“Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales.”
(Isaiah 40:15 ESV)
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the name of Jesus!
In view of July 1, I say, “Happy 150th birthday, Canada!”
Canada is a great country. It is blessed in so many ways – natural resources, gifted and diverse population, a democracy with a strong heritage of protecting freedoms, great social programs, a functional economy, and much more. For sure, at this time we ought to remind ourselves not to take the benefits of Canada for granted.
At the same time, we should beware of where we place our trust. The above verse is rather humbling. God is over all. Great nations rise and fall under His supervision. Someone once said of our neighbouring country to the south, “America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Certainly, we could say the same about Canada. Despite a nation’s relative “goodness,” we still need to thank God. He brought about the favourable circumstances that led to building such a nation. He is the giver of the good fortune for one to be a citizen of such a country. Arrogant pride has no place in our patriotism but rather there ought to be humble thankfulness.
We are thankful for Canada. But our first allegiance is to the Lord who has given us every blessing.
Ultimately, as Christians we look higher along with the Apostle Paul who said, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21 ESV)
Jesus is the Author of a great nation whose population no one can number (Revelation 7:9). Heavenly citizenship is a gift of God through Christ’s own sacrifice and is ours through faith in His name. We were baptized into that name.
So, yes, Happy Canada Day! We have much to be thankful. We should pray, “God keep our land glorious and free.” The best way to do that? Stay close to Jesus and as His forgiven people be citizens who bring blessing to our Canada and her people.
The Lord be with you.
Sunday (July 2) here at Prince of Peace…
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
10:00 am Holy Communion
Sermon: “O Canada, a Temporary Gift” based on 1 Peter 2:13-17
PoP News …
Vacation Bible School weekend: The weekend of July 21-23 will be a family ministry weekend.
- Friday evening will be a family fun night complete with free ice cream and inflatables for children. This will be an opportunity for young families in our neighbourhood to visit us and to enroll in our Saturday programme.
- Saturday will be our all-day educational and fun day under the theme, “Mighty Fortress: In Jesus, the Victory is Won!”
- Sunday will feature an outdoor service and BBQ afterwards enabling our members to interact with our guests.
Contact Linda to preregister your children, grandchildren, or neighbourhood kids (905-332-7671 or popburl@bellnet.ca) or register online at http://poplc.ca/vbs/.
“Stop Famine Together” (Last day!): The Humanitarian Coalition and its seven member agencies (including CLWR) welcome the Government of Canada’s announcement that for every eligible donation made by individual Canadians to registered Canadian charities between March 17 and June 30, 2017, it will contribute an equivalent amount to the Famine Relief Fund. More than 20 million children, women and families in South Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Uganda are suffering and in need of urgent humanitarian aid. Member agencies are on the ground providing life-saving assistance, and with the help of Canadians, can save more lives. The characteristic resilience of the communities who live through regular cycles of drought, or survive despite harsh conflict conditions, has been pushed to its breaking point. Without help, they will not survive. Together, we can save more lives. Canadians can donate and find more information at www.together.ca
Online News …
Canada at 150 Years by Robert Bugbee. With all the focus on the 500th Anniversary of Luther’s Reformation, there’s another milestone Christians in our country should not miss. About the time you get this issue, we will be almost exactly at the 150th birthday of our country. Canada’s confederation dates to July 1, 1867. Christians are citizens of “two kingdoms” at the same time. We have our truest home in the kingdom of God and Christ (Philippians 3:20), where the Lord rules us by His Word and Spirit. This kingdom is ours, even if we move … READ MORE…
Special Canadian Lutheran Hour Broadcast . . . (Jul 2) “Lutheran Laymen’s League of Canada is airing a special Canadian Lutheran Hour broadcast on July 2nd. The guest speaker, Rev. Cameron Schnarr from Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church, Winnipeg , (and our former field worker here at PoP) will speak to us on “Jesus is the man. The valuable one – given up for the sake of the people.” Be sure to tune in or stream audio and pod-casts at www.lutheranhour.ca.
THRED: Lutheran Hour Ministries has a new online ministry geared to a younger generation via a platform that encourages open questions and conversation. It is called Thred. Check it out and encourage others to do the same at https://thred.org/
Reformation 500 News …
For Your Smartphone: Luther’s Small Catechism. Reference the official 1986 version of Luther’s Small Catechism wherever you are. This beautifully designed app makes reading and navigating the Small Catechism easy and convenient. Click here for it at Google Play. It’s free!
In your prayers, please remember:
- Our beloved country, Canada, giving thanks for her blessings and praying for her troubles
- Those undergoing chemotherapy
- This year’s Vacation Bible School which is only 4 weeks away. Please pray for our preparations, for interested children and families to attend, for the faithful communication of God’s love in Christ, and for God’s Word to bear fruit.
- Please hold all Lutheran Church–Canada in your prayers as the entire church prayerfully reviews and considers all you have heard and read about the proposed new church structure.
The Lord be with you.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Kevin Walrath
