Presented to River Street Cafe, 05 May 2017
Read Hebrews 10:23-25
Today
is Craig Odermatt’s birthday. Craig and I were friends since elementary school.
We rode bikes together. We were locker partners all the way to Grade 12 and –of
course – we have the same birthday. I haven’t seen Craig in almost 30 years. As
we went to school he studied really hard and joined the track team and I
didn’t. I did other things in school and we went our different directions. I no
longer do the things Craig and I used to do as we no longer really know each
other for we just gradually stopped seeing each other. I don’t even know where
he lives. I made facebook friends with Craig just the other week. It is good to
see he is doing well.
I was
reminded by facebook also that a couple of days ago was Cory and Joanna’s 20th
wedding anniversary. Cory and I were involved in each other’s weddings. Cory
and I used to go SCUBA diving together. We went white water rafting together –
he organized a few great trips like that for us. We had great times. I haven’t
gone white water rafting in 14 years. I probably haven’t seen Cory in 15. He
lives on the West Coast. I live here. We just stopped meeting together. We
don’t do the things we used to do together.
Bill,
Alex, Trevor, Tony…we used to hang out in the smoking area every day at school.
We would show up at each other’s house any time day or night. We went to many
parties together growing up and got into a little bit of trouble at times. If
it weren’t for facebook, I wouldn’t probably know anything about them now. We
don’t do the things we used to do together and we don’t meet together anymore.
I have
many friends, not only from the Island where I grew up but also from all the
other places that I have lived and worked – Vancouver, Winnipeg, Maple Creek,
Nipawin, Tisdale, Swift Current – that I no longer have any contact with.
Hebrews
10:25 recognizes the fact that if we don’t meet together then not only do we
lose contact but if we stop doing the things we used to do then we lose our ability,
love for, willingness or even knowledge of how to do those things. It is one
thing if I have forgotten how to SCUBA dive, it is quite another if I forget to
read my Bible, pray, and encourage other people in their faith.
This
is one of the really important reasons for us to go to Sunday church. This is
one of the really important reasons for us to look at the Bible and pray
together as we do each morning here. This is what our scripture, Hebrews 10:25,
is talking about today as it says, let us… “not giving up meeting together, as
some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as
you see the Day approaching.”
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