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Cathedral bells ring out today With joyous Easter strain; And everywhere, each hymn and prayer Resound His praise again. The promise of an earth renewed Has happened overnight. The woods are seen in vibrant green and Lilies wear pure white. Little creatures venture out Wee bunnies, frisky squirrel Each small child begs to hunt for eggs In this glad springtime world. Easter dinner, family style, Is served with special grace. There must be tons of hotcross buns And ham at every place. This special day, these moments shared, The quiet way spring came Proclaim rebirth. Let all the earth Sing praises to His name! -- Brenda Leigh |
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The Unsinkable Church While looking through some magazines stored in my AMusic Room, I found a Presbyterian Record, Centennial Issue (1875 - 1975), January 1975. An article written by Senator Richard J. Stanbury had some interesting headings which still apply today: Celebrate the Unsinkable, Explore the Alternative, People - our Prime Concern, Challenging the Church. His article closed with the following fable:A fable with a message Once upon a time there was a Wise Old Man who lived on a hill above a village. The people in the village loved him because whenever they had a problem they could go up the hill to talk it over and the Wise Old Man would share his wisdom with them.But one day some boys decided they would test his wisdom. One boy said, AI know what we'll do. I'll catch a little bird and put it between my hands. We'll go to the Wise Old Man and I'll say Wise Old Man, I've got a little bird in my hands. Is it alive or is it dead? And if the Wise Old Man says it's dead, I'll open my hands and the bird will fly away. And if he says it's alive, I'll clamp by hands together hard and when I open my hands the bird will be dead. The boys were overjoyed. At last they would prove that the old man wasn't so wise as everybody said. So they caught the bird and up the hill they went. The old man was sitting in the sun and the ringleader said: Hey, Wise Old Man, I've got a little bird in my hands. You're so smart. Tell me, is it alive or dead? The Wise Old Man paused, looked him in the eye and said: It is as you will, my son. And it is very much the same for us at this benchmark in our history. We have a great faith, a great heritage, the living Word as our guide, the living Christ as our companion. All we need is a clear personal commitment, congregations who love and are loved by their communities and a corporate church, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, which is not afraid to live in God's world and be part of its dynamic. It is as we will. It is up to us. I have no doubt about our choice. Because we hate that word down. We love that word up. Because up means hope and that's what we've got. Hope. as Submitted by Luella Albin * * * |