.

Jesus then said a strange thing. After emphasizing himself as Master and Teacher, he said, "The greatest among you will be your servant; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." As if that sums up his whole way: Jesus made himself a servant, humbling himself, serving others' needs. Self-denial. The cross.

"Look out for the tree!" It'll kill you. But didn't Peter call the cross a tree in Acts 5:30? "The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead--whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree." Hmm. In this sense, the tree is the thing we need to look out for, to aim for: the person who dies to their own desires and humbles themselves to become a servant like Christ, will be exalted.

I was shocked by the bluntness of Augie Meacham's article as he analyzed WHY his age group was threatening to take the church with them to the grave. He said: "My age group grew out of a time of great struggles. We lived through the stock crash of the late twenties, the great depression of the 30's, and the 2nd World War. during those years, we learned determination, sacrifice, responsibility and "you get what you earn". We became the builders of the late 40's and the 50's. We built churches, but we also built a country and a future for our children. We failed to see, however, that the very virtues that made us into builders were the seeds of the present decline of our church. In those years of struggle, we came to admire our ability to exist on our own. We were regular church goers, but our religious outlook revolved around a kind of "moral responsibility". At dedication services, we said "yes" to the minister's question, "Do you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour?" but we didn't need a Saviour. We could handle life on our own. We supported the church because we believed that it encouraged the virtues that we had acquired through our own struggles. We were a do-it-yourself generation but we had no Gospel."

Augie finds this an exhilarating thought, not a gloomy one. "If we can do this well without the Gospel," he asks, "what might we do if we turn it around and break out of our self-sufficiency?" Of grandchildren who don't know the Christian stories and who haven't heard the Good News from their parents, Augie says, "We didn't realize that we needed it, and they won't either UNLESS WE TELL THEM."

That's what Jesus is telling us to do: practise what we preach, live it out before our children, take off our masks and show how we need God to help us with our struggles, "look out for the tree": be humble, serving, not a stuffed shirt. As a baby boomer I confess I need this giving up of self-reliance just as much as Meacham's generation. "Repent and be baptized...in the name of Jesus Christ...And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit," Peter cries out; "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off." We need God's very being inside us, through the work of Christ; Pentecost is the Holy Spirit making real in me who Jesus was. This makes religion real and working, not just a pretend show.

What might this mean for us as a church in the 21st century? In a way, we're at a new frontier, we're pioneering again in a neo-pagan high-tech materialistic culture - that's nevertheless seeking desperately for answers to deep religious questions. From our Presbyterian ancestors we can reclaim an emphasis on the sovereignty of God. We are NOT the be-all and end-all, as the 20th Century showed in blazing colours. We need the Transcendent, someone beyond ourselves.

From the Methodists, which were the main component making up Thamesview, we can learn to give ministry back to the laity. Methodism relied on lay leaders of what were called "class meetings" (now we'd call them small groups). These class meetings met lots of other places than in church buildings. Now in our own home we need to be teaching our children to pray and grow in the Word on their own: they won't get it at public school like I did. The Methodist classes were really a "meeting", face-to-face, with honest accountability. We need to start to really MEET and encounter one another at worship, not just stare at the talking head up front and the bald spot of Fred Brown in front of us. Worship has to become participatory. An elderly friend once remarked to me that this church showed its Methodist roots in that, unlike a nearby church of Presbyterian background, you could call on any number of men at a meeting who could stand and lead a prayer in public. That IS noteworthy. This ability and connectedness with God is what seekers are looking for.

From the Congregationalists, we can become more Bible-centred, training up our own leadership to "get the Word out". Thamesview has a record already of this, fostering for ordered ministry Ann Marie Allen, myself, and now Kenji Marui. Congregationalists kept independent of big "mainline" churches, seeking to develop their worship, constitution, and congregational life on a Biblical model. Alongside supporting the Mission and Service Fund, givers want to be involved more directly in projects. That's part of the appeal of Foodgrains growing projects. This may mean starting our own local missions projects; sponsoring Vacation Bible Schools, Sigma-C, CGIT, Messengers, Explorers, and so on. The mission field in our midst. But such groups require energetic, loving leaders to sacrifice their time occasionally; that's where we need to "look out for the TREE!"

Will our church survive? Are we like that armoured vehicle lumbering downhill bound for disaster? It all depends whether we're letting Jesus guide us or slacking off and letting another god be in charge. If we look out for the tree, admit our need of the cross, humble ourselves and turn to Christ, there is help - God's own Holy Spirit. But we've got to stop pretending. Let us pray.

"Practical Pointers on Prayer" - THE WAY Service, June 11/00

Emily has already laid a general groundwork for the attitude in which God invites us to come in prayer. So I'd like to look at some practical questions people have when they pray.

First, WHY PRAY? If you realize God has made us to communicate with Him and share love back and forth, the answer is obvious. Prayer isn't about a mailing list of requests to Santa Claus, but RELATIONSHIP. And any relationship is almost a living thing in itself, requiring things to grow and survive, especially communication.

♢God desires our prayers. So much that it's actually a command in the Bible.

"Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; (Isaiah 55:6) "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. (Matthew 7:7) " The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. (Proverbs 15:8)

♢Prayer does change things. It actually works, people who keep a record have been amazed at how God answered their prayers. Dwight Moody early on made a list of 100 people he wanted to know the Lord. 96 were converted before he died, the other four at his funeral. God answers prayer.

"Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. (Isaiah 58:9) Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

♢Prayer is more effective than worrying.

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6)

Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.

(1 Peter 5:7)

♢This is really the whole reason Jesus came: so we could approach God. We have the access, why not use it?

for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 2:18)

in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. (Ephesians 3:12)

Next, WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS? What's the fine print that's essential in order for our prayers to "get through"?

♢Posture is irrelevant.

The Bible has examples of people praying standing up, kneeling, falling on their face on the ground, looking up to heaven. But if you consistently fall asleep while praying lying on your back in bed you might want to try another position to help you stay focussed! (Mt.26:39,Mk.7:34)

♢The signature on the cheque is more important than what the rest of the cheque looks like. Jesus urged us as his disciples to pray IN HIS NAME.

I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it. (John 14:13-14)

Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. (John 16:24)

In other words, would Jesus sign this bill, this cheque? Would he agree that this is important?

Another way of putting this is that our prayers need to be "according to his will."

And this is the boldness we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14)

♢It helps a lot if you're "righteous" as the Bible describes it, meaning "put right with God". Jesus obtained this for us at the cross but we often need to confess our sins and secret motivations so God can get completely on board with our request.

Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

♢Another condition for prayer is that it must be accompanied by faith. No doubting allowed! Trust God is on your side.

Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."

(Matthew 21:22)

my enemies will retreat in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me. (Psalms 56:9)

We need to be whole-hearted about it, not half-hearted.

When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, (Jeremiah 29:13)

let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

(Hebrews 10:22)

♢Don't forget you're not alone. Prayer is not an isolated enterprise, even if you're in your inner room; we pray in partnership with the Holy Spirit.

God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24)

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. (Romans 8:26)

♢Spare the bafflegab and cut to the chase. Be direct and to the point.

You can even say nothing at all and be having a most profound prayer. We have two ears and one mouth; much prayer can be listening, while silent.

"Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth." (Psalms 46:10)

What about rote prayers, like those memorized graces at meals? Well, they're better than nothing at all, as long as they're sincere. Better yet to have a short conversational style, thanking God in your own words. He wants to hear YOU, not some poet of time past!

♢Leave room for God to move, and achieve something bigger than what you're asking.

The CLASSIC example of "unanswered" prayer is Lk.22:42 where Jesus prays in Gethsemane, "remove this cup from me" - the cup of suffering on the cross for our sins. But Jesus knew more than just his own life was at stake. So he allowed room for God's bigger plan by adding, "not my will but yours be done." Our salvation is an example of God overriding one individual's prayer for deliverance in order for a much broader plan to succeed.

♢Be persistent. If it's really important, you won't give up easily.

Jesus told two stories of a persistent friend banging on the door in the middle of the night, and a persistent widow who wouldn't leave a judge alone, so we'd not give up too soon and lose heart. (Lk.11:8; 18:5,7)

♢Give credit where credit is due. Don't forget the first half of the Lord's prayer (Mt.6:9,10) - the whole enterprise of creation is a hallowing or honouring of God's name, glorifying Him for who He is. God's main goal in our life is the advancement of His Kingdom, NOT our creature comfort.

♢Fasting underlines urgency, it highlights your prayer request as ultra-urgent. Nehemiah (1:4), Daniel (9:3), Jesus (Mt.4:2), and the early church (Acts 13:3) all fasted on occasion.

♢Use the "blank cheque" forms God has already provided in Scripture - plead the promises. (Gen.32:9; Ps.119:49)

♢Don't lose sight of the "active ingredient": God's goodness, not our deserving.

Incline your ear, O my God, and hear...We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercies. (Daniel 9:18)

A question some may ask is, "Does God really hear my prayer?" Yes, unless sin is blocking the way. God's power is available but sometimes our sin can separate us from God; at times in the Old Testament he hid his face and didn't hear. (Is.59:1,2) But if we humble ourselves, pray, seek Him, and turn from wicked ways, he promises, "I will hear." (2 Chron.7:14)

"How will I know if God does hear my prayer?" Even if you don't see the answer right away, you may eventually. God's answers include "no", "slow" (wait), "grow" (mature first), or "go" (yes). After praying, leave it in His hands; His peace will guard your heart even if you don't see a physical answer. (Phil.4:6,7)

Another person asks, "Do I have time for, or do I really need prayer?" You can be going 90 miles an hour, but if it's down the wrong road, you're no further ahead. Prayer keeps us on the right track. Busy heroes of the Christian faith have tended to set aside more time for prayer, not less. It's not busy-ness but FRUITfulness that really matters. Check out God's plan for your day first.

Another question I've heard is, "Does prayer go beyond what most people think a prayer is? Do you think God would really like to have a 'plain' conversation with us without us telling him all our troubles - just to talk to him like the friend he is?" Asking or "petition" is just one small aspect of the Lord's Prayer. In Jesus' model, significant time is given to admiring the Father, seeking to understand his Kingdom plan, self-examination for forgiveness, anticipating being at home with God eternally. God wants to just visit with us.

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. (Jeremiah 33:3)

Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. (Revelation 3:20)

Hang out with your holy friend a while. Let some of it rub off on you.

Did you know that 60 years ago last month, nearly 500,000 British and French troops were stuck at Dunkirk while Hitler's army and air force bore down on them? The situation seemed hopeless. The churches in England called for a National Day of Prayer. King George VI declared it would be held May 26 1940.

What followed was a miracle. Hitler's armoured divisions remained where they were for weeks, just 15 miles away. And the English Channel remained calm while 336,000 men found their way to safety by scrambling aboard all kinds of little boats and yachts. General Ironside wrote, "I still cannot understand how it is that the [Germans] have allowed us to get [our troops] off in this way." The Permanent Undersecretary at the Foreign Office called the evacuation "marvelous" and "a miracle". Praise God, great things happen when we pray; He delights in hearing and helping us.

"Fathering is 'IN'" - Father's Day, June 18/00 - Malachi 4:1-6 Mark 9:14-29

Fathering is "IN"! Being a Dad is not only one of the most rewarding experiences in this world, it's necessary and much-needed. On this Father's Day we can see that Fathering is "IN" because although too often it's invisible, yet it is indispensable. And when we look at what God expects of Fathers in Scripture and Jesus' teaching, we'll understand how vital it is for dads to have involvement, offer instruction, and practise interest and intercession.

The first "in" of fathering is that, too often, it's INVISIBLE. Back in pioneer days the family used to eat together, work together, sleep together on the family farm. There were no cars, TVs, telephones. By nature of the setting fathers and children had lots of time together - what else was there to do? Father, mother, son, and daughter worked shoulder to shoulder in order to survive. Today though we live in a fast-paced, affluent, interrupted society. It's all too easy for fathers to be absent, distant, or preoccupied. The world intrudes into family life: entertainment, sports, extracurricular opportunities all intrude and take us away from each other. Father becomes INVISIBLE.

Professor Max Lerner writes, "The 'vanishing father' is perhaps the central fact of the changing American family structure today." David Blankenhorn in his book "Fatherless America" states, "Tonight, about 40% of American children will go to sleep in homes in which their fathers do not live. Before they reach the age of 18, more than half of our nation's children are likely to spend at least a significant portion of their childhoods living apart from their father. Never before in this country have so many children been voluntarily abandoned by their fathers. Never before have so many children grown up without knowing what it means to have a father."

Yet while fathers more and more are invisible, research continues to show that fathering itself is INDISPENSABLE in a healthy society. Blankenhorn continues, "Fatherlessness is the most harmful demographic trend of this generation. It is the leading cause of declining child well-being in our society. It is also the engine driving our most urgent social problems, from crime to adolescent pregnancy to child sexual abuse to domestic violence against women. Yet, despite its scale and social consequences, fatherlessness is a problem that is frequently ignored or denied. It remains largely a problem with no name."

Dr.James Dobson, psychologist founder of Focus on the Family, says: "The western world stands at a great crossroads in its history. Our very survival as a people will depend on the presence or absence of masculine leadership in millions of homes." Robert Bly reports, "The police chief of Detroit remarked that the young men he arrests not only don't have any responsible older man in the house, they have never met one. When you look at a gang, you're looking...at young men who have no older men around them at all."

Numerous studies show how indispensable fathers are. Dr.Loren Moshen analyzed US Census figures and found the absence of a father to be a stronger factor than poverty in contributing to juvenile delinquency. Yale scientists studied delinquency in 48 cultures around the world and found crime rates were highest among children-adults who had been raised solely by women. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that "young, white teenage girls living in fatherless families...were 60% more likely to have premarital intercourse than those living in 2-parent homes." It's not even that a dad has to be physically absent; emotional distance is damaging, too. Dr.Armand Nicholi found an emotionally OR physically absent father contributes to a child's (1) low motivation for achievement; (2) inability to defer immediate gratification for later rewards; (3) low self-esteem; and (4) susceptibility to group influence and to juvenile delinquency.

So in today's society, fathers too often are invisible, yet obviously they are indispensable. When in selfishness and sin dads abandon or ignore their children, the whole community feels it. What is God calling us to do about this problem? Fathering involves much more than just the physical act of begetting children. What does God's Word in Scripture and Jesus tell us about how to be better fathers?

In the Old Testament, the traditional leadership roles were prophet, priest, and king. In Jesus these roles coalesced supremely for all time in one individual, God's anointed Saviour, the image of the invisible God. We can use these roles of prophet, priest, and king to understand better how God wants earthly fathers to reflect their heavenly Father. Since Fathering is "IN", let's call the kingly role INvolvement; the prophetic role, INstruction; and the priestly role, INterest and INtercession.

First the kingly role, INvolvement, or we might say, "IN your face". Who's finally responsible for seeing that children honour their parents, as in the Ten Commandments? In the Biblical view, the father in a family, not the mother, is the one God holds ultimately responsible for family conduct. It's fathers that Paul commands to direct and discipline children. Hebrews 12(5-11) draws a direct parallel between a father's discipline of his children and OUR discipline by God, "the Father of our spirits".

Guys, you can't leave the sometimes unpleasant task of reward and punishment to your wife. It's not fair to her, or your kids, and its abusing the kingly role of being father in your family. But you can't let yourself become known as only a disciplinarian, "The Enforcer". To maintain fairness and keep their love and respect requires you to be INVOLVED with your kids, building them up and encouraging them as well as punishing them when needed. Don't always just be making withdrawals from the emotional bank account. Invest your time in doing fun things with them, then the unpleasant matters will be easier for them to take when they know you've proven to them you really do love them.

Being involved with one's offspring, being "in their face", helps them know they matter; they're significant; there are consequences for their actions; your children will realize they're capable of making an impact on the world, for good or ill.

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield tells of the impact his father had on him in this month's Reader's Digest. When Chris broke the harrows by getting too near a fence post, he was angry and disappointed with himself because his father had specifically warned him against it. Chris remembers, "I was shamefaced and scared at having to admit that I'd blown it. He was mad, but he held his tongue. 'We're going to have to fix this,' was all he said. We took the implement back to the garage and welded it together again. And, typical of my father, he used the opportunity to teach me the skills involved. Afterwards, he put me right back on that tractor. He'd taught me that I could make a mistake and fix it, that it's not the end of the world. And he taught me to have confidence in my own abilities." The kingly role means we govern our children with a servant attitude, being involved, helping them discover their own significance and potential.

A second role, instruction, comes from a dad's prophetic role in the family. A prophet speaks on God's behalf to someone for their upbuilding. God said of Abraham (Father of a multitude), "All nations on earth will be blessed through him.For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." (Gen.18:18f) God expected Abraham, rather than Sarah, to direct his children to keep God's ways. THEN God could fulfill his promise of blessing the world through him, a blessing that came to pass in forgiveness through faith in Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Paul in Ephesians 6 tells fathers not to provoke their children but to "bring them up in the training and INstruction of the Lord". Fathering very much involves the attempt to shape a child's mind, their outlook on the world, giving them a knowledge of basic truth as God sees it - which is often quite contrary to the messages kids hear in the media or from peers. Christian fathering is a counter-cultural enterprise. After all the rain we've been getting the past few weeks, you can see lots of examples of erosion around the countryside, as soil has been washed away leaving gullies and scars in the land. But there is a more serious type of erosion going on that you can't see so directly: erosion of morals and ethics, our spiritual values. Russian-born writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn says, "The west has been undergoing an erosion and obscuring of high moral and ethical ideals.The spiritual axis of life has grown dim." Fathers, shore up those moral dikes in your families! Robert Bork in his book "Slouching toward Gomorrah" writes, "With each new evidence of deterioration, we lament for a moment, and then become accustomed to it."

As fathers, our God-assigned role as prophets is to make known to our offspring what God's expectations are, his great promises, how to interpret everyday and global happenings from a Biblical viewpoint. God sent Jesus to "show us the Father", Jesus is God's "logos" or making-known of himself and his ways. What does instruction do for our kids? It provides security and structure; kids want to know the ground rules. As parents we can help our youngsters get started on creating order in their lives, as preparation to being out on their own in a very big, sometimes crazy and chaotic, world. The framework dads can set forth gives predictability if we're consistent. It's lack of guidelines, and inconsistency that kids find exasperating.

Dads, in this age your kids especially need YOU to teach them what it means to be a man (and a woman, for your girls). There is much gender confusion out there. In God's wisdom He has wired men and women differently, in such a way that we need each other; a husband and wife complement each other so as to fulfill each other in a unique way. So dads, be sure to instruct your sons what it means to be a man, and teach your daughters what to look for in one.

Involvement; instruction; the final role, that of family priest, entails INterest and INtercession. In Exodus 28, God tells Moses how to make a breastpiece for the High Priest. 12 precious stones, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, mounted in such a way that they would be on his upper chest. Thus God says, "Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the LORD." Get it? Being a priest was not about power, but about bearing the ones you mediate for on your heart before God. Show an INTEREST in your kids. Get out from behind the newspaper, turn off the TV, tear yourself away from the computer, free up some evenings to be around home. Listen to their problems, help with their homework, find out their secret desires and wishes. Care for them, love them, ask God to turn your heart (as a father) toward your children. Jane Hansen writes, "Malachi 4:6 indicates that the blessing or cursing of an entire nation rests upon the response of that nation's fathers to their children...When a man begins to feel that it is 'safe' to be emotionally vulnerable, he becomes able to provide that emotional safety to those around him. The children become beneficiaries of their father's new-found freedom...Children begin to sense the safety in their father's heart and his emotional presence in their lives. As a result, they begin to respond in kind. Automatically, though it may take awhile if the damage has been great, their hearts will become 'turned to their fathers'." Gordon Dalbey adds, "...Healing between fathers and children is...the essential prerequisite to fulfilling God's purposes on earth.When fathers are reconciled with sons and daughters, God's saving power is released among us; conversely, when fathers and children remain at odds with one another, powers of destruction are beckoned."

The other main aspect of a priest besides showing INterest is making INTERCESSION. The Old Testament priests offered regular sacrifice. Job, "Mr.Righteous", sacrificed frequently for his kids even after they became adults. Jesus our High Priest has made a sacrifice "once for all"; now he lives to make intercession for believers. That's his full-time job now, praying for us! Dad's, it's vital that we pray for our kids regularly. That requires us to keep in touch with their needs, their concerns and anxieties, their joys and victories, so that we can bring all this before the Lord in prayer and thanksgiving.

It's essential for our kids to see we fathers have a personal relationship with God if religion is to be at all real for them. Keith Meyering, administrator for Men's Life, reports that when the father is an active believer there is about a 75% likelihood that the children will also become active believers. But if only the mother is a believer this likelihood is dramatically reduced to 15%. To be an "active believer" means more than just church attendance: pray for your kids and share what you learn from the Bible with them.

Our gospel lesson featured a father interceding for his son, who had been plagued by an evil spirit all his life. He had asked the disciples to drive it out, but they couldn't. Jesus succeeded by a simple command. When the disciples asked him later why they couldn't, Jesus said, "This kind can come out only by prayer." By what? Prayer - intercession - a force more powerful than we usually give credit.

But before Jesus could heal the boy, he needed to deal with the father's casual indifference. Picking up on the father's phrase, "IF you can do anything," Jesus emphasized, "EVERYTHING is possible for him who believes." Suddenly it registered with the boy's father: his non-committal attitude toward God was part of the problem. He hadn't been seeking God wholeheartedly, in faith. He exclaimed, "I do believe: help me overcome my unbelief!" So dads, if we want any results for our intercessions for our offspring when we're on our knees, we've got to be in earnest with the Lord, not hiding anything, acknowledging our real need of Him in every area of our life. Get to know God as your OWN heavenly Father through reading the Word and prayer. That HAS to come before we can introduce our children to the one they will be able to keep calling "Our Father" long after WE'RE gone.

To sum up, then, remember: Fathering is "IN". With the Lord's help we can be INvolved with our kids, INstructing them, INterested in them and INterceding for them. The word "father" means "a source, a founder, author." Through your actions you are forming the next generation; God wants to help us do it in a healing way by turning our hearts to our children. An anonymous poet has written:

"I saw tomorrow.

I saw tomorrow marching.

I saw tomorrow marching on little children's feet.

Within their forms and faces her prophecy now complete.

I saw tomorrow look at me from little children's eyes

and thought, how carefully we would teach

if we were really wise."

Let us pray.

"Blessing in Place of Bitterness" - Funeral of Isabel Marks, June 19/00 - Ruth 1:12-18;2:7,12; 4:13,17

There is one school in life many people attend at one time or another, even if they never end up with any certificate or diploma. It's the "school of hard knocks". In this fallen world misfortune and trouble happen to most people from time to time. In this school of hard knocks some learn just to harden themselves, and grumble about life being bitter. But God through Scripture assures us it need not end that way. When we remain faithful and trust in what Jesus did for us, going through hardship on our behalf so we could have a permanent home with him, God helps soften the bitterness of our circumstances. He can even bring blessing out of the hard times.

The story of Ruth is set in a difficult situation. Famine has starved people. First Ruth's father-in-law, then her husband and brother-in-law, all die. Back then women were very dependent on men in order to earn a livelihood and hold title to land. Ruth's situation seemed desperate. Her mother-in-law decided to go back home to the land of Judah. Ruth insisted on going with her. So here she was, stuck in a foreign country, with no husband, no job, and an aging mother-in-law to support. Difficult circumstances. Yet God helped her survive and eventually flourish where she found herself.

Isabel's life was not an easy one, either. She was a dedicated farmwife all her life. She worked hard in the barn, milking cows right along with Wellington. Besides the farm work, there was all the obligation of raising a family and keeping house. Added to all that, three times the Marks family lost a barn due to fire. Such devastating losses! Once would be bad enough, but three times must have seemed unbearable! Yet Isabel and family hung in there and pulled through. The Lord was able to help them survive and cope in spite of the terrible misfortune. Instead of bitterness, eventually there was blessing.

Along with the Lord's provision, he leaves room for hard work. When Ruth went out to glean in the barley fields, the other workers noted that she worked steadily all day (2:7). She was not lazy or a slacker. Similarly, Isabel proved herself tough and a hard worker. When the barn work was done, there was house work to do. When the house work was caught up, she perhaps had time to take the family to church or do some needlework. She hung in there with dedication. God speaks of the blessedness of an ideal wife in Proverbs 31; so Isabel proved herself worthy and adequate.

But there's more to life than work. Ruth was a dedicated family person. She vowed to stick by her widowed mother-in-law no matter what, pledging, "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

We can see that same dedication in Isabel's life. She really loved her kids, and especially the grandchildren. She always cared about what was happening in their lives. Part of that caring and commitment was being in charge of the youngsters, holding them accountable if they didn't come when called to dinner. Too many families these days suffer because parents don't help their kids learn to respect standards and guidelines. And I see that same dedication and caring in the attention Wellington has given to Isabel over the past year and a half. You were there for each other, inseparable. God blesses such faithfulness and love.

The Lord can turn things around when we co-operate, and bring blessing instead of bitterness. Ruth eventually found another husband, and together they had a son, a grandson whom Naomi could help care for. This was significant, for the boy turned out to be King David's grandfather, and an ancestor of Jesus' earthly parents. Isabel's family, too, has expanded; who can tell what her heritage will be? She has already left an inheritance for them in her dedication, responsibility, and hard work. That's on earth. The Lord has stored up unspeakable joys in heaven for those who love him. As we trust in Jesus, who suffered so much on the cross that we might be forgiven and share his eternal life, we find that hard circumstances can bring benefit for us and others. May it be true of Isabel as it was said to Ruth: "May the LORD repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." (2:12) Amen.

"Clean Off the Barnacles" - June 25/00 - Mark 6:1-13; 2 Cor.6:14-7:1

A man went into the video store. He was wearing some old running shoes, washed-out jeans, green T-shirt, and a Pepsi ball cap. But a few minutes later when he emerged, video in hand, you couldn't tell what he was wearing. From head to toe he was covered with barnacles, little ocean creatures that have a hard shell and feathery legs that wave around. When he got in his car he found he couldn't get the seatbelt around, the barnacles were so thick.

A middle-aged woman was one of the early birds at the garage sale that Saturday. She was delighted to find an enormous selection of Harlequin romances, each going at 25 cents each. She brought home two shopping bags full of them. Two weeks later, when she went to go out her door, she found she couldn't get through it for the barnacles that were covering her. She pushed and shoved but couldn't do it. Finally she backed up and took a run at the door. There was a spray of barnacles flying off in all directions as she fell through the doorway and down the steps. But the barnacles were still so thick she kept rolling on her side down the sidewalk.

It was the last of the exams, and the Grade 11 boy was just wiped. He stared blankly at the questions in front of him. He wasn't tired from studying, but because he'd gotten waylaid playing a computer game for 3 hours the night before. Looking around, he noticed the paper of the brainy girl just over and back from him was in full view. The teacher in charge seemed preoccupied marking other exams. He copied one answer. Then another. An hour later, waiting what he thought was a discreet moment or two after the girl handed in her paper, the boy squeezed out of his desk and started walking up to hand his in. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Every step he took sounded like he was walking on eggshells. He looked down and realized the barnacles had gotten him, they were waving madly all over him and leaving a trail of broken shells with every pace.

The attack of the barnacles...could it happen to you or me? Don't barnacles usually live in the ocean and attach themselves to ships, forcing sailors to scrape them off from time to time so the ship doesn't get weighed down and its movement slowed? Maybe. "Marine engineers have spent much time experimenting to find ways to prevent barnacles from attaching themselves to ships and wharves." But there is a type of spiritual barnacle that attacks Christians, called SIN. Jesus calls us to CLEAN OFF THE BARNACLES of evil, to repent or turn away from wrongdoing. Christ and his disciples are on the warpath against all kinds of evil or "unclean" spirits.

What we're talking about is PURITY, being holy as God is and calls us to be holy. A key verse is 2 Corinthians 7:1: Paul says, "Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."

George Barna is a pollster in the States who keeps up on population trends as a service to churches. At a seminar this past Monday in London, he said some disturbing things. As a statistician he gets to know church people as we really are, not as we think we are. Barna said the Christian faith itself still is very appealing; as people look over the smorgasbord of religions available today, Christianity does have the best image of any major faith group. Although the churches are usually irrelevant, a seeker doesn't find them too offensive; church just has a bland image. Barna says what's really killing the Kingdom is Christians! Non-believers can't see any real difference between "us" and "them". Barna surveyed committed Christians and unbelievers in the general population. On 66 religious factors he found Christians were different in only 9. Worse still, out of 65 lifestyle factors - cheating on income tax, lying, and so on - he found there was a significant difference between Christians and non-Christians in absolutely ZERO of the 65 factors. Not a one! Yet Christians come across as much more judgmental than other people. We claim accepting Jesus as Saviour will dramatically change a person's life, yet outsiders don't see one whit of difference in so-called Christians.

William Willimon, professor at Duke University, writes: "By my reckoning, I count more people who have turned away from the Christian faith, turned away from following Christ, not because of something they have against Jesus, but rather from their repugnance at the state of Jesus' followers, the church. The worst liability Jesus has are his own people! This situation ought to cause the church to grieve." Percy Shelly said, "I could believe in Christ if he did not drag along behind him that leprous bride of his, the church."

We're not pure, we're not clear resemblances of Jesus, we're leprous - or is it barnacles? You see, as a ship moves through the water, minding its own business, barnacles are swimming around in the sea looking for some permanent home to attach themselves to as a base of operation. So they cling to the ship and start waving around their feathery legs to feed. Over time they develop a hard, lime-like box as protection; this really hinders the ship when you get thousands of barnacles. So for Christians, as we go about our daily routines, we need to be vigilant against the noxious sins that pervade our environment. The little temptations here and there that clamour for our attention become ugly attachments that dishonour Christ.

Let's talk about two types of sin-barnacles: attitudes, contaminations of our spirit; and attractions, contaminations of our body or physical appetites.

"Attitude" barnacles are sneaky, like the E coli in the water at Walkerton, because they're invisible. You can't take a picture of a bad attitude. These are assumptions, prejudices, or outlooks that balk at Jesus and make him out to be less than what he is. That day at the synagogue in Mark 6, Jesus walked into a whole pile of bad attitude. The hometown neighbours couldn't figure out where he got such wisdom and wondrous works. They were prejudiced by familiarity, they had known Jesus in the carpenter shop and just couldn't accept that he might be anything else than a common tradesman. "'Where did this man get these things? Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son?' And they took offense at him." As a result of their skeptical lack of faith, Jesus couldn't do miracles to help them.

Paul the apostle warns against being yoked together with unbelievers. He's not talking about avoiding them or having nothing to do with them - we HAVE to deal with those we meet. But he's warning us not to get too closely allied with someone who doesn't have the Lord at the centre of their worldview. Any other organizing principle in life is going to be an idol, and idols end up being bad news for those who follow them: they trick you at first into thinking you're getting a good deal, but they wind up by sucking the life right out of you. They take over. A wrong attitude, based on a false god, says: "I know what's best for me; I don't need Christ or his leading." And it can even work for a while, until you bump up against our limitations and the moral laws on which God founded the universe.

Modernism and postmodernism are the leading worldviews out there today. Modernism arose in the 19th century with an almost religious dependence on reason and science. Postmodernism in the late 20th century argued there is no absolute truth; ethics is relative. Both modernism and postmodernism see humanity, not God, as the final judge of what is real and can be known. This attitude infects much of what we see and hear. 76% of non-Christians believe there is no such thing as absolute truth; Barna discovered in the mainline churches, almost the same amount, 71% of adults believe truth is not absolute, but dependson context! What flows from this attitude? So...there's no such thing as right and wrong; no such thing as sin, or judgment, or condemnation; nothing to be saved from. So, what's the big deal about Jesus?? "And they took offense at him."

Ever heard it said, "God helps those who help themselves"? 82% of Americans believe that's a direct quote from Scripture - though it's not biblical at all. This is the attitude of postmodernism, "everything in the world revolves around me". Infectious, like a barnacle it will attach itself to us unless we're alert enough to brush it away when dealing with non-Christians.

The new faith of choice is syncretism: a little bit of the Bible, a bit of New Age "God is everything", a dash of reincarnation and reading our horoscope just to be fashionable...we put together a "designer faith" by cut and paste. Then get blown out of the water when tragedy happens, a "significant other" disappears, and suddenly life doesn't make sense, we find we're not big enough to hold it together. Until then, we become sloppy about worship, sneaking off to golf in a Sunday that's sunny. Since when did God go on holiday? We take "time off" from worship in the summer rather than seizing the extra time to grow closer to the Lord and delve into our faith. We turn to the press or to pulp with its self-centred insinuations, when instead we could be savouring a biography of a famous Christian and pumping up our spiritual passion. Beware the barnacles - especially in cottage country!

Along with the "attitude" barnacle, there's the "attraction" variety. "Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates BODY and spirit," Paul urged. When Jesus sent the Twelve out as missionaries, he commanded them to travel light, take the bare necessities, not two staffs or coats which would have been seen as a luxury. Neither were they to house-hop once in a town, moving from Mrs.Smith's to Mrs.Jones' because the buffet was better. Our appetites as humans, the things that attract us, can get in the way of the wonderful message we're to bring that Jesus helps and saves.

Something would attract itself to the feet of the disciples in the dry Mediterranean climate: dust from the street. And along with the dust, worthless interests and pursuits that attract the population at large, but lead away from God. Countless things attract us unconsciously to the ways of the world with its glitter and appeal to our creaturely appetites. So Jesus told the missionaries that when a town didn't accept them, they were to shake the dust off their feet when they left, as a warning sign to them. Shake off the dust. Don't get engrossed evein if it IS popular. Clean off the barnacles. Get on the road again, "for Christ's sake".

