Sarah-Grace's Palm Sunday Message and Song (She wrote and shared both)

Sarah-Grace (age 9) researched, wrote, and preached this message on Palm Sunday. She also led us in a song that she wrote so that we would not soon forget about Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

God, the governor (creator and preserver) of all things!

When God made this wonderful garden out of even less than gravel and concrete, out of nothing at all for Adam and Eve to tend to, He – as the governor of all things – just asked something very simple in return. God made the world for His people and He just told them to take care of it and obey Him in two or three simple ways.

 

1. Genesis 1:28a: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…”
2. Genesis 1:28b: “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”
3. Genesis 2:16-17: “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’”

God says 1) populate the earth, 2) take care of everything in it and 3) in doing this I’ll let you eat anything you want in the garden – but just not the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it’s not safe. I’m saving that for something.

 

This is like if you, as parents, are going out for the first time on a Saturday night leaving your older children to baby-sit their younger sibling all on their own. “Be good and take care of the house”, you say. “I want you to unload the dishwasher and you can have whatever treats you want before bed but just don’t touch the cupcakes; they’re for church on Sunday, so don’t eat the cupcakes or there will be real trouble.” Then you come home, very pleased with your children that they are now old enough to be left alone, you look in the kitchen for something to eat and you notice that where the cupcakes should be… they are gone. The disappointment, the sadness and anger must be a reflection of the disappointment God felt when He came back to the garden and saw that – even though there was only one fruit that He was saving – He came back and it was gone. As parents, of course, if our children ate the cupcakes we would realize that they are not quite ready for the responsibility of being left alone at home and so we would wait awhile before we would trust them to take care of the house again. The children would certainly have a time-out from that responsibility. It was the same with God. He wasn’t about to leave his children in the garden by themselves when they betrayed His trust, letting Him down in exactly the same way. Adam and Eve couldn’t be trusted to take care of the garden. Adam and Eve couldn’t be trusted. Humankind couldn’t be trusted. That responsibility was thus removed from us until we are more able to handle it (Genesis 3).[5]

There is more still to this story in Genesis 1-4 of God as governor. We mentioned how well humanity did in keeping God’s third command to abstain from eating the one forbidden fruit in the garden. How did we do with the first two of His commands? God told us to, Genesis 1:28 ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…’ After we messed up by eating his fruit, how did we do with scattering and filling the whole earth?[6] Let’s take a look at Genesis 11 and the story of the tower of Babel, shall we?[7] Genesis 11:1-3:

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and NOT be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’

Here we are just a couple of chapters and a few generations later and if we haven’t messed things up enough by eating God’s fruit that He was saving; now, He has told us to go and fill the whole earth and we say, “Thanks anyway God, but I think we’ll just stay here and make a name for ourselves instead of going and filling the whole earth like You said.” How well do you think that goes over?[8]

That’s like telling your children to get their boots on because its time to go to school, then heading out to warm up and scrape off the car and upon coming back into the house, seeing them all still just sitting around in their pyjamas. And when questioned they answer you, “we decided not to go to school today.” How’s dad going to react? How’s dad going to feel? Our earthy fathers are going to - in maybe not their most gentle, inside voices – tell their children to get ready right now! Dad is not happy. The children are going to school whether they like it or not! The children are none the better off for this little stunt because a loving father is still going to send his children to school because he cares what is best for them. And a generation and a Supreme Court ruling or two ago, they might just have had a sore backside to show for their disobedience as well. The children’s stunt didn’t help their cause at all because they still have to go to school, just maybe now they are a little less happy about it then they would have been if they had done what they were asked to do in the first place.

It is the same with God, the governor of all things, and humankind’s decision to disobey His command to fill the whole earth.[9] We still had to do what we were told – scatter over the whole earth – but now we just have something extra to remind us about it. Genesis 11:8-9: “So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”

The Lord is the governor of all things. You would think that humanity would have learned this by now after blatantly defying God in breaking the first and the third rule of His government but no. We still hadn’t completely learned our lesson and later in the Pentateuch is recorded the penalty His people experience for breaking the second governing rule: Genesis 1:28b: “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” Now we must note first that, as The Salvation Army Canada’s Position Statement articulates, “God’s instruction to ‘subdue’ the earth and ‘rule’ over every living thing (Genesis 1:28) cannot be interpreted to justify abuse or disregard for any life, not only human life. The privileges granted require our accountability to Him and one another.”[10]

Leviticus 25 records that we are directed that the land itself shall enjoy its Sabbath rest (Leviticus 25:2, 26:34,35) just as man was commanded to (Exodus 20: 8-11, Deuteronomy 5:15), and just as God did (Exodus 20:11, Genesis 2:3). If we, as ‘tenants’ of God’s land (Leviticus 25:23), fail in our responsibility to carry out this duty to take care of the land, then the owner of the land -who cares about His land- may remove us from it, like He did with Adam and Eve.[11]

This is exactly, according the scriptures, what happened to Israel as well. God removed Israel from the Promised Land as it neglected its responsibilities to take care of that land. 2 Chronicles 36:20-21: “He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfilment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.”

God, as the governor of all things, gave us just three rules of His government in Genesis Chapters 1 and 2 and before the conclusion of the books of Moses, it was apparent that we would disobey them all and presumably break God’s heart in the process (cf. Job 34:14-15; Psalm 65:9-13, 104:24-30; Isaiah 65:17-25; John 19:11; Romans 8:18-25; Colossians 1:17; Revelation 21:1-4).[12] And this brings us to the third attribute of God we are looking at in our passage today: God as preserver.

