One Thing

I've just returned from a big family reunion so the topic of legacy is top of mind.  When I read an article that asked the question "For what one thing do you wish to be remembered?"  I was intrigued.  I pondered a while on my own answer, then did a totally unscientific survey of people at SPPC.  Some answered, others felt they couldn't, but all engaged in interesting conversations.

The first answers were about relationships -- loving spouse; good mom/dad. One young person felt he couldn't answer as he hadn't had time to do anything yet, but those on the other end of the age spectrum didn't mention what they'd "done" but rather what they "are."  
Some were job-related.  A person in a position of public trust wanted to be remembered for his honesty with taxpayers' money. The retired nurses among us mentioned compassion, competency and devotion to their patients as worth remembering.  A music teacher remarked that his students liked to come to lessons, even if they weren't very good musicians!
Others wanted to be remembered for particular qualities like loyalty to friends and family or the gift of a joyful heart or the willingness to help.
No one mentioned gold medals or high marks or big bank accounts!

The biggest value of  this question is not the answer, but the consideration of the answer.  In some form or other, we all leave a legacy as we pass through this life.  The answer to how we wish to be remembered, provides a good guide for how we should live.

At that family reunion the legacy of my forebears was evident in the place,( now in its third generation), in the family stories, -- the uncle with a bullet hole in his shoulder from WW1, the aunt who taught us all to swim -- in the shape of a face or a familiar gesture, and in our kinship with one another. 
 It was also evident on Sunday morning when the church service was held at the farm, under an awning.  The preacher talked about God and gardening and I gazed across a field of barley to the weathered boards of the original homestead.  All around I heard echoes of the people I'd loved who'd gone before me, while those who came after climbed the branches of the old silver maple and played tag on the lawn.  I think my pioneer ancestors would be pleased.

   

God of Grace and God of Glory

Central Baptist New York

On a recent Sunday morning, we sang the hymn, "God of Grace and God of Glory."  It's a lovely hymn set to the fine Welsh tune Cwm Rhondda.  But what struck me on that particular Sunday was the line "Save us from weak resignation/to the evils we deplore;"  Sometimes I think our overly-connected society is tuned out to the real evils around us.  

Here's what Rev. Dr. Cecil Kirk had to say about this hymn.

Harry Emerson Fosdick is probably the best known twentieth century American clergyman. Born in Buffalo, New York, He was educated at Colgate University and Union Theological Seminary. In 1926 he became the minister of Park Avenue Baptist Church, New York, later Riverside Church, and remained there until his retirement in 1946.

The great edifice of the present Riverside Church was built specially for his ministry. The church was opened on October 5, 1930. He wrote this hymn at his summer residence in Maine the previous summer in anticipation of the event. It was sung at the opening service and also when the building was dedicated in the following February.

Riverside Church, New York

The hymn is a call to active discipleship and repeats a prayer for wisdom and courage to present the Christian gospel, in all its implications, to a world that has turned its back on the teachings of Jesus Christ. In every age the followers of Jesus Christ are faced with decisions which cannot be avoided and we need divine help if we are to wrestle with the problems that confront us and arrive at conclusions which are in line with the teaching of our Lord. If anything the prayer of the hymn is even more vivid and apt today some 86 years after it was written.

Liberal theology in the early part of the twentieth century looked forward with anticipation to the establishment of a world of peace and brotherhood but that prospect, if anything, has receded even further. “The hosts of evil” still surround us on every hand and “the fears that long hath bound us” have become even more pronounced. We continue to see demonstrations of “Thy children’s warring madness” in various parts of the world. Capitalist states with their rampant consumerism serve only to underline the description of a society that is “ rich in things and poor in soul”. Christian people are no longer different from the society in which we live, having largely adopted the standards of the world instead of those of the One who called His people to holiness.

As Christians our lives must be filled with “Christ-like graces” as we fight against the injustices which are so much a part of society, and against the sins which enslave men and women in their personal lives. In this unending struggle it is always easy to become disillusioned to the point where we feel that we do not and cannot make any difference, and so we must ask God to “save us from weak resignation to the evils we deplore” It may be that we will never achieve the goal set before us but we must persist in the fight and so hand on to those who came after us the tools that will enable them to build on what we have been able to accomplish and in this way “we shall fail not men nor Thee”.

Thanks to Edna for sharing Dr. Kirk's notes.

Sun Stand Still

reviewed by Ruth Rockliff

If you are looking for an easy to read yet truly inspirational Christian book, Steven Furtick will not disappoint you. Reading 'Sun Stand Still' will change the way you think of God in today's world.

 Believing God for the impossible and living your faith beyond the ordinary is what Steven Furtick calls audacious faith. He not only preaches it but he lives it.    What God did for Joshua .... made the sun stand still!! .... he can do for you if you have the audacity to ask.   God desires to see the sun stand still over all the impossible needs in your life. 

Steven Furtick is the founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the ten fastest growing churches in North American. Through trusting God and asking for the seemingly impossible he gave up everything and moved his family and seven other families to start a church. What started out slow and scary turned out to be a true miracle of God. Thousands line up every Sunday to hear God's message. Do not be deceived this book  ‎is not about getting all snug and feeling good. It's a super challenge to pray unstoppable prayers and believe in our God to do more than you can imagine. 

‎This book is biblically based. It has sound theology. It is not for the weak who want easy answers. To see the sun stand still in your life and reconnect with your true God-sized purpose and potential Steven Furtick calls us to start living our life of faith beyond the ordinary.  