George Barna reported that when it comes to modern technology - DVDs, VCRs, computers, cell phones, and the like - Christians own technology every bit as much as the general population. So it's not surprising that Christians report just as much exposure to and struggle with internet porn, questionable videos, and like dangers.

How then can we guard against hot-medium attractions that would cause us to stumble in our walk with Christ? If you're travelling, call ahead when booking your motel to block the X-rated channels so you're not even tempted. Arrange so your wife or husband will know they can expect a phone call and visit after you arrive, if you're travelling by yourself. Stock up for summer reading with the latest titles from your church library or local Christian book store - maybe a Veggie Tale video or two for the youngsters.

The media are such hot technology these days that it's especially difficult for young people to stay pure. Fashions tend to feature maximum exposure, not what's modest. But there is a new fad that's in the right direction: more and more young people are pledging to save themselves physically until marriage. Abstinence is in. Not just because of all the diseases out there, but because believing youth want to show God how much they respect the gift he gave that can be so meaningful if reserved for a lifelong, one-on-one covenant relationship. The most recent Focus on the Family magazine featured an article about the "Purity Ring", which parents can give their teenage daughters as an encouragement to save themselves for the right guy, in marriage.

Michael and Judith Hayes' daughter Annabelle mentioned her friend had received a purity ring from her dad. So the Hayes' bought one for Annabelle's 13th birthday; it was gold, engraved with tiny hearts and doves (some have a heart with a tiny key). Michael, the dad, gave the ring to both Annabelle and her husband yet unknown, with words of encouragement and trust. He comments: "A purity ring is a symbol of chastity and faithfulness, not just to a future husband but to the Lord. It is an enduring reminder that Jesus is always present, and hopefully it prompts a young girl to ask what He would do in a given situation." Annabelle, like her friend, planned upon getting married to melt her ring to become part of her husband's wedding band. But years later, Judith recalls, "As they were introduced as husband and wife, they both stepped forward to greet us, and then it was their turn to give us a very special gift. Annabelle gently slipped her purity ring to me and whispered, 'Please save this for us until we give birth to our first child.'"

It's a lot of work to scrape hardened-on barnacles off the bottom of a boat. Much easier not to let them get attached in the first place. Be on your guard against all kinds of attitudes and attractions that would draw you away from Christ, temptations that would drag you down if you let them get a hold.

Our motivation here need not be legalism. It's more than just a matter of duty or obedience. Paul says in our Corinthians passage, "Since we have these promises...let us purify ourselves..." What promises? Look back to verses 16-18: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people...be separate, touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you...I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Wow! A holy God desires to be our constant companion, a dear Father to us, receiving us as intimate offspring. Purity is worth it!

Mother Teresa was a world-renowned nun who worked with the sick and dying of Calcutta. An interviewer asked her, "Why are you so holy?" She replied, "You sound as if holiness were abnormal. To be holy is normal. To be anything else is abnormal."

Heed the master: "Repent...travel light...shake the dust off...clean off the barnacles." Purify yourself from contaminants, perfect holiness out of reverence for God. He's worth it. Anything less is a real drag. Amen.

"God's Supply for Our Giving" - Funeral of Mary McDougall - July 7, 2000 Rev.Ernest Dow

Ps.23; Lam.3:21-26,31-33; Rom.8:26,28,31-32,35,37-39; Mt.11:25-30; Jn.14:1-6,18-19,27

We live in a consumer society in which advertising draws us to become more focused on getting than on giving. So it is a real treat when we encounter individuals who have with God's help learned how to be generous rather than greedy. Such people, though rare, remind us of the truth of what Jesus said, "It IS more blessed to give than to receive." I understand Mary whose life we celebrate today was one of these individuals who have discovered how to tap into God's supply to become a real giver. I'm told she was always giving, she "would give you anything." Her life reflected the Lord's own generosity and caring.

Scripture speaks of God's gift of hospitality for us. Psalm 23 pictures God as a shepherd finding green pasture for his flock; God prepares a table for us. David sang, "I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Jesus said there were many rooms in his Father's house, and he was going to prepare a place for those who believe in him. God doesn't leave us desolate.

Mary showed this gift of hospitality: when you went to her place, she always wanted to have you in and offer you something to eat. The welcome sign was always out. So she mirrored the Lord's willingness to welcome us and make us at home with him eternally, when we repent and turn to Him.

Scripture also frequently mentions God's gift of love and caring. Lamentations 3 says the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; he has compassion "according to the abundance of his steadfast love." Mary was very close to her cousins, and seemed like a sister. She had friends while in London, and I understand with Wallace's help she cared for her mother till she died. She wouldn't hurt anyone; she loved children very much, and her nieces and nephews were her family. In these ways she passed on God's own self-giving in love and caring.

God's Word also tells us He gives faith and hope, especially through the gift and sacrificial death of His own Son Jesus. Romans 8 asks: He who did not spare His own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him? Even in death we become more than conquerors. Jesus said, "All things have been delivered to me by my Father;" and that empowered him in turn to give rest to our souls. He told his disciples that in Him God had given them a way to the Father, along with truth and life. "My peace I give to you," he said, so our hearts need not be troubled or afraid.

Claiming these promises of God, Mary has given us the example of her own faith and hope. She attended Sunday School and church, and I understand read her Bible daily - so much so that it became old and tattered. As a pastor I would venture to observe that you can often gauge a person's spiritual health by the dilapidation of their copy of the Bible. Mary looked to God's Word to give her resources to live by, a steady supply by which she found strength to offer hospitality and love to others, along with hope for the future which goes beyond the grave. For Mary it was more than just a matter of a "faith" or being "religious": the Almighty Himself became her friend. So she came to trust with Job that, "After my awaking, God will raise me up; and in my body I shall see God. I myself shall see, and my eyes shall behold the one who is my FRIEND and not a stranger." Thanks be to God! Amen.

"In Search of Significance: How Not to Waste Your Life" - Mk.4:1-9,13-20 1Sam.17:4-11,32-49 - July 16/00

What is "significance"? We all want to feel important in some way, to matter, to know our life has impact and makes a difference. We want our life to count in the long run. This doesn't mean we need to be in the headlines or on the news; most of all we want to be significant to God and those who love and know us best. How can we discover this significance?

Recently I was performing one of those highly significant tasks, up on the manse roof, cleaning out the eavestrough. Maple keys had piled up in a few places, and in one spot a clump of them had actually sprouted and started to grow. The little saplings were a few inches tall, but their future prospects were dim as they were growing in the shallow gutter.

The next day I was reading in Isaiah 37 about Sennacherib, king of the Assyrian empire. He'd really made it to the top in the world's eyes. Conquering much of the known world with his many chariots, he thought he was pretty significant. He even threatened Jerusalem and insulted Israel's God. Isaiah the prophet used this vivid word picture to describe the nations he conquered: "They are like plants in the field, like tender green shoots, like grass sprouting on the roof, scorched before it grows up." He then warns Sennacherib that Yahweh, Israel's Lord, planned and brought to pass these victories; and God would humble the proud king who thought he was so significant.

Turning to Psalm 129, I found the same expression as in Isaiah 37. Of those who hate Jerusalem, the Psalmist prays, "May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow; with it the reaper cannot fill his hands, nor the one who gathers fill his arms." Those little maple trees in the eavestrough would never grow tall or reproduce. They would have no fruit, no offspring. We want our lives to bear fruit, to have something to show for our existence, to be significant. The crops in the fields around us may be coming along well but they are still in a vulnerable state right up to harvest, as lack of rain or cloudburst of hail can damage the plants and hurt the yield. We don't want that to happen in our lives, for them to turn out futile, meaningless, fruitless.

Jesus told the parable of the sower and the seed, which would be better called the parable of the SOILS given that the seed is the same in all cases. In Palestine, seeding was done by the broadcast method, so there were many hazards which prevented seed from "taking off". Just as there are hazards in life which can get in the way of us being fruitful Christians. The seed sown by the path, carried off by the birds, could represent the person who hears the gospel but their fallen nature with Satan's interference blocks them from turning to God. Next there is the seed sown in rocky places where there isn't much soil. These Christians are SHALLOW, they lack DEPTH. This person is only concerned about their next meal, their next night out, living from paycheque to paycheque in a cycle of varied amusement. They don't discipline themselves to have a regular quiet time in the word and prayer, they ignore godly habits such as going to church regularly or reading Christian literature. Their religion may be a mile wide but only an inch deep. When the sun comes out and beats down, when trouble or persecution develops, they wither quickly because their roots aren't deep.

Although public attitudes are changing, it's still fairly easy to be a Christian in North America. Not so everywhere. Recently we heard a speaker with Mission Yugoslavia who stated that this year, worldwide, 300,000 Christians would lose their lives through persecution. That boat that sank in Indonesia with hundreds of casualties was crowded with Christian refugees fleeing a village where earlier Muslims had slain many. In Yugoslavia, there are people who risk their lives to sow the word in neighbouring villages because of land mines left over from the civil war. It takes a Christian with depth, not a shallow one, to step out in faith in such circumstances. Here it is comparatively easy to share the gospel, yet we shy away from it, and wonder why we don't see fruit.

Next Jesus describes the seed sown among thorns. Here the soil is deep, but cluttered with weed seeds; the Lord likens this to the word being choked by the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and desires for other things. Now THIS sounds like North America: our economy is in full swing, business is booming, advertising and our neighbours' affluence tempt us to buy this and acquire that. This soil speaks of DESIRES competing in our lives, our distractedness, our heart being caught in a tug-of-war with all the world has to offer.

Finally Jesus gets to the good soil: not shallow, but deep; not cluttered with thorns, but set apart for one purpose, one desire - devoted, single in focus. Here the word produces a yield, sometimes moderate, sometimes a bumper crop. Here we find the fruit, the significant output.

The encounter between David and Goliath illustrates what makes for lasting significance. Goliath, like King Sennacherib mentioned earlier, "had it made" in human eyes. He had wealth, decked out in bronze from head to foot. He had intelligence, in the form of technology on his side: there were no blacksmiths in Israel, everybody took their farm implements to the Philistines to get them sharpened. The Philistines were way ahead of the Israelites in metal technology. We're told there were no swords or spears in the whole army except for the ones King Saul and his son Jonathan had. (1Sam.13:22) Would YOU want to fight the Philistines if you only had a pick and a flail? Goliath had size and strength to his advantage, too, being over 9 feet tall and wielding a spear the size of a 2x4. If you took a poll the day of the battle, most onlookers would say Goliath had David beat hands-down in terms of significance. Judging by his boasting, Goliath thought so, too. when he looked David over he despised him and cursed him.

David was significant in a different way than Goliath. Samuel describes him as "a man after [God's] own heart" (1Sam.13:14). We might compare this to the single DESIRE of the soil unpolluted by weed seeds. David wanted whatever it was that God wanted; his heart was one with God, his desires undistracted from God's will. Paul expands on this in Acts 13, quoting, "I have found David...a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do." DESIRING God, singleness of focus, getting in tune with what God wants, prepares us to take our place in the significant thing God happens to be doing at the moment. When David arrived at the battlefield he found the whole Israelite army shaking in their boots at the thought of facing the Philistine champion. David came, sized up the situation, realized God had prepared him for the challenge, and stepped up to the plate. He wanted what God wanted, without being overcome by reservations and self-protection.

This desiring simply God's will shows through in David's humility, his lack of self-consciousness in sharp contrast to Goliath's boasting. To King Saul he refers to himself as "your servant". To Goliath he says he comes "in the name of Yahweh", and "The Lord will hand you over to me" - deflecting credit to God rather than drawing attention to himself. He viewed himself as just one player in what God was doing at that time.

Along with consecration of DESIRE, David shows DEPTH. Depth comes by "a long obedience in the same direction". He tried putting on Saul's armour but then took it off, saying he wasn't used to it. He turned down the best technology that was available. Instead he chose his shepherd's staff and sling. Those long months and years doing the "joe-boy" job of tending sheep in the backwoods of Bethlehem had prepared him for this moment. He had faced the lion and the bear, and rescued nothing more extraordinary than a lamb or two. But this tedious training and faithfulness, the long hours of practise slinging stones at sticks on the hillside, were what it took to give David the depth and ability he needed to defeat Goliath.

Compare it to the hours a good baseball pitcher has to practise, all that time in the minor leagues and the bullpen before he ever gets onto the mound in a big game. The never-ending investment of time and attention just to become God's best at what you do. By the way, I used to think of the 5 smooth stones as small pebbles, but they were more likely a little bigger than a baseball. A master slinger could hurl one of these at speeds approaching 100 miles an hour. No wonder it made a dent in Goliath! And did you ever wonder what happened to the other four stones David didn't use that day? 2 Samuel 21 lists four other giants from Gath, relatives of Goliath, who were killed by David's men before the end of his life. Maybe David was planning ahead. Anyway, before he came on the scene there were no giant-killers; by the end of David's life there were several. He had a significant impact on others.

So in Jesus' parable, and the contest between David and Goliath, desire and depth make for significant fruit. Having a significant life entails finding out what's on God's heart, and desiring that so exclusively that you funnel the resources he's given you into the specific task to which he calls you. Concentration of our heart's longings to focus us singly on what God wants, depth to carry it out no matter what the obstacles may be. Is this so surprising? Where can lasting significance come from but the Lord? Scripture says that before God all the nations are only "a drop in a bucket", regarded "as dust on the scales". "Surely the people are grass.The grass withers and the flower falls, but the word of our God stands forever." (Is.40:7,8,15)

The gap between us tiny, temporary, fallen humans and such an awesome God would seem daunting apart from his promises in Scripture, especially the New Testament. Skim through Paul's letter to the Ephesians and you'll come away with a glowing appreciation of how significant we can become in Christ. Holiness of "Desire" entails getting in tune with God's agenda, focusing on him, treasuring what he's doing in and through us and HAS ALREADY done for us. Chapter 1 says God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ, he chose us to be holy and blameless "in his sight" (who else's opinion really matters?). Believing in Jesus we're adopted as God's sons and daughters, God has lavished on us the riches of his grace. Why? In order that we might "be for the praise of his glory". That's where the real significance at the core of the universe is at - being "for the praise of his glory"; anything that serves to highlight God's glory by association becomes infused with his shining beauty. The "new self" we can put on is created to be LIKE GOD in true righteousness and holiness.(Eph.4:24) Desiring to be like David a person "after God's own heart" opens us to be shown by the Holy Spirit just how blessed and significant we already are when we receive Christ. Paul urges, "Find out what pleases the Lord...do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." What's significant is whatever is on God's mind, what GOD is desiring.

Ephesians also hints at the need to develop DEPTH in our expression of Christianity - a continued active obedience. "Be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live a life of love just as Christ loved us..." "Live as children of light, for the FRUIT of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth." (Eph.5:1,9) Hmmm - there's that word "fruit", like what Jesus was getting at in his parable - 30, 60, a hundredfold. Christ has given each one of us gifts to use, different gifts by which each part of the body builds up the rest as it does its work. (Eph.4:7-16)

Men in particular often fall into the trap of trying to find significance in their work, their occupation. Then when they retire they're at a loss to find meaning in their life; panicked, they feverishly scramble to find a hobby or die. Paul doesn't glorify work as an end in itself; he just encourages us to do something useful with our hands so we'll have something to share with those in need. But Paul does give meaning to benevolent activity overall: "We are God's workmanship," he says, "created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Eph.4:28; 2:10) Again - significance involves discovering God's plan for me as an individual and stepping into it.

What is significance? Christian psychologist and counselor Larry Crabb summarizes it this way. "Significance depends upon understanding who I am in Christ. I will come to feel significant as I have an eternal impact on people around me by ministering to them. If I fail in business, if my wife leaves me, if my church rolls drop, if I work in a menial occupation, if I can afford only a small house and one used car, I can still enjoy the thrilling significance of belonging to the Ruler of the universe, who has a job for me to do. He has equipped me for the job. As I mature by developing Christlike traits, I will enter more and more fully into the significance of belonging to and serving the Lord."

E Stanley Jones tells of Admiral Sato, commander of the Japanese submarine fleet at Pearl Harbour. Surely a significant figure in history! He really believed the emperor was divine and carefully indoctrinated his naval officers in the Naval Academy. When the war came to an end, his world fell to pieces - his admiral's position gone, his income cut off so that he had to work on a farm for his livelihood, and then the emperor announced that he was not divine - his religion was gone. Like Sennacherib, like Goliath, like the shallow grain that was scorched or those futile maples in the eavestrough, he discovered how transitory and passing was worldly glory. He recalled, "My world turned upside down." He became bad-tempered, lashing out at everybody and everything. He contemplated suicide. A member of a church asked him to come to the church and get a faith but he replied, "Oh, I have no time for that."

But one day in a prayer meeting in a home he saw something he had never seen before - saw it in the faces of women who had suffered, had lost their husbands in the war, and yet were poised and radiant. The visible fruit of their depth and satisfaction of desire in Christ attracted him. "That is what I want," he said to himself as the tears rained down his cheeks. His DESIRE was right. He was baptized on Easter day. When asked if the vacuum within had been filled, he smiled and put up 3 fingers in the sign, "Jesus is Lord!" Lasting significance came, not in power or military achievement, but in joining himself to Christ. He brings significance, meaning, and lasting fruit in life even to the downcast. Let us pray.

"How About a Little ENCOURAGEMENT?" - July 23, 2000 - Acts 4:36-37; 11:19-30 Isaiah 40;1-2,9-11,27-31

"O give me a home where the buffalo roam,

where the deer and the antelope play;

where seldom is heard a discouraging word,

and the skies are not cloudy all day."

Discouraging words – cloudy skies...the two seem to go together. When someone is critical of us, it's as if a little cloud does follow us around, hanging over our head. Thankfully, Christ calls us through the Holy Spirit to be ENcouragers rather than DIScouragers. A fallen world and sceptical society may be hopeless and discouraging; pride fosters a critical attitude which tempts us to run people down. We fear ridicule, it's all too easy to spread rumours that can be destructive. But God's gift of Himself and His resources enables us to be positive encouragers of others, whether we're "home on the range" or not.

William Barclay writes: "One of the highest of human duties is the duty of encouragement...It is easy to laugh at [others'] ideals; it is easy to pour cold water on their enthusiasm; it is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage one another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a [person] on [their] feet. Blessed is the [person] who speaks such a word."

If you thought my musical rendition of "Home on the Range" was pretty awful, here's another incident. A little 9-year-old boy got tired of practising the piano. His mother heard the great Paderewski was coming into town to do a concert. She bought two tickets, one for herself and one for her boy. And she dragged him along, sat him down by her, and began visiting with her friends. He looked up on the platform and there was this giant, ebony black, Steinway concert grand piano. The lid on the keyboard was lifted and the leather bench was ready. He looked at this piano, popped his knuckles, and said to himself, "Oh, man, I'd like to play that." So he slipped down the aisle, walked across the front, up the steps, sat down, and started playing "Chopsticks".

Well, the people down front said, "Who...who is...?" "Quit!" "Hey, kid, stop!" "Where's his mother?" Of course she was embarrassed beyond words. The great Paderewski, who was back fixing his tie, heard what was going on. So without the boy seeing him, he slipped out on the stage and came in behind him, reached around and improvised a beautiful melody to go with "Chopsticks". And he said to the boy, "Keep playing.Don't quit.Don't stop."

When Jesus told the disciples in John 14 that he was going away, he said he'd be sending "another Counsellor" to be with them forever, the Holy Spirit. The word "Counsellor" in Greek is "paraclete", one called alongside to help. The image of Paderewski coming alongside the little boy to help in his performance, encouraging him to keep on and showing what a beautiful piece was made possible by their co-operation, is a picture of how the Holy Spirit can be a Paraclete to us. One who comes alongside to help, encouraging, strengthening, cheering us on with God's extra resources.

That's just like Jesus; he referred to the Spirit as "another" paraclete, implying HE had been one too. People wouldn't have hung around Christ so willingly if he'd been mean-spirited, critical, making people feel inferior. The proud Pharisees did that too much already! No, Jesus was encouraging, helpful, going out of his way to serve people and help them perceive what God was making possible for them through faith. As Isaiah predicted, the Messiah comforted God's people: "He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young." (Is.40:11)

This gift of encouraging is particularly passed on by Jesus through the Spirit to the church in the gift of prophecy. Our first thought when the word "prophecy" is mentioned may have to do with telling the future, but that's a very narrow understanding of the word. As Paul defines it in 1 Corinthians 14, prophecy is "speaking to others for their strengthening, encouragement (paraklesis) and comfort."

An excellent example of encouragement in the New Testament is Barnabas. We first meet him in Acts 4, selling his field and turning the proceeds over to the apostles for distribution to the needy. Luke the author singles him out as a generous giver, by contrast to the conniving Ananias and Sapphira. In Acts 11, he is instrumental in delivering (probably as well as organizing) the proceeds of a campaign for famine relief to the elders in Jerusalem from the church in Antioch, about 300 miles to the north. Much later, Paul refers to Barnabas as supporting himself in his work as a missionary, rather than relying on the churches to provide his support. Thus the first mark of an encourager we see in Barnabas, and right through his career, is that of generous giving.

Second, Barnabas was an expert encourager verbally. His original name was "Joseph", but others nicknamed him Bar-nabas, Aramaic for "Son of encouragement". He lived and breathed it: if you could take "encouragement" and put it in a walking talking form, you'd have Barnabas. In Acts 11, Luke describes his arrival in Antioch as the official representative from "head office" back in Jerusalem. Would he "lower the boom" on these Gentiles who'd believed in Jesus without being circumcised? No, we're told when he arrived and "saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged - [that's the 'paraclete' verb in the Greek] - encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts." Luke can't help but add, "He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith." Similarly in Acts 14, when Barnabas and Paul revisit churches they'd planted earlier, Luke reports they were "strengthening and encouraging them to remain true to the faith". We would say "encouragement" was Barnabas' middle name. Was he effective? Believers were first called "Christians" at that church in Antioch; perhaps outsiders were struck by the way believers actually resembled their leader Jesus Christ.

Barnabas may still be encouraging us today as we read Scripture. The letter to the Hebrews has been attributed to him from the time of Tertullian (200 AD). With its emphasis on Jesus as our High Priest, and the examples of the heroes of faith in chapter 11, it does sound like the type of book an encouraging Levite might write.

Barnabas was a generous giver; an encourager; and, finally, a gift "scout". Here I mean the type of "talent scout" that comes from the big leagues into the minors in hockey or baseball; this scout looks over the players and sees which ones have potential and gifts for the professional sport. In Acts 9, Paul was an obscure former Pharisee who'd assisted at the stoning of Stephen, gone around arresting believers, then had a conversion experience. When he showed up in Jerusalem, the Christians were afraid of him, suspicious. They didn't believe he was a disciple; they probably thought he was trying to infiltrate and spy them out. It was Barnabas who took Paul and introduced him to the leaders, described his conversion, and vouched for him, how he'd spoken out for the Lord in Damascus. If Barnabas hadn't stuck up for Paul, putting his neck on the line for him, we might never have heard of Paul again. As it was, when Paul started debating with the Jews and was in danger of being killed, the elders quietly sidelined him by sending him home to Tarsus, way up north.

But Barnabas didn't forget Paul. When he saw what was happening in Antioch he slipped over to Tarsus (about 90 miles) and brought Paul back. For about a year Barnabas and Paul teamed up in prophesying and teaching. We won't know til heaven how much Paul owed to Barnabas. Together they headed off on their first missionary journey around the Mediterranean. Next thing you know, Paul is off doing his own church-planting. So it was Barnabas who "spotted" Paul's gifts and drew him into effective service, working alongside him then releasing him for the task of the Kingdom.

You may know that the gospel of Mark was written by a fellow named John Mark. Just happened to be Barnabas' cousin! (Col.4:10) Barnabas and Paul brought Mark with them after they took the famine relief money to Jerusalem. From Antioch they set off together on the first missionary journey. Something happened that caused Mark to throw in the towel after just a few stops and return to home base. Later on, in Acts 15, we see Paul and Barnabas preparing to go back and revisit these new churches. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark again, but Paul was against it, probably viewing him as a quitter, a deserter, and unreliable. But Barnabas had a big heart, and must have seen something worth developing in the younger lad; he wanted to give him a second chance - so much so that he and Paul actually split and went their separate ways. Though he was an encourager and big-hearted, Barnabas knew some things are worth causing division over. Was he right? Paul later in a letter referred favourably to Mark as a fellow missionary, so it seems Barnabas' investment in him paid off. He was a gift "scout", spotting gifts God gave people and finding opportunities for them to exercise those talents for the Kingdom.

I wonder what the results would have been if Paul and Mark had been left sidelined as rejects, rather than encouraged by Barnabas to carry on. Mark wrote the earliest gospel, which was probably copied extensively by Matthew and Luke. Paul planted many churches and wrote the letters which make up a quarter of the New Testament. It seems to have been Paul who brought Luke on board, who in turn wrote his gospel and the book of Acts. Add to this the possibility that Barnabas wrote Hebrews and - POOF! Take away Barnabas and there goes much of the New Testament!

We still have encouragers in the church today, believers showing the Holy Spirit's "paraclesis" in generous giving, verbal encouragement, and calling others' gifts into play. (Emily - Barnabas Sisters) The current edition of Christian Reader tells the story of Evelyn Christenson, a 62-year-old Wisconsin schoolteacher who donated a kidney to her brother Lyle. She gave a gift of life because he wouldn't survive much longer on dialysis. It actually benefited her too: when she had a car accident, her left side was injured, and doctors say if she'd still had that kidney it would have ruptured in the accident and killed her. By her organ donation she actually saved two lives, her brother's and her own!

After the surgery, Lyle heard the doctors wondering why Evelyn didn't have a left kidney. He told them, "If you are looking for her left kidney, I have it!" Then he went on to explain about the transplant surgery 3 years earlier.

Evelyn is also a verbal encourager. She writes, "Recently I've had the opportunity to encourage a transplant donor by phone with my story."

We can even be encouraged by those who don't seem to have much to be happy about. A team of young couples went to serve in a short-term mission in a church in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. They saw incredibly poor Christians singing at the top of their lungs, with a depth of joy that challenged the visitors' faith. (Being a "paraclete" can have an element of exhorting, urging, challenging as well as comforting.) The couples wondered, "Is our faith simply a nice 'topping' on our materialistic lifestyle?" Although they possessed much more, their faith was not nearly as deep as that of the Haitians.

One couple returned home, moved to a smaller apartment, sold some "stuff", and taught a Sunday School class on "Living More Simply that Others May Simply Live". They stopped subscribing to cable TV and used the money they saved to support a foster child. Their direct encounter with poor brothers and sisters forced them to re-evaluate their faith and their lifestyle.

Join the Barnabas club - be an encourager. Do you know some soul in need of encouragement? A student off at school or away at a summer job...a young couple up against it...a divorcee struggling to gain back self-acceptance...a forgotten servant of God labouring in an obscure and difficult ministry...a widow who needs your companionship...someone who tried something new and failed? Encourage generously! Like Paderewski and that boy, you'll find that with the Holy Spirit's help you can make beautiful music together, and have a real impact in the world. Let's pray.

"Jubilee: the Sound of a Fresh Start" - Lev.25:8-17,23,35-38,54-55 Mt.18:21-35 - July 30, 2000

"The trumpet sounds within-a my soul!" But wait a minute - this is not the trumpet announcing Christ's return, but the trumpet of Jubilee, calling God's people to a fresh start, a time of release for those trapped by debt, a time to give the earth a break too.

In 1994 Pope John Paul II promulgated a decree about the coming of the third millennium. He suggested the church should look on the year 2000 as a time to adapt the Old Testament custom of Jubilee. The Pope described Jubilee as an effort "meant to restore equality among all the children of Israel, offering new possibilities to families which had lost their property and even their personal freedom...The riches of creation were to be considered as a common good of the whole of humanity...The Jubilee year was meant to restore this social justice." Consequently, he said, "Christians will have to raise their voice on behalf of all the poor of the world, proposing the Jubilee as an appropriate time to give thought, among other things, to reducing substantially, if not canceling outright, the international debt which seriously threatens the future of many nations."

WHOA! Not so fast! How did we get from an obscure Old Testament command to writing off billions of dollars of cash? Well, like good Protestants, let's check out the Scripture to see if it tallies with what this church authority says.

In Leviticus 25 we do find that God commanded the 50th year to be set aside after each 7th Sabbath year; a time to proclaim "liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants" as inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Trumpets were to be used to herald the beginning of this special year, much as we might use a noisemaker on New Year's Eve. The "jubilee" as it was called (from the word for trumpet) was to be the sound of kindness and release sweeping the land. Significantly, it was to be announced on the Day of Atonement - the annual celebration of God's forgiveness of the people for their sins, redeeming them by the symbolic blood of a bull and a goat. God is the one who arranges for people to be put right with him, it's not something they could ever manage on their own. Priceless. So this holiest day in the Jewish year was fittingly chosen as the time when trumpets sounded to call the "haves" to take mercy and forgive the "have nots", as they themselves had received everything and been released from guilt by the Lord.

What specifically did Jubilee translate into? Verses 11-12 and 20-22 command a Sabbath for the land: people weren't to sow or reap but just gather what the land produced by itself without cultivation. Verses 13 and 28 order a redistribution of property. The land had been divided up amongst the tribal families by Joshua; reversion to the original allotments would guarantee each tribe an enduring inheritance, so they didn't get "swallowed up" by other tribes. Verses 41 and 54 require that those who happen to fall into poverty and become slaves of foreigners are to be given their freedom. Verse 28 tells people to cancel the debts their countrymen owe them, when taken alongside the routine Sabbath year condition of Deuteronomy 15:1-2. It says: "At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts...Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite." Radical! This isn't the Harvard School of Business talking!

Our own former moderator Anne Squire sums it up this way. "What Jubilee intended to do was to provide an opportunity for a holistic renewal which would restore community, hope and equality among the citizens. It was designed to give another chance to those families which had become so impoverished that they had lost not only their land and their possessions but their liberty. Justice in Israel always was primarily the protection of the poor and the weak. What Jubilee made possible was a new beginning, an economic recovery for everyone in the land. Whatever wrongs had accumulated in that 50-year period were to be rectified."

Why does this challenge us so much? The principle of Jubilee strikes at our cherished assumptions about ownership, what it means to hold property, to have something BELONG to you. God made it clear: (23) "The land is MINE - you are but aliens and my tenants." The Earth is granted rest for its own sake, as something with its own independent relationship with God. The Lord also asserts ownership rights over people, saying, (55) "The Israelites belong to me as servants.They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt.I am the LORD your God." (Maybe God's way of underlining the seriousness of what He's just said.) The Jubilee trumpet's sound smashes into the brouhaha of our haggling and buying and selling, the noisy economic chorus of cash register tills and stock markets, silencing all our greed and pride of ownership with the announcement that we really OWN NOTHING: naked we came into this world, naked we will depart. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as once-rich Job acknowledged. "All that we have is thine alone" - to be used for God's purposes, not our own false security or reputation. We are here not to take advantage of our neighbour by charging them interest or grinding them into the poorhouse, but, out of our fear of God, to help them so they can continue to live among us. (35-37)

"Ahh, but that's Old Testament law," someone objects. "That's for the Jews, not us - and it's questionable whether the year of Jubilee was ever actually put into practice!" Well, let's see what the New Testament says. Here comes Jesus onto the platform in Luke 4, announcing the grand scheme of his mission - and it sounds a lot like Jubilee. "The Spirit of the Lord...has anointed me to preach good news to the poor...to proclaim freedom for the prisoners...to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." These verses he quotes from Isaiah 61 sound quite like the year of Jubilee, don't they? And what about Matthew 6, this ultra-important Model Prayer Christ teaches the disciples: "Forgive us our debts (what we owe) as we forgive our (gulp) debtors" - those who owe US? Why didn't Matthew use a less ambiguous word if he just meant MORAL shortfalls?

When we come to Peter's question about forgiving someone in Matthew 18, Jesus again turns to a language we understand: money. The debt the servant owes the king is so astronomical, millions of dollars, it's obvious he could never pay it. Somehow though his pitiful plight moves the king with compassion and he forgives the whole amount - just writes it off. There would be a happy ending except servant A goes out and starts to throttle servant B who owes him a few dollars. The king is informed and sends servant A packing to the torture chamber, with a rhetorical question echoing down the corridors of the dungeon after him: "I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to; shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you???" Jesus concludes with a potent warning, "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Plainly, Jesus calls us to release others from onerous obligations just as God has forgiven us so much thanks to Christ's suffering for us at the cross. The choice is clear. How would YOU like to be treated by God at judgment? Revering God, even fearing God, frees our hearts from tinsel's trap to be generous and share as Christ shared his heavenly blessings with us. Will we be owned by the Lord, OR by what we imagine WE own?

So credit the Pope with recalling us to Scriptural principles. The National Council of Churches agreed and declared a "Jubilee Quadrennium" in the four years before 2000. Our United Church Mission Study was set to the Jubilee theme for 1998-2001. A working group called (here's a mouthful) the "Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee Initiative" began preparing materials: it includes our church, the Anglicans, Christian Reformed, Mennonites, Lutherans, and Presbyterians. So this is far from just another Catholic or United Church "social justice" pet project.

The CEJI has split the Jubilee theme into 3 parts: Release from Bondage, Redistribution of Wealth, and Renewal of the Earth. Today I want to concentrate on "Release from Bondage", which deals with cancelling debts and freeing those enslaved. Before we get talking international finances -- just how much is a trillion dollars -- a 1 with 12 zeroes after it? (take 50's) Suppose we start laying out $50 bills at the rate of two a second. After one minute we've put down $6000. After one hour, $360,000 - more money than most of us could hope to accumulate in a lifetime. After one year, if we keep going night and day at $100/second, we've laid out just over 3 billion dollars. Now here's the trillion dollar question: how long will it take to reach a trillion dollars? Answer: 317 years! That's a lot of money!

