Jesus Bids Us Shine

   

 

           This week our blog received a gift. A member of the congregation who wishes to remain anonymous, provided me with   a series of short homilies to be used at random on this page.  I'm extremely grateful, and thought I'd run the first one today.  November is notoriously drear and dark.  We've had our first storm of the season and the weather forecast is for more cloudy skies.  Seems like a perfect time to write about light.

Jesus bids us Shine

Matthew 5.16  …let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.

   Scripture tells us that Christians are to be shining lights - witnessing for Christ. But all lights do not have the same function. When you think of your own Christian life do you wish to be the biggest, the brightest, the most outstanding?- the “floodlight” type?

   The Lord does not call many people to fill that sort of responsibility, in fact, only a very few. Most of us will never be called to do a tremendously impressive job but all of us are called to be faithful wherever

   “Jesus bids us shine”. It may be in a very small corner, but even the smallest candle lighting the darkest corner can be the means of saving someone from injury or harm.

   In its work of lighting a corner the candle must not be covered by anything for then it will give very little light and its usefulness will be limited. This kind of light can only do a complete job when the candle is

                        straight,

                        the wick is functioning

                        the flame is burning evenly.

  Few will give credit to the light even when it is doing everything it is intended to do. But the important thing is not the candle or the wick but the light it produces in a dark corner.

   This is all God asks of us - “you in your small corner and I in mine”

   He may ask you to shine in your neighbourhood, to be a light for the house next door. It may be just at home, the most difficult place to shine.

    But He does ask you to be a shining light - ready to be put to use wherever He shows the place.

Are YOU shining?

Ed. Note:  As though to reinforce this story, I heard the other day of a man who visited in a home he hadn't been in before.  His first impression was "this is a Christian home."  There were no overt Christian symbols on the walls, no one was reading the Bible, the family wasn't assembled at prayers, but my friend was struck by the light that seemed to shine from every member of the household. He knew immediately that inner light came from God.

   Let your light shine!

                        

We Have a New Organ

by Michael Denton

The Wurlitzer 3 manual ‘church’ organ is a magnificent instrument.  All sounding stops have been digitally reproduced and very closely resemble a pipe organ.

Each manual, Swell, Great and Choir (from top to bottom) has 12 speaking stops, and the Pedal section also has 12 stops.  In addition to the 48 ‘speaking stops’ the organ has Chimes on the Swell manual.

The organ sounds are described as “Principal” (Diapasons), “Flutes,” “Strings,” and “Reeds.”  The Chimes form the Percussion sounds (equivalent to ‘ranks of pipes’ on a pipe organ.)

Each manual can be coupled to one of the other two by way of “Couplers.”  These “Couplers” are operated either by thumb tabs below the manuals, or by toe pistons above the pedal board.  The organ also has 6 sets of ‘pre-sets’ for each manual, and 6 ‘general pre-sets’ which will operate the entire organ.  There are six sets of memory bank for the ‘general pre-sets’ allowing different organists to select and retain their own preferred registration (the use of different stops in combination.)

And last but by no means least, the organ is equipped with three expression pedals – one for each manual – which can be operated individually or in a combined fashion.  There’s also one “Crescendo” pedal which will “pull out the stops” as it’s pressed down and a “Tutti” button and toe-piston which will immediately bring on the “Full Organ.)

The organ is capable of providing excellent ‘colour tones’ with very quiet stops being used for those quiet reflective moments, building up to a much fuller and richer (and louder) sound overall.  All this technology is supported by 8 speakers; 6 general ‘rank’ speakers and two sub-woofers.  It has a lot of power!

As a matter of interest, the organ at its current volume level is probably no more than 20% of its maximum capacity.  If I were to “open up” the speakers to full volume, we just might interfere with landing aircraft!  Certainly we’d have to replace the roof of the church as we would literally “raise the roof.”   

As your Director of Music and organist, I am still experimenting with various combinations of sound.  I trust you will bear with me during the ‘learning curve’ of operating this magnificent instrument. 

I’m extremely grateful to Session for their foresight in purchasing this instrument.  It will hopefully last us many years and provide an enhanced sound to our worship services.  I wish to particularly thank Rev. Irwin Cunningham, Mrs. Jean Strong and Mr. Mark Johansson for their part in coming to scout out the instrument.  I would also like to thank all those generous people who have contributed to the Organ Fund over the past years which has made this acquisition possible.

If I’m playing it too loudly (even at its 20% capacity) I’m sure I’ll hear about it.  But when commenting, please also reflect on those quieter moments when the organ is played very quietly and gently!

In his dedication of the new organ, Rev. Irwin also thanked the Milne family, who gave the gift of music to SPPC  with their donation of our first organ.  It has served the congregation faithfully for twenty years.  We hope to pass on that gift to another congregation.