I challenge you to read it. You will not be the same. It changed my prayer life and dug deep into the roots of my faith. Christians should be unstoppable we have a great and powerful God!!!!              

 

      If you want a copy I have a number of books available for purchase. I bought bulk to get a discount on the price. Perhaps people who read this book may want to get together in small groups to talk about it.  

Thank you for reading my review. Ruth Rockliff                                                   

Mary and Martha

Luke 10:38-42King James Version (KJV)

38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

The story of Mary and Martha is especially interesting to church women.  For many years, congregations have looked to the women in their number to manage the kitchen, serve the dinners, raise money through bake sales and rummage sales, send care packages to overseas missions, and polish the silver.  It wasn't until 1967 that the Presbyterian Church in Canada began to ordain women.

But while women have assumed more teaching roles in the church, they still run the kitchen and the bake sales too.  

We had our own version of the Mary/Martha paradox last Tuesday.  Fifteen women showed up in the kitchen to give it a good scrub.  Every drawer, every shelf, the stoves, the fridge, the floor, the counters, cupboards and tables were all scrubbed down to hospital standards. 
 At the same time, four other women gathered in the minister's office to plan for worship over the summer months.

In Luke's account, Jesus said that Mary chose the better part. But in 1 Corinthians 12 Paul reminds us that --

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

So, thank you to all the women of SPPC, the Marys and the Marthas and those who wear both labels.  

The importance of Today

 

This week I'm drawing on my favourite anonymous source for inspiration.  Since it's summer, and 'the livin' is easy' I though we could do with a reminder of the importance of each day.  Whether we're at work, on vacation, at school or at camp, each day is drawn from our bank of time.  How we spend it is up to us, but once it's gone, we won't get it back again.

    The message below was used as a children's story.

The importance of today

Another week has gone by - seven days since last week. Do you think you will ever have that week again? 
No, it is gone for ever.

Look at this match - I’ll strike it. Now I will blow it out.
 Suppose I say to the match“Get unburned!” Isn’t that silly? I can’t possibly replace the part that has burned out. I’ll never be able to strike this match again

Now I’m sorry I struck it. I wish I had waited until tomorrow.  Is that going to replace the match? No. 
Or maybe I could just think I didn’t use the match. Is refusing to think about it going to change the fact it is burned?

It’s done and there is nothing I can do about it.  I should have thought about this before striking the match.

Life is like the match. Once a day is over you cannot live it again. Do you see how important it is for us as Christians to live for Jesus Christ every day? Being sorry for mistakes may teach you a lesson but it will not let you live the time over again.

We must all form the habit of asking Jesus every morning to help us live that day for Him and make it count for Him. In that way you will be able to do things for Him and you will have no regrets about the way you have lived. Ask Him and He will guide you.                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Celebrations

We've had cause for celebrations over the past few weeks, at SPPC.

Irene had a 96th birthday.  The cake was delicious and she looked lovely.

Two of our students have graduated from High School.  Congratulations Max and Felicity.  We are so proud of you and wish you continued success.

So hard to get them both looking good in one picture!

The last celebration is tinged with a hint of sadness.  Elizabeth, who has graced our worship with her music over these past three years, is moving on to pursue her studies in Michigan.  We congratulate you Elizabeth, we wish you well, and we'll miss you.  Please come back and visit.

Summer School

There is an end of term feeling about the congregation these days. The choir is off for the summer, (we had a party last week), Sunday School is on holiday for the summer, and on Wednesday, we had our last Bible Study until September.
But, just like in school, for those who need to improve their grades, or want to get a jump on the next term, there's always summer school.  Here's Linda to tell you how.

Something Old/Something New

by Linda Cliff

Many of us desire to read the Bible from cover to cover.  If you are like me you may have had many starts but very few finishes.  By happen-chance or with the Holy Spirit's guidance I discovered The Bible Project.    This is an organization that creates videos to help explain the Bible.  Their goal is to develop a short video, usually of 6-8 minutes, for each book of the Bible, and for the themes of the Bible.  The videos are animated and give the watcher an overview of each book and how it was crafted by the writers to deliver God’s message of redemption.

The creators of this project believe that the Bible has been crafted with a message that starts with Genesis and ends with Revelation and that each book builds on the story that God wants us to understand.

Now for the read the scripture plan.  The plan takes you through the entire Bible in one year.  The scriptures are divided up into sixteen chapters and organized in a semi-chronological order.  One Psalm is listed each day for you to slowly pray through, making its words your own.  By the end you’ll have prayed through the book of Psalms 2.5 times.   Sound familiar? I have tried to use these plans in the past and have become bogged down in the genealogies, census information etc. of the early books and have found it difficult to continue.  This is where The Bible Project enhances the reader’s journey through the scripture.  There is a video which introduces each book your are reading and explains the structure of the book and how it fits in God’s plan for the Bible.  As well as the videos for each book there are the theme videos which cover such topics as Atonement, Holiness, and The Law.  Now when I start a book I am aware of how the book fits in the overall plan of the Bible and I find that I tend to read more than was allotted for the day. 

The web site for the project has posters that can be downloaded about each book and the themes covered.  I do believe that I will be able to read the Bible from cover to cover with the help of this reading plan and I am finding that the multimedia approach is helping me to understand what I am reading so I can remember what I have read. 

Even if you are not interested in a reading plan, I encourage you to visit the web site.  You will be glad you did!