Now we're ready for the sad saga of modern debt bondage. It all began back in the 70's when banks had quite a bit of surplus money floating around to deposit, and fledgling governments in developing countries were eager for loans. Some loans were even given knowingly to corrupt governments and dictators. Ordinary people had little say in how the loans would be used. Sometimes the money loaned went to buy weapons and build up military and police forces to suppress those who questioned. Some money was siphoned off into the pockets of corrupt officials. In the '80's, interest rates skyrocketed while prices for the export goods of these poor nations fell dramatically. Unpaid interest accumulated (remember that little clause about no interest?) and the loans became unpayable. In 1980, the poorest nations owed just over half a trillion dollars (U.S.); from '81-97, they received new loans of about 1.4 trillion, making a total of about 2 trillion loaned. Yet in that same period, they paid over $2.9 trillion in interest and loan payments, and were left with an amount owing of $2 trillion. If this horror story sounds like what happens when you don't keep your credit card paid off, you're exactly right! The power of compounding interest! So for a net loan of 2 trillion, our financial institutions are expecting them to pay back 5 trillion, an outright profit on the loan of 3 trillion or 150%.

As a result of this we get the modern farce known as "foreign aid". In 1996 the less developed countries received $58 billion in development assistance. Sounds magnificent - until you compare it with the $245 billion they paid to creditor nations. $1 for them, $4 for us; year after year. There is now a huge and continuous net transfer of wealth from the poor nations to the rich.

You may have heard in the news recently that Prime Minister Chretien had a summit with the other G8 leaders in Okinawa, Japan. He urged them to increase their level of foreign aid by up to 10%, but was unsuccessful. His argument was not at all altruistic: he reasoned that if we give them more money they'll become better consumers of our product! Canada itself has a poor record here: our current foreign aid givings of .26% of Gross Domestic Product are half what they were in 1988. Last year the G8 leaders agreed to cancel $100 billion in debt owed by 41 countries by the end of this year, but last week they turned down a new plan that would accelerate this much-needed debt relief.

Is it feasible to talk of cancelling Third World debt? Canada is currently owed $1.2 billion by the poorest nations; to absorb this would cost each Canadian only $15/year for 3 years. That sounds manageable.

What is the human cost of the debt? Slavery to sickness, ignorance, and futility. In southern Uganda (home country of our Sunday School foster child Swaibu), 10-year-old Anna Asiimwe was been waiting for the opportunity to attend school free-of-charge, because otherwise her parents can't afford to send her. Uganda announced its intention to use the debt relief promised by its foreign creditors to expand free primary schooling. But to date, Uganda is still waiting for the promised relief.

In Zambia, an 8-month-old baby named Lumba (which means "we are thankful [to God]") became sick with malaria. The parents of the little boy began desperately borrowing and begging, trying to collect enough money to buy anti-malarial drugs from the nearest clinic. After two days they had collected the money: $2 for life-saving treatment. They then spent two hours walking through the bush to get to the clinic. But at the gates of the clinic, the mother called to the father that their child had died. In recent years, Zambia has spent 3 times as much servicing its foreign debt as it has spent on health care. Health budgets have been slashed and "user fees" introduced at a time when unemployment, poverty and poor health are on the increase. Municipalities can't afford even the modest cost of spraying and fumigating to control mosquitoes. Hospitals are obliged to sell their services in order to recover costs, leading to a 2-tier system where only those who can pay receive quality care.

These are the human faces of the bondage of debt. It is frustrating. It is maddening. It is greed's deathly trap, from which captives cry out for release.

What can we do about it? The moral of the story is NOT to rush out and buy more bank stock, shrewd as that may sound! Rather, consider carefully what you're banking on. Is the "stuff" we run after and hold close really so necessary compared to basics such as health and learning? Can we begin to live the Jubilee right where we are? Start with releasing morally anyone you've had a grudge against, who's "owed you one". We are the Lord's, redeemed by the precious Son. God loves you, Jesus gave his life for you, our security is in Him -- not in propping up the shaky walls of our self-image by holding something against another person. Keep short accounts.

Next, practise the mercy of the forgiven servant in a tangible way. Jubilee philosophy has been captured in the phrase, "a spirit of generosity in a world of enough." Help someone less privileged so they can continue to live, as Leviticus says. "Make do" and let others scramble to keep up with the Joneses. Swell the shrinking ranks of volunteers; giving time often brings its own reward. Besides our church's Mission & Service and World Development & Relief Fund, there are plenty of organizations out there that are active helping Thrid World countries. Billy Graham's son Franklin heads Samaritan's Purse, which looked after the shoeboxes we sent at Christmas. Ralph DeVries told us about the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Before my call to pastoral ministry, Yvonne and I served with Canadian Blind Mission International which some of you will be acquainted with. Compassion is another Christian organization with a track record in child sponsorships.

And since the debt crisis is an international problem, let's do what we can on a national level to make a difference. Governments take notice of public outcry. Many church-goers signed a petition calling for cancellation of unpayable debts of the most impoverished nations; this petition was presented to the G8 leaders in June 1999, and they did respond at least in intent. Let your MP know you're concerned. Don't take my word for it, educate yourself as to the issues. Christian discipleship is exciting because it's not something locked away from the world but meant to engage every issue, every relationship we encounter in life.

Thank God that Jesus calls us to share with others the marvelous mercy we have found in Him! A fresh start, what Jubilee is all about. Let us close with a prayer written by Janet Morely of the relief agency Christian Aid.

"O God, to whom we owe more than we can count: in our desire to control all that will come to be, we hold your other children in the grip of debt which they cannot repay -- and make them suffer now the poverty we dread. Do not hold us to our debts, but unchain our fear, that we may release the other in an open future of unbounded hope, through Christ our Saviour. Amen."

"Are You a Soul Survivor?" - Sept.3/00 - Mk.10:35-45 Eph.1:3-14

Do you want to win? Do you want to be number 1, head of the line, top of the heap? Have we got a show for you! That's exactly the attitude contestants were supposed to have on the TV reality/game show called "Survivor" aired this summer on CBS and Global. 16 castaways marooned themselves on an island near Borneo which had plenty of rats and snakes, vying with each other to win competitions and gruelling endurance contests. Week by week they were whittled down, voted off the island by the others in a ritual banishment by tribal council. The show was tremendously popular, smashing records for an off-season series. It's estimated over 40 million people watched the finale, when Richard Hatch won a million dollars and a car. Strolling to breakfast in French River on August 24th, I saw the show got top front-page coverage in both the Toronto Star and Toronto Sun newspapers - since when did TV game shows become the most important news?? In our media-soaked world, the artificial is coming to seem more "real" than the actual.

The show had startling rules, based on a Darwinistic theme. The host said, "Don't believe everything you hear. Be ready for anything. Watch your back." Survival of the fittest. The conniving on the show demonstrates what ethics deteriorates to in Darwinism. Richard Rorty at Stanford University writes that keeping faith with Darwin means understanding that the human species is not oriented "toward Truth", but only "toward its own increased prosperity". Truth claims are just tools that "help us get what we want".

The show had amazing appeal. As the Thunder Bay Journal put it (front page news again, August 20), "What was it about the show that kept viewers watching all summer? What inspired the viewing parties with tropical drinks and fake bugs in the guacamole dip? The heated weekly debate over who will be voted off the island?" It noted, "One big attraction is the ritual punishment of the tribal council vote. Watching someone banished is cruel fun." A psychology professor explains, "People enjoy being mean.It's tough to acknowledge, but it explains a lot of human behaviour.And we need relatively harmless outlets for that." This professor is just saying what you could have read in the Bible, humans are fallen, depraved, some get kicks out of watching others' hardship. Is that what other top-rated TV shows will capitalize on?

And the show had disturbing morals. Early in August the London Free Press carried an article about Gervase Peterson, a Survivor contestant who had just been voted off the show. He said, "The object of the game wasn't, 'Come to this island and win $100'; it was, 'Come and win $1 million.' That's life-changing money. I went in thinking I'd do anything -- lie, cheat, or steal -- to win the million." His comments equated the intelligence of women with the brain power of cows. How rude! How he sold himself down the tube ethically just to get a chance at the million -- willing to lie, cheat, or steal! Jesus warned in Mark 8, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" Even if Peterson had been the sole survivor at the finale, it sounds like he would have sold his soul.

The Lord Jesus teaches us, along with his disciples, how to be a "soul survivor" - s-o-u-l. James and John one day tried some crafty manoeuvres to get ahead of the other disciples in Jesus' little tribe. Trying to weasel their way to the top, they asked if they could sit at his right and left when he came in glory. Jesus points out THAT may be how the world works, but it's not the way of him or his followers: (42) "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them." The New English Version translates this, "Their great men make them feel the weight of authority". You get the sense of burden, crushing, pressure from the top.

Christ says emphatically, "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." One reason Peterson lost popularity with the other contestants was his laziness, not doing camp chores. He explained, "My plan was to get someone else to do the work for me so I could save my energy to win the competitions." He wanted somebody else to be his substitute when it came to getting the work done.

Christ's attitude is the opposite - emptying himself, becoming a servant in our place. Read verse 45, a very key verse in Mark's whole gospel: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Christ is our motivator, our model, supplying us with his own energy inside; we love, because he first loved us.

Here's a question for you: Which kind of world would YOU rather live in -- the world of Survivor, where each week there's one less person, the attitude is dog-eat-dog, there's a fundamental lack of trust and caring, where out of the presumption of scarcity each one scrabbles together enough "just for me"... Or would you prefer to live in the type of community Jesus proposes, where people serve one another, lend a helping hand, sincerely care out of a surplus of grace? Such a world is possible when we believe the gospel, and accept that we are ransomed, God's Son gave his life for us.

Repeatedly in the New Testament we find an attitude of GIVING out of God's surplus rather than getting just to save myself. Look at Ephesians 1. (3) God "has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ". (4) God chose us, what in theology we call the doctrine of election, God's vote was FOR us rather than to banish us "off the island". We're holy and blameless in his sight, ADOPTED as his sons & daughters through Christ, included -- not castaways. Verse 6 tells of the "glorious grace which he has freely given us in the One he loves." No charge - Christ paid it all! (7) "In him" (Christ, the total package) we HAVE redemption, forgiveness, the RICHES of God's grace LAVISHED on us (can it get any better?). (13) When we believed, we were marked with a seal, the Holy Spirit, who is a DEPOSIT guaranteeing our inheritance. We're never going to lose the treasures God has in store for us; the Spirit is our "down payment", God's guarantee. Mr.Hatch will lose the million dollars when he dies if not before; God's reward is REAL riches which nothing can take away from us. His vote for us, including us in the heavenly family when we believe in His Son, makes us true winners!

Watch out for Darwinism. Beware talk of evolution and materialism. Not only is Darwinism bad science: who can live with the resulting life attitudes? It's bad science because some Darwinists have actually acknowledged their "prior commitment to materialism", as Harvard geneticist Richard Lewontin puts it. He explains, "We are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations."

Today it is common to hear prominent scientists scoff at the idea that life arose by chance. Famous astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle compares it to lining up 10⁵⁰ (ten with fifty zeroes after it) blind people, giving each one a scrambled Rubik's Cube, and finding that they all solve the cube at the same moment.

Darwinism is bad science, and I certainly wouldn't want to live in a world with the bad ethics it sparks, like the Survivor TV show. Jesus has a better way than the sneaky competitiveness that tempts even James and John. A world where we don't lord it over, but find joy in serving. A world where people gladly make little sacrifices for others, knowing how much they themselves have been blessed.

In 1982 Berkeley writer Anne Herbert coined a simple phrase: "Random acts of kindness" (RAOK). The idea took off. In 1992, a book by that title promoted this thought: "Imagine what would happen if there were an outbreak of kindness in the world, if everybody did one kind thing on a daily basis." It became an instant best-seller, spawning things like an annual RAOK week: Participants are encouraged to do things like paying the toll of the person on the road behind them, shovel their neighbour's driveway, offer flowers to a co-worker with whom they normally clash. RAOK clubs hand gifts to strangers on the subway and deliver "baskets of joy" to nursing home, hospitals, and rehab centres. In schools, some principals now give deserving students certificates saying, "Caught Ya Being Kind".

While on holiday, we attended a church where some youth had been involved in a street outreach in Grand Bend. These teens just went door to door doing acts of kindness for the people who owned the businesses. Even cleaning washrooms. Or women at a local church baked cookies and the youth offered them to passers-by free. This all led to some amazing opportunities for sharing the gospel. Store owners who'd had them clean their toilets would ask them, "Why are you doing this? What's the catch?" And the youth would say, "We just want to show God's love for you, no strings attached." Sheer grace.

So be a Soul Survivor - not an only survivor, but an overcomer with real soul, character unbesmirched by selfishness and greed. Kindness is catching. May the Holy Spirit be our true treasure and help us honour Jesus, who is our ransom, our head servant. Amen.

"The Most Wonderful Kind of Knowing" - Funeral of Jean Griffiths - Sept.8/00

Psalm 90 asks: "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom." What is "a heart of wisdom"? Wisdom is more than knowing more than trivia, more than bits of fact that would win a game show. Wisdom is about knowing and heeding the most important things.

Jean was a student, a learner, a seeker of knowledge all her life. She received a good education in a day when schools weren't so readily available: starting out in Blyth, she had to go to Goderich to finish high school, then on elsewhere for teacher's training. Then she became a trader in knowledge, a schoolteacher in the Listowel/Wroxeter area.

The next phase of her life, following marriage to Ray, involved the knowledge of how to survive as a farmwife training up several children. When the kids were old enough, she once again taught school for 8 more years.

Even in later adult life, Jean remained a student in search of knowledge. She read extensively. With Ray she travelled widely, and remembered what she saw; years later she could describe some far-away spire in amazing detail as if she had seen it just the day before. She held onto her knowledge as a precious commodity.

Moving to town enabled her to become more active in church groups. In 1962 she and Ray were both on the building council for the new United Church (photo). At home, she continued her search for knowledge by reading until her eyesight started to fail her about 15 years ago. Two favourite topics were English history and royalty.

Ah - royalty: knowing the King is even better than knowing ABOUT kings. There are a variety of levels of knowing God in Scripture. Psalm 90 pictures God as an awesome Creator to be feared and revered. "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God...We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence." Knowing God too closely may have its drawback in God's knowledge of OUR weaknesses and sins. The Psalmist concludes, "Who knows the power of your anger? For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you." Such a view might not make us want to get to know God too closely.

But in the New Testament, God has drawn apart the curtain in sending Jesus, to show Godself as He really is: not just to be revered or feared, but merciful and loving. In Matthew 11 Jesus says, "No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." That's why Jesus came, to show us God so we may know him truly.

Then God's wonderful traits become a cause for rejoicing as he links himself to our welfare. As Paul says in Romans 8: "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." God's majestic design, his sovereign purpose, is aimed at our good. That's reassuring to know.

In John 14 Thomas asks, "How can we know the way?" Jesus replies, "I am the way...Don't you know me...?Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." His promise to his followers is that we will see him again; "Because I live, you will live also." His resurrection becomes our hope.

In his first epistle John adds, "We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Here we have what true wisdom, a "heart of wisdom", is all about: coming to know Jesus better, allowing God to work in our lives so we come to resemble His Son more closely each day.

Jean wasn't perfect, but she persevered in seeking to know God, the most important aspect of knowing. I would visit her in the nursing home and she would be trying to recall a certain verse of Scripture. She enjoyed receiving communion and having me read a Bible passage to her. And she was apologetic for being slightly stubborn with me at times.

What is the most wonderful kind of knowing? Psalm 139 says: "O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain." Knowing God and being known by him intimately - that's where the real wisdom is at. Praise God for His grace in Jesus Christ that welcomes us to know him even as we are known by him.

"Where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (1 Cor.13) Let us pray.

"The Antique Church: Relic or Relevant?" - Mk.2:13-22 2 Cor.3:3-18

The Thresher's Reunion arrived in town this week. My first glimpse of it occurred when I was going to the Post Office on Tuesday: a huge float truck turned the corner carrying a Waterloo Boy, a large heavy impressive steam engine. I knew it would be just one of many, rows and rows of antique tractors and equipment. Altogether it becomes a big attraction, especially for people like my father and brother who collect such things.

There's a danger of finding something just as big, and impressive, but outdated on this side of main street. I'm referring to our church. How can we, with God's help, prevent the church from turning into an antique as well: something to be admired or regarded as a curiosity, a quaint but outdated relic from bygone days?

God's Word suggests three emphases that can help us not turn into an exhibit for a museum. People vs property; Grace, not legalistic self-righteousness; and Power for transformed living, instead of rigid ritual.

People vs property: While on holiday, we visited some friends in northern Ontario who are frustrated at trying to keep alive their shrinking Anglican congregation. Part of the problem is that this congregation is trying to maintain and utilize three different church buildings in three townships. They've been rotating week by week because none of the congregational groupings wants to let their "favourite" local building go. What's the result? Less-ardent members of the parish give up trying to figure out where the worship service is going to be that week and stay home. Also, the small Sunday School isn't helped by the rotation one bit: the teacher has to lug a huge Rubbermaid tote filled with materials from place to place, and the children can't see last week's work up on the wall. The property is a problem; die-hard supporters of the local sanctuary have what's called an "edifice complex": they've forgotten the church is not a building, it's people.

In the second chapter of his gospel, Mark describes Jesus walking along beside the lake, and a large crowd comes to him. Later he's having dinner in Levi's house, again surrounded by people. Jesus did not squirrel himself away in a synagogue or the Temple, but was out in the midst of people, talking to them, finding out their needs, challenging them to live for God and follow him. To be disciples, not pew-sitters.

So the church's emphasis needs to be on PEOPLE not PROPERTY. Church is not a performance to come watch, to observe like the thresher's display or gaze at like an old stained-glass window; church is meant to be participated in, an interaction between people and God that can happen anywhere, around a living room as easily as within these four walls. God meets people where they're at.

A second way the church can avoid the antique collector is by majoring in GRACE not legalistic self-righteousness. Grace is what sets Christianity apart from other religions.

Back to our Anglican friends up north. Another point in the parish besides the first three is in a small urban community. Our friend requested permission to use the church building for a meeting of a community service group she belongs to. Some days following the meeting, she found some members of the church had asked the rector to reprimand her because 7 chairs were not put away following the meeting! How picky - they should have been glad their building was getting some use! Our friend's conclusion is that the members want their building to become, in her words, an "empty white tomb".

Such narrow-mindedness does not glorify God. For too many people, the word "church" does not conjure up warm fuzzy associations because they have slipped and been judged or condemned for it, sometimes by those who themselves are obviously imperfect in some respect, at least in compassion.

Jesus called Levi to become a follower, a disciple. Only problem in some people's eyes was that Levi was a despised tax collector, a slimy job with doubtful morals that required the collector to collaborate, in fact become an agent of, the hated Romans who occupied Palestine. Bad enough that Jesus called Levi: soon he was actually EATING in Levi's house with lots of Levi's friends. A very motley crew from the Pharisees' point of view: other tax collectors and so-called "sinners" - those who had been officially excommunicated from the synagogue. In Eastern custom, to dine with someone signified acceptance, association, identifying yourself in solidarity with that party. The Pharisees took great pains to not have contact with persons of questionable character: and here Jesus was welcoming them! He responded to their criticism by saying he did not come to call the righteous, but sinners: after all it's the sick who need health and a doctor.

In your opinion, which is the church more like: a hall of fame for sports heroes, or a hospital for the unwell? You can only visit a hall of fame, but you can actually stay in a hospital if you need to. Christians are called to show forth GRACE, not legalistic self-righteousness and judgmentalism. Paul described the new covenant as not of the letter but the Spirit. The letter kills, he warned; the ministry of law, carved on stone tablets, brought death. What attracted Levi and friends so much was that Jesus showed grace and loving acceptance toward those who'd failed to live perfect lives.

The third factor that will save the church from rusty relicry is POWER FOR TRANSFORMED LIVING, not rigid same-old static ritual. My father has been going to pioneer & hobby shows for some time now. Used to be just having a tractor parked there was enough. Now, though, he informs me, the "in" thing is to have some equipment attached to your tractor, especially if it's DOING something. For instance, a Baker fan, a threshing machine actually threshing, splitting shingles, or even just a cultivator attached to the hitch...the big draw is to have something happening, the power being utilized to actually do work.

Is anything HAPPENING at church, or do we just come and go through the same motions Sunday by Sunday? Jesus did not leave Levi sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he commanded; and Levi got up and followed. He left behind his unethical trade.

The Pharisees prided themselves on their regular routine of fasting twice a week, and couldn't understand why Jesus and his disciples were feasting with Levi on what was probably a fast-day. Christ countered that a new piece of cloth pulls away from the old when it shrinks, and new wine bursts stiff old wineskins; you have to put new wine in new skins, or it'll be ruined. Jesus is implying that God's power at work in the lives of people like Levi is dynamic, stretching, transforming, you can't hem it in by stuffy old traditions that have lost their meaning. It was fitting to feast that happy day rather than fast.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a walking email? What's the message people get by looking at you? Paul says the Corinthians are letters read by everybody, written by the Spirit of the living God on tablets of human hearts. In Christ, we hear the Lord speak to us, then live it out with his powerful help. The Spirit gives life, Paul says, bringing righteousness and freedom that the Law alone couldn't. Study well 2 Cor.3:18: "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory..." Jesus promises to give us power for changed living, changes that will astound others as we come more and more to reflect the Lord's own goodness, truth, and love.

Amy Tracy was a lesbian and feminist activist. In her final year at college, she took part in an abortion-rights march with hundreds of thousands of women past the White House and Capitol in Washington DC. She recalls, "It turned out to be one of the most significant days of my lie: it filled my soul with a sense of purpose, and I decided to commit my life to women's rights." She rose to one of the centres of the movement's power: press secretary for the National Organization for Women (NOW). The Christians who opposed her at abortion-clinic protests probably viewed her as hopelessly lost as the Pharisees viewed Levi and his fellow "sinners". She was at the top of the movement, appearing in the front lines of protest photographs. She says, "I had a successful career, friends, respect, and a committed relationship with another woman. My world was hostile to Christianity, and I despised Christians." Yet she recalls, "My soul was never satisfied...There were times I felt a profound sadness for something I could not identify." She was aware that "joy, purity, and peace" were missing from her life, and she gradually became aware of a profound hunger for God.

At protests, Christians lived down to her low expectations, regarding her with resentment and fear or glaring at her. Yet it was sometimes near Christians that her hunger would grow most strong. She recalls, "I needed them to reach out and touch me. I needed someone to see me as a real person in pain, not just an abomination."

After moving to Seattle, Amy found herself working for the state chapter of NOW. But something was changing. She says, "I started to wrestle with what I saw in the gay and lesbian community. I mentioned to my girlfriend that many of our friends and fellow activists seemed to be as broken as I was, and she said that was the result of societal persecution. I knew that wasn't the case. I began to long for purity. I wanted to know what was right and wrong...I realized that I had grown into a person I didn't respect. I was hard, burned out, and hateful. my loathing of Christians expanded into a dislike of people in general."

Amy spent a weekend with her girlfriend in San Francisco, trying to drown her feelings. They partied hard, drinking and smoking pot, then spent hours at a gay and lesbian dance club. When she came home, Amy sensed she'd hit bottom. She wandered the streets a few days, saying in retrospect, "I know it's a little weird, but I was looking for someone to tell me how to find God." Eventually she attended a Sunday evening service at a church she found by its big ad in the yellow pages with the word "Christian" in it. As the pastor spoke, she recalls, "I learned that it was possible to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and that by placing my life in his hands he would change me from the inside out. That's what I wanted." A few weeks later she decided to publicly commit her life to Christ. "I knew that if I went forward I would lose my job, my friends, my relationship, the respect of others -- everything." A bit like Levi, leaving behind all his livelihood at the tax booth.

That God accepted her, Amy says, still seems unbelievable. But she believes God did not see only a "God-hater" or hardened activist. He saw back to a wounded teenage girl who at last was able to accept her Father's steadfast love.

Months later, happening across a speech on the radio about partial-birth abortion, all at once she felt how abortion grieved God. She says, "It made me sad to think that every day women were destroying people whom God loved. I repented for the part I played." She wrote to Focus on the Family about how it affected her, and ended up being employed there for the past 3 years. She concludes: "My prayer is that Christians will be able to see those others with compassion, not as enemies; as broken and in need of restoration by the only healer of our souls, Jesus Christ.

"Nothing compares to the freedom I have found in Jesus Christ.I used to think freedom was loving who I wanted, smoking what I wanted, and living as I pleased. What I discovered was that true freedom is doing what deep down inside you know you ought to do. True freedom is found in the grace and love of Jesus." (Source: Christian Reader, July/August 2000, pp.57-63)

The church will never become an antique as long as God calls into its ranks people like Amy in such amazing ways. Jesus' news is about people, not property; grace, not legalistic self-righteousness; power for transformed living, not stale ritual. May the Lord be pleased to help each of us change to better reflect the grace, love, and freedom Amy found in Him. Let us pray.

"Sexuality: What Goes?" - Sept.17/00 (Eph.5:1-12/ various)

Well, the United Church has done it again. We're in the headlines. The latest edition of Christianweek, a national newspaper out of Winnipeg, announces to the world: "United Church Promotes Homosexual Concerns". It goes on to report the decisions of General Council in August: to renounce the 1960 statement calling homosexuality a sin; to say that "lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gendered as well as heterosexual orientations are gifts of God"; to "affirm lesbian and gay partnerships, recognize them in church documentation and services of blessing, and actively work for their civil recognition"; and to find new ways to encourage congregations to be affirming.

Turning to the editorial page, we find a cartoon of a man hanging out laundry, carrying a laundry basket labeled the "United Church of Canada". Hanging on the line is a character in a suit labelled "Scripture". The cartoonist seems to be saying that our church has hung scripture "out to dry". Reminds me of Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees in Mark 7: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! ...You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down." (7:9,13)

The accompanying editorial focuses on General Council's actions. It says, "These may be wonderfully inclusive statements, but they bear little resemblance to what the Bible has to say on the matter. Renowned German theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg puts it well. 'If a church were to let itself be pushed to the point where it ceased to treat homosexual activity as a departure from the biblical norm, and recognized homosexual unions as a personal partnership of love equivalent to marriage, such a church would stand no longer on biblical ground but against the unequivocal witness of Scripture', he writes in an important 1994 essay... 'A church which took such a step would thereby have ceased to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic,' concludes Pannenberg."

The editorial goes on to say how United Church decisions increasingly marginalize it among its ecumenical partners. This summer, despite lobbying by homosexual-rights activists, "The largest Presbyterian denomination in the US voted to ban same-sex union ceremonies; Episcopalians in the US rejected a resolution to 'support relationships of mutuality and fidelity other than marriage'; and Methodists kept language declaring that 'homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching."

So, who's right? "What goes" in sexuality - are our sister churches all wrong? To get in to this delicate topic, let's back up and look at the big picture:

A. THE MARVELOUS MYSTIQUE OF GOD'S DESIGN

What was God's intention from the beginning? Genesis 1:27f says, "So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it...'" People aren't like potato chips, we come in only two varieties: male and female. These are biologically different so we need a member of the opposite sex in order to reproduce. Women have 2 "X" chromosomes, men have "XY" chromosomes - in every single cell in their body! We are "hard-wired" differently in crucial respects.

These verses repeat the phrase, "in his image": humans have consciousness and conscience, different from other orders of living organisms. We're able to remember, love, create, imagine. "In God's image" can also refer to intimate community: in the Trinity of Father-Son-Spirit, fellowship was happening within God's own being before any universe or time existed. This is a real mystery, how there can be different-ness and sense of other beings within an embracing Oneness; but words fail us whenever we try to describe the Trinity.

God says in Genesis 2:18, "It is NOT good for man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him." Somehow, there's going to be a team-mate for Adam; someone to complement him, correspond helpfully. Animals don't fit the bill (19,20). So God causes Adam to fall into a deep sleep, fashions a being out of his "rib" or part of his side, and brings her to the man. Adam exclaims, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, for out of Man she was taken." In other words, "Yes! Finally I've found what was missing - this is it! I find my completeness, my wholeness, in you." In the marvel of marriage, something mysterious comes together - as when you've assembled an entire jigsaw puzzle but the last piece that fits plunk in the centre is missing; when you find it, it's complete, whole, it "belongs" and ties everything together. Verse 24 says when a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves (bonds, gets epoxied) to his wife, the two become one flesh. There's a wonderful irreversible amalgamation that affects our whole being.

Jesus quotes these verses in Matthew 19 concerning divorce. He begins by reminding people of God's original intention. The disciples respond by protesting that if Jesus is going to take such a narrow view on the matter, it's better not to marry. Whereupon the Lord makes some interesting comments on the celibate life. Some are born eunuchs or made infertile by men (oriental despots used such folk to guard their harems); but Jesus adds, "and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven.The one who can accept this should accept it." Celibacy can be accepted as a gift, and make the person more available to focus on pleasing the Lord, as Paul did, unhindered by family concerns. Christ is saying, "It's OK to be single." You're no less loved by God, in fact you may be more available for the unique task to which He's called you. Christ's endorsement of celibacy runs counter to the lie of fallen society which tends to make sex an idol and screams, "You MUST act out your impulses or you're not a fulfilled person." Jesus models and mentions that chastity (abstaining from immoral intercourse) is a normal, healthy, God-pleasing state -- before marriage and outside of it.

So that's the marvelous mystique of God's design, his original blueprint for sexuality. But when the Enemy enters the picture, and Adam and Eve sin, we find

B. A WRENCH IN THE WORKS

God told Adam plainly, "Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die." (Genesis 2:17) When they did eat of it, doubting God's Word and figuring they knew better than God, something deep in our constitution got royally mucked up. This action had radical negative consequences for humanity and creation. Paul says, "Sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned..." (Romans 5:12) He describes creation now as being "subjected to frustration", in "bondage to decay". (Rom.8:20) Our genes, instincts, impulses, behaviours, and conditioning have been messed up. In Romans 1 he describes how God's wrath and judgment have started to be revealed against human wickedness and godlessness. Those who reject God by neither glorifying Him nor being grateful have their thinking made futile and their hearts darkened. "God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves..." (Romans 1:24) Then we find a description of what happens when sex crosses the line: "God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error." (Romans 1:26-27) The chapter closes with a catalogue of fallen human behaviours. Paul notes, "They know God's decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die--yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them." (Romans 1:32) Approving of those who actually DO wrong things joins a person in guilt along with the perpetrators.

The Bible consistently condemns homosexuality. Leviticus 18:22 says, "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." In other words, in God's eyes it's detestable, as when something turns our stomach and we recoil saying, "That's DISGUSTING!" 20:13 is similar but adds that the offender must be put to death: it's a capital offence.

The New Testament offers a better solution. Death is called for, but it's death to self in Christ so as to be made a new creature. When through faith we're crucified with him, we're no longer slaves to sin; we're to reckon ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Paul concludes, "Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness." (Romans 6:12-13)

Christians at Corinth lived day-to-day in a sea of immorality. But Paul didn't suggest they be so inclusive as to go along with their culture. In 1 Cor.6:9-11 we read: "Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites [(ie homosexuals)], thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers--none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."

That's how Scripture describes the wrench that has been thrown into God's original plan. And there is other truth that can be brought to this subject when we debunk

C. MYTHS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY

1. The myth that it is genetically or biologically based: This is akin to saying being homosexual is like being blue-eyed or brown-eyed, it's somehow in your chemical makeup. But people are not "born gay". A 1991 study of identical twins had a major flaw in that all the twins grew up together; there was not a control group of twins raised apart, which would have isolated out other factors such as parental relationships and other family dynamics. Only about half the identical twins studied were both homosexual; if it was purely genetic, the correlation should have been 100%.

Another argument against this myth is the fact that many psychologists are treating homosexuals successfully today, "changing sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual," says Charles Socarides, president of NARTH, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. Stanton Jones, professor of psychology at Wheaton College says, "Every study ever performed in conversion for homosexual to heterosexual orientation has produced some successes," ranging from 33-60%. Exodus International is the largest homosexual-recovery organization in the world, and over the past 25 years, with other such agencies, has helped thousands of men and women find healing and grace. Thus if orientation can be changed, it's a myth to say homosexuals are "born that way" as if it's something fixed and permanent.

So if it's not from birth, how does homosexuality develop? Some factors are: early sexual abuse or violation; cross-gendered identification; poor gender role modeling; and peer degradation. Psychologist Elizabeth Moberly believes homosexuality is often caused by early difficulty in family relationships, especially with the same-sex parent. Separation from the parent through death or divorce, or emotional distance because of work, alcohol, or other problems, result in a deficit that causes the child to search for relationships elsewhere. The need for relationship with a same-sex parent persists while the child is developing physically, and that emotional need is interpreted as a need for sex. Moberly adds, "Despite appearance, homosexuality has very little to do with sex. It is about emotional woundedness."

For example, John Paulk is a former homosexual who now works with Focus on the Family. He says, "All my life I was tortured by the fact that I never felt loved and accepted by my dad. My sense of masculine identity was developed by a tight-knit relationship with my mother, so I searched for my father in the arms of other men." When Paulk eventually overcame his homosexual desires, he was able to receive true appropriate love from Christian men, married a former lesbian, and they now have 2 children.

2. The myth that homosexuals constitute at least 10% of the population: The 1-in-10 figure is from a 1948 report by Kinsey which has been discredited because of his skewed research techniques. More recent data puts it in the 1-4% range.