Read the preach:
http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2012/02/genesis-1-4-god-creator-governor-and.html

Room For Creation

Click the image to read the picture book presented to the corps today.

Link: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Room_for_Creation.pdf

Read the related message: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2012/02/genesis-1-4-god-creator-governor-and.html

Judges 7:1-9: Call and Commitment

Presented to Swift Current Corps, 04 Feb 2012.
By Captain Michael Ramsay.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday in the US so I actually got a bit of an inside tip about the most significant part of the game if anyone is interested. I found some previews of commercials. Here are a couple favourites that I found.

 

 

 

The ads are sometimes the best thing about the Super Bowl. This week we are looking at Gideon’s team in his Super Bowl. He, with his team, is actually in the fight of his life with a lot more meaning than the Super Bowl. Starting next week here, we are going to be looking at the doctrines of The Salvation Army[1] and Susan is coordinating some people to share testimonies about how the Lord has used the Army in their lives, not unlike what Ron was coordinating for us before Christmas. God has called each of us here to The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is a select part of the Christian Church. We are, like our name suggests, an army for Salvation. We have many things that set us apart from other movements within the Church.[2] We will be looking at some of the things that set us apart, some of the blessings for which the Lord has set us a part.

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2012/02/judges-71-8-gideons-soldiers-call-and.html

Is God 'Not the Mama'?

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 08 Jan 12 by Captain Michael Ramsay

There was a show on Television late last century called Dinosaurs; it was about an anthropomorphic family of dinosaurs. There was a mom, a dad, a brother, a sister and a baby. Here is a clip about a running exchange between the dad and the baby. The dad loves the baby and will do anything to just try to get the baby to call him ‘Daddy’ but instead the baby just keeps referring to him as ‘Not the Mama’.

[1]

This, I think in some sense, is God’s relationship to Israel in the book of Judges. God just wants Israel to love Him and show that they love Him. He wants them to call him Father but they just refuse to and instead they just do whatever they see as fit in their own eyes. This is the tragedy of the book of Judges...
 
Read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2012/01/judges-61-16-salvation-theodicy-gideon.html

Year in Review..

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 01 Jan. 2012 by Captain Michael Ramsay

New Years is often the time when we look back on the year and there are often quizzes to see how much we remember of the significant events that occurred in the world, our country and our community. In that spirit here is a New Years Day Quiz for you.

EVENTS IN OUR WORLD

1)      A tsunami swept through this country?

2)      What did these two cities have in common in 2011: London and Vancouver?

3)      Who is the new General of the Salvation Army in 2011?

EVENTS IN OUR COUNTRY

1)      Who is famous for the following quote from last year? “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

2)      Famous Wedding this past year where the honeymooners visited Canada?

3)      Who won the Grey Cup in 2011?

EVENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY

1)      Which bank was robbed here on January 7/11?

2)      Who won this riding (Swift Current) in the provincial election?

3)      What member of this congregation spoke her first words and took her first steps this year?

  
ANSWERS HERE: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/12/2-corinthians-517-turning-page-new.html

Sunday's Test

This is the test for Self-Examination we took on Sunday - hat tip http://www.armybarmy.com/

TEST FOR SELF-EXAMINATION
The following are questions taken from The Salvation Army
ORDERS AND REGULATIONS FOR SOLDIERS.

1. Am I habitually guilty of any known sin? Do I practise or allow myself in any thought, word, or deed which I know to be wrong?
2. Am I so the master of my bodily appetites as to have no condemnation? Do I allow myself in any indulgence that is injurious to my holiness, growth in knowledge, obedience, and usefulness?
3. Are my thoughts and feelings such that I should not be ashamed to hear them published before God?
4. Does the influence of the world cause me to act, feel, or say things that are unlike Christ?
5. Do my tempers cause me to act, or feel or say things that I see afterward are contrary to that love which I ought to bear always to those about me?
6. Am I doing all in my power for the salvation of sinners? Do I feel concern about their danger and pray and work for their salvation as if they were my children?
7. Am I fulfilling the vows I have made to God in my acts of consecration or at the Penitent Form?
8. Is my example in harmony with my profession?
9. Am I conscious of any pride or haughtiness in my manner or bearing?
10. Do I conform to the fashions and customs of this world or do I show that I despise them?
11. Am I in danger of being carried away with worldly desires to be rich or admired?

A Tale of Two Kings: Christ and Caesar

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair”: this is the famous opening line of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens; it is about Paris and it is about London. Today’s story from Scripture is a real life tale of two kings by Luke the physician; it is about Augustus Caesar and it is about Jesus Christ and in Luke’s Gospel, like in Dickens’ story, it is the best of times and it is the worst of times.[1]

The second chapter of Luke’s Gospel opens with, “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.” Caesar Augustus is the first king of our two kings, chronologically speaking, that we will address today.[2] What do we know of this king and of this world that he has ordered taxed?

Read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/12/luke-21-20-tale-of-two-kings.html

Do You Believe?

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Luke 1:26: In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
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This sixth-month referred to here by Luke is the sixth month of Elisabeth’s pregnancy. Elisabeth, as we know from earlier in this chapter of Luke, is Mary’s relative but Mary was quite young and Elisabeth and her husband Zechariah were old and 3 months from now Elisabeth is about to have a baby. The messenger, the angel who went to speak to Elisabeth’s husband was Gabriel. Here Gabriel is bringing another message from God about a miraculous birth but this time he is bringing the message of a very significant birth to a very insignificant fishing town, in an insignificant region, of insignificant Palestine (John 1:36).

Gabriel, the angel, the messenger of God is bringing this message…

read more: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/12/luke-126-37-do-you-believe.html