SCRIP-BITS

Oh Friends, it’s a sad day in Canada; actually a day of mourning, for Jack Layton, the Leader of the Federal Opposition, died yesterday of that dreadful scourge cancer. He was one of the few half-decent politicians in the country. And I say half-decent because nowadays the very word ‘politician’ bears connotations of dubious, distrustful qualities. Jack Layton though, seemed to stand up for what he believed in, ostensibly, the working-man. I guess when we talk about life being unfair, he could be the current poster boy. For years his NDP party, branded the voice of labour, languished in the nether regions of Parliament, with only a handful of seats compared to the mighty Conservative and Liberal parties. However, in last year’s Federal Elections, the NDP, with Jack at its helm, shellacked the once powerful Liberals to at long last become the country’s official Opposition Party. As a man though, he was not immune to human frailty, having had hip surgery recently and previous bouts with cancer. But he seemed to be doing okay, walking around with his cane, until a few weeks ago, when he took a hiatus from the leader’s job to concentrate on wrestling the cancer that had resurfaced. He vowed to be back soon, but unfortunately, the cancer obviously overwhelmed him. Ah Lord eh! Just when he’d reached the pinnacle for which he’d laboured so long and hard, he was struck down. Just when he’d achieved the status and power where he could arguably make a worthwhile difference, at fifty something, in the prime of his life, he was denied the opportunity to show what he could really do. It does seem grossly unfair, but as believers, we need to remember that in spite of whatever unfortunate things happen in our lives, our God was, is and will always be a good God. And that’s the gospel truth! Please offer up some prayers for the Layton family in their time of grief, and also some for our great country, that a capable leader from the opposition benches will soon emerge to provide godly guidance, and be as much a foil as possible to the authoritarian government currently in power. Now turning to our Bit: ‘And he (Jesus) said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.’ Oh Friends, the word ‘faith’ or ‘strong belief’ was a necessary characteristic in all of Jesus’ earthly doings. The particular instance in our Bit deals with the time Jesus was dining at Simon, a wealthy Pharisee’s house, when a woman, a known sinner, appeared uninvited with a flask of fragrant ointment. She washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, then anointed them with the sweet smelling ointment. (Luke 7:36-38) Obviously the hypocritical Pharisee was upset, but Jesus, in His own inimitable manner, straightened out Simon with the parable of the creditor. (Luke 7:41- 47) Then Jesus told the woman: ‘Thy sins are forgiven.’ (Luke 7:48) Hn! That only further stirred up the company of diners, with each silently pondering: ‘Who is this that forgiveth sins also?’ (Luke 7:49) Ah my people, faith is the very basis of our Christian existence. When Jesus tried to teach His disciples forgiveness, (Luke 17:1-4) their response was; ‘And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine (mulberry) tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.’ (Luke 17:5-6) That just goes to show how strong even a little faith can be! Unfortunately though my brethren, Christian faith is not something that can be taught. One can be directed to it, and given glowing examples of it, but in the long run, faith is an individual thing that must be personally experienced, built through complete trust and total surrender, hardship and misfortune, through humility and steadfast belief in the gospel of Jesus and the great Triune God we worship. And since we desperately need it to live a successful Christian life, it means that we have to make a conscious decision to put our noses to the grindstone and labour on – in faith. Oh Friends, time and space have run out, but we’ll continue this topic tomorrow, providing God’s in favour. Till then, keep the faith – steadfast and strong! Much LOVE!…Jesus…the perfect example …of faith personified…