3. The myth that it's a healthy, normal lifestyle: 78% of homosexuals have been treated for at least one STD. Though less than 4% of the population, they account for one half of North America's cases of syphilis, gonorrhea of the throat, and intestinal infections. Rates of suicide, promiscuity, alcoholism, and drug abuse are extremely high in the homosexual community. Researchers have found that only 9% of homosexual males had less than 25 different sexual partners in their lifetime; 43% had more than 500 partners! Only 1% reported lifetime monogamous relationships. 43% of white male homosexuals reported "cruising" for sexual contacts once a week or more. German sociologist Dannecker, himself a self-professed homosexual, bluntly declared the "faithful homosexual friendship" a myth.

4. The myth that society has already accepted homosexual marriage: A Gallup Canada poll this past March found that although 43% of Canadians endorsed same-sex marriage, 48% were opposed.

5. The myth that homosexuality is the "sin of sins": We must not single out homosexuality as if it were the worst possible kind of sin. Pride is even more insidious! What is sin? 1 John 3:4 says "sin is lawlessness"; 5:17 - "all wrongdoing is sin". Paul defines it this way: "Anything that does not come from faith is sin." (Rom.14:23) Sin is whatever is outside God's will for us, whatever is not pleasing to Him. Think of the lists in 1 Cor.6 or Rom.1: alongside homosexual behaviour we find greed, gossip, arrogance...all lumped together. Lest we become judgmental and heartless, we need to recall that "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." (Rom.3:23) Each one of us has failed to follow God's best for us; we can't "single out" homosexuality.

D. RESPONDING IN CHRIST'S GRACE AND TRUTH

So how can we as Christians reach out and minister Christ's freedom and healing? Elizabeth Moberly says churches should ask themselves whether they are communities of healing and forgiveness, and whether they have the maturity to respond to homosexuals without hostility. We need to guard against fearing them, though she adds that disagreeing with homosexual behaviour is not "homophobia".

Moberly said churches can help by being educated, discussing homosexuality in sermons, putting books in the church library. They can set up support groups for those who are struggling, as well as for parents and spouses. Lay counsellors can be given training on how to counsel homosexuals. We can also help homosexuals develop healthy appropriate relationships with friends of the same sex.

Focus on the Family offers this guidance:

+Realize that at the core of the homosexual struggle, there is a deep-seated sense of rejection.

+Ask the Lord to open a door of communication.

+Be vulnerable about your own personal struggles and temptations.

+Communicate acceptance - not rejection. Express love and commitment to the person.

+Instill hope for change (1 Cor.6:11). Thousands of men and women have overcome homosexuality and are able to lead celibate lives. Many continue in the healing and marry and have families.

+Pray for them; love and commit to them.

It is not love to just accept homosexual behaviour as if it's a lifestyle that can't be changed. You don't ignore a person having a heart attack; the loving thing is to call for emergency help. To love a homosexual means being willing to encourage and support them in discovering Christ's healing, life-changing power.

A recovering lesbian named "Nancy" wrote a little booklet for Inter-Varsity Press called "Homosexual Struggle". Her closing advice is: "Pray for sensitivity to the people that God places around you. There is a good chance you are in contact with someone with deep conflicts who is longing for a compassionate ear. Pray for wisdom and understanding.

"Speak the truth in love (Eph.4:15), just as Jesus did to the woman caught in adultery (Jn.8:1-11). He spoke to her with compassion ('neither do I condemn you'), but did not neglect to call sin sin ('do not sin again'). People who struggle with their sexuality desperately need to know God's holy love.

"Believe that God can and will change people's lives. Don't underestimate his power! A friend once told me, 'Yours is not an easy problem.Yet it is not an insoluble one.' Jesus says, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.' (Mk.10:27)" [endquote]

Can we act on that? Then as a church we will make headlines of another sort! Amen.

"Fragrant as a Flower" - Funeral of Marie Elizabeth Schleich - Sept. 23/00

Psalm 103:8-18 8; Isaiah 40; Matthew 6 25; 2 Cor. 2 14-16; John 11 21; John 12:1-3

In scripture, human life is compared to a flower - over all too quickly. Just as a hot dry wind dries up the grass, or a frost nips flowers in full bloom so they wither and die, our own life is very brief and fleeting.

Today we gather to remember the life of Marie Schleich. Even 73 years does not seem long enough when you love someone. Marie will be sincerely missed by children, grandchildren, and friends. She loved nature, especially flowers, birds, and animals, so I thought it appropriate to recall scripture that drew a parallel between our lives and that of growing things. Perhaps the Lord has yet a lesson for us from her life.

Jesus urged his listeners to "consider the lilies" - that they don't worry, or get uptight about toil; they just simply are. they don't have to work their fingers to the bone to look so pretty: God clothes them much more radiantly than the wealthiest king. Jesus cautions us not to spend our life running after accumulating material goods, but seek first his kingdom and righteousness. Everything else then will fall into place when we have godly priorities.

Marie, I understand, took time to "smell the roses". She loved flowers and gardening. She had time for crafts, and family was her number one value rather than fortune. She set time aside for prayer. She tended to be humble and sought to avoid the limelight. Perhaps like the wildflowers Jesus saw in the fields, she tended to blend into the landscape.

Yet the flowers are not drab like plain grass; they share glorious colours with all who see them. The fragrance of a rose can be nearly intoxicating. Out of the life that has learned to rest in God comes a richness that spills over to bless others, as a flower's aroms fills a room.

Mary was so thankful that Jesus had raised her brother Lazarus from the dead that she took a pint of expensive perfume and lavished it on Jesus. And "the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume".

Paul was transformed by encounter with the risen Lord. He who once persecuted believers, arresting them, now travelled far and wide despite all kinds of dangers and imprisonment himself, just for the privilege of telling people the good news about the resurrection. He said, "Through us [God] spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him." To those who were saved from eternal perishing, the apostles seemed like "the fragrance of life".

Similarly, out of Marie's devotion and availability to God came an aroma of lovingkindness. She gave generously of herself to those she met, helping others throughout her life. She worked hard, and served so many over the decades. Even after moving to the seniors building, she would help out by driving others to places, and took part in the social club.

The grass withers, the flower falls, its place remembers it no more. But God does not forget people. We who believe in Christ trust we will one day see him again, and those who have died in Him. The Lord does not forget the acts of loving obedience we have carried out to spread his fragrance around. Scripture offers this beautiful word picture which we are confident speaks of the Lord's cherishing comfort, resurrection power, and reward for those like Marie who served Him.

"See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,

and his arm rules for him.

See, his reward is with him,

and his recompense accompanies him.

He tends his flock like a shepherd:

He gathers the lambs in his arms

and carries them close to his heart..."

Thanks be to God! Amen.

"How Can We KNOW What God Wants?" - Sept.24/00 - John 3:10-21; Hebrews 4:12-16

How can we know what God wants? Is it just something you feel at peace about inside?

Amy Grant has been a well-known Christian- and pop- music star. Earlier this year she married country singer Vince Gill near Nashville. Only problem was, they both had to dispose of existing marriages before it could happen. Amy Grant said she recognized that God hates divorce, but she also realized a more personal and freeing truth. A couple of years ago after undergoing what she called "tons of marital counselling" she went to the pastors with whom she had sought guidance and to her then-husband, singer/songwriter Gary Chapman, and told them all, "I believe and trust that I've been released from this [marriage]. And I say that knowing that even the Bible says the heart is deceitful." She further explained how she knew this was God's will, concluding, "To the best of my level of peace, I had a very settled, unshakable feeling about the path that I was going to follow."

"A very settled, unshakable feeling..." Is that how we know God's will? What about Jesus' command that a person who just deliberately divorces their spouse to marry another is committing adultery? (Mk.10:11f) If we're not to base our decisions on feelings, what can we base them on? How can we know what the Lord wants?

Christian theology answers this question by talking about "natural revelation" and "Special Revelation". Today I'd like to draw some wisdom from Article 2 of our United Church Basis of Union, "Of Revelation." It begins, "We believe that God revealed Himself in nature, in history, and in the heart of man." Natural revelation has to do with what we can deduce about God from what we can see and feel around us. Psalm 19 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." It makes sense that people might guess there is Someone beyond themselves, a Creator who set the universe in place, just by looking around and seeing nature's marvelous design and extent. Paul wrote in Romans 1, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Article 2 also says, in addition to nature, God has revealed Himself in the heart of man. People have conscience, whether they follow it or not; all societies make rules of right and wrong to maintain order. In Romans 2 Paul said, "When Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them." Basic aspects of right and wrong are apparent even to those who haven't had religious training.

We don't break God's laws, they break us; for they are the invisible guidelines written into the fabric of our being by our Creator. E Stanley Jones recalls a surgeon said to a public audience: "If you don't come to God and surrender to Him you will have to come to me and surrender to surgery. 75% of surgical cases begin in functional disturbances and pass into structural disease. Then I get them." Jones imagines a convention of bodies talking about the people who inhabit them. A body stands up and says, "Oh my, the man who inhabits me doesn't know how to live. He is full of fears, resentments, self-centredness and guilts. He ties me in knots, and then doses me with all sorts of medicines which have no relationship with what is wrong with me. There is nothing wrong with me. He upsets my functioning. I wish he knew how to live." Many people with medical problems won't be well unless they change their attitudes toward life. God's laws and truth about relationships are written into our very being, our nature. Our bodies are designed to function properly when we follow the manufacturer's instructions!

Besides natural revelation, there is SPECIAL REVELATION. Article 2 continues, "He has been graciously pleased to make clearer revelation of Himself to men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit..." (and further on) "We receive the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, given by inspiration of God, as containing the only infallible rule of faith and life..." Here are some classic verses on God's act of inspiring the Bible. 2 Tim.3:16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." 2 Peter 1:21 "Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (like a hot-air balloon being borne along with the breeze) 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." Alive, energetic, probing: the Holy Spirit by scripture ferrets out our inmost thoughts and renders a verdict, a judgment, relative to God's truth and ideals.

The "Canon" (or yardstick) of 66 books of Scripture is a much-needed benchmark in any discussion of knowing what God wants. Throughout the history of the Church people have gotten off-track when they felt a spirit was revealing new things to them that didn't conform to the Bible. Montanus was an enthusiastic young Christian prophet in western Asia Minor around AD 172. Two prophetesses joined him. They claimed to be mouthpieces of the Paraclete, the "New Prophecy". They urged Christians to relish persecution; abandon marriage in favour of celibacy, fast more, and eat food dry. They definitely went overboard when they predicted the heavenly Jerusalem would descend in their local city. If the Holy Spirit tells us something, it won't go against Scripture.

But we have yet to talk about the ULTIMATE UNVEILING by which we come to know what God wants. Article 2 says, "In the fullness of time He has perfectly revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, who is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of his person." In John 3 Jesus said to Nicodemus, "We speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen..." Christianity is based on historical events which fulfilled inspired recorded prophecy. The Gospel is about real events in time. After reviewing the account as it was relayed to him, Paul admits that if we have only hoped in Christ in this life -- if it's all a fairy tale -- we are to be pitied more than anybody else. But because of eyewitnesses he'd talked to he could assert, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead." (1Cor.15:19,20)

Jesus went on to say to Nicodemus that heavenly things would be even harder for him to accept than earthly things. Who has been there and come to tell about it? No one except God's "one and only" Son. Jesus is unique, one-of-a-kind, our single opportunity in which God drew back the curtain to show what He's really like. The "brightness of the Father's glory."

And what is the message God's trying to get across to us from the world of the supernatural? Jesus reaches back into an Old Testament analogy to the time Moses put a bronze serpent on a pole for the Israelites to look at and be healed from the influx of poisonous snakes. In the same way, Jesus says, "the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." Why didn't Moses just keep the symbol down at ground level? People wouldn't be able to see it and get healing. Why did God send Jesus to earth, "lifting him up" or exposing him from obscurity in heaven? So we could SEE the Saviour who'd been hidden in heaven, know the wonderful news of the gospel, trust Jesus, and live with God forever.

Famous verse 3:16, which you hopefully have in your memory bank already, outlines the most important truths or facts in the universe, as far as we're concerned: "God so loved the world..." True from the beginning of time, this was God's immense and unconditional affection and commitment for good towards a planet crawling with twisted, self-serving, rebellious wounded sinners. We'd fallen far short of his original plan, but still God loved us.

"That he gave his one and only Son..." No strings attached; he gave the one He loved most dearly, His very precious Child, into our hands. God did not have second thoughts and yank Jesus back to heaven just before he was nailed to the cross, followed by nuking the world, though we deserved it. The most loving, compassionate, kind and pure person who ever lived, but we condemned him falsely and strung him up like a criminal worse than Paul Bernardo. "Take that, God!"

"That whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Uh - perish? Where did that come from? Doesn't that mean be destroyed, eternal death, Apollyon? But we thought we were managing very well on our own -- that is, those of us who weren't starving in the Third World, getting beaten or cheated on, drowning our loneliness in booze or drugs, chasing madly after ever-diminishing pleasures, or coldly isolating ourselves by our pride and resentment from ever really loving again. Perish?

Jesus is saying it's important for us to know that at the bookend of our existence is a final destination: eternal life with him, or eternal destruction. "Perish" is not annihilation, but something far worse: unending conscious suffering and separation from God, who is the source of light and love. You don't want to go there! In case we missed it the first time, Jesus repeats the options in verse 17: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." That's his name - Jesus, Yeshua, because he'd "save his people from their sins" (Matt.1:21).

You want a picture of what the world's really like? Just west of Thunder Bay my family visited Kakabeka Falls last month. It's called the Niagara of the North: the river plunges down, down, deep into a gorge, cascading over rocks and sending mist all over the observation decks high above. Looking up and down stream, the river flows on in undisturbed tranquility, a beautiful scene. But right at the falls the roar is deafening; your eye is mesmerized by the collision of water and unyielding rock.

Human life is like floating along in the river just upstream from the falls. Looking ahead from the level of the water you couldn't tell there was a thing up ahead. That's the natural viewpoint. As you float along doing a backfloat, you notice a sign over on the shore. It says, "Warning!" That's the first sign, conscience and the created order. but you pay no heed. A little later there's a second sign, bright orange: "Danger!" The sign of scripture. You scratch your head and wonder, "That's funny, who'd write that there?" Last is a sign in the shape of a cross over on the shore. For some reason a rope is suspended out to the middle of the stream where you can reach it. At the end of the rope is a life preserver that says, "Hold onto this or be lost!" But you raise your head a bit, look downstream, and see nothing. You could have grabbed the rope, swung in to shore, and been safe. But based on your own information you can't see any danger, so choose to stay in the river until suddenly at the brink you see the gorge opening below and it's too late.

How can we know what God wants? Conscience and creation say, "Y'know, there might be more to this than just a river." Scripture through the prophets and apostles says, "There's definitely more to life than just this river." Jesus on the cross cries out, "I love you! Take my hand and let me pull you out of the river where you'll be safe!" But so many doubt the signs, drift along ignoring God's message aimed at preserving them, and head straight into the bottomless pit. "This is the verdict:" (v.19; the Final Fact, the Big Decision in the Courtroom of the universe) "Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil."

Allow me for a moment to talk to your heart, not your head. I bury people all the time. Most didn't know the gorge was just around the next bend in the river. For all of us, there's a waterfall coming up fast! Let me say this bluntly: some of you need to get out of the river before it's too late. You've been immersing yourself in the things of the world, rather than the things of God. The Enemy is sweeping you along in the current, hooked on your passions or pride. Whatever your problem, your excuse, whatever has been holding you back, Jesus can help. But you've got to trust him and believe in him with all your being. Please, don't put it off; talk to me if you're not sure whether you're safe on shore or still getting swept along. Jesus has been tempted as we are, but didn't sin, so can sympathize with our weaknesses. At his throne we "receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb.4:16)

For the rest of you - are you just glad to be safe, or are you concerned about those you know who are still being whisked along toward the falls? So many have missed the warning signs and honestly are unaware of the destruction up ahead. Are you praying for them? Sharing the good news with them? If you get tongue-tied, are you inviting them along to events where they CAN hear what's most important to know in our whole existence? This is urgent stuff.

Once we commit to following Jesus, we do receive a wonderful new source of GUIDANCE FOR TODAY. Jesus said the Spirit of truth would guide us into all truth, taking what's his and making it known to us. (John 16:13,14) Marriage counselor John Regier says when couples truly confess their wrongs to each other, absorb the pain in forgiveness, and ask Jesus to heal the pain, often the Holy Spirit will give a verse of scripture or picture in their mind as confirmation wholeness is restored. One woman has even collected a whole binder of things God spoke to her in prayer, which she wrote down. As a check against Montanism, just be aware that the Holy Spirit doesn't contradict Himself: anything the Lord truly tells you will be consistent with Scripture.

Another test when wondering about God's guidance is to ask, "Is this something Jesus might say or do?" WWJD - what would Jesus do? The Spirit takes from what is Christ's and testifies to Him; true spiritual wisdom will accord with Jesus' own loving, holy attitudes and actions.

Also, you can bounce an idea or impulse off some godly friends whose discernment you respect. Paul cleared his message with the leaders in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:2); he directed others in the church to weigh carefully what prophets spoke. (1 Cor.14:29)

And I'd like to close by emphasizing the role parents can play in instructing their children to know what God wants. Deuteronomy 4 says: "Watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.Teach them to your children and to their children after them." Later God urges parents to "Impress [these commands] on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Josh McDowell surveyed nearly 4,000 youths from 13 denominations. He found less than 10% demonstrate a consistent, cohesive belief in absolute truth. 40% think no one can prove which religion is absolutely true. Nearly half base their moral choices on feelings and emotions rather than on a clear standard of right and wrong. We're raising a generation that decides on the basis of feelings rather than truth - like the 70's slogan, "If it feels good, do it!"

It's so vital to be forming children in the faith. Pray at meals and bedtime. Make sure you have your own personal quiet time each day, then you'll have something to share when you sit down for a meal together. What will you get if you let the "Idiot Box" form your kids' values? Get a good Bible story picture book to read from for young children. A new part of Focus on the Family called "Heritage Builders" is producing resources especially for families to use in developing faith; interesting and fun ways of passing on the Christian worldview.

One father, wanting his son to understand the deity of Christ, told him the story of Jesus turning the water into wine at a wedding. The father explained, "This was Christ's first miracle.Do you understand, son?" "Yes, Daddy." "So what do we learn from this story?" Confidently, the boy responded, "If you don't have enough wine, get down on your knees and pray!"

He didn't quite get the message Dad intended. But I'm sure his father was patient with him - just as our Heavenly Father perseveres in revealing His wonderful plan to us so that we might finally catch on. In nature, in Scripture, in Jesus our Lord, God has been reaching out so we might truly know what He wants. His love means saving power and LIFE for us - and that's not just an "unshakeable feeling", but a fact! Amen.

"Bread that Really Satisfies" - Oct.1/00 Worldwide Communion Sunday - Jn.6:25-40; Ex.16:2-5,17-30

Humans are a hungry bunch. We're consumers. Not blessed with chlorophyll, we're designed to eat other things in order to get strength to go on living. So our systems are designed to get hungry on a regular basis.

But we don't just get hungry physically; we are spiritual, emotional beings in these bodies. So we find many desires that struggle for satisfaction besides just the need for food. We crave popularity, good looks, the latest toys, reputation, a comfy retirement fund, affection and intimacy. The hunger of our soul is every bit as strong as the appetite of our stomach.

So as we prepare to celebrate the Lord's Supper on this Worldwide Communion Sunday, God's Word suggests we consider two things: our hunger or deadness apart from Christ; and that Jesus is the "living bread" who alone can truly satisfy our longings.

In John 6, Jesus had fed the 5000 miraculously, and the crowd thought this was the guy for them. Who needs to work when you can just manufacture food out of thin air? They wanted to make Jesus king by force, and he knew it (6:15); he also knew that wasn't the Father's plan for him. So when they somewhat pathetically go chasing him around the lake, he confronts them saying that they're not after him for valid spiritual reasons but because he filled their bellies. In 6:27 He commands: "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." Which type of food will we pursue - that which perishes and rots, or the kind that nourishes us for eternity? There's more to life than just bringing home the paycheque and then spending it, over and over. Don't waste away your life exerting yourself for the things that can't really satisfy your inner being, that "God-shaped vacuum" inside.

Later in 6:53 Jesus puts it more plainly: "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." No life. Zippo. You're dead meat. Spiritually speaking, you're road-kill. Yuck! Who wants that!

In the course of routine visiting on my previous pastoral charge in northern Ontario, I was invited for supper by one of the families in the congregation. As I sat down at the table, they said with a smile, "Hope you don't mind eating road-kill!" The fellow as it turns out was on the Fire Department and First Response team. They were often called out to traffic accidents. Occasionally these accidents were caused by moose or deer crossing the road. So this man always took a hunting knife with him to a call because often he got to carve up the carcass (of the animal, that is) and take it home for his freezer. So I have to admit that yes, I have eaten road-kill, and actually quite enjoyed it.

But the type that you usually see splattered across the pavement is not that appetizing. Yet Jesus says, unless we draw nourishment from Him, that's what we're like: "You have no life in you." And you see this on the scale of society when you start looking around. We call ourselves consumers, but equally we could be called wasters, a culture of corruption. Often a municipality's biggest headache is what to do with its waste. Wendell Berry in the States writes: "Close inspection of our countryside would reveal, strewn over it from one end to the other, thousands of derelict and worthless automobiles, house trailers, refrigerators, stoves, freezers, washing machines, and dryers, as well as thousands of unregulated dumps in hollows and sink holes, on stream banks and roadsides, filled not only with 'disposable' containers but also with broken toasters, television sets, toys of all kinds, furniture, lamps, stereos, radios, scales, coffee makers, mixers, blenders, corn poppers, hair dryers, and microwave ovens...The truth is that we Americans, all of us, have become a kind of human trash, living our lives in the midst of a ubiquitous damned mess of which we are at once the victims and the perpetrators."

What's that - "a kind of human trash"? Isn't that rather harsh? But if you start looking around relationship-wise, you see similar eyesores, a trail of pain caused by our insatiable hungers and selfishness. Over there, a broken marriage. In that corner, a lonely deserted senior. Further along, a teenager in a class at school acting out stress from an unhappy home life. Here and there, a face set in a concrete mask trying to squelch the pain of past hurts and let-downs. No life. Road kill of the non-material kind.

I've always had a passing interest in Sigmund Freud because I was born 100 years to the day after him. What was this famous psychiatrist's diagnosis of the human condition? Despite his great insights into the human mind, Freud died at the age of 83, a bitter and disillusioned old man who proved unable to sustain his friendships. He wrote in 1918, "I have found little that is good about human beings on the whole.In my experience most of them are trash..."

Jesus' and Freud's sobering estimation is borne out when we consider the Hebrews in Exodus 16. Despite their recent release from slavery and harsh labour in Egypt, the whole community grumbles to Moses (16:2), "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." They value being fed more than freedom itself.

God does a wonderful thing and provides manna for them each day. Yet even then they're not satisfied with "enough". We read (19f), "Moses said to them, 'No one is to keep any of it until morning.' However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them." They didn't trust that God was going to come through again the next day; they clung to the extras and hoarded, seeking to provide their own security even when God forbade it.

Another test came at the Sabbath. God gave them enough for two days' worth and prevented it from going bad, so they could rest on the Sabbath as he commanded. Yet still that wasn't good enough for some. Verse 27: "Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. Then the LORD said to Moses, 'How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions?'" The people were greedy, dissatisfied, and rebelled against God's sufficient plan. In over 3400 years, human nature hasn't changed. We are ever-hungry, seek counterfeits and substitutes instead of God's will. Consequently we wind up spiritually as dead meat, road kill; there is "no life" in us.

To our lostness, our yearning, our relational groaning for nourishment and healing, God offers living bread in Jesus Christ. Let's turn now and talk about something good to eat: bread. Fresh bread. Even the words kind of roll off the tongue and start your mouth watering. What's the best kind of bread you've ever had?

When we lived in the outskirts of Brazzaville, the capital city of People's Republic of Congo, one of the perks that partly made up for the isolation and insects was the twice-weekly delivery of fresh bread from the downtown bakery. There was a depot up our road, so on the way home from the Blind Institute at the end of the day I would stop in and pick up half a dozen long narrow French loaves of golden-brown white bread, so fresh it was still warm from the ovens. Did it ever taste good! Only drawback was, next day it went hard, stale, and starchy quite fast.

Now in my experience there are 3 categories of bread: in ascending order - store-bought, breadmaker, and oven-baked. Breadmaker is better than store-bought, especially when you come down to the kitchen first thing in the morning and smell it as it's finished baking. But nothing compares to Yvonne's oven-baked bread. It's delectable warm from the oven with a slab of butter on it (we've been known to go through a whole loaf right then!); yet days later it still has its unique body and nourishment nothing can compare with.

Jesus as "the bread of life" is the "best stuff". We're talking more than bread here. Real estate agents say if you really want to sell a place, arrange to have the aroma of fresh-baked bread greet those who come to view it. This isn't just ordinary bread we're talking about; this is bread that would sell a house! And more!

To the crowd pursuing him, Jesus says he is the "true bread from heaven" (32), "My flesh is real food" (55). Jesus, not Coke, is the "real thing" that truly satisfies. He alone in the Holy Spirit can actually minister to those deep-down desires for meaning, love, and safety inside each one of us. Verse 35: "Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life.He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.'" That's his money-back guarantee on the outside of the bread bag.

The phrase "bread of life" can mean both that it has life in itself - it's alive, as if it could hop from the shelf into the grocery cart; and that it gives life to others. We put yeast in bread so it will rise up. Jesus offers to raise us up at the last day: (40) "For my Father's will is 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 Bread that's alive will raise us to never-ending life in better bodies, transferring its own "aliveness" to us after death.

What do we have to do to receive all this? Go to baker's school for years to learn how to master the art of bread-making? No; how do you come to benefit from the goodness inside a loaf of bread? You take it and eat it! Salvation (as Christianity understands it) is a gift to be received, not earned or laboured for by degrees. (27) "The Son of Man will GIVE you [food that endures to eternal life]." The crowd asked what they had to DO to do the work God requires; Jesus replied that the only "work" required is "to believe in the one he has sent". (29) We receive the Saviour by faith, pure and simple. The verb tense can be rendered, "keep on believing" - an ongoing attitude of putting your trust in Jesus, resting on his promise.

God is such a giver. To the Hebrews he gave deliverance from slavery, rest on the Sabbath, double bread especially the day before so they didn't have to go out and work on the seventh day. He said, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you." God's not stingy, but generous. "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed." God's will is for everyone who relies on him to have enough, to not be in need. He wants to satisfy us in Jesus, physically, emotionally, spiritually.

This is the "secret" in the Master Bread-maker's recipe. Jesus' attitude was different from our fallen human mindset. He was "living bread" because as he said, (38) "I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me...[that is] that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day." Christ wasn't focused on his own improvement, but serving others, connecting us with God's gracious plan to save us. He looked upward, not inward. He was "alive" bread because he drew from the Father's ever-nurturing supply. Catch this from verse 57: "Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me." He drew his own strength from another source, so had a surplus to pass on to us. He wasn't operating from a deficit, as we do when we focus on our problems and past injuries. In communion, as we take the bread and receive Jesus spiritually, we draw on his investment in us at the cross, then go out with something to share with the world. No longer trash, but a treasure, because we know how much he valued us and was prepared to sacrifice for us.

We've been talking about eating a lot. What's the most memorable meal you've ever had? William Willimon asked people in a workshop on the sacraments that once. They told of memories of meals in fancy French restaurants in Toronto, a great little bistro they discovered on a trip to San Francisco, an elaborate 10-course extravaganza in an expensive hotel in New York. Then one man said, "The best meal I ever had was in World War II, the morning after a night of terrible battle. I staggered up over a hill and saw a woman from the Red Cross in a little trailer in a muddy field. I staggered through the muck to her trailer. She was handing out stale doughnuts and cold coffee. When she handed me mine, she smiled. After the night I had suffered, in that place, at that time, I'd have to say that was about the best meal I ever had."

What made that so special? It wasn't the food itself - the doughnut was stale, the coffee cold. What was it then? There was an awareness of the desperate need of the soldiers. The trouble the Red Cross staff had gone through to get the trailer there through the mud. Most of all, the grace with which the food was given - the loving smile that accompanied it. So with communion: the bread and juice may not appear all that special, but it's the One offering it, the pain and trouble Jesus has gone through so our sins could be forgiven, the love with which he invites us to refresh ourselves in Him - it's the Living Bread that makes this bread special.

In Congo, the bread was great when fresh, but the cheese was not. It was a white soft greasy type flown in from France. My Canadian innards longed for some cheese like what we had back home. One day we got a special parcel in the mail from my parents. We opened it excitedly, and there, wrapped in saran wrap, a little runny from flying thousands of miles and then sitting at the post office in the tropical heat, were some slices of good ol' Canadian cheddar cheese. What made that package so special? Not the article itself - today you'd probably turn up your nose at it. But that cheese represented a loving, thoughtful extended family who put themselves out to satisfy our deeper yearnings.

This is not just ordinary bread and juice. There is someone Very Special behind this meal. Someone who loves you deeply, gave his life in your place to bring you to His Heavenly Father and a caring extended spiritual family. Someone who will give you healing and strength day by day, and raise you up at the last. We celebrate and receive Him - Jesus - God's bread who gives life to the world. Amen.

"From Rat Race to Gratitude for Grace" - Thanksgiving Sunday Oct.8/00 - Joel 2:21-27 Matthew 6:25-33

What is the message behind the event of Thanksgiving? It's quite possible to take the wrong meaning from something.

On December 17 1903, Orville & Wilbur Wright were able to keep their hand-built airplane in the air for nearly a minute. This was a moment that changed history! In their excitement they immediately sent a telegram to their sister back in Ohio. It read: "First sustained flight today in 59 seconds. Hope to be home for Christmas." Their sister was so excited by the news that she took the telegram to the editor of the local newspaper. But the next morning, to her surprise, the big bold headline read: "Popular Bicycle Merchants to be Home for Holidays!" Somebody at the newspaper office failed to see the significance of the telegram in aviation history. They missed the point.

We too miss the point at Thanksgiving if we just get a warm fuzzy glow as we push our stuffed bodies away from the table. Anybody can feel positive and thankful when they're well fed and things are peaceful. Jesus calls us to Thanksgiving on another level. The "rat race" pursues material pleasure and physical satisfaction. But the Lord opens the way for us to show gratitude for his grace whether circumstances are good or bad.

Let's search for the real message Jesus is getting at in Matthew 6. Four times in this passage he urges us, "Do not worry...don't be anxious." Some might pounce on this as meaning simply, "Don't worry...be happy." But this is trite, a platitude, even irresponsible.

It might seem Jesus is advising us not to work. He points out that the birds don't sow or reap or store in barns, yet God feeds them. Likewise, the lilies don't labour or spin, yet God clothes them even more beautifully than King Solomon. So what can we get from this? A "hippy" Jesus, sitting around all day smelling the flowers?

I can just see some of you going in to your employer on Tuesday and saying, "Pastor told me Sunday I don't have to work anymore. Jesus wants us to be free as the birds and flowers, not harvesting or labouring. God's going to look after me, so don't count on me to do any more work. I'll just sit here and read my Bible." Would your employer be impressed? Would your family be impressed when there was no more paycheque? Would God be impressed? Maybe you might have a second thought when you read Proverbs 10:4: "Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Or 20:4: "A sluggard does not plow in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing."

In the New Testament, Paul picks up the thought writing to the Thessalonians. It seems they were so eager for the Lord's return they were whiling away the time. Some were idle and busybodies. Paul said, "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle...we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat.'" (2 Thess.3:6,10) Can't get more blunt than that!

It's the height of irresponsibility to think Jesus is saying don't work. We're missing the point. Neither does it help those who are going through tough times to mouth the platitude, "Don't worry...be happy." It doesn't wash. What then is the Lord getting at?

Jesus is calling us to re-focus our priorities. To many in the world, the "rat race" is what's important - keeping up with the Joneses. Maintaining a certain image; keeping up appearances. Christ summarizes this mindset with the phrases, (31f) "`What shall we eat?' `What shall we drink?' `What shall we wear?'...the pagans run after all these things..." Run after - chase - the rat race. There are more important things in life, to Jesus' heart. (25) "Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?" He's saying, YOU are more valuable than birds or flowers, even if your faith is small; (30) you have a Heavenly Father who knows your needs and cares about you personally. Jesus isn't wanting us to become IRresponsible, but rather to TAKE responsibility for those things that really matter: God's agenda, what's valuable in God's eyes rather than in mortal eyes. The four "don't worry's" all lead up to verse 33, the thing we need most of all to be concerned about: "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Refocus on God's Kingdom and righteousness as priorities. How do you find out what God's Kingdom or Program or plan for your life is? Put down the Sears catalogue, pick up your Bible, and pray for God to show you what's most important. Get involved in church groups with other people who are devoting their time to the Lord's projects. Read current Christian material to balance the news and other hype pumped into your home. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you sort through your heart's real values. God said through Jeremiah, (9:23f) "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight."

Here's a test for you. Bob Buford is a successful television executive. Some years ago he had a yearly appointment with a management consultant who advises business professionals. He listened to Bob talk for a while then said, "I can only help you if you sort out one thing for me." He took a piece of paper and drew a box in the middle of it. "There are 2 goals competing within you. One is to be a success in business and make lots of profit, which you've been doing; we'll let a dollar sign represent that. The other goal is your life as a Christian, being fruitful for Jesus' Kingdom. We'll represent that by a cross. This box stands for your main goal in life. I want you to decide which thing you're going to put in the box, a dollar sign or a cross. Only then can I help you plan your career."

