Presented to TSA AVM, 02 June 2024 by Major Michael Ramsay.
Susan and I and all three of our kids went to Ontario this past week to attend a Celebration of Life for Susan’s aunt. We also got to see a little bit of the sites and Sarah-Grace saw a friend or two from our time living out there. Today I am going to share a few scriptures, pictures, and reflections on our family trip to Ontario.
Remember (Ex 12:24-27, 1 Cor 11:23-25)
Exodus 12:24-27:
24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.
1 Corinthians 11:23-25:
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
We saw a lot of neat things on our trip. We saw a lot of statues, artwork and displays. We did see a bit of history when we were on our trip. We saw an old city hall in Woodstock that had one of Canada’s fist woman mayors. It was neat seeing the historic City Hall because it was flying what was Canada’s flag back then which is, of course, the Union Jack. We also saw the ROM and interesting displays from Byzantium, Rome, ancient Korea, and China. Did you know that China had a moveable type printing press about 200 years before Gutenberg? We often look for historic Salvation Army things on our trips – our first hotel was actually across the street from a Salvation Army – or family stuff: we did drive by a town called Ramsay. In one museum I was able to see some old Rotary stuff. That was neat because I am a Rotarian. We often look through old churches and read about their history.
Our Faith history is so important. We are told in the scriptures to never forget what the Lord has done for us. The is what Passover and then communion are all about. The is what testimonies are about. That is a big part of what the Bible is about too – it is (as well as everything else) an anthology, a collection of stories of what the Lord has done throughout history and whatever we can learn from other people’s mistakes can save us from making the same errors. I invite us all to make every effort to remember our faith history. As we remember our faith history – both in the Bible and from our own and others testimonies – it will encourage us to persevere and share that hope we have in Jesus with everyone we meet.
And then it is done (James 4:13-15, Luke 12:20)
James 4:13-15:
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
Luke 12:20
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
We were in Ottawa for a memorial service. This reminds us that indeed we never know when our time will end here, when we will be called home or – as we used to live in Ontario and our job is what it is - even when we will move to a new appointment, a new community. We never know when will be the last time we will see someone we love. I have friends I used to see everyday in different towns we used to live whom I haven’t now seen for years and I may never see again. I thought of this as we had all three of our children together, the Ramsay five, on a trip. That doesn’t happen very much anymore. Our last big trips have only had two or three people, the ones before that four people. It has been a long time since we had all five of us on a trip together. Who knows when that will happen again?
This relates to our faith as well. If you love someone you probably do want to share your faith with them. Let them know about Jesus and how God loves you and looks out for you now and will do so forever – even after you die. You never know when the last time you will see someone is so please do share with them the reason that you do have hope in this life and the next – don’t keep them guessing.
Just Visiting (Heb 13:14, 2 Cor 5:1-2)
Hebrews 13:14 (LB):
For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.
2 Corinthians 5:1-2 (CEV):
Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. 2 While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home.
It was interesting visiting Toronto, if only for a very little while. We saw the ROM. That was good. We weren’t there long. We didn’t get to see any friends – well Sarah-Grace did; she was prepared but the rest of us didn’t. It did remind me, like it has reminded me when we have visited other places we used to live – Winnipeg, Nipawin, Swift Current, Victoria, Vancouver – that things continue to change when we aren’t there and very quickly the people and places we used to know are not there. Toronto was where we lived just prior to here and already some of our friends have passed away; the two corps we led no longer exist; the buildings we used to worship in are not in use by the Army anymore and the Ministry Unit names do not even exist anymore – they have faded into memory and soon those memories will be gone to. Truthfully, the community of Regent Park, as it was, is now just a memory.
Just like Toronto is not our home anymore, this world is not our home for any of us really. Just like Susan and I are moved from one community to the next, we all here are just passing through this time and place. Our home is in heaven with our Lord and Saviour and one day He will return bringing our home with Him and there will be a whole new heavens and earth and even more than that: also our very bodies are not really our homes either – here and now they keep getting older! But one day the tent that is our body will be replaced we will have new bodies that no longer decay and age! This is certainly something to look forward to!
Joy (1 Thess 5:16-18, Phil 4:4)
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
16 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
There were many great things about our trip, including just being together but -believe it or not – it was not perfect! The children and everyone else didn’t always get along perfectly – especially when we are travelling in a car for hours together and then sleeping three or so people in a twin bed – when our children aren’t little anymore. And then after having no sleep for a few nights driving and flying through the whole night, one can be tired and cranky. There is a little rainfall in everyone’s life. But here is the thing, the Lord is with us in everything we experience. He will never leave us nor forsake us. A friend of ours, Major David Ivany, whom we have quoted regularly, regularly says, ‘in the end it will all be all right; so, if it is not all right it is not the end’. I think that is a wonderful encouragement to persevere in the strength of the Lord.
Be Prepared (2 Tomothy 4:2)
2 Timothy 4:2:
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.
We went to Ontario couple of days before the Celebration of Life. We spent our first two nights in a community called Woodstock because it was within driving distance of Stratford. You know what Stratford is famous for? It’s Shakespeare Festival! That is quite interesting. Do you know the history of the festival? Stratford Ontario, as we know, is named after Stratford, UK. And Stratford UK has a strong connection with William Shakespeare. So the Tom Patterson a few years after returning from World War II started the festival to help revive his home town. It is really worked and the town and the festival are still going and bigger than ever.
Now, we were one week early to actually catch the festival itself but we did get to see one play: Romeo and Juliet. This was especially good because Sarah-Grace was with us and she is, of course, studying Shakespeare at UVic. She knows Shakespeare – all the nuances, all the history, all the comedy, everything! It was good: I was also able to get her birthday present while we were there a book where a bunch of scholars debate Shakespeare – the kind of book only a university student could appreciate! At one point before we went to the show, she actually was reading Romeo and Juliet with full commentary as we were driving for hours in the car before the show. She was prepared for Stratford! And she prepared her sisters and us for Stratford! She was so prepared she even wore shoes with Shakespeare’s face on them!
Like the scriptures says we need to be prepared in and out of season to share our faith. In the old days I used to carry little New Testaments in my pocket but now the Bible is all online. But I encourage you all to be prepared for when the opportunity presents itself, to share your faith arises. Like Sarah-Grace had her Shakespeare shoes and a copy of the play, maybe have a few good Bible quotes, memory verses or a testimony ready to go, off the top of your head, just in case. Even offering a prayer for someone in need. I encourage you to be a prepared as Sarah-Grace!
Oh, and one more thing. Not only was she prepared when we saw Romeo and Julliet – look at this picture. We stopped by a place called primitive designs that had many neat designs, including a shark sculpture and Sarah-Grace was prepared. Here she is with a Shark dress!
Actually I guess that is the moral of today’s message: be a Sarah-Grace! Now you don’t need to go out and buy a shark dress or shoes with your favourite playwright on them. You don’t need to coordinate your clothes perfectly with every activity you are participating in but you should always do your best to be prepared, to share your faith and what you know about our Lord and Saviour with everyone you meet. Be ready to offer a word of encouragement to those you meet,
Let us pray.
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