After some heart-searching, Bob Buford put a cross in the box. Since then, he has swung into non-profit work sponsoring leadership development for Christian churches and agencies. But he had to choose first of all whether his goal was going to be God or mammon.

"Seek first His kingdom and his righteousness..." What does it mean to make righteousness a priority? The basic meaning is "straightness", action which conforms to a norm. For relational beings like us, then, righteousness has to do with conforming to the requirements of the relationship, both to people and God. We're obliged to help the poor and needy, and to respond when others have an understandable reason to call upon us. Concerning God, righteousness implies a correct relationship to God's will as expressed by the covenant He's made with us. Of course, by the Bible's standards, "All our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Is.64:6). The best person here (viewed by God on their own merits) is way off the mark and has fallen far short of God's plan for his or her life. By believing in Jesus, we receive God's righteousness, are forgiven all our sin, and given a true relationship with God. Now when the Father looks at us, He doesn't see that ugliness of past selfish deeds any more: He sees us as having the same beautiful moral righteousness as Jesus, we are "in Christ", washed by his blood. By the Holy Spirit's leading, this external righteousness imputed to us through the cross gets "worked into" us, finding expression in transformed behaviour, new affections, and godly deeds... a life that in a new way conforms to God's will - and so is "righteous". Pursue that; seek that first; run after righteousness, Jesus urges.

So instead of the rat race, we can have GRATITUDE for GRACE. Be thankful not so much for the turkey on the rack in the oven or the whipped cream on the pumpkin pie, but that Jesus took a whipping in your place and got strung out on a rack on account of your sin. This grace is still ours, still the number one treasure in our life even when hard times come our way and material comforts can't be found.

In Joel's time, about 800 BC, a locust swarm had ravaged the land. Pastures were bare, fruit trees had had the bark stripped right off them. For an agricultural economy like Judah, it spelled disaster. You can almost hear the moaning of the cattle as they look for grass in vain. God seems to be using the hardship to get the people's attention; Joel sees the devastation by the insects as a forecast of God's awful day of judgment. When God has their attention, He calls them to turn to Him: (2:12f) "Return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity." God urged them to treasure his own characteristics, his love and faithfulness, more than their farm produce. The Lord gives them a glowing picture of greening pastures and vats overflowing with new wine and oil, promising to repay them for the years the locusts have eaten. But it is a promise, words they will have to trust until it comes true. He asks them to trust that He can work wonders for them. "Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed."

Last year was a bumper crop year for corn in this part of southern Ontario. This year will likely be different. With all the rain and cool temperatures, crops are not faring so well. The corn is affected by stalk rot and prematurely dying. Some farmers had portions of their beans flooded out. A lot of the wheat was moldy. This won't help struggling farmers meet their bank payments.

The weather has caused other problems for people. Flooded basements, soggy carpets, lots of insurance calls. Time, bother, and headache. Life brings other hassles. Joel faced locusts; this past week a wasp trying to get into the house stung a member of our family, resulting in an eye swollen shut for several days. Besides that, the flu has been going around. And we call this Thanksgiving?

When we focus on God's priorities rather than earthly comfort, it doesn't seem so bad. His grace is sufficient for the thorns we must face. (2 Cor.12:9) Appreciating God's character and goals gives us character and gumption to cope with struggles. Faced with upcoming devastation by an imminent Babylonian invasion, Habakkuk testified (Hab.3:17f), "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."

Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned his followers there would be tough times ahead due to persecution. Yet even then they could find encouragement in their Father's reward. (5:11f) "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven..." Knowing God's behind us when we pursue His plans helps us be thankful even there is no earthly reason.

I'd like to close with a story about grace. Called "Baby Erik and the Old Man", it was forwarded by email to us, originally from the website "daily-blessings.com". Though it's set more towards Christmastime, I feel it can help us to a better Thanksgiving.

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We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi there." He pounded his fat baby hands on the highchair tray. His eyes were wide with excitement and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin. He wriggled and giggled with merriment. I looked round and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man with a tattered rag of a coat; dirty, greasy and worn. His pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. "Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?" Erik continued to laugh and answer "Hi, hi there." Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby.

Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya know patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo." Nobody thought the old man was cute; he was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. "Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's "pick-me-up" position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man's. Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love relationship.

Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands -- full of grime, pain, and hard labor -- gently, so gently, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms for a moment, and then his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care of this baby." Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest-unwillingly, longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift." I said nothing more than a muttered thanks.

With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me." I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking -- "Are you willing to share your son for a moment?" -- when He shared His for all eternity. The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, "To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children."

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Wow! What grace is in that story. See the birds; consider the lilies; see the innocent baby; consider the bum in rags. That was how objectionable we must have seemed to a perfect, holy God. Yet He reached out to us in sinless Jesus and draws us to Himself when we respond in faith. Give up the chase today; let the rat race carry on without you. Your heavenly Father knows your need, and has worked wonders for you. Choose Jesus -- and the rest will be given to you as well. Let us pray.

"Changing Times...Changing Tunes??" - Main St. UC Mitchell Anniversary - Oct. 15/00 Mk.7:1-8,14-23 2Tim.3:10-4:8

Times change...that's why a wave of nostalgia sweeps over a person when you revisit old familiar haunts. It's good to be back here: this church and town hold significant memories for me, having grown up in the neighbourhood. Why, it's 36 years ago now since I first stood in this very place and sang a boy's solo in the Mitchell Music Festival. "The moo cow moo has a tail like rope, and it's ravelled up where it grows." During my growing-up years I groomed and led a 4H calf in the calf club competition at Mitchell Fair - I seem to recall one Blythe Lannin was a leader. Ern Harley taught me vocal music at Upper Thames (I was in the first grade 8 class there) and on the side gave me some lessons on the big bass viol. Sorry, I've opted for a smaller version since then, the guitar!

After graduating from MDHS, I spent several years away from here, going to agricultural college then a 2-year stint in Africa as a missionary but then felt God's call to the pastorate, to "work for the food that endures" in connection with God's Word rather than simply feeding people "by bread alone". I came back to Main Street as a Staff Associate, now with a growing family, from 84-86 during my seminary years. Those I taught in Confirmation Class are now raising their own children. I still have fond memories of my time here, and especially my Lay Training Committee who helped me get started on the right foot in ministry with lots of moral support.

Anniversary Sunday is a time to stop and look back; to get our noses out of the week-to-week routine of church life for a moment, and regain perspective. Are we headed in the right direction? Do we remember our original mission? Just what are we doing this all for, anyway? And what changes do we need to make to stay relevant to society yet faithful to Christian tradition? Times change; people change; need we change our tune with the changing times?

Yes, we do. To some degree. Jesus kept on rocking the boat in his day, and I don't mean in storms on Lake Galilee. He regularly challenged the tradition-bound religious establishment. In Mark 2 we find him astonishing the teachers of the law by forgiving a paralytic, which they thought blasphemous. Later in the same chapter he is criticized for not fasting along with John's disciples and the Pharisees. Again, he rejects criticism from the Pharisees for picking heads of grain on the Sabbath. When Jesus heals a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath, this ticks off the Pharisees so much they begin to plot with the Herodians how they might kill him. (3:6)

The next run-in occurs in the passage we read today from Mark 7. The religious vigilantes get on Jesus' back saying, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?" Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah to suggest that the "traditions" they hold so precious are "but rules taught by men." Jesus was not recommending poor sanitation, just that not everything needs to be turned into a big ceremony for the sake of thinking yourself more religious. "Their hearts are far from me; they worship me in vain," God said. Our Lord was stressing that inward attitude is far more important than outward show. It's not a matter of whether you use Palmolive or Sunlight detergent on your salad bowl, but whether you've let God wash your soul til it shines.

Churches do need to keep re-examining the practices they have come to accept over the years. Not every tradition is sacrosanct; innovations can bring new life to worship and outreach. Martin Luther and the Wesleys adapted common street-songs of the day to be used in worship. While preserving our most meaningful old hymns, we do need to change archaic tunes in this regard, or our culture will "tune us out". A hundred years ago the big debate in Presbyterian churches was whether organs should be allowed. Nowadays the debate is whether to allow drums in the sanctuary; big money is spent on laptops, LCD projectors, screens and sound equipment rather than investing in new pipe organs.

Here at Main Street you have already begun a contemporary service alongside a more traditional one. Churches experiment nowadays with worship bands in lieu of choirs, relaxed ushering and order rather than formal. Our own church in Blyth shared summer services with the Church of God, where each Sunday people are welcome to stand and share a prayer request or testimony of what God's been doing in their lives. We tried this recently in our own Thanksgiving service, and it was a very meaningful part of the worship. Several in our congregation are enthusiastic about our locally-manufactured songbook (yes, it's copyright legal) which has many contemporary praise songs, mostly from the late 90's. As we enter the 21st century, many of these changes are good for us.

But God does not advise us to change our tune completely, even if times do change. We run the risk of distorting our tune to the point that we abandon our songwriter and central theme, our main melody. Jesus told his critics, "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men...You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!" (7:8f) And in case they still didn't get it he said a third time (7:13): "You nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down."

The language we use in the Christian church does need to change so that culture does not take offence unnecessarily. English as a spoken tongue has changed greatly since 1611, so fewer churches today use the King James version of the Bible. (though I admit Psalms 23 and 121 somehow don't have the same "ring" in any other version!) If Jesus had been born the same year as me he would quite possibly say "It's what comes out of a person that defiles" rather than "What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean" (7:20 NRSV vs.NIV), and Paul would probably address his letters to "Brothers and sisters" rather than just "Brothers" as in the Greek custom of the day. References to God are more complex. We do need to be sensitive when talking with people for whom male imagery for God might carry mixed messages due to past abuse, or if we imply in any way that to be male is superior, which is untrue (Gal.3:28). But for me, continuing Jesus' and the Bible's tradition of calling God "Father" and using male pronouns helps keep God personal, rather than morphing the Trinity into some kind of divine neutered "IT".

At the same time, we need to run the risk of being politically incorrect in today's society by not denying the uniqueness of gender. Though neither is superior or more valuable, God did create us "XX" or "XY" in every cell of our body for a reason. This has to do with different roles or functions. We understand from Scripture that God will primarily hold the man in a family responsible; he is called to take up his role as "sacrificial leader" to his wife, family priest, the one God expects to train up his children in the "nurture and admonition" of the Lord. Dads, you can't farm this job out to anyone, not your wife or the Sunday School. God's looking to you to teach the next generation how to have a daily walk with Him and develop a Christian worldview, counter to "the tube".

Society tries to get the church to change its tune to what makes it comfortable. That would be to nullify God's word, to set it aside and accept human traditions instead, which Jesus warns against. Then the church would have nothing to say to culture; it would lose God's redemptive message. We see this doctrinal "creep" in the decisions of our highest church court over the last dozen years concerning our most powerful human drive, that of sexuality. In 1988 the verdict about who could become a member was specifically "orientation", not necessarily sexual action. In August General Council went much further, deciding to bless homosexual "partnerships" and renounce its 1960 position that homosexuality is a sin. At stake is not just our healing outreach toward 2-4% of the population, but more important, whether we will be Scriptural in our approach to any moral issue. The enemy's ploy is to get us to doubt God's word; the serpent hisses, "Did God REALLY SAY...?" (Gen.3:3) The trick is to get us thinking we know better than our Creator.

Politically incorrect as it may be, according to Jesus certain things are still right or wrong. Certain behaviours are not "gifts" in the diversity of creation, but sinful actions. As he said, "Out of people's hearts come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed...All these evils come from inside and make a person `unclean.'" (7:21-23) He calls his disciples to a higher standard, God's intention. And that is where the tune of Scripture comes in, like a piano tuner's A440 tuning fork. God's written word in Scripture, interpreted by the Holy Spirit in the love and righteousness of Jesus, is our central reference point. As Paul wrote to Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." (3:16)

Time passes. Keith, our second child of 4, is now in his final year of high school. Recently he wrote to the moderator sharing his disagreement with General Council's actions. He writes of a classmate in high school who noted the previous moderator's unorthodox comments about Christ and concluded, "Why should he become a Christian if the church was not even sure of what they believe". Keith comments, "The outside world, especially young people, are constantly examining Christians and the church for any sign of hypocrisy or incongruity to support their beliefs that Christianity is false." They are watching whether we get off-tune.

At a 2-week conference on Christian worldview in Alberta this past summer, Keith and others went into the streets to find out just what people do believe today. He writes: "I was shocked to come to the realization how many people had never seemed to actually think about it before, or were completely unsure of what to say in answering the deeper questions in life. The youth were particularly ignorant. They have been fed a diet of lies from the media; no longer do they trust science for their answers, and they are convinced that the church is synonymous with the word hypocrisy. Their lack of hope to ever find truth was obvious when my friend and I asked one youth, 'What gives you meaning in life?' His answer: 'My bike.' This is the sad state to which it has come, that youth are despairing to ever find an answer to the fundamental questions of life. Yet," (Keith adds) "I believe that Christianity has hope to offer them, the substance in the Word of God to explain or give a reason for every question they could ask. But in order to hand out this life-giving Word, we as the Body of Christ must come together, united, and believe and act on what it says in every aspect of life."

Recently a young couple told me how concerned they are to find the best church home for their future children. They foresee that as the years go on, to be a Christian will become more and more counter-cultural at school, and they want a church family that will affirm the Biblical worldview they present at home...a church which reassures their children that, relative to the Christian mainstream through the centuries, they're "normal" - however "weird" they may be in the world's eyes. Paul prophesied that "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted"; yet, as we read earlier, the time is coming when church folk "will not put up with sound doctrine" but "gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (3:12;4:3f) This couple doesn't want that kind of church for their kids!

Changing times...shall we change our tune? Yes, in non-critical areas like worship music, style, or Bible version; No, in essential areas such as God's personhood and His call to moral purity. What IS our "theme song" again? What tune is going to help us keep on track and not get derailed into ceremonious washing of hands, pots, and pans? Jesus said, "It is what comes out of a person that defiles...it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come..." God's concern is that we wash our hearts, not just our hands. SIN is the central human problem. All over the planet, people's felt hurts indicate deeper guilt resulting from sinful thoughts and behaviour, their own, and others. If sin is the problem, what is the cure? 2Tim.3:15: "The holy Scriptures...are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." SIN/SAVE...now we're getting close. What was the angel's tune at Jesus' birth? What was it the heavenly messenger told Joseph? "You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will SAVE his people from their SINS." That's it! The church's theme song! The angel's theme at his birth becomes our tune through the centuries. Jesus saves us from our sins.

And if you doubt that, listen to Jesus' own "swan song" at the Last Supper. Matthew records that Jesus lifted the cup and said, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Our tune in a nutshell, or rather, a cupful.

One church that sings a lot of new tunes is the Brooklyn Tabernacle. 25 years ago it had a congregation of 20; today, more than 6,000. It's home to the Grammy-award winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. Its pastor Jim Cymbala writes: "One of our soloists recently went to sing in a church and was told in advance, 'We want to ask you not to sing any song that mentions the blood of Christ. People feel uncomfortable with that, and our goal here is to be user-friendly.'"

The pastor comments, "The message of the cross will always be foolishness to some, a stumbling block to others. But if our attention is on the market reaction, we move away from the power of the gospel. This fearfulness to talk about the blood of Christ is an overreaction. Worse than that, it borders on heresy, distorting and deflating the power of the Good News.

"What has become of standing unashamed for the gospel of Christ? No one is smarter than God. When he says to do his work in his way, we can be assured that he will produce his results for his glory. We don't need to get 'creative' on him. God knows exactly what we need to do and expects us to trust and obey him in childlike simplicity."

Whatever the time, whatever changes come, may our Lord Jesus help us to keep singing his tune. The song of his marvelous loving sacrifice that saves and washes us from our uncleanness. Any other tune is off key! Let us pray.

"Who's In Control?" - Oct.22/00 - Dan.4:29-37 Acts 4:23-33

Control is something that, once you have it, you don't want to lose it.

The federal liberals have been getting ready for an election. Their popularity is at a peak, the polls are the highest they've been in 7 years. Premier Brian Tobin of Newfoundland has agreed to resign in order to become minister of industry in the federal cabinet. And Finance Minister Paul Martin has revealed some economic election "goodies", including tax cuts and ideas on how to use a projected surplus of $17 billion. This pre-election maneuvering shouldn't surprise us in a democracy: any ruling party likes to stay in power. It's fun being in control.

And it can be terrifying when you're out of control. This summer coming back from our camping trip in Manitoba, it rained heavily most of the way from the border to Lake Superior. My front tires had been getting pretty worn. Several times I was shocked to feel the steering no longer seem connected: we were hydroplaning on a thin layer of water, out of control at full speed. Scary! Since then I've junked those tires and am now ready for anything with snow tires that have lots of tread on the front of the minivan.

Much of our life is "beyond our control", if we will admit it. Health, for example. We can do things to promote our health, but we can't control it. At a funeral this week, Don Vair spoke of a man who one day received a clean bill of health from his doctor, but later that same day, died from a heart attack. The services we depend on such as hydro, water, and other utilities are beyond our control, as tragedies like Walkerton and the ice storm have shown. And who can pretend to be in control of all one's relationships, obligations, or interruptions? We can't control how our words or body language will be interpreted by another person. Have you ever had a day where you didn't accomplish a single thing of what you set out to do? There's a popular saying in evangelistic booklets, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." Someone has revised that to say, "God loves you and EVERYBODY ELSE has a plan for your life." Some days, it sure seems like it. "Help!" we cry, "things are out of control! It's too much - I'm going crazy!"

At such moments, God's assurance to us in Scripture is that HE is in control. Article 3 of our United Church Basis of Union - "Of the Divine Purpose", one of the shortest articles, just one sentence - packs a punch when it puts it this way: "We believe that the eternal, wise, holy and loving purpose of God so embraces all events that, while the freedom of man is not taken away, nor is God the author of sin, yet in His providence He makes all things work together in the fulfillment of His sovereign design and the manifestation of His glory."

Let's take that apart, phrase by phrase. "We believe that the eternal, wise, holy and loving purpose of God so embraces all events..." God has an overarching purpose for us, His creatures. First question in our United Church catechism is, "What is it that gives meaning to our life?" (answer) "It is God's high purpose that gives meaning to our life." God has a reason, an objective, a purpose for us to be here. Ephesians 1:11 says we were "predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will..."

Article 3 goes on to say, "the freedom of man is not taken away, nor is God the author of sin..." Here we run up smack against a mystery: how God's sovereignty co-exists alongside human freedom. We're not puppets on strings. That would take away our responsibility so that we could blame everything on other forces. But part of our being created in God's image is having freedom of choice. Being free to not choose the forbidden fruit was a means by which we could show our love for our Creator.

God is not a monster in disguise, arbitrarily hurling thunderbolts and getting jollies out of watching mere mortals dance and suffer. That's more of a Greek notion. James says, (1:13f) "When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." We are free, evil is not God's doing; how this is true alongside God's sovereign control is a mystery.

Chuck Swindoll warns us against trying to "unscrew the inscrutable" when it comes to the mystery of God's sovereignty. In the Living Insights Study Bible he notes: "This has to do with the plan of God. Certainly God is in control of all things; yet, even though He is perfectly holy, sin is alive and thriving in this world. God permits it; He allows it. Without being contaminated by sin, our holy God is working out His plan. If you want to engage in a futile study, try to reconcile those inescapable realities. Seriously, quit trying to reconcile them! Accept the reality of His sovereignty, His power and authority over all things; take that reality by faith!"

The last part of Article 3 says: "in His providence He makes all things work together in the fulfillment of His sovereign design and the manifestation of His glory." Providence comes from the words meaning "to see ahead"; foresight, making provision before the fact. Somehow, no matter what happens, God is able to make good come out of human foolishness and misery. As counsellor John Regier put it, "God doesn't waste pain." The trials that we go through strengthen us to be able to help others who are going through similar trials. Paul said in Romans 8:28 (which is well worth memorizing): "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." This side of heaven we only see the knots and loose threads of the tapestry; in heaven we shall come to understand how God worked the silver and gold threads of our hardships together into a beautiful work of art. God loves his children, those who trust in His Son; his purpose is to grow us into Jesus' likeness. We are "heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." God's goal is not to produce our comfort, but His character in us.

It is a "sovereign design": God is our sovereign, our "despot" (the literal Greek word the believers use in Acts 4:24). Despite everything that happens, in the end somehow it's going to "all come out in the wash" for the manifestation, the showing of his glory, the beauty of His character, the radiance of God's attributes and qualities. Paul bursts out in praise in his letter to the Romans (11:36), "For from him and through him and to him are all things.To him be the glory forever! Amen."

For an example of God's sovereign control applied in an encouraging way to Christians in need, take a look at Acts 4. First we see the PROBLEM: Peter and John are in trouble. The "powers that be" had warned them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. The Sanhedrin was serious: next time we see the apostles jailed and flogged. These were the rulers who recently had crucified the Master. Though Peter and John courageously said they had to obey God rather than human authority, inwardly they must have been shaken, and no doubt shared their apprehension with the other believers.

After the PROBLEM, the believers turn to PRAYER (24). Prayer should be our first response instead of our last resort. They praise God's sovereignty, and recall a Psalm which seems to fit - the kings of the earth and rulers gathering together against God's forces. Their PRAYER is aided by God's promises in Scripture.

Next they acknowledge God's marvelous PLAN - He is in control! And if you want an illustration of God making good come from evil, what better example could you pick than the rigged trial and execution of the most sinless person who ever lived? Yet God took that horrible crime and managed to bring eternal life for multitudes from it. (27-28) "Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will" (literally, your "hand" and your "plan") "had decided beforehand should happen." It was fore-ordained, predestined. It's not that God decreed the villains should do this (their will was free), but that they did what God had decreed should be done. His counsel was guiding events behind the scenes so Old Testament prophecy from centuries before would be fulfilled with astonishing accuracy.

Only after that groundwork do we come to their actual PETITION (29f): they ask God to help them speak with "great boldness" and to perform healings and miraculous signs. They're not backing down - they're ready to go for broke. They see their problem, their need, not as an obstacle but as giving God room to work. Their own resources are inadequate; God's are not.

The response gets really exciting. We see the Lord's POWER AND PROVISION (31-33): the room is shaken, possibly by a divinely-timed earth tremor. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they speak the word of God boldly. "Let's go get 'em!" is their attitude; all the fear that was there before is shaken off. And suddenly they discover their earthly resources are broadened because they don't hold tightly to their individual possessions any more. They become "one in heart and mind", sharing everything. All those thousands of Jews from abroad that had become Christians at Pentecost needed to be instructed, and housed; the church discovered by God's empowerment it was equal to this great emergency. God's power and provision were at their full disposal when they carried out His PLAN.

Who's in control? God is. And if God's in control, there are some important corollaries, things we can be sure of as a result of that.

First, if God is in control...I don't need to be afraid any more, since I'm trusting Him. Lately I've been reading through the beginning of Psalms and noting how God gives the writer reassurance despite an abundance of enemies. People are out to get him, but: (Ps.9:7-10) "The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." Again, in chapter 10 we read (16-18): "The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more." If God's in control, I don't need to be afraid any more, because I'm trusting in Him.

Second corollary: If God's in control, I'm NOT -- and that's a good thing. Deep down inside the fallen part of each one of us is a little being who wants to be Fuhrer and make life intolerable for everybody else. The temptation is bad enough being a pastor in a congregation; I can't imagine what it would be like to be Prime Minister, or President of the States. "Power corrupts; and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This is why we all need to be accountable to somebody (even General Council), lest we get carried away and start abusing the power entrusted to us. Jim Jones headed a church which went to British Guyana and ended up destroying many lives. Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall."

If God's in control, I'm NOT, and that's a good thing.

Last, If God's really in control...we'd better start praying more! It's the believers' response in the same breath in Acts 4:24: "When they heard this" (the threat, the problem) "they raised their voices together in prayer to God." What - no committee meetings? No polls? No fundraising drives? No pickets of Sanhedrin headquarters? Nope; their first inclination was to pray. They knew where they needed to turn for real help.

Control...what if becoming Canada's ruling party were too small a thing? How'd you like to be Emperor of the Known World back in 565 BC? Not just a country, but groups of countries are at your beck and call. Your architectural works are classed among the seven wonders of the world. Quite a head trip, huh? Everything you could possibly want is right at your fingertips, because everyone's under your thumb!

But an amazing thing happened to Nebuchadnezzar. God warned him in a dream that he would be set aside for a period just as a tree is cut down. A year after Daniel interpreted the dream, it came true. The world's greatest, most powerful man, learned that God is sovereign. I'd like to close today with Chuck Swindoll's comments on Daniel 4.

"In great arrogance the king lived as though he needed no one else. Full of conceit, he strutted around the kingdom with his thumbs under his suspenders, saying, 'How great I am. How wonderful I am. Look at this kingdom I've built. What a magnificent person I have become. Everybody, together, say it with me again and again: Nebuchadnezzar...' Then, very suddenly, he lost his mind. This once-powerful and arrogant king was reduced to a wild beast, living out in the field day and night. What a terrible, insane existence! I can't fully explain my next statement. I can only tell you it's often been proven true: For some people it takes a temporary period of insanity to come to the end of themselves and to find God. That's the way it was with Nebuchadnezzar. Not all breakdowns are the end of a person's life. Sometimes they are the beginning, which means we should perhaps call them break-UPS. One day the Nebuchadnezzar-beast paused in the middle of his grazing and looked up toward heaven. A shaft of light broke through the darkened mind; his sanity was restored, and he proceeded to praise, exalt, honour and glorify Almighty God. He discovered God, and he found a new way to interpret his world. Not unlike the lost son who at last came to his senses (Luke 15:17), Nebuchadnezzar saw EVERYTHING with new eyes...including his own need for the Lord God.

"When you take hold of the knowledge of God and begin to see that He is in charge, you won't panic every time you read the newspaper. You won't give up hope because an earthquake somewhere sent buildings toppling. You won't live in fear of terrorism or possible disease. In fact, you'll be able to sing your way through the front page, the business section, the editorial page...even the sports page! Why? Because you know the God who is in control of all things.

"People have this weird idea that God is gingerly sitting on the edge of heaven going, 'Ooh! Oh, no! How am I going to handle all this? HELLLPPPP!' My friend, that's NOT the God of the Scriptures. That isn't the living God who holds everything in His hands. He may be invisible, but He is most assuredly in touch. You may not be able to see Him or hear Him, but He is in control of everything. Yes, EVERYTHING! And that includes you - and your circumstances. That includes all of life...past, present, future...

"So take heart: Things aren't out of hand! Our God is in control. He can handle it. And what's more, he can handle you. He knows you thoroughly...He even knows the number of the hairs on your head (Matt.10:30). He's got everything wired! He's got it all together! He is the sovereign God of the universe and He's never once lost control. He strengthens and He sustains His people. Those who know their God operate in such a context of confidence that they can face WHATEVER may come their way."

Let us pray.

"Hot for God: Love offers the Time of your Life" - Oct.29/00 Mk.12:28-34

"...Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day." (2 Pet.3:8) For us mortals, though, time is precious. We don't have all eternity at our disposal like the Lord does (not in this earthly life, anyway). With the change back to standard time last night we had an "extra" hour at our disposal. What did you do with your hour? Did you stay up later, stay in bed longer, or get up earlier? Maybe you used that extra hour to read a book, watch a show, or visit on the phone with a friend. What we do with our time reveals what's truly important to us in life.

Time and money are both valuable; "stewardship" has to do with how we manage what God's entrusted to us. This week I'd like to focus on stewardship of time, our life and the gift of our abilities, how "love" translates into what we do. In two weeks we'll look at stewardship of financial resources.

Money is run after by humans, but there's something that's much more valuable to God than our money. The teacher of the law said to Jesus, "To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." (Mk.12:33) God doesn't need our money -- all the wealth of the world is at his disposal; God wants US! Our love, to make him priority and precious in our life. Stewardship of our time and life begins with looking at this "greatest commandment" and understanding how it relates to various aspects of our life.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ...‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31) What does it mean to love God in these ways? This past week I had to replace an element in the electric water heater at the manse. Keeping hot in our devotion to God can be compared to what's needed to have hot water.

First, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart." The "heart" refers to our affections, emotions, appetites, passions. We love God with our capacity to want and feel.

The Bible contrasts the "heart of stone" with the "heart of flesh" (Ezek.36:26). Our fallen nature is such that we are "born with the bents", our heart is warped and injured as we grow so that our capacity to love gets seriously damaged. This is like the burnt-out water-heater element that won't work any more. It may be short-circuiting and throwing the breaker, it can't operate the way it was designed to.

Paul writes in Romans 3, "All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Romans 3:12) This is quoting Psalm 14, which uses the word "corrupt" - kaput, spoiled, junk like the faulty element. So are we apart from God's restoration. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." (Romans 3:23) Before we can love as we were designed to do, we need the Lord's healing touch.

How do you get that? When our water heater went on the blink, I called a local plumber on the phone. His advice was great to have! He knew water heaters and was able to tell me exactly what to look for and what to do about it in terms of getting a replacement part. You can tell such a person has had a lot to do with the subject over the years; he offered expert advice. Like God, this helper remained invisible, but the counsel was wise, and even free!

So when we become aware of our heart's need, we can call out to God for help. Romans 10 says, "For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile— the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:12-13) Loving God with our heart has a lot to do with prayer. If you love someone, you will want to talk and share with them, spend time privately together. Love doesn't have to say much; just BEING with the other person can bring joy to a lover. So the first step to a powerful connection with God begins with prayer.

I called around and found the new element was available at a store in Wingham. Keith was driving in to Madill anyway, so I asked my son to pick it up for me that afternoon. Since it was for the manse, we arranged for it to be billed to the Church. Now, if you want to push the analogy a bit: God the Father sent the Son, Jesus, to obtain this new "heart" for us. Our sins were charged to Christ's account, so our new "being" comes completely free - he paid it all. That's what the Incarnation and Crucifixion were all about.

Second, "Love God with all your soul." The soul is the centre of our desires, aversions, our will, commitments and priorities. It's the part of you that makes decisions and actually commits to a person or a course of action.

At the top of the water heater is a little red button where the wires from the electrical panel enter the heater. It's called the "E.C.O." or Energy Cut Off. If something goes wrong and the water overheats, this little switch throws a breaker which cuts off the power. In order to reset the breaker I had to "just push the red button". This was the determining action which would restore power to the element after I installed the new one.

It is our soul which "pushes the button" of commitment to Christ - or an idol. John 1:12 says, "To all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave the power to become children of God..." (NRSV) Jesus gives POWER when we make the decision to receive and trust in him. The little red button on the heater says "reset": salvation requires us to reset our attitudes, our beliefs, our values, to let God be God and Jesus take control as our Lord.

In the parlour downstairs is the painting of Jesus knocking at the door of our heart. The verse says, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20) But you've got to open the door, an action of trust. Jesus said in John 5:24, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24) The decision to believe the Good News is an act of loving God with our soul; in his eyes we have already "crossed over", made connection with his eternal Spirit; death then causes us nothing to fear. The button has been pushed, the power flows through your system.

If loving God with our heart involves prayer, loving God with our soul involves our decisions about our actions. The decision what to do with the extra hour revealed something about your priorities. What would a look at your calendar, your datebook, your daily time log show about your commitments? Do you make Jesus and his mission a priority in your personal scheduling? Create some space for daily devotions, for small group fellowship, for renewing retreats. In our busy culture, we're always being forced to make choices about how to spend our time. Dare to be different, to become great in soul, to put time with God first on your agenda. He'll transform your character if you give him opportunity. Go ahead - push the button.

Third, "Love God with all your mind" - your thoughts, understanding, imagination...what informs you and makes impressions in your brain.

The most "logical" part of a water heater is the thermostat. It's a little black box that's pressed up against the side of the water tank. It measures the temperature of the water compared to the setting on the dial and makes or breaks the circuit supplying power to the heating element. So our mind is always absorbing information about our world around us, providing us with raw material to use in making decisions. The manually-set dial and water temperature form the frame of reference for a thermostat; what we take into our mind forms the frame of reference we use to create a meaningful worldview and make plans.

What's your dial setting? For the Christian, God's Word is our permanent frame of reference. Paul advised Timothy, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..."(2 Timothy 3:16) The Biblical worldview is quite different from that of a culture which ignores God. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2) Through the media, what other people say, and the enemy's intrusive suggestions, we will always be tempted to conduct ourselves according to the world's standard rather than God's standard.

In two weeks we will be privileged to hear from Kirk Durston, a very sharp debater/lecturer with the New Scholars Society. I emailed him sharing my disappointment with the national church's unbiblical decisions about sexuality. He responded: "I have noticed a trend among post modern religious people who hold to a form of Christianity. To wit: How we interpret the Scriptures must be consistent with the current moral intuitions of our society. Therefore, if the Bible appears to be saying something that offends the current moral sensibilities of society, then surely we have misinterpreted the Scriptures. The solution is to 're-examine' the offending passages and come up with an interpretation that is not offensive to current secular thinking.

"There is a fundamental problem with this approach; it makes the current moral intuitions of society the presiding authority over Scripture. In other words, it is Scripture that must conform to society, not society to the Scripture. To me, this is sheer human arrogance and pride."

If we love God with our mind, we will apply ourselves to learn God's viewpoint on moral issues. Many Christians get deceived by the enemy's messages because they haven't developed the habit of daily Bible reading. The apostle Peter urged, "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.." (1 Peter 2:2) The "milk" he's referring to has to do with the "living and enduring word of God" mentioned just a few verses earlier. Soaking our mind periodically in Scripture is SO important for spiritual growth. You've heard of the old computer programming principle GIGO: "Garbage in - garbage out"? It applies as well to the processor on top of our shoulders. Be familiar with God's thoughts so you can spot the flaws in the world's very vivid messages, whether on video or elsewhere. Love God with your mind, your thoughts, your imagination.

Fourth, "Love God with all your strength." God created us body-soul units, not just floating spirits. Jesus calls us to love the Father with our physical nature - our force, power, ability.

In our 40-gallon water heater, there are two heating elements, designed to work in tandem: first the top element, then the bottom kicks in. I'm told you can manage for a short time with just the top element: you'll get 10 gallons of hot water, then that's it. Lukewarm...cold. The effectiveness of the heater is really limited when both elements aren't working together. To me, that's like people who are "Sunday" Christians: they're not serving God with their whole strength, and "cool off" by Monday.

Jesus warned the church of Laodicea that their coolness bothered him. "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm— neither hot nor cold— I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Revelation 3:15-16) Literally, he'd "vomit" them up - like a tepid cup of tea.

Staying "hot" in our relationship with God involves loving him with our strength, our abilities, our personal and spiritual gifts. They're given us to be used. Paul told the church at Rome, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is ...encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." (Romans 12:6-8) Did you catch something there YOU can do? He adds, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." (Romans 12:11) Our "zeal" is coupled with "serving". The word "fervor" literally means "to boil with heat" (as for water). Being hot for God means our zeal, our eagerness to please Him, keeps us "boiling" in a spiritual sense.

There are all kinds of ways the gift of your strength, your abilities, can be used in showing love for God, in church and out of it. When our annual meeting rolls around, we will be needing dedicated elders and other leaders to replace those who've completed their term, especially in view of big decisions to be made. We need Sunday School teachers and helpers; caring folk for our visitation team to shut-ins and nursing homes; very practical help such as catering for funerals.

Another way to love God with your "strength" is by fasting, in conjunction with prayer. Occasional fasting, if you're able, tells God He's at least as important to you as regular meals. A very physical form of love.

Last, Jesus added, "Love your neighbour as yourself." The water heater, once it's warmed up, seeks an outlet, it has something to GIVE. When we love God, we come to share his concern, his desire to bless others in our world who so desperately need Him. Then if our neighbour has a real need, our attitude is no longer, "What is the least I can get away with?" but instead we seek to discover the joy of helping with another's need.

Sometimes things get in the way of loving our neighbour. In the water heater, I needed to scoop pounds of lime deposits away from the bottom of the tank. These were piling up and interfering with water circulation and heating. The parallel in our personal relations is the "crud" that results from hurts, betrayals, gossiping, and other sins. A key aspect of loving others is forgiveness. Jesus said immediately following the Lord's Prayer, "...if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:15 NRSV) Don't let grudges build up. Forgive as God in Christ has forgiven you. (That's an order!) Even a quote in the Reader's Digest says: "Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die."

The job of a heater is to pass on its heat. Pure love, hot love, loses oneself in benefitting the beloved. Dale Galloway tells this story:

Little Chad was a shy, quiet young fellow. One day he came home and told his mother he'd like to make a valentine for everyone in his class. Her heart sank. She thought, "I wish he wouldn't do that!" because she had watched the children when they walked home from school. Her Chad was always behind them. They laughed and hung on to each other and talked to each other. But Chad was never included. Nevertheless, she decided she would go along with her son. So she purchased the paper and glue and crayons. For 3 whole weeks, night after night, Chad painstakingly made 35 valentines.

Valentine's Day dawned and Chad was beside himself with excitement! He carefully stacked them up, put them in a bag, and bolted out the door. His mom decided to bake him his favourite cookies and serve them up warm and nice with a cool glass of milk when he came home from school. She just knew he'd be disappointed; maybe that would ease the pain a little. It hurt her to think that he wouldn't get many valentines -- maybe none at all.

That afternoon she had the cookies and milk out on the table. When she heard the children outside she looked out the window. Sure enough, here they came, laughing and having the best time. And, as always, there was Chad in the rear. He walked a little faster than usual. She fully expected him to burst into tears as soon as he got inside. His arms were empty, she noticed, and when the door opened she choked back the tears.

"Mommy has some warm cookies and milk for you." But he hardly heard her words. He just marched right on by, his face aglow, and all he could say was: "Not a one...not a one." Her heart sank. And then he added, "I didn't forget a one, not a single one!"

Let us pray.

"At War with Sin: How to have True Peace" - Remembrance Sunday, November 5, 2000 - Mark 9:38-50 (Esther 4:5-16)

Remembrance Day has become somewhat of a puzzle to the younger generation. Veterans of the two World Wars and the Korean War are becoming fewer. Uniforms coupled with berets are increasingly unfamiliar; unlike many countries in the world, we're not used to seeing soldiers on the streets. Canada has been blessed to have known nothing but peace for half a century.

Yet war still goes on around the world. In various areas, rival armed groups clash and fight it out, sometimes monitored by our own Peacekeepers. In our country, though, there is a war of a different sort: a war against sin and evil.

One zone of conflict is that of moral sin. One of the tragedies of war in the past has been the abuse with which women and children are treated. This results in loss of dignity and respect, and unspeakable loathsome crimes. One Canadian phenomenon with similar effects is internet pornography, called the "crack cocaine" of the porn world. You don't have to go looking for it: it finds you. This past week I was searching on the internet for software for a scanner. I clicked a likely-looking link, it had the scanner's company's name and appeared to be a sure thing. But within seconds the address changed and 3 or 4 windows offering pornography popped open: I was glad I had the "images" option turned off. Porn has advanced to the point that it throws itself in your face, you don't have to go near a smut shop. That same day I heard a radio feature which advocated "streaking" as a way to get a thrill. The forces of immorality are running rampant in our culture -- to the detriment of dignity and respect particularly of women and children.

Another enemy that seeks to invade us is called prejudice. War feeds on prejudice toward those who are different: troops and propaganda experts quickly coin slang terms for other races. But our materialistic, appearance-oriented culture also breeds prejudice against our own neighbours who are "different" in any way. We may feel awkward when approached by someone who is handicapped; we find ourselves getting frustrated when talking with someone who is a little "slow" or who doesn't pick up on the subtle signals we send indicating it's time for the conversation to end. There may be a hesitancy to get involved with people who are struggling financially, or out of work. We unconsciously avoid or look down on those who aren't dressed fashionably. There have been grumbles against those who wear turbans, or natives, or Quebeckers, or immigrants... It's still prejudice -- not far from the disdain the Nazis fed against the Jews, or that soldiers show towards conquered civilians.

The Lord Jesus warned his disciples against needless prejudice. They said to him one day, "We saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us." (Mark 9:38) ONE OF US - a key phrase when we want to discriminate: the "us" versus "them" mentality. However Jesus' attitude is that someone participating in the cause will hardly be able to say anything bad about him; so, "Whoever is not against us is for us." Stop being so picky about someone not fitting in the same category as you; look at their purpose, their goals, not externals. It is our common cause in serving God and being about Kingdom business that's important, not whether we walk or talk or say "Aymen" instead of "Ahmen". Even such a small act as giving a cup of water in Jesus' name will have its reward in God's eyes. Do we think we're big shots because we're called Jesus' followers? He affectionately uses the term "little ones" for those who believe in Him - we're "microns" yet important to God, so needn't puff ourselves up comparing ourselves to others.

The Lord goes on to teach the disciples what they DO need to be against: not an ally in another denomination, but SIN. With characteristic exaggeration for effect he states, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off!" Same for our foot, or our eye: "Cut it off! Pluck it out!" Better to enter God's realm of eternal life with one hand, foot, or eye than to be thrown into hell with a complete set. Jesus is not advocating that we actually dismember ourselves, but that we be that RADICAL in fighting sin and evil in our lives. THAT's what we need to fight against, not other people who simply are different.

Friends, we have a choice of two ultimate destinations: heaven or hell. The best God can prepare for those he loves, OR the everlasting hole imaged in Scripture as something between a compost pit and garbage incinerator. Every attitude we foster, every action we take, tends to one of those two ultimate locations. When we believe in Jesus Christ and commit to following him, he saves us from being drawn to the wrong destiny. Yet he calls us to and strengthens us for a daily discipline of taking up our cross, choosing good, not yielding to the temptation of the enemy.

How can we have true peace? How can we bring an end to war in our relationships and our community? Jesus advised, "Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." What's that mean -- "have salt in yourselves"? Go gorge at Goderich? No; turn to the Saviour and allow the Holy Spirit to transform you in a godly way. Be different for heaven's sake. Let Christ's redemption at the cross flush you of old resentments, bitterness, grudges - savour the flavour of forgiveness. In ancient times, salt was valuable as a preservative because they didn't have refrigeration; it kept things from going bad. How are you going to seek God's help in keeping your heart, your thoughts, your attitudes from going "off" and starting to smell? The Lord's power is available to assist you in sanitizing your choice of words, your impulses, the channels you watch, the impression you make on others. Fight back the enemy invasion; "have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." Your home, your workplace, your social network will be different for it.

The servicemen and women who fought in the wars give us an example of just how far we can go in opposing evil, how ready we can be (with God's help) to lay down our life in resisting sin and oppression. My father was a "D-Day Dodger" (that's a GOOD thing) - one of the 93,000 Canadians who landed on Sicily beginning in 1943 and fought their way up through Italy. They were in Europe nearly a year before the Normandy invasion ever happened. A new movie, "A War of Their Own", has just been made about it. Some 6,000 Canadians died in that effort and are buried over there.

My uncle flew a Mosquito airplane as a night fighter in France. In January 1945 his plane had engine problems and crashed upon landing on a snowy runway. This week we remember and honour such troops who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms, such as the right to meet in public as a Christian church. Would they be proud of the way we live today? What election issues would they deem vital?

There is a book in the Old Testament about a remarkable woman who lived in Persia about 460 BC. She was a Jew, and a fighter: not a guerilla in fatigues, but a queen in the most beautiful garments. Yet she risked all that wealth and her own life to save her people. You see, one of the leaders named Haman was plotting to destroy the Jews. Hitler wasn't the first to try that! Haman even paid the king royally for the opportunity. Esther's uncle found out about the plot and urged her to approach the king and beg for mercy.

One small problem: the law was such that anyone who approached the king without being summoned would automatically be put to death -- unless the king held out his sceptre and spared the person's life. What's more, the king hadn't bothered to ask to see Esther for a whole month. And the previous queen had been deposed for daring to disobey the king's wishes.

Esther's uncle urged her nevertheless to try, saying, "Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" He sensed God had elevated Esther to that title in order to save the Jews. And he knew the stakes were serious if Esther didn't intervene.

Esther responded like a hero. She asked her uncle to gather the Jews who were in the capital and fast for her, as she and her maids would, too. Then, she said, "When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

Wow! What nerve! What faith! She was ready to die for the cause even if God didn't spare her (though He did). Some things really are worth risking ALL for. The war against sin is such a cause; don't be ambushed! Like the Canadians who served and who gave their lives in the wars, like Queen Esther who risked her life to save others - have salt in yourself; join with others in the cause of Christ who are not "against us" but "for us"; be radical in resisting sin by your daily actions and attitudes. Then, in Christ's grace, we will truly be at peace with each other.

"What Would You GIVE for Jesus?" - Nov.12/00 Stewardship of Wealth / International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church

"What would you give for Jesus?" We're used to people asking what others would give for articles like watches, yard sale items, or maybe a used car or piece of farm machinery. But when it's asked about the Saviour of the World -- that question's in a whole different category. How we answer is going to say a lot about how much we value God Himself.

"What would you give for Jesus?" Well, if it were a watch we would check to see if it were running, whether it had date, alarm, stopwatch and other features. What does Jesus offer in return for what we might give?

First, Jesus offers RIGHTEOUSNESS TO REPLACE OUR WRONGS. One day a man ran up to the Lord. Had it been today, he might have driven up in a RAV4 or PT Cruiser. As he got out, you would notice the designer labels on his clothes, hot off the rack from the finest stores. He'd have a pager on his belt, a cell phone in his pocket, and a Palm Pilot in one hand to make notes -- all the latest expensive technological doo-dads. This young man seems to have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He's probably just finished a course at some exclusive college prior to taking a post in his family's large corporation. You can almost smell "money".

Anyway, he stops humbly enough on his knees before Jesus and asks, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus reminds him, "No one is good -- except God alone." We've all fallen short of God's best for our lives. No one can earn their way to heaven by good works - to God, our deeds are like a slap in the face, an insult, apart from faith.

To assist us in recognizing our shortcomings and minimize the damage, God gave us righteous commands to restrain the wrongdoing. Jesus reminds the fellow of the Ten Commandments; the man insists he has kept all these since he was a boy. Yet he's unfulfilled, there must be something more than legalistic keeping of rules.

In this vacuum, Jesus offers righteousness to replace our wrongs. Paul wrote in Romans 5 (1,2), "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand." The word "justify" means to "make righteous", "set right", hence the connectedness, "peace with God" through faith in Jesus. In our heart of hearts we know worldly goods don't make us matter; what's important is whether we OURSELVES matter to someone, especially God our Creator and Judge. Nothing we can attain by purchase or effort can gain that, only trusting what God has already done for us through the blood of His Son. Jesus offers righteousness, peace with God.

Second, Jesus offers eternal life to eclipse our passing treasures. The man was looking for eternal life, as so many are seeking in our society today. Jesus told him he could have treasure in heaven. How? What was the one most crucial block to faith for this man? What was the idol he'd need to let go of in order to reach out to God? In this fellow's case, the stumbling block was wealth. Jesus said, "One thing you lack: go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." WOW! What a step - what a commitment! This is not required for every person in order to become a Christian, but Jesus identified this as the one stronghold in the guy's life that was holding him back from a relationship with God. If he could free himself OF his possessions, then he would be free FOR God, and discipleship.

Possessions can be very deceitful - we say we own them, but often they own us. We call it "real property" and "real estate", but when the New World comes it will all pass away. And even in human terms, as Jesus said, "A person's life does not consist in the abundance of their possessions." We don't expect someone's Royal Doulton figurines to come marching in the door at their funeral, or their antique Rolls Royce to drive up into the procession all by itself en route to the cemetery. Things get passed on, they're not part of us.

On a Habitat for Humanity work team, volunteers from all walks of life were working together to build houses for the poor. Someone recognized one man as a former president of a major corporation. He explained, "One day, I went to the office and saw everything in proper perspective. My heart skipped a beat. I realized that any day, I could keel over dead. And what did it all mean? I wanted this job because I wanted power, I wanted influence. And yet, I felt powerless, trapped. I simply walked away from it. I cut a deal with the company and my salary plunged 80% in the first year. And yet, I have never regretted a moment of it. I feel better than I have felt in years. Now I've got time to give some of my life to somebody else. You see, it feels good to be free." Jesus offers eternal life, a totally 'nother quality of life that goes on with God beyond death, when we can wriggle our hands free from our passing treasures.

Third, Jesus offers LOVE IN PLACE OF OUR WOES. Note verse 21: "Jesus looked at him and loved him." Could the man see in the glistening of Jesus' eyes, the warmth of his gaze, how much Christ's heart yearned for them to be in relationship? A few verses later Jesus would be inviting the man, "Come, follow me." Jesus truly loved him. But what did the man end up with? (22) "The man's face fell.He went away sad, because he had great wealth." Because he clung to his wealth, he remained woeful, sad, dejected. Jesus had offered him a never-ending love in place of his riches and associated cares.

We live in a culture that expects people to be willing to put up with many woes and headaches in the competition to be materially "successful". This culture sometimes has difficulty understanding how "religious" values can be worth much sacrifice. In the Heaven's Gate suicides in California, people ended their lives for a false god and a false faith. A reporter seemed either outraged or bemused that someone in contemporary America would still die for religion. One pastor commented, "A curious thing in my congregation is that almost nobody has given his or her life for religion. And yet, in the past year, I've had a half-dozen people either die or come near death with heart attacks, high blood pressure, and other diseases brought on by stress related to work. In our society, you are considered crazy if you give your life for your faith, but you are considered normal if you drop dead for a dollar!" -- Which would we rather, the woes of wealth, or Jesus' love?

Fourth, Jesus offers ABUNDANCE IN PLACE OF OUR SELFISHNESS. Skipping down to verse 29, the Lord responds to Peter, "I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life." Did you catch that? What does Jesus offer if we're able to pry open our fingers and release our hoarded goods? A hundred times as much! This was the experience of the early church: because nobody claimed anything they had as their own, it was available to anyone who was in need. If you were without lodging, you could call on any one of a hundred different homes where your fellow believers would be happy to put you up. It happens when Christ's followers grasp his values and sense of common covenant. When your heart becomes rightly disposed to your goods, you start to recognize them as resources in God's Kingdom - you just happen to be the steward of them at the moment.

Jesus offers abundance in place of our selfishness.

Oh -- did you catch a word Jesus slipped in there? "Persecutions." On this International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, the question "What will you GIVE for Jesus?" has more fearsome overtones for believers in nations facing trials for their faith. Statistician David Barrett estimates about 165,000 Christians will die because of their faith in Jesus this year. Would you give your LIFE for Jesus?

In Indonesia, radical Muslims have called for a jihad or "holy war" against the Christian community. Muslims associated with the Indonesian military have killed thousands of Christians, burning and looting homes, destroying churches, and sending hundreds of thousands of people fleeing for their lives.

In Vietnam, a man was imprisoned 9 days for organizing a summer Bible school for children in his home. On July 1, police and militia in one city went to a church under construction and used hammers to demolish it. On August 20, while a house church was meeting, local security police burst in, took everyone to the police station, and confiscated Bibles and hymnbooks. They beat those who refused to sign a police report forbidding them to meet for worship. What if that happened here? Can you imagine - being taken to the police station, and you either sign not to worship or you get beaten? "What would you GIVE for Jesus?"

Here's what another brother in Christ is willing to give. Pastor Wuille Marcelino Ruiz spent over five years at a maximum security prison in Cuba, where he was in solitary confinement up to 23.5 hours a day. All that time, he says, "I can truly say that the Lord never abandoned me, and I've honestly told him, 'Lord, here I am.Do with me as you please.'" Are you ready to give THAT -- your whole being?

So let's review what Jesus offers. Righteousness to replace our wrongs. Eternal life to eclipse our passing treasures. Love in place of our woes. Abundance instead of our selfishness.

But you don't even need to take my word for it. Let's hear what the enemies of Christianity have to say about it. Here are the charges the Communist government in Vietnam makes about past Christian activity in that country: "The method of propagating was that the missionaries went right to the people, lived with the people and spoke the language of the people, taught them Christian hymns, brought them the Ten Commandments of the Lord, used word-of-mouth effectively, helped people in need in a timely manner, taught people to do good deeds, opposed the vices (because those who follow the Christian religion don't consume alcoholic drinks, don't smoke tobacco, don't beat their wives and don't do other evil things, are frugal in wedding ceremonies, avoid backward customs, and happily do all things in community)." There now -- does that sound like a dangerous religion to you? Or rather a good offer? And that's an official Communist document!

Our brothers and sisters in Christ in many countries are suffering for their Saviour. They would be delighted to have the privileges we take for granted. Let's pray for their relief -- and that by the tears and voices of martyrs God would help us to consider more seriously the question, "What would YOU give for Jesus?"

Let us pray.

"Conserving God's Stream of Caring" - Funeral of William Manning - Nov.13/00

The imagery of a stream occurs repeatedly in Scripture; perhaps this speaks to us of the outflow of God's love from His being to ours, a never-ending stream. The garden of Eden was found amongst 4 rivers. In the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation, a river of life flows forth from God's throne down the middle of the city's main street. Psalm 46 speaks of "A river whose streams make glad the city of God": ancient Jerusalem did not have a river, so the author must be referring symbolically to God's sustaining and refreshing blessings. Jesus said, "Whoever believes in me...streams of living water will flow from within him," meaning his gift of the Holy Spirit. And Psalm 23 refers to the "still waters" by which God restores our soul, through quiet faith in Jesus.

Bill's life was much involved with streams. He loved to fish, so probably spent many a pleasant hour by a stream or pond. He really enjoyed the out-of-doors, the refreshing and rejuvenation of being out in God's creation. Bill served on the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority for 28 years, so this watershed with its streams and tributaries was very much on his consciousness.

And I detect that there was a stream of another kind in Bill's life. Beneath a sometimes gruff exterior, a stream of kindness bore mercies out to others in need. He was honest and generous, especially around Christmas time, helping others out without them knowing who was responsible -- kind of a "hidden Santa Claus". The stream of God's own never-ending love and kindness found an outlet through Bill.

Besides mentioning streams and the flowing-out of God's resources to us, Scripture also describes God as a conserver. God is "a very present help in trouble", holding things together when the world seems to be falling apart around us. The Shepherd's rod and staff give cofmort even when passing through the valley of the shadow of death. In the New Testament, Paul writes that God gives each seed a body as he has chosen, and the same is true for human souls beyond the grave: if there is a physical body, there will also be a spiritual body. For Christians, Jesus is our fore-runner, our first-fruit: the glorified body he received at resurrection is our hope as well. God provides an eternal home to house the life which we see temporarily laid to rest at a funeral.

Jesus explained, "This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." Jesus is our Saviour, our Conserver: not because any works of ours could ever be good enough that we deserve eternity with Him, but simply because we confess our wrongs and trust wholly in what He did for us at the cross. He made propitiation, payment, for our sins; God's conserving of our body and soul in the Kingdom is purely an act of grace, free and unearned.

Bill was a conserver in his care for the environment around town. He nurtured along baby trees with fertilizer. He conserved order by serving on council. He had quite a memory, so was able to recall stories of past events, and kept in touch with many friends. So he knew how to conserve relationships as well. Bill read widely, conserving facts and knowledge, which made him a great conversationalist, with a store of many things to draw from and relate. Poetry and music were also loves of Bill's: these were another form of "conserving". In rhyme and song we rehearse and process over again life's happening, savouring the meaning.

Jesus said, "All that the Father gives me will come to me; and he who comes to me I will not cast out." Beside Bill's casket, it gives us comfort to know that the stream of the Father's love does not end in this life; when we die trusting in the name of Jesus Christ, He will conserve us in caring relationship for eternity. For that, we thank God. Let us pray.

"Healing for the Whole Person" - Nov.19/00 Healing Fund Offering - Mark 2:1-12 James 5:10-16

It's no fun being sick. Just a couple of weeks ago I felt so poorly I wondered whether I should conduct the worship service. An infection caused me to have the shivers and shakes, and triggered other weird effects in my body. It was a very humbling time; I felt very useless around home, eager just to crawl into bed. Thankfully a visit to the doctor (who actually asked to pray with me) and some medication helped clear up the problem, by God's grace.

We need healing for our bodies when they're invaded. Scripture also shows that healing for our souls is important: getting our moral disease cleared up needs to go along with physical healing. Jesus has the power to do amazing things, forgiving our sin and giving wholeness to our bodies as our need may be.

There have been people in this country hurting over the past decades for reasons other than sickness. The Healing Fund was set up by the United Church in 1994 in response to the pain felt by survivors of the residential school system in Canada. What does healing mean for these people? What payment or transaction is needed for there to be wholeness and reconciliation? Meanwhile, the institutional church is threatened by the cost of damages arising from residential school claims. The United Church is facing some 500 claims. The Anglican Church may be threatened with bankruptcy. Its Cariboo Diocese, 17 parishes in the interior of British Columbia, is ceasing to exist because lawsuits have depleted finances to the point of bankruptcy. It may be that even the church buildings in the parishes will have to be sold to pay debts. Former Minister of Indian Affairs Jane Steward said earlier this year, "The churches have got to feel pain." Bud Smith, legal counsel to Cariboo Diocese says, "The pain Jane Stewart asked us to suffer is real." How can we find healing for this type of pain? Are we to be paralyzed by lawsuits?

Let's hear the guidance Scripture offers for spiritual and physical healing. One day Jesus was surrounded by ministry. In fact, he was held captive by it. There were so many people gathered around the house Jesus was in that there was no room left, not even outside the door. Suddenly there was a noise above their heads. Jesus and the disciples looked up and dodged bits of falling plaster and roofing tile. Four men lowered a paralyzed man on a mat - right through the ceiling! First observation about healing: SINCERELY SEEK THE LORD'S HELP. The paralyzed man didn't just lie about waiting until Jesus just maybe, perhaps, someday walked by that street. He actively pursued God's help, enlisting four others to physically carry him to the Master. And they weren't deterred by the crowd. They did everything in their power to get to Jesus - even if it meant "raising the roof". The falling plaster must have brought a smile as well as perhaps a shake of the head to our Lord, for it spoke of the group's determination, faith, and perseverance in seeking his help.

Perhaps the most important section on healing in the church in the New Testament is found in James 5. Verse 14 directs, "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord." God expects us to make the effort to call others to help in the healing process. God does work through the normal procedures of medicine and surgery and doctors' advice. But don't forget the power of prayer: we are a team, we need to be able to call on others with our prayer requests of any kind. So sincerely seek the Lord's help, even if it means asking your fellow believers to "carry you on the mat" (so to speak) in prayer.

Second, CONFESS YOUR INNER SICKNESS. When Jesus saw the faith of the group, he said to the paralyzed man, "Your sins are forgiven." Instantly jaws dropped open all over the place. The teachers of the law were shocked because this seemed like blasphemy: they thought only God could forgive sins. But I imagine the jaws of the guys on the roof dropped open too: "Uh, Lord, that's not the reason we're here. We brought this guy because he's, er, paralyzed - not so you could forgive his sins!" But Jesus insisted on dealing with the spiritual side first. He came to save the whole person, body soul and spirit, not just our physical side. His statement implies that healing of our sickened moral condition is at least as important as healing of our physical ailments. What good would it be to heal the paralysis if the man just got up and ran to do something that distanced him from God?

James 5:16 says, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." Note the order - confess sins first, then pray for healing. Often our physical problems are results of inner stress and dysfunction, wrong priorities or values. God's waiting to make us whole from the inside out.

Third, ABANDON YOURSELF TO THE SON'S AUTHORITY. James writes confidently (15), "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up." It is a prayer in FAITH, trusting, relaxing into the Father's embrace; the resurrection power of Jesus the risen Son is available to heal and restore.

Back to the scene in the crowded room with the paralytic. We begin to see why Jesus addressed the sin issue first. When he told the man to get up, take his mat and go home, it was visible proof or indication of the invisible but just as valuable action of forgiving the man's sins. He told the skeptical teachers of the law, the reason he said it was (10) "that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." The power for healing does not come from the magnitude of our faith, but from our utter reliance on the Son's earth-moving power and authority. He is able. So abandon yourself to the Son's authority.

Fourth, LEAVE THE OUTCOME WITH OUR MERCIFUL GOD. The paralyzed man was healed, the crowd was amazed and praised God. We need to also be ready to praise God when the physical symptoms are not taken away. WE know on faith at least the spiritual cleansing has already happened, based on Jesus' sacrifice for us at the cross. We live in a fallen world and God does not prevent his children from ever suffering on this planet. Note the context of James' writing on healing: (5:10,11) "As an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." Job suffered a long time from boils, head to foot, before he was healed. He glorified God IN his pain by refusing to curse his maker. Sometimes God calls us to persevere in our suffering and bring him honour by our patience even if we're not healed. Even if we're suffering physically, we can still thank God for his mercy on our souls for our moral failings. "God is good -- all the time." Our short-term pain does not change the eternal fact that "The Lord is FULL of compassion and mercy." He may just be asking us to wait a while before we see it manifested.

So, when we want healing, the Bible suggests: (1) sincerely seek the Lord's help; (2) confess your inner sickness; (3) abandon yourself to the Son's authority; and (4) leave the outcome with our merciful God.

What can we take from this to the subject of the damage caused by Residential Schools to first nations people, and this financial objective called the Healing Fund? First, a few background facts. The United Church partnered with the federal government in operating schools on reserves from 1849-1969. The closest one to us was in Mount Elgin, Ontario; the other 12 were out west. About 100,000 native students were involved. The government's policy was one of assimilation. Egerton Ryerson, Chief Superintendent of Education in Upper Canada and a father of Canadian Methodism, said in 1847: "Their education must consist not merely of the training of the mind, but of a weaning from the habits and feelings of their ancestors, and the acquirement of the language, arts and customs of civilized life." DC Scott was Deputy Superintendent- General for Indian Affairs (1913-32). He said, "Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic."

They probably meant well. But in the execution of the plan, children were removed from their homes for months at a time, forbidden to speak their mother tongue, cut off from siblings, and alienated from their culture to the point that they had serious questions of identity and purpose in life. When British Methodists arrived in 1840 as chaplains to the Hudson's Bay Company and missionaries to the Indians, they adapted to their hosts' way of life rather than imposing their own. Some missionaries and their families virtually lost their ability to speak English as they made their homes in Native communities - an approach to mission like Jesus incarnating himself as a lowly servant. That was not the approach in the residential schools, which sought to impose European dress, culture, and language.

George Erasmus, co-Chairman of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Affairs, summarizes its findings: "Most of the stories we are hearing are negative, 99% of them. Inevitably, we are told about the loss of culture, the loss of language, the loss of parenting skills, the agony of being separated from family, from community - even in the same residential school as other family members they were separated from their family members - the many, many years of being away from home, the return home, the alienation, the need to reintegrate into the community, the pain that people have experienced themselves, the way it was passed down...It's a very painful experience that we have been hearing."

Another source says, "Stories are raw with hurtful memories: the forced separation from parents at a young age (one woman described how at 11 years of age she tried to comfort the 5- and 6-year-old girls in her dormitory who would cry themselves to sleep night after night); punishment for speaking their own language or engaging in Native customs at the school; constant hunger (a woman described how she learned to be a thief at residential schools through stealing food from the kitchen to try to quell the hunger pangs); and derogatory remarks about Native people, their customs and beliefs (one man described the experience as 'learning to be ashamed that I was an Indian'). The abuse was cultural, physical, spiritual, and emotional."

Reading the stories of survivors from the schools, you cannot avoid detecting an overall spirit of MEANNESS: being locked in a room all day with no toilet; strappings that left huge welts for crimes like passing notes or talking to the opposite sex; punishments for no real legitimate cause; all in the context of chronic government underfunding, bland repetitive insufficient diet, teacher shortages due to high turnover, and deadly epidemics. Indian Affairs reported that the mortality rate for the pupils at the File Hills school in Saskatchewan was 68% in 1907. Quarantines were enforced sometimes even when there wasn't an epidemic in order to prevent the parents from visiting their children.

So besides the obvious cases of sexual or physical abuse, there is the whole issue of "cultural loss". A huge number of claims argue that separating Native children from their families and communities, stripping them of their language and culture, and subjecting them to poor living conditions and second-rate education was negligent, a breach of trust and a breach of duty. Lawsuits allege residential schools involved a forcible transfer of children from one group to another, with the purpose of destroying that group - one of 5 genocidal acts identified in the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Where this whole issue hits home for me is the matter of state intrusion and interruption of parents raising their own children in their customs and worldview. Constance Deiter quotes her mother: "The most terrible result of my residential school experience was they took away my ability to hold my children. They took that from me, the ability to hold my children." Chief Starblanket wrote a letter to the Governor General saying, "In the treaty we made then, the government promised to make a school for every band of Indians on their own reserve, but instead, little children are torn from their mothers' arms or homes by the police or government agents, and taken sometimes hundreds of miles away to large schools, perhaps to take sick and die when their family can not see them. The little ants which live in the earth love their young ones, and wish to have them in their homes. Surely us red man are not smaller than those ants."

The pain is very real - not just for survivors of the schools themselves, but for their children too, who find themselves with parents who don't know how to parent because they were taken away from home at a young age, don't know their story because they didn't hear the tales of the elders. It is paralyzing. Are we perhaps called like the paralytic's four allies to carry our ailing Native neighbours some distance, perhaps even take radical measures so they can be made whole? Healing began with Jesus forgiving the paralyzed man his sins. James urges us to confess our sins and pray for one another so we may be healed. Have we confessed our own sinful attitudes toward other races, including Natives? What are our stereotypes? Do we automatically paint all natives with the same brush if we know of a few imperfect ones? Is going back on our word in a treaty much different from stealing a car? Let's be just and gracious, not prejudiced - remembering how much the Lord has forgiven us.

The goal the United Church set for the Healing Fund was a million dollars. To the end of October 1.16 million dollars has been received. Only 2 conferences have not achieved their goals: Montreal & Ottawa is $1000 short of their $65,000; but London Conference (that's us!) is $22,000 short of our $100,000 goal. We stand out conspicuously.

What are some examples of projects the Healing Fund is used for? At the beginning of October, the Healing Fund Council approved 22 projects out of 37 proposals, for a total funding of nearly $300,000. Some of the bigger ones: $27,300, (Truro NS) "To assist survivors of the Shubenacadie Residential School in their healing by way of holding Healing Circles and community gatherings...public education regarding the history of the school and long-term effects on the survivors, and the intergenerational impact on families..."

$20,000 (Hazelton BC) "To provide an integration of the Gitxsan Language and Culture through the use of 'live' resource people, the elders. Elders will demonstrate the use of the language, and audiotapes, videos, books, etc.will be developed for future use. Instilling pride in one's self, community, identity, accomplishments and contributions will all be part of the objectives for participants."

$15,000 (Native Women's Shelter of Montreal) "To support programs that integrate traditional ceremonies with counselling to address the healing needs of Aboriginal women and children in crisis. Services offered address physical, mental, emotional and spiritual abuse, and seek to interrupt the inter-generational trauma stemming from the residential school system."

We cannot heal emotional or spiritual wounds by throwing money at them. We cannot walk the residential school survivors' path for them; native people themselves need to ask the Lord's forgiveness for their own faults and the faults of those who injured them, lest they be trapped in bitterness and a spirit of revenge. Nor does it seem to me that reconciliation will be advanced by forcing churches to sell their property and buildings to pay hefty lawsuits.

Yet the Healing Fund may be one way in which we can help bear the corner of a load, like the four men who brought the paralytic to Jesus. It is in part a confession of our involvement as a church in a prejudiced, prison-like, and poorly run system. "The Lord is full of compassion and mercy": may we sincerely seek God's help on behalf of those in need of any kind of healing, whomever they may be.

An old rabbi once asked his pupils how they could tell when the night had ended and the day had begun. One student asked, "Could it be when you can see an animal in the distance and tell whether it's a sheep or a dog?" "No," answered the rabbi.

Another asked, "Is it when you can look at a tree in the distance and tell whether it's a fig tree or a peach tree?" Again the rabbi answered, "No." The pupils demanded, "Then when is it?"

"It is when you can look on the face of any woman or man and see that it is your sister or brother. Because if you cannot see this, it is still night." (On Frequent Journeys, ed.Rebekah Chevalier, UCPH 1997)

Let us pray. Dear God, heal our vision; help us to see. May the eyes of our heart be enlightened, as Paul prayed for the Ephesians. As Isaiah bids us, may we not "hide ourselves from our kin". Heeding the Golden Rule, help us to avoid doing to a sister or brother what is hateful to us. "That is the entire Law, all the rest is commentary." In your infinite power, God, create in us a disarmed heart! Grant healing to us, healing to our native neighbours, reconciliation where we have erected barriers. In the name of Jesus, who broke down the dividing wall of hostility and brings true peace. Amen.

"What Does It Mean to be a Covenanting Congregation?" - Nov.26/00 Christ the King - Jer.11:1-14 Heb.8:6-13;9:11-15

We live by God's grace in a web of relationships. To be alive in this society is to be involved in covenants of one form or another. Basically, a covenant is an agreement or arrangement or contract or "deal" concerning how we will interact with one another. A covenant is usually based on some form of promise or payment. Covenants are means by which we give ourselves to somebody or something, expectations we agree others can place on us and we on them.

The core covenant of society is marriage, in which a man and woman pledge themselves to each other in forming a new independent family unit. In order to have a place to live, they enter a covenant with a landlord to rent an apartment or an owner to buy a house, often at the same time entering a covenant with the bank to obtain a mortgage. Children may covenant to belong to a Scout or Guide group by memorizing and repeating a Promise and Law. Federal candidates covenant with us, making certain promises in order to be elected. As a country we covenant with others through the North American Free Trade Agreement, the General Agreement on Tariffs & Trade; the Canadian military orders parts by the NATO stock number (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). Covenants surround us in modern life as invisible promises or arrangements by which we obligate ourselves to others, offset by some kind of benefit they bring us in return.

In the religious world, covenants are key agreements relating us to God and other followers of Jesus. In baptism we receive the water of washing and forgiveness, the word of ownership by the Trinity, in exchange for our profession of faith and allegiance to Jesus Christ. At the same time we covenant to become members of this earthly agency called the church, promising to join regularly with others in worship, Bible study, and prayer; to enter into the life and work of the church, supporting it with our gifts; and to do God's will and fulfill our own individual Christian ministry in our daily life. Jesus calls communion the "new covenant in my blood", the "blood of the covenant" poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. By eating and drinking the symbols we "share" together in Him in a spiritual sense and proclaim his death until he comes.

People entering ordered ministry in the United Church are required to be in "essential agreement" with its Statement of Doctrine (the 20 Articles in the Basis of Union). They covenant to exercise their ministry "in accordance with the scriptures, in continuity with the faith of the Church, and subject to the oversight and discipline of The United Church of Canada".

The United Church itself was formed in 1925 by a covenanting together of 3 different denominations: Congregational, Presbyterian, and Methodist. The agreement was based on what we call the "Basis of Union", which includes those same 20 Articles of Faith. Individual churches were given the right to decide not to enter the union by majority vote. About a third of Presbyterian congregations chose not to join, thus kept their property and separate identity. In 1968 a major portion of the Evangelical United Brethren joined, although the Western Canadian Conference elected to stay out of the union. So by these important decisions we as United Church members have covenanted to organize ourselves, kind of a "social contract" or trust agreement as to what we believe in common and how we will govern ourselves.

The Bible itself is organized around the idea of covenant. It has 39 books in the part called the "Old Testament" or "Old Covenant"; and 27 books in the "New Testament" or "New Covenant". It's a book of covenants, based on God's promises to us, his dealings or arrangements with people. In Genesis 12-17 God initially made a covenant with Abraham to bless all nations through him, promising him countless descendants and a homeland if he would "walk before" him. The sign of this covenant was circumcision, just as the sign of a marriage covenant is a wedding ring. God through Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt; a key part in the deliverance was the Passover meal, whereby God arranged that the Destroying Angel would spare the firstborn sons in Hebrew households that had the blood of the lamb smeared around the door posts. When the people arrived at Sinai, God formalized the covenant. At the heart of this agreement were the Ten Commandments and other laws written in what was called "the Book of the Covenant". Exodus 24 describes how Moses sprinkled half of the blood from sacrificed bulls on the altar (representing God as one party to the agreement); read the Book of the Covenant to the people and heard their promise to obey; then sprinkled the other half of the blood on the people (as the other party to the agreement). He said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words." That was about 1446 BC.

By the time of the prophet Jeremiah 850 years later, the nation had blown it. They were reneging on their part of the deal. In Jeremiah 11 God reviews for them the terms of the covenant: (4,5) "I said, `Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God.Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey'--the land you possess today." Obedience, keeping the terms of the covenant, was key: verse 7 recalls that God had warned them over and over again, "Obey me."

But they did not obey; they broke their end of the covenant, so would suffer its curses, especially being expelled from the land. Why? (8) They didn't listen or pay attention; they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. (10) They returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to God's words; they followed other gods to serve them, including (13) "that shameful god Baal." This was the Canaanite fertility god, whose worship included immoral sexual acts and temple prostitutes.

What would be the result of breaking the covenant? (11) "A disaster they cannot escape.Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them." In fact, the relationship is so damaged that God tells Jeremiah not even to bother praying for the people because as He says in verse 14, "I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress." They didn't listen to God; so He wouldn't listen to them. All God asked was that they obey Him, but they followed stubbornly their own desires. So a covenant is a most solemn agreement or promise to be in RESPONSIVE RELATIONSHIP, heeding, obeying, listening to the other party.

Jeremiah did receive a glimmer of hope later in his ministry. Hebrews 8 quotes from Jeremiah 31 these verses which are crucial to understanding God's "big plan" in the Bible: (8:9-12 - if the Bible has always been somewhat of a mystery to you, here's the theme in a nutshell!) "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Covenant is about being in responsive relationship, knowing each other, having God's plan on your heart, consciously being His and assured that He is yours. When Jesus says at the Last Supper, "This cup is the NEW COVENANT in my blood," he's referring back to God's promise through Jeremiah and the symbolism Moses used at Sinai. Because of what Christ did at the cross, the barriers to relationship with God are swept away, our sins can be forgiven, our former rejection is forgotten -- oneness with our loving Maker can be restored.

Notice the phrase "once for all" in Hebrews 9:12: "He (Jesus) entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood..." He was doing it for you, for me. Verse 14 gives the objective: "the blood of Christ [will] cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" The responsiveness and possibility of obedience are restored. God's making it possible for us to experience the joy of his agreement. (15 brings it all home) "Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance [(the blessings God wanted to pour out on the nations through Abraham)]-- now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."

(hold up Bible, Old/New Testament) We are not people of the Old Covenant - the ritual law and burdensome dietary regulations - but of the New Covenant, the "New Deal" of God's righteousness acquired as a free gift by faith in Jesus, making peace with our eternal Judge, and God's joy and love poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. If you have the love, you'll want to please God and do what He wants. His laws then write themselves on your heart. "He who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law...Love is the fulfillment of the law." (Rom.13:8,10)

What a blessing! Praise God for the new covenant, His wonderful promises to us which are all "yes" in Christ! It's free -- but it's not cheap. Notice the close association between the word "covenant" and the word "blood". In ancient times, "to cut a covenant" meant "to make a deal"; the word "cut" came from the routine international practice of cutting an animal to mark the settling of the agreement. One part of the animal was sacrificed in honour of the god, the other part was consumed in a covenant meal by the parties. Jesus has become our Passover Lamb, delivering us from the Destroying Angel. This covenant we enjoy comes at a tremendous COST, the price of God's unique Son. As the bread and wine indicate, his life was "given for" us, "poured out" for many - so let's value this wonderful arrangement as priceless, something WE in our fallenness could never accomplish.

To summarize so far, then: a "covenant" is a most solemn agreement, based on promises, to be in some kind of relationship. Certain commitments are made, responses are expected. And there is a cost involved, whether this cost is borne by one of the parties or shared between them.

As a denomination, we have had varying ideas at different levels lately about what God's expectations are in the sexual area for those called to be in covenant with Him through Christ. We have been trying to discern as a Session, Official Board, and congregation what our response to General Council's decisions in August should be. One option is to become a covenanting congregation, joining the National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations or NACC. At its October meeting, the Official Board asked me to give a sermon on the question, "What does it mean to be a covenanting congregation?"

Before I begin, let me remind you of the saying: "You'll never find the perfect church, because as soon as you join, it's not perfect any more!" The NACC is not a perfect solution, particularly for those who are most upset by General Council decisions and find it difficult to be associated with the United Church label. The NACC purposes to "hold its people together within the United Church". There is no movement within NACC to separate organically from the United Church and its increasingly unscriptural policies. It is difficult to imagine an effective response being mounted by the covenanters even if they tried, as they constitute only 3% of national membership, and are essentially INVISIBLE to the higher courts of the church: they carry on financially just like any other United congregation in transmitting funds to the higher levels. Covenanting congregations, as part of the denomination, will still be affected at least indirectly by the current of change that rebels against God's instruction: the seminaries training ministry personnel will still be just as liberal, and in the Search process for new clergy, congregations will still be restricted with Presbytery representatives reminding them that there are certain questions such as sexual orientation that cannot be asked. The question becomes, how can NACC be said to "hold its people together within the United Church WITH INTEGRITY"? What WOULD be the last straw affecting one's loyalty to a particular denomination? How much are covenanters willing to compromise for the sake of keeping a local church building and history? What WOULD be sufficient cause to leave rather than be partner to heresy and idolatry? (Hosea 4:17; 1 Corinthians 6:18, 10:14; 2 Cor.6:14-7:1; 1 John 5:21)

That having been said, let's look at what NACC DOES offer. Some historical information is found on one side of your handouts. The covenanting movement started in 1990 among congregations that disagreed with the secular trends in General Council decisions, particularly the 1988 decision that all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are welcome to be or become members of the United Church. This meant that sexual orientation was not of itself a barrier to ordination, though that was not explicit. In reaction to this, some individuals in Alberta drafted what became known as the "Alberta Articles", an adaptation of which is found on the other side of your handout. Graham Scott and some other commissioners to General Council drafted another document which was became known as the "Commissioners' Covenant". Congregations began to adopt these statements as a means of publicly declaring where they stood in relation to the historic Christian faith and current General Council policy. There are now over a hundred covenanting congregations across Canada, with six "regional associations". The London Regional Association has about 22 member congregations, including Metropolitan in London, one of the largest congregations in the whole United Church. Together covenanting congregations make up about 3% of the United Church membership.

If you look at the "Articles of Association", you will see there are two main emphases. Covenanting congregations uphold the traditional statement of faith called the "20 Articles" found in the United Church Basis of Union. They also state that fidelity in marriage and chastity in singleness are included in the standards required of pastors in these congregations. There are other points, such as joining for fellowship, studying Scripture, and confessing Jesus' Lordship, but the 20 Articles and sexual faithfulness for clergy are the two key distinctives by which NACC congregations choose to stand out.

Note the section overleaf on the left panel, "What are its purposes?" The first is, "to help a congregation make a public statement of beliefs affirmed by the majority of its members, and so hold its people together within the United Church, with integrity." The second mentions gathering like-minded congregations "in their involvement in the courts of the Church". NACC is NOT a break-away group. Its objective is to provide a way for traditional-value-oriented congregations to stay within the United Church.

We talked before about the COST of a covenant. Some of you will be looking for the financial bottom line. Covenanting congregations keep on paying their Presbytery and Conference assessments just like any other United Church congregation. They are obligated to keep transmitting money people give in the offering for the Mission & Service Fund. That stays the same. In the London Regional Association, congregations are "encouraged" (not required) "to include the Covenanting Association in their annual budgets on the suggested basis of $1 per resident member"; for us, that would be about $285 a year. (Not much considering our Presbytery/Conference assessment next year is likely to be about $13 per resident member!) Some of that money then is forwarded annually toward NACC at the national level.

Any covenant has its benefits. What are the benefits of joining NACC? As we just read, it's a way by which covenanters "make a public statement of beliefs" that will hold their "people together within the United Church, with integrity". The right-hand panel states, "the NACC offers a way to make a stand based firmly on the Basis of Union, one that will hold their people together in good heart, one that will be known and respected in their own neighbourhoods and in the wider community of faith, a stand that encourages others to do likewise. And when a congregation is looking for a new minister, membership in the National Alliance gives candidates a clear signal as to the sort of person who would fit well and happily into the position." When it comes to the search process, NACC provides congregations and clergy with a "short list" of those who are committed to maintaining the historic Christian faith and morality. This is a very real and practical help to clergy seeking a call, and congregations looking for a like-minded person in the order of ministry.

Why would it be a benefit for any congregation to join NACC at this particular time in our United Church history? Covenanting congregations do not go along with questionable moves at higher levels such as approving a broad variety of unbiblical forms of sexual expression. They do not question the physical resurrection or divinity of Christ as do some of our seminary professors; they do not understand "ecumenism" to mean that other religions are equally valid paths to God, thereby spurning the significance of the cross. It is important for a Search Committee to be able to know whether a potential pastor leads a moral lifestyle, which covenanting congregations can be reasonably assured of by choosing from a smaller "pool" of those in agreement with NACC policy.

So becoming a covenanting congregation, though not a perfect solution, is certainly the right direction for a United Church congregation that seeks to be faithful to God's new covenant in Jesus. By the time of the Annual Meeting, the Official Board has determined you will have had your chance to vote on whether you think we should become a covenanting congregation. As we approach this decision, may the Lord God, who has welcomed us into covenant relationship with Him through the blood of His Son Jesus Christ, guide us in what is pleasing to Him. Amen.

"Hope for the Desolate, Strength to Stand" - Advent 1, Dec.3/00 - Jeremiah 33:1-16; Luke 21:25-36

Hope is precious. Without hope, it is hard to go on.

One summer I was canoeing as chaplain with campers from Camp McDougall, the United Church Camp in Algoma Presbytery. We were canoeing across Tunnel Lake north of Thessalon, a lake created by a huge hydro-electric dam. Our guides told us we were canoeing overtop of a former town: it's true, the village of Wharncliffe had actually been relocated from the area to be flooded to higher ground some distance away. Some of the former buildings had been left behind, a desolate waste, flooded by the man-made lake.

John Maxwell tells about a small town in Maine that likewise was proposed for the site of a hydro-electric plant. A dam would be built across the river and the town submerged. When the project was announced, the people were given many months to arrange their affairs and relocate. During those months, a curious thing happened. All improvements ceased. No painting was done. No repairs were made on the buildings, roads, or sidewalks. Day by day the whole town got shabbier and shabbier. A long time before the waters came, the town looked uncared for and abandoned, even though the people had not yet moved away. One citizen explained, "Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present." That town was cursed with hopelessness because it had no future.

There is a surge of negative thinking in the world today that would drown us in a lake of hopelessness if we let it. Examples of human waste, mismanagement, and apathy abound. It was hard to remain optimistic about government, for example, during the recent election. The parties criticized each other and we heard tales of misuse of taxpayers' money, such as thousands of dollars spent on publishing a book of blond jokes. It seems natural these days for people to be cynical about institutions or personal prospects. Many United Church members feel abandoned by the decisions of the leadership; they might be saying to themselves, "It's the end of the church as we have known it. Something has been taken away from us; it's a lost cause. We're devastated, it's the end of an era." These members may feel desolate, what they've invested in the local church seems as if it may have been wasted.

Biblical professor Walter Brueggemann notes: "Our society is marked by a deep dislocation that touches every aspect of our lives. The old certitudes seem less certain; the old privileges are under powerful challenge; the old dominations are increasingly ineffective and fragile; the established governmental, educational, judicial, and medical institutions seem less and less able to deliver what we need and have come to expect; the old social fabrics are fraying under the assault of selfishness, fear, anger, and greed...Church members are confused about authority, bewildered on mission, worried about finances, contentious about norms and ethics, and anxious about the church's survival."

Or perhaps things are falling apart for us on a more personal scale. Relationships that just don't seem to connect. Health that deteriorates, work opportunities that evaporate. Family members that won't be with us at Christmas due to circumstance, death, or just not wanting to get together. All these things can leave us with a feeling of being desolate, we question life's meaning, whether it's been a waste. As Jesus said, our hearts get weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life. Anguish, perplexity, apprehension mounts. It's hard to stay upbeat; it just won't do to deny the crisis, to dust off the old platitudes and run them by one more time: the power of positive thinking, be happy attitude, buy a lot of Pepsi, get a lot of stuff. When things are bleak and desolate, where can we find hope?

The situation looked pretty dismal in Jeremiah's time. The Babylonians were besieging Jerusalem because King Zedekiah, the ruler they installed, had rebelled against the foreign empire. Now the siege ramps had been built up against Jerusalem's wall. Houses in Jerusalem, and even the royal palace, had been torn down and the stones used to buttress the city's walls against the enemy's battering rams. The king and officials refused to listen to the prophet Jeremiah's advice that God was behind Babylon on this one, not them. The whole countryside was being turned into "a desolate waste, without people or animals" (33:10). And God said it was going to get worse before it got better: the buildings would be filled with dead bodies. Jerusalem's walls would not be strong or high enough to save it. When the Israelites first invaded Canaan, they were impressed, even overwhelmed by the walls of the cities which they described as "great and mighty", literally, "large, with walls up to the sky". But God's appointed disciplinarians were proving greater and mightier than the walls in which King Zedekiah and fellow rebels trusted. God said they would be "slain in my anger and wrath; I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness."

Yet right at this darkest moment, when it's obvious all is lost, God offers hope. Something greater than the enemy forces is still available to those who are receptive. Here's one of the greatest promises for your own personal relationship with God right in Jeremiah 33:2,3: "This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it— the LORD is his name: ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’" Great and unsearchable - the same phrase in Hebrew used often to describe the walled Canaanite cities. They had been trusting in stones and mortar, when they should have been turning to the one who made the earth itself, calling out to Him and seeking His guidance, His perspective. God is saying, "I'm more real than your opponent, more powerful than your problem."

Jesus goes to this same fact -- of God's eternal being and power available to us -- to offer hope in the New Testament. In Luke 21:33 he declares, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." Think about that. (repeat verse) What's real, anyway? What appears to us to be solid on a subatomic level is empty space. The smallest bits of matter, quarks, are described as little "knots of space-time". Even after this universe is no more, when God decides to redo the laws that currently hold it together, Jesus' teaching and promises will still be in effect. His words are more "real" than heaven and earth.

And it's God's promises through Jeremiah that offer a besieged

city real hope. Listen to these clips from verses 6 to 16: "I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security...I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it...Flocks will again pass under the hand of the one who counts them...In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety." Now, doesn't that sound hopeful? God has good plans in store for the people. And we can look back in history and see how, after the 70 years of captivity prophesied, God did bring them back to the land. And from David's line Jesus the Messiah was born.

So in our situation today, whatever may be depressing us or dragging us down, we can draw hope from God's promises. When signs of the end-times get more numerous, Jesus says (28), "Stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Our redemption, being bought-back out of this decaying sin-sick order. (27) "At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and then his coming again are the book-ends which give our life real meaning, purpose, accountability, and hope. Darwinism's crawl of protoplasm from soup to dust just doesn't match it - even if it were possible against the laws of thermodynamics and probability.

Advent means "coming": not only do we look back to Jesus' first coming as a baby in weakness and humility at Bethlehem. We also look ahead to his second coming in power and glory to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Realizing then this great truth -- that God's waiting for those who are feeling desolate to call out to Him for help and hope -- what will be our response?

A first response that builds hope is to KNOW THE PROMISES. God said through Jeremiah, (14) "I will fulfill the gracious promise I made..." Jesus emphasized very solemnly, (Lk.21:32) "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." What God promises to us He will certainly bring about. His promises are sure. The Bible is a treasure-trove of God's promises. Study them, learn them, memorize them; write them on little cards, weave them into your daily consciousness. God's promises to us will outlast the universe. When Christ says, "They will SEE the Son of Man coming," you can count on it as a solid fact! And if you want to stand before Him, that affects greatly your daily decisions.

Know the promises. Speak them in your home. They bring hope. Bible professor Brueggemann says, "Our numbed and bewildered society lacks ways of thinking and speaking that can help us find remedies...But when the church is faithful to its own past life with God, it has ways of speaking, knowing, and imagining that can successfully address our cultural malaise."

Researchers have found that a hopeful attitude can lead to physiological changes that improve the immune system - the body's defence against toxins and disease. 25,000 American soldiers were held by the Japanese in POW camps during World War II. Many died. The survivors were different in one major respect: they confidently expected to be released someday. They talked about the kinds of homes they would have, the jobs they would choose, and even described the kind of person they would marry. They drew pictures on the walls to illustrate their dreams. So for Christians, visualizing Christ's promises, focusing on them, can stengthen us through hope.

Second: Find your boast in God, rather than in the changeable things of this world, things that will be left behind. Jeremiah prophesies the saved community will have the name: "The LORD (Yahweh) Our Righteousness". Our towns describe themselves by various characteristics - "home of the Blyth Festival", "home of radar", etc. As God's people, though, our identity comes from our Righteous Lord. So make Him your focus, the centre of your life, rather than pursuing the enemy's counterfeits. As Paul said, (1 Cor.1:31) "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord," and, (Gal.6:14) "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Keep a right focus. John Bunyan wrote, "Hope is never ill when faith is well." Trust God, make Him your priority, and he will give you hope.

Third, Watch and pray. Jesus wrapped up his talk on the end times by saying, "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and...to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:36) If we're alert in prayer, we're more likely to see the signs, know it's happening, and stand up with lifted head rather than be caught with our head down by surprise. "Call to me," God beckoned, THEN He can tell you "great and unsearchable things you do not know." But if you don't pray, don't be surprised if you're left in the dark! CS Lewis defined hope as "a continual looking forward to the eternal world". Such an attitude induces one to pray.

With Session's permission, in view of the decisions before us about our church's direction, I'm inviting those who are able, to participate in a 23-hour fast during the Thursdays of Advent and of January leading up to the Annual Meeting. For example, you might miss breakfast and lunch but still have supper each day. Don't forget to drink lots of water! And if you can't take part in a food fast for health reasons, maybe there's something else you could give up in order to spend time praying for God's leading. Please consider this seriously: we are "up against walls" in a spiritual sense.

Fourth, to find hope, wean ONEself away from this world's weights. (try saying that five times fast!) Jesus warned, (21:34) "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap." Don't let the attractions of Lucifer, that angel of light, hold your fancy and drag you down. Staying free and available for God's service opens up new possibilities of hope. Martin Luther said, "Everything that is done in this world is done by hope."

Chuck Colson tells the following story. "Before preaching at Mississippi's Parchman Prison, I visited death row. Most of the inmates were in their bunks wrapped in blankets, staring blankly at little black-and-white TV screens, killing time. But in one cell a man was sitting on his bunk, reading. As I approached, he looked up and showed my his book -- an instruction manual on Episcopal liturgy. His name was John Irving. He'd been on death row for more than 15 years, and he was studying for the priesthood. John told me he was allowed out of his cell one hour each day. The rest of the time, he studied -- preparing to meet Christ or to serve Him here. Seeing that John had nothing in his cell but a few books, I thought, God has blessed me so much, the least I can do is provide something for this brother. I asked, 'Would you like a TV if I could arrange it?' John smiled gratefully. He said, 'Thanks, but no thanks. You can waste an awful lot of time with those things.'"

Colson comments, "'Waste time' on death row? The psalmist prayed that God would 'teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom' (Ps.90:12). For the 15 years since a judge had placed a number on his days, John Irving had done just that, determined not to waste the one commodity he had to give to the Lord -- his time."

Chuck says, "The real evils of the entertainment industry are not the violence and profanity -- offensive though they are. No, it's the banality: the sheer waste of time. When we turn the TV on, we turn our minds off."

So - if you're feeling a desolate waste in your life - the Lord offers you hope. Latch onto His promises. Find your boast in Him. Watch and pray. And wean yourself off of this world's weights.

Here's a statement full of faith and hope which was found at the bedside of a South African martyr. As fellow followers of Jesus, let's make it our own.

"I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed, I have Holy Spirit power, the die have been cast, I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made, I am His disciple. I will not look back, let up, slow down, or back away. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colourless dreams, tamed vision, mundane talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, or applause. It is all popularity and I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, live by prayer and labour by power. My faith is set, my pace is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable and my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I AM A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST! I must go until He comes, give 'til I drop, preach 'til all know and work 'til He stops me. And, when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me because my banner will have been made clear." Amen!

"Kept, Loved, and Glorified in our Father's Care" - Funeral of Norma Daer - Dec. 5, 2000

In difficult times it helps to step back and recall the many good things God has done to bless us, things which may stand out even more as a result of our loss. God's promises and truths in Scripture are constantly there so we can turn to them and see how God's care has been available to us from our birth to our death, and beyond. With Norma's life as a backdrop, the Bible passages we read today emphasize that the Lord is our Keeper or Preserver; our loving Father and friend; and the One who brings us to glory.

First, God is our Keeper, our Preserver. Psalm 121 points out six times that God is our Keeper, one who preserves our life or "watches over" us. "He who keeps you will not slumber...The Lord is your keeper...he will keep your life...The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in" and so on. This great security is echoed in Psalm 23 which says, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want," I shall lack nothing. God tables a furnishes before us, our cup overflows. The image is of being in a place which is well stocked up, one is generously provided for.

From what I understand of Norma, her life reflected this "keeping' or "preserving" aspect of God's provision for us. She was a "house-keeper" from the time her mother died and she returned from school or career possibilities to look after the homemaking needs of her father and brother. She "watched over" them well. Her freezer and larder were well-stocked with preserves of all kinds, and purchased canned goods. She also preserved culture in the house by her love for music: she played both piano and violin. So both materially and musically she exercised a keeping, preserving, providing effect in the home.

God as shown in Scripture is also our loving Father and friend. Our modern society usually focuses on the sexual side of love, but languages other than English have a variety of terms for love that highlight the family and companion aspects of the word. In Romans 8, we're assured that nothing can separate us from Christ's love - not tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword. There is nothing in all creation, not even death, that "will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." The account of Jesus interacting with Martha and Mary, sisters of recently-dead Lazarus, in John 11 is so touching because of the tenderness Christ shared with this trio whom he must have counted among his closest friends. Jesus weeps when he sees Mary's grief, even though he fully intended to raise Lazarus back to life. Onlookers said, "See how he loved him!" And later, Jesus' own cross is God's way of saying to each one of us, "See how I love you!"

Norma reflected God's love as Father and friend in her relationships. She was a caring daughter, sister, and friend. She loved to hear from others and would pray for her friends and their families. Her love for God was shown by her commitment to reading religious materials on Sunday, and her ability to share Bible verses with those appreciating counsel. Psalm 23 talks of God's goodness and mercy following us all the days of our life. Norma put this into action by sharing the produce of her garden with others. I'm told she was generous, very kind, and had a heart of gold. She loved even animals, supporting the Humane Society and showing mercy on a couple of kittens which have become a central part of their home.

Finally, God is the One who brings us to glory. Paul told the Philippians that Jesus "will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself". And Christ Himself assures Martha, "Your brother WILL rise again." He then showed that he had power to resurrect the dead right then and there before their eyes, calling Lazarus forth out of the tomb. He has the power to change decay into new life.

Norma with God's help brought glory into her surroundings. You could not pass her house without noticing the many beautiful flowers, which took hours and hours of tending, watering, and weeding. And it didn't stop there. She helped others look after flowerbeds around town, particularly the town well and out at the cemetery. What might otherwise have been gloomy instead showed beauty and glory.

Our closing hymn we'll sing in a few minutes is "Abide with Me". It talks about earth's glories passing away; change and decay are seen all around us. But God doesn't change: his love and power to bring us to glory are constant and sure. We thank God for the wonderful promise in Christ of a resurrection body that does not get sick or die, and an eternal home in heaven for those who love Him and receive Christ as the Saviour He is. There we will come to know Him even better as our Keeper, our loving Father, and the One who alone can bring us to glory.

"God's Joy and Delight in the Humble" - Dec.17/00 3rd in Advent – Joy - Zephaniah 3:9-20

This is SUPPOSED to be "Joy" Sunday in Advent, which is supposedly a joyful season. We light a different-coloured candle in our advent wreath. Through this season we sing carols such as "Joy to the World" and "Good Christian Men, Rejoice". But at first glance, one might wonder, what's to rejoice about?

Our days are filled up right through December with the pressures and commitments of social engagements. Decisions such as WHEN we're going to have WHOSE side of the family on WHAT day. Meanwhile, over in the financial department, the bills are piling up from all the Christmas shopping - but we'll try not to think about that till next month. We're reminded "There are only 7 more shopping days until Christmas". And if that's not enough, let's toss in a major snow storm or two, with all the added inconvenience of digging out, cancellations, and rescheduling... You have all the ingredients for, not Joy at all, but MAJOR STRESS!

So we come to church yearning for some glimpses of the joy the season's supposed to be about. Good news - God's message for us from Scripture is this: joy is found not in status, or succeeding in the rat race, or getting ahead as people understand these; no, joy is found in humbling ourselves before God, and quieting ourselves in the love, joy, and delight God Himself has in those who trust in Him.

Our featured Scripture witness today is Zephaniah. Now this is not a book you would probably turn to right off the top in order to find teaching about joy. Of the 53 verses in the 3 chapters of Zephaniah, 42 or about 80% are negative. 4/5 of the book warns of God's judgment and punishment about to fall on Judah and the surrounding nations. It's not until we get to the last dozen verses - the final 20% - that we hit a profound promise of joy.

Max Lucado comments, "[Zephaniah's] words, like the steady pounding of rain, continued to beat the depressing truth that God was not happy with the way people had flaunted his laws and had worshiped idols and he would punish their sin, wiping out entire nations." Here are some samples of these dire warnings. From chapter 1(18): "Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD's wrath.In the fire of his jealousy the whole world will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live in the earth." Chapter 2(2) refers to "the day of the Lord's wrath" and fierce anger. And in chapter 3, in verse 8, just before we pick up today's lesson, God says: "I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them-- all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger." Wow! Talk about judgment! Sounds terrible.

So, before we can get to the joy, we need to understand and ask, "WHAT IS THE MAJOR PROBLEM?" What's the barrier to joy that's bringing God's wrath instead? (and God's wrath is referred to in the New Testament as well as in the Old) In chapter 1(17) we hear God announcing, "I will bring distress on the people...because they have sinned against the Lord." Well, that's easy enough to grasp. But what particularly is the sin? 1:6 says people "turn back from following the Lord." Why? What induces us to turn away from God? The key answer is PRIDE, our self-sufficiency, being too full of ourselves. In chapter 2(10) Moab and Ammon, 2 neighbouring nations, are doomed to become wasteland because "This is what they will get in return for their PRIDE, for insulting and mocking the people of the Lord Almighty." A few verses later (2:1), even the great empire of Assyria will become desolate because she says to herself, "I am, and there is none besides me." That's pride, thinking nobody else matters as much as you do. In 3:11 we read God is intent on removing "those who rejoice in their PRIDE; never again will you be HAUGHTY on my holy hill."

There's a whole sequence that follows when you've got a selfish, proud attitude -- a sequence that winds up bringing pain and misery to others around you. We find it outlined in the first 3 verses of chapter 3. Jerusalem is described thus (3:2b): "She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God." The proud person will not submit to God or seek God's instruction and companionship: they're full of themselves -- who needs God? So the initial step in the path to destruction is unbelief, a refusal to commit yourself to God.

This leads to the next step (3:2a): "She obeys no one, she accepts no correction." When you're proud, thinking you're top of the heap, you don't want to submit to anyone's leading, you shrug off obedience, you choose not to make yourself accountable. It irks to be corrected; you have to admit you're not the hot-shot you thought you were. Instead you excuse yourself, saying the rules don't apply to you, you think you should be privileged to cut a few corners. You don't obey or accept correction.

The third step is the outworking of these inner attitudes - the behaviour that follows and winds up injuring others. The initial verses of chapter 3 describes Jerusalem as a "city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled". The officials and rulers are "roaring lions" and "evening wolves" -- Zephaniah must have noted this especially as his own great-grandfather, King Hezekiah, had been a godly ruler. The prophets are "arrogant" and "treacherous"; even the priests "profane the sanctuary" and "do violence to the law" - probably twisting the sacred writings to suit their wishes. So Zephaniah sees pride in each of these groups of leaders drawing them to disobey, resist correction, resulting in oppression of others.

In May at Walkerton, 7 people died and 2300 people were sickened as a result of water contaminated by E coli. An inquiry has been hearing testimony behind the tainted water situation. PUC personnel admitted the scales used to weigh the chlorine were broken and they "guesstimated" the amount. They also said sometimes they would take an extra sample and keep it as a "spare" for when they were busy, then labelling it as from another time or location. Such attitudes of being "above the regulations" - above correction - seem arrogant in retrospect, and no doubt contributed to the outbreak of an epidemic. Had they been more strictly honest and not deceitful, perhaps the problem would have been solved sooner before it became fatal.

We may be quick to blame managers who are exposed in public. But how many times have we demonstrated the failings of pride? Have we whispered to ourselves, "I can get away with it...That regulation doesn't apply to me..." as if we're exempt, we somehow have special status? Are we quick to make excuses for ourselves or rationalize questionable behaviour? God's wrath was poured out on Jerusalem and other nations because their leaders were similarly proud and refused correction. We court disaster when we haughtily shun being accountable.

If pride is the problem, if our selfishness blocks the way to joy - WHAT IS GOD'S SOLUTION? At the beginning of our passage for today, as the 80% negative in the book of Zephaniah begins to turn towards the 20% positive, God says (9): "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder." Verse 11 continues, "I will remove from this city those who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill." Instead, those who are left as survivors, the remnant, will be "meek" and "humble" and "trust in the name of the Lord" (12).

What does it mean to be "humble", if that's the determining factor in being preserved by God? Various shades of meaning here are "meek, lowly, poor, afflicted". We can also look back to 2:3 which parallels the word "humble" with the phrase "you who do what [the Lord] commands". This is the key to humility: not making yourself out to be a doormat for everybody, but discerning and being ready to obey God's will for you. A spiritual submissiveness and readiness to serve. "Seek righteousness, seek humility" it continues. If you would be humble and discover God's joy, keep on seeking what the Lord wants in your life: lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness.

Once the pride and haughtiness is out of the way, finally we get to the promise of joy (3:14): "Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!" What is the cause of this joy? Whence does it spring? Verses 15 and 17 give several hints.

First, joy comes knowing God is with us. (15) "the Lord, the King of Israel, is WITH YOU..." (17) "The Lord your God is with you..." What assurance and comfort is theirs who know the Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, is present and concerned about them personally.

Second, joy comes from knowing God's saving power. (17) "He is mighty to save..." Not just mighty - all-powerful as God the Creator must be, having set the universe in place and stretched out the heavens sprinkled with stars and planets as one might scatter feed to the chickens - but "mighty to save". God bends his vast power to our good, to help us. This takes at least a couple of forms: (15) "The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy." In Jerusalem's case the Assyrians and Babylonians were agents of God's discipline for his wayward people. The physical enemy resulted from the intangible sin, "the judgements against you" (NKJV). In both ways, God's power was able to save.

Third, joy comes from knowing God's delight, love, and joy in us. The closing phrases of verse 17 show God does not want to major in wrath and anger, though a lot of the book focuses on judgment. We find God "will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Did you know God delights in you? Psalm 147:11 says, "The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love." Love is what the Bible understands to be the principal characteristic of God's nature. And as for rejoicing over us, Isaiah 62 pictures God as a bridegroom rejoicing over his bride; (5) "So will your bride rejoice over you." Next time you see an engaged couple, study how the guy can't stop looking at, touching, generally rejoicing in his future bride. The Bible says that's how crazy God is about those who are His!

So, the top 3 reasons believers can have joy are: God is with us; God's mighty to save; and God's delight, love, and joy in us. Now, some of you may be saying, "Aw, you're stuck way back with Jewish people in the Old Testament" - about 630 BC. Now this is exciting. Did you realize Jesus Christ makes this real for us, even if we're not Jewish?

First, about "God with us": Matthew 1:23 records his birth as fulfillment of the prophecy of a virgin giving birth to a son who would be called "Immanuel" which means "God with us". And according to Matthew 28:20 Jesus' parting words at the ascension were, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Paul wrote to the early Christians, "It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." When we believe, we are born anew / from above, Jesus comes to take up residence within us.

Second, about being "mighty to save": the gospels are full of accounts of Jesus healing others and delivering people from evil forces. He told the disciples at the time of his crucifixion that "now the prince of this world will be driven out" (Jn.12:31). And by his suffering for us he has taken away the punishment that should have been ours; as Isaiah predicted, "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."

Third, people received a glimpse of God's very being as they saw Jesus delighting in them, loving them, rejoicing over others. In Luke 15 Jesus gave the parable of God being like a shepherd who finds sheep who's wandered and calls his neighbours together saying, (6) "Rejoice with me, I have found my lost sheep." Jesus then shifts to another illustration, picturing God as the father of a prodigal son; when the young man returns home after wasting his share of the inheritance, all the father can say is, "(He's back!) Let's have a feast and celebrate!" In John 15, Jesus tells his followers as an intimate group the night he was betrayed, (11) "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." What's he just told them? Back up a couple verses and you find: (9f) "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you...If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love." That's important. Love does not mean we can do anything, our own thing: that was the problem with pride in the first place. No; love delights in obeying the other, satisfying their wishes. Hence humility as being the key to discovering god's joy in our lives.

Perhaps you've always viewed God as a stern old man with the oft-mentioned beard. That's not the God Zephaniah or Jesus know. God is definitely capable of wrath and fierce anger, yes; but his goal for his people is their purification, their holiness, that they come to share his divine nature. It is the joy of believers to come to know God as one who is with us; is mighty to save us, from our punishment and our enemies; and as one who delights in us, rejoices over us with singing, and loves us with a renewing, quieting kind of love.

Stu Weber in the book "Tender Warrior: God's Intention for a Man" has this example of his own father's love, joy, and strength shared with him when he was a child (p.140f). I think it's a bit like what Zephaniah was trying to get at.

"Down the hill from our house was a vacant lot. On one occasion Dad and I were down there together...must have been playing catch, I don't remember. But I'll never forget the run up the hill.

In the midst of our activity, Mom came to the front porch...and called us to dinner. Dad and I glanced at each other. Our eyes met. They sparkled. Without a word we both sensed it was "time for a race". We took off. it was about 150 yards uphill to the house. It was glorious running along with my dad. Man, it was great! But try as I might, my little legs couldn't keep up with his long ones. He started to pull ahead. My neck strained. My muscles stretched. But I was losing ground. Then something really special happened.

Dad, seeing me start to drop back, reached out his hand to me. His eyes said, Grab hold. Let's run together.

Still running, my little hand slipped inside his larger one. It was like magic! His power lifted me right off the ground. I took off in his strength. My speed doubled because my dad had hold of me.

...There isn't much of anything in life children can't face with Dad's strong hand wrapped tightly around theirs...

Hold on tightly to your heavenly Father's hand. let Him be your confidence and wisdom and stability when you just can't find your own. Let His strength pull you up life's long hills until you stand together, laughing and catching your breath, on heaven's front porch."

"Mercy Makes Us Merry with Mary" - Dec.24/00 (11 am) Advent IV Communion - Luke 1:39-55

What difference does MERCY make?

Brett Hart's short story "The Luck of Roaring Camp" tells of a tough, lawless mining camp out west in the late 1880s. A miner discovers a little baby who has been abandoned by his parents. The baby is brought back into camp. Here are a group of rough and tumble miners who have, of all things, a baby. As soon as the baby is brought into camp, the transformation begins. One by one, each of the miners becomes a different person. There are clothes to be made, meals to be prepared, washing and tending to be done, all for the little foundling of Roaring Camp. Not only are the individual miners transformed, but the whole camp as well. Swearing and cursing, fighting and feuding, once typical of Roaring Camp, now cease. Each man tries to be on his best behaviour -- all because of just a little baby.

Mercy made a difference. Yes, the miner who discovered the abandoned baby showed mercy in saving its life. But by the baby's presence - the most helpless of creatures - the whole camp was shown mercy and "saved" from violence, corruption, and personal injury. Mercy made things merry instead of murderous.

We see a similar dramatic change in Mary's life as a result of God's mercy shown to us through Jesus' coming. We can find at least three "accents" of mercy in our text: (1) Mary's lowliness; (2) the magnitude of the blessing; (3) the simple basis for receiving the promise.

(1) Mary's lowliness accentuates God's mercy because she was a "nobody" in society's eyes in those days. She was a simple peasant girl, probably 12-14 years old - a mere girl. No important family connections, no claim to fame, no royal residence: her home in Nazareth was about as far away from Jerusalem as you could get. This was the "outback" of Judea, the area for farmers and fishermen. Yet God for some reason was choosing HER to be a key part of his plan for humanity's deliverance. Mary says (1:48), "He has been mindful of the humble state of his servant" - a handmaid, next thing to a slave girl. Mary sees this as typical of God's merciful helping of those in need. (52,53) "He has...lifted up the humble...He has filled the hungry with good things..." Mary speaks in a prophetic tense as if the events have already happened. Certainly, for her, God's choice has changed her former unknown humble situation.

(2) The MAGNITUDE OF THE BLESSING also accents God's mercy. (41) No sooner does Mary's greeting reach Elizabeth's ears than the baby in her womb (whom we will come to know as John the Baptist) leaps for joy, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. Just think - Jesus' conception has hardly taken place and already by John's response he's establishing the sanctity of life before birth! And the role of women in the faith community as prophets. The pregnancy of Elizabeth in her "old age" (1:36) was itself a major miracle in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. Elizabeth pronounces Mary "blessed" among women, and her child likewise "blessed". She hails Mary as "the mother of my Lord" (43) - one of the first acknowledgments of Jesus' divinity, not to mention Mary's honour.

Mary herself says (48), "From now on all generations will call me blessed" - very true down through history as we can see in retrospect, though at times the church went overboard into Mariolatry. What woman has been more revered through the ages? And what is it that has elevated her? (49) "For the Mighty One has done great things for me." The virgin birth is not a doctrine we can toss away. It underlines the sinlessness of Jesus our Propitiation from conception to death on the cross in our place. The virgin birth also witnesses to God's amazing resurrection power available to work in our physical and emotional lives to bring about what he's promised for his people. Mary was blessed because of what God did for her, not because she was more deserving than any other peasant girl in Palestine, but just because of the mercy of his choice. (50) "His MERCY extends to those who fear him..."

The Greek term for "mercy" here and in verse 54 harks back to the Old Testament Hebrew term for God's covenant love and faithfulness. Literally, the word "eleos" (translated "mercy") means "compassion to one in need or helpless distress, or in debt and without claim to favourable treatment." For example, in "Les Mis" the priest who's just been robbed has mercy on thieving Jean Valjean and insists he take the candlesticks as well as the silverware. The recipient of mercy has no claim to the goodness shown. We are all miserable sinners deserving death apart from God's mercy. "For God has bound all [people] over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all." (Romans 11:32) Paul describes God as the "Father of mercies", he is "rich in mercy" (2Cor.1:3; Eph.2:4). The magnitude of the merciful blessing God's pouring out is what's exciting Mary and Elizabeth. These two "nobodies" - a long-time barren old lady and an unknown barely-teenage girl, tee-heeing together in the kitchen about babies - these two otherwise unremarkable individuals are about to play key roles in God's mysterious age-old plan to save people from their sins and make possible eternal life with Him.

(3) The other accent on mercy comes from the SIMPLE BASIS FOR RECEIVING THE PROMISE. Elizabeth says (46), "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" When the angel announced the big news to Mary, she hadn't balked at it; she merely replied, "I am the Lord's servant; may it be to me as you have said." She accepted God's promise on faith. She trusted God would do as he said. That's the one thing that qualified her to be a recipient of God's mercy: she received it by believing. She didn't try to impress the angel by the "Good Housekeeping" plaque hanging on the wall, or by the fact that she hadn't missed synagogue for as long as she could remember. She didn't even boast about her chaste conduct, or deserving family tree. That's the only way we can become recipients of God's mercy, too - by receiving it on faith. Not by trusting in our works or other prideful qualifications. Paul wrote to Titus (3:5): "[God] saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

Mary is very conscious that it's a matter of believing and waiting for God's covenant promises to come true in His own time. She says God "has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be MERCIFUL to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." It's not a matter of our works, our righteous deeds - those could never begin to get us to heaven. It's on the basis of trusting God's plan. When we take the bread and cup of communion in our hand at the Lord's Supper, we are again receiving his covenant promise. We're proclaiming we believe what he said to the first disciples, that his death was for our forgiveness, he was giving his body for us. And he will come again, not leaving us abandoned. It's all through his mercy.

It doesn't stop with "just believe": God has an exciting role for us to play in spreading his mercy around. After the annunciation, Mary got ready and "hurried" to go visit Elizabeth - eager no doubt to see this wonder the angel had told her God was doing in her relative's life. Mary's action became an occasion of blessing and rejoicing for Elizabeth. So Jesus calls us to "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36) Christmas affords us an ideal occasion to show special kindnesses to those in our circle and community who haven't had the "breaks" or are otherwise in need.

Mary spoke of rulers being brought down, and the hungry filled with good things. The normal pattern of the world is NOT to be merciful, but to look after yourself first at the expense of others. There is a moral campaign urging Ontarians to donate the tax relief money they've received from the government to local social agencies that have been hindered by cutbacks. And we can do more on the international scene. This week federal Finance Minister Paul Martin announced Canada was forgiving 11 severely impoverished nations about $1 billion worth of debt. I don't know if that translates into $30 less per capita that we'll have, but I'm sure that money will make more difference to Haitians than to your average Canadian. We could do a lot more of that, it feels good - "blessed" to use the women's words. Something to remember at this time of year is what Jesus said (Acts 20:35): "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Spread around the mercy.

We are saved by Mary's child. In our own lowliness, our "humble state" like hers and even less innocent, God's mercy has blessed us with forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus. And it's ours to receive simply by believing, as Mary did. So we can be merry with Mary and Elizabeth on account of God's mercy.

In this month's Focus on the Family newsletter, Dr.James Dobson tells of God's mercy in saving a woman's life through a baby. It happened in Canada, in Nova Scotia, back in 1948. Dr.Joseph McDougall was an anesthetist and looked after a small tuberculosis (TB) annex at the hospital in Antigonish. A woman he calls Eleanor, 23, mother of a year-old child, was dying from TB which caused a cavity in her lower right lung. Drugs to cure it were unavailable. Dr.McDougall tried using air pressure to force the diaphragm up against the lung. He hoped to force the cavity shut, giving it a chance to heal by letting the sides grow together. It didn't work. He explained to Eleanor that medical science had gone as far as it could go, that her Creator now had the final verdict and that it would not necessarily be what either she or the doctor wanted, but would be the best for her under the circumstances. Eleanor got the doctor to promise she could go home for Christmas. He cautioned her not to hold her child and to wear a surgical mask if she was talking to anyone but her husband, who had immunity.

Back in the hospital after Christmas her condition worsened. Yet every day she clung to life. In February she developed new complications: she became nauseous, and would retch even without food in her stomach. Another consultant suggested she might be pregnant, which Dr.McDougall thought ridiculous. He recalls, "She was so ill, so weak that she couldn't possibly have conceived." But she had. He writes, "It was about as close to the impossible as you're ever likely to get, but it was true."

They could have taken the child through abortion because it imperilled a life that was already in jeopardy. At that time TB was the #1 medical reason for doing so. But they didn't, because both the parents and the doctors were against it, and felt the operation would kill her. The doctor recalls, "So we fed her intravenously, and watched her fight to sustain two lives in a body in which only some remarkable strength of character or divine intervention had allowed her to sustain even one."

As time went on, an incredible thing happened. Eleanor's high temperature began to go down; she began to eat, her condition improved. X-rays showed the diaphragm was pushing up against the lower lobe of her diseased lung to make room for the child, pressing the sides of that deadly hole together. "The child was saving the mother!"

For years after that, Eleanor sent Dr.McDougall Christmas cards which he delighted in. He writes, "They were just ordinary cards, with the usual printed greetings and her name. But, to me, they were like monuments to a miracle of Christmas." "It happened," he concludes, "and it happened, I'm convinced, because there is a force in nature, a wisdom, a balance, a mystery beyond man's comprehension -- and man should recognize and accept it." (From "How an Unborn Baby Saved its Mother's Life" in Joe Wheeler's "Christmas in My Heart" Vol.9, pp.167-174).

Praise God for his great mercy! His mighty power is available to lift up the humble, the lowly, the "nobodies". These blessings can be ours with Mary and Elizabeth when we believe what the Lord has said will be accomplished. Amen.

"Trees, Tinsel, & Treasure" - Dec. 24/00 (7 pm) Christmas Eve - Luke 2:1-20

Trees are an important part of our Christmas preparations. We choose a suitable evergreen from a place that sells them or from our own bush or lot. We haul it indoors and place it on a stand in the featured showplace in our living room. We decorate the tree with tinsel, garlands, lights, and ornaments. Then, the very last thing before Christmas morning, we place treasures underneath the tree: gifts our family is giving to each other. Trees, tinsel, and treasure are key parts of our celebration of Christ's birth.

We can see parallels in Luke's historical account of the nativity -- as well as in the American folktale of the three trees. Those trees did not see their dreams fulfilled quite the way they initially imagined. A feed trough is not a treasure chest; a fishing boat is not a mighty flagship; and beams in a lumberyard aren't all that inspiring. Did Joseph and Mary wonder if their own dreams were being sidetracked?

(4) Joseph and Mary had to leave the comfort of their home and the familiar surroundings of their village, Nazareth, and make a five-day journey on foot to register for a census in Bethlehem. Not the sort of trip you want to undertake when you're nine months pregnant! (5) Which also was not part of their plan. Though they were legally engaged and only a divorce could break up their betrothal, still for Mary to be pregnant was scandalous. It's surely not what she or Joseph, an upright man, intended. (6,7) And when the baby did come, where were they? Not at the hospital; not even in a clean bedroom of a private home; Mary gave birth in a barn. The odour must have been overpowering - would be hard to concentrate on one's breathing. Shut out from the inn, they laid the lad in a feed box. Joseph no doubt recalled the fine beds and cribs he'd made; was it hard not to long to use the nursery they'd been preparing back home?

Just as Christmas trees do not wind up doing what trees are usually used for, the circumstances of Jesus' birth were highly unusual too. Mary and Joseph must have wondered at God's arrangements, as if they'd been "stumped" in their own plans. The "normal" marriage and delivery plans they'd had were "cut off" prematurely, like our young trees.

But there is tinsel to be added. Tinsel is sparkly, it reflects the light in all different angles. It was shepherds who first "saw the light" of God's marvelous plan that night. When the angel appeared, (9) "the glory of the Lord shone around them". Shortly thereafter (13) "a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel" saying "Glory to God in the highest". Glory is to the nth degree what tinsel hints at: God's shining beauty, his majestic splendour, the excellence of his being showing forth in brilliance. Somehow this sign of a baby wrapped in rags and lying in a manger is key to God's bringing "peace to [those] on whom his favour rests". Shalom, wholeness, perfect community, fulfillment of who you were meant to be. The shining of God's spirit-messengers coupled with their amazing news starts to brighten the circumstances of Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds as tinsel brightens the dark green shadows of our trees.

And just as we put gifts under the tree, here we find treasure in the record of the nativity. Treasure wrapped up, not in a box with fancy multicoloured paper with ribbons and bows, but placed in a rough wooden feed box and wrapped in swaddling cloths -- rags, not the pretty little jumper Mary's mom had found for the occasion. What is the treasure? The angel describes it to the shepherds in three main words (11): a "Saviour" who is "Christ" the "Lord". Ponder those terms, so central to this whole event.

"Saviour": one who comes near to help us and rescue us; one who stayed innocent his whole life, worked miracles to heal those who were suffering, then died on a cross to take the punishment we deserved. The cross of the third tree that would point people to God whenever they saw it. This baby was named "Jesus" because that means "God saves": he is our Saviour from sin and death, offering us eternal life with God.

"Christ": means "Messiah", the God-appointed leader the Jews had long been awaiting to overthrow the tyranny of the Roman emperor and military system. The Messiah foretold by the prophets who would usher in God's reign and Kingdom, complete with a restored homeland where God's people could live in security. "Christ" means, then, one who leads and establishes us; who finds a place for us as a mother finds a place for her newborn child -- even if it has to be a manger, like the first tree.

"The Lord": this was the polite way by which Jews referred to God. Combined with its earthly sense, then, it means one who has power over us, deserves our obedience, and represents God to us. This Lord in the boat - the boat of the second tree - showed his power over the storms of life, over the wind and the waves that might upset us and un-make us. Power even to raise the dead. By the boat the Lord showed his ability to fill the nets of the fishermen, to provide our every need when we make God's calling our first priority. From the boat he sat and taught the crowds, opening their minds with parables of what God is like - loving and holy - giving listeners vital principles and truths to follow in everyday living. A "lord" is to be obeyed, a master of servants or followers. And in that obedience we discover he has the power to change us, to help us win in our struggle with sin, to overcome our addictions, our past faults and mess-ups; power to become new persons, to start over again with God, forgiven and Spirit-filled.

The shepherds found this treasure changed them right away. Neither shepherds nor women were considered to be legal witnesses in court in those days, yet here they are entrusted with the most important news of all time. This treasure changes us (if we let it) to become witnesses of good news, like the shepherds (17) going out to "spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child". When the Messiah comes, the corrupt social order gets upset: good news for the poor and down-trodden. They receive new value, are "treasured" differently.

The treasure of Jesus' birth helps the shepherds to value God: they returned (20) "glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen". God was unveiling a marvelous plan, just as the angels told; a plan that did not hesitate to use Caesar to issue a decree affecting the known world if it was necessary to get the Messiah's legal parent from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order to fulfill prophecy and highlight Jesus as King David's royal successor. The inscrutable God deserves praise, our worship. When you "praise" someone you're expressing how valuable they are; you get an "appraisal" of a household treasure to find out what it's worth. When we praise God, we're saying, "You're my treasure. I value you most of all. Nothing else compares to how worthy you are. I love you best." And in a way, that's what God was saying to us by becoming this baby at Bethlehem who wound up dying on a cross and then blasting the grave. He treasures us. Enough to put up with all the pain and smell, the betrayal and the agony. Jesus is God's exhibit that he loves us, we're worth all the suffering if it will just bring us near Him.

What do you do with treasure? You get excited about it, like the shepherds, you've just "got to" go tell someone. As for Mary, she (19) "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." Do that this Christmas. The trees in the folktale came to realize their dreams really were being fulfilled after all: not a treasure chest, but a manger; not a mighty warship, but a simple fishing boat; not a mighty high monument, but a cross. Ponder with Mary how this treasure of Jesus can yet fulfill your dreams. Unwrap God's gift to you, if you haven't done it already, by receiving Jesus as your very own "Saviour", "Messiah", and "Lord". This world's passing attractions are mere tinsel - "all that glisters is not gold" - we discover what's most precious in praising God for treasuring us. Amen.

"Parenting the Perverted or Fostering the Favoured?" - Dec.31/00 Lk.2:41-52 1Sam.2:18-26

Part of our focus today is on parenting, how to raise the next generation. For a smile to begin, here, direct from that source of infinite truth and reliability THE INTERNET, are "Murphy's Laws of Parenting":

1 The tennis shoes you must replace today will go on sale next week.

2 Leakproof thermoses -- will.

3 The chances of a piece of bread falling with the grape-jelly side down are directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.

4 The garbage truck will be two doors past your house when your teen remembers it's his turn to take out the trash.

5 The shirt your child must wear today will be the only one that needs to be washed or mended.

6 Gym clothes left at school in lockers mildew at a faster rate than other clothing.

7 The item your child lost, and must have for school within the next ten seconds, will be found in the last place you think to look.

8 Sick children recover miraculously when the pediatrician enters the treatment room.

9 Refrigerated items, used daily, will gravitate toward the back of the refrigerator.

10 Your chances of being seen by someone you know dramatically increase if you drive your child to school in your robe and curlers.

A year ago today there was a lot of hoopla about the beginning of the new millennium because of the change of date; thankfully, the feared collapse of our economic and infrastructure system due to computer malfunction did not occur. Yet amidst all the doomsday predictions there were a few voices reminding us that there is no year "zero" AD, so today is the date we actually end the second millennium Anno Domini. Then there are yet other voices that would remind us Jesus was probably born as early as 6 BC, so this whole "year of our Lord" dating system is quite arbitrary. Anyway, whatever your millennial inclinations, it is New Year's Eve. Another year has gone by, let alone decade, century, millennium. Time rolls on. It's the traditional time to make resolutions for the coming months. And with the passing of the decades, we become more aware of the shortness of earthly life. Those who are parents look with alarm at the changing state of their children, who will all too soon be leaving home and starting families of their own. What legacy will we leave them? What values can we instill in them, what functioning moral compass will we pass on to them by which to chart their course?

Our scripture passages this morning offer an instructive contrast in approaches to parenting. The principles here can also be applied to us as individuals in our spiritual growth as God's children through believing in Jesus Christ. In our raising a family, in our self-direction under our Heavenly Father's oversight -- will we be "parenting the perverted" or, instead, "fostering the favoured"?

(Before I begin, let me freely admit I need this advice for parenting as much as anybody. I am far from being a perfect father. I thank God for my wife and children, and know very well it is more "in spite of" my failings than "because of" my strengths that my own offspring have turned out as well as they have. So I'm basing what I say, not on my own specially gifted parenting skills, but primarily on what God would teach us from the holy text. I still have much to improve in my own parenting.)

Two sons of Eli - Hophni and Phinehas - serve as a startling backdrop for two other boys, Samuel and Jesus. Luke seems to adopt the phrase used to describe Samuel in order to sum up Jesus' own development as a child. We're told the boy Samuel (26) "continued to grow in stature and in favour with the Lord and with men". While Luke says Jesus "grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men." Both Samuel and Jesus were "favoured". Not just by people, which can be dangerous; as Paul says, (Gal.1:10) "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ"; and, (1 Thess.2:4) "We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts." But to have the favour of God as well as people -- that ought to be our goal in our own lives and in our parenting. Samuel and Jesus will be our examples of God's best in human development.

Contrast this with Eli's sons. What were they doing that was so bad that God would consign them to death? (25, 34) The verses immediately preceding our reading from 1 Sam.2 describe how the two priests were abusing the privilege of using some of the meat from the offerings people brought to the altar at Shiloh. Rather than just accepting boiled portions, they insisted on being given raw meat, choice parts, with the fat still in it; and the fat was a vital part, meant especially for Yahweh's offering by burning. By demanding raw portions Hophni and Phinehas were showing disrespect for God's offering, twisting the rules.

And when you start to fudge in one area of your life, watch out or other moral aspects will soon deteriorate as well. We're told Eli (22) "heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting". This might have been standard practice for other religions, such as the Canaanite worship of the fertility god Baal which involved shrine prostitutes, but it was not the way to honour Yahweh. These were perverted priests. Their behaviour was quite a contrast to the young faithful Samuel.

As we enter this Third Millennium, we especially want to be raising children with whom God is pleased, rather than those who pervert morality. In Wednesday's newspaper, a researcher from Manchester University reported unsafe sex between male homosexuals is rising (38% vs 32% two years earlier) in an apparent backlash against monotonous health campaigns. Examples from homosexual literature speak of the practice of HIV-infected men offering to infect other people with the disease and healthy men seeking to be infected. The researcher said, "This risk is increasingly taken as an aura of rebellion and excitement."

On the same page, another headline states, "Rapes, assaults in U.S.rise as drop in crime rates ends." Acting beyond the limits is a problem for those of any sexual attraction; just as Hophni and Phinehas, though priests, engaged in adulterous activity.

How can we help the next generation avoid moral pitfalls? The examples of Samuel's and Jesus' family suggest three pointers: AFFIRMATION, REBUKE, and RESPONSE.

First, AFFIRMATION. Every year when Elkanah and Hannah went to Shiloh to offer the annual sacrifice, "His mother made him a little robe and took it to him." Samuel was no longer at home with his parents, but he was not forgotten. All year long he could wear that treasured robe his mother gave him as a reminder that he was loved and prayed for. They affirmed him in their visits.

We see this also in Jesus' upbringing. When he was twelve, it was time to recognize him as coming into the privileges of adulthood. His parents, Joseph and Mary, took him with them to the Feast of the Passover. They allowed him some measure of autonomy, leaving him to look after himself, otherwise they would have realized sooner than 3 days into the return trip that he wasn't with their party of pilgrims. And when they did find him, they didn't go ballistic ranting and raving that he wasn't with them, but spoke to him respectfully and reasonably. They too affirmed their son. So as parents, if we hope to instill character and good values in our kids, we need to affirm them, assure them they're loved, making deposits into their emotional bank accounts.

Second, REBUKE. In the case of Eli's sons, he did rebuke them, saying, (23) "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the LORD's people." But that's where he left it. Eli did not depose his sons from being priests. There's a fairly strong suggestion that Eli benefitted from his sons' mistreatment of the offering so was understandably hesitant to get serious about discipline. As we said, they swiped the fat portions which were meant to be burned as part of the offering. A man of God charges Eli, (29) "Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?" And when Eli reacts in surprise to the news later of his sons' death by the Philistines, he falls backward off his chair and breaks his neck "for he was an old man and heavy" (4:18). Eli the dad was in cahoots with the sons; he enjoyed the delicacies so much he couldn't bring himself to rebuke them seriously.

For comparison, look at Mary's response when she finally catches up with Jesus back in Jerusalem. He's been sitting among the teachers at the temple, asking questions and amazing them with his understanding and answers. But Mary does not just brush it off and let Boy Wonder get away with it. She confronts him, saying, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." It was very reasonable to ask for an accounting, an explanation, even if he was the Son of God. We're not told much about Jesus' life as a youth, but can extrapolate that Mary and Joseph were probably up front with him about behaviour a lot of times.

In order for their to be rebuke, you also need to be educating in the first place so a child knows the limits that are for their own good. Evidently, although this was Jesus' first time at the Temple as a youth, he felt at home there. His parents had given him a good grounding in the Scriptures and understanding God's plan for life, otherwise he wouldn't have felt so at ease in those surroundings. To Jesus, this place is not "the Temple" but "my Father's house". He felt at home there. So instruct and rebuke your offspring that they feel "at home" with God, "at home" with what's good and right and true. And with the affirmation and love you need to be continually giving them, there is also an occasion for rebuke.

Third, Fostering the Favoured involves their RESPONSE. You will note that while Affirmation and Rebuke are something parents can do, Response is something that depends on the child. Samuel responded by hearing and obeying the Lord's voice when he heard it at the temple in 1 Samuel 3, saying as Eli had prompted him, "Speak, for your servant is listening." Of Jesus, we read in verse 51, "He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them." He didn't refuse to go with them, preferring to stay longer with the teachers who were so amazed at him. The Son of God submitted willingly to earthly parents.

By contrast, Hophni and Phinehas, Eli's sons, "did not listen to their father's rebuke" (25). They persisted in their wrongdoing and as a result suffered the consequence of God's judgment - they both died the same day. They stubbornly refused correction.

In parenting there is no guarantee that even if you do everything right you'll have perfect kids. We have known parents we admired very much whose children didn't turn out as they hoped. Humans are independent, self-directed creatures with free will; starting out from birth as fallen not pure and innocent, strong-willed children may continuously rebel against godly parents; while compliant children may be OK as long as they're at home, then suddenly switch and start acting out when they're away at college. The child's response is an important part of the equation; we shouldn't be judgmental of parents who have problem children, assuming they must have done something wrong to have such wayward offspring.

It is a spiritual endeavour. What can parents do to influence the child to respond in a godly way? Well, since it is a spiritual matter, having done the religious training you can, PRAY LIKE CRAZY. The Holy Spirit is the one who has direct access to your child's inner thoughts and feelings. I'm sure both Hannah and Mary prayed fervently for their boys. Luke mentions, (51) "His mother treasured all these things in her heart."

Affirmation - Rebuke - Response. God uses these same means in growing us as his children, having been born anew through trust in Jesus, whether we are parents ourselves or not. As you make your New Year's resolutions, consider these questions for your own spiritual growth in 2001. Are you aware of God's love and affirmation of you through his promises in scripture? Paul describes believers in Colossians 3(12) as "God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved..." Meditate on how much God loves you - dearly. Seek to perceive how much he affirms you as his son or daughter in Christ, sharing Jesus' righteousness and holiness.

Are there rebukes God's been trying to get through to you? Sins of omission that may be harder to spot than those of commission? Have you been making time in your schedule to meet with Him each day? In what areas might the Lord Jesus be seeking to help you be a more "disciplined" disciple of his?

And how about your response? Would Paul's words in that same passage describe you: clothed "with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience"; forgiving each other, letting Christ's peace umpire in your heart, singing in your heart with gratitude to God? (3:12-17) Attention here will definitely steer you away from becoming perverted, and instead like Samuel and Jesus help you grow "in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men."

Ruth Bell Graham was asked about conducting a daily family altar (reading and praying together as a family). She first spoke of how her own interest in the Bible had been piqued at an early age: "Each morning when I went downstairs to breakfast, my father - a busy missionary surgeon - would be sitting reading his Bible. At night, her work behind her, my mother would be doing the same. Anything that could so capture the interest and devotion of those I admired and loved the most, I reasoned, must be worth investigating. So at an early age, I began reading my Bible and found it to be, in the words of the old Scotsman, 'sweet pasturage'."

Then she gave these suggestions about leading children in a family worship time: "I believe it is important to keep the Scripture reading and prayer relatively brief and to vary it from time to time...It pays to start young and give it in small doses. For 'a child's mind,' said John Trapp in the 17th century, 'is like a small-necked bottle: pour in the wine too rapidly and much of the liquid spills over and is wasted.'"

Whether we are parents or not, may God lead us in real growth spiritually as we respond to his affirmation and loving rebuke. We are his dear children as we set ourselves apart in devotion to Jesus our pioneer. Let us pray.