Dual Citizenship: Hebrews 11:13-16 and Philippians 3:10-4:1

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 03 July 2022 and 30 June 2024 by Major Michael Ramsay

 

 This is the 2024 version. To view the 2022 version click here: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2022/07/dual-citizenship-hebrews-1113-16-and.html

 

It is the wind down before Summer break in a number of agencies as such I tend to lend my support at their AGMs. I also sit on a lot of community boards,

 

I was at a board meeting a couple of years ago for the Neighbourlink Society: a group that provides food for children in the schools. Many of the people on the board have been friends for years. They were telling a few good stories. John and Carol are very good friends. John was giving Carol a hard time about her cooking because apparently shortly after she fed him a grilled cheese sandwich he had a heart attack – he was saying, ‘don’t let Carol make anyone any food’. Carol then told us more of the story. John was coming over to mow her lawn and after he had a lunchbreak, he headed outside to finish the work… and he did have a heart attack. They called the ambulance. It was quite significant. Carol was quite concerned. They took him to the hospital and then they actually had to fly him out by helicopter. You have to really understand the humour of these two for the rest of the story. As he was going up in the helicopter with his family and everyone around Carol yelled out, ”and don’t think I’m paying you! You didn’t finish the job!” The paramedic with John, in the helicopter, apparently said “I wouldn’t want to work for her” and then they heard her yell, “and don’t think I’m going to give you a reference”. John and Carol were laughing hysterically as they were recounting the story – especially as no one else there, at the hospital, at the time (including his adult son, I believe) realized that it was a joke. This made them laugh all the more.

 

This then got the stories going. One of them was telling the story of when their husband was in the hospital. A friend of theirs came to see him. Now he was in one of those rooms with more than one bed and there was a curtain drawn around his bed; so the friend went up to the other bed and thinking it was Fred (or whatever the husband’s name is) said, “Oh my goodness – Fred you look so bad I don’t even recognize you!” Fred's family then poked their heads out of where they were and said, “cut that out, come over here...”

 

Another lady told a story about when her mother went to the hospital to see her father and she leaned over to give him a big kiss only to realize that the fellow she kissed wasn’t her husband.

 

John then relayed the story of when he came up behind his friend and blew in his ear, for a joke, only to find out that it wasn’t his friend at all. It was some complete stranger’s ear he was blowing into. That gentleman did not receive that gesture very well at all. Board meetings can fun...

 

Monday is Canada Day. In light of that, I thought that we would look at the verse from the Order of Canada (and more) today. Can anyone tell me:

•         What is the motto of the Order of Canada? desiderantes meliorem patriam, meaning "they desire a better country"

•         Where does it come from? Hebrews 11:16

 

The Motto of the Order of Canada comes from Hebrews 11:16, “they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

 

Pierre Eliot Trudeau when he established the Order of Canada applied this verse to our nation but, of course, this verse refers to more than just our nation or any nation. It is great that he wanted to apply these Christian ideals to our country, just as an earlier generation had applied the Christian ideals of Psalm 72:8 to our nation – with the hope that our country would always take care of the poor and those on the margins. But to fully ascribe this verse to our nation, of course, would be a case of mistaken identity not entirely dissimilar from our opening stories. This verse and this passage (though extended) obviously isn’t actually referring to Canada. It is referring to someplace else. The second part of the verse, where it says that God has prepared a city for them… to what city is the author of the Hebrews referring? The new Jerusalem.

•         Hebrews 12:22, “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God” (cf. 13:14)

•         Revelation 3:12 “Him who overcomes (I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it.) I will write on him the Name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.”

•         Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

 

At the eschaton – the end of everything – the New Jerusalem, as referred to in Hebrews, Revelations, Philippians, and Thessalonians (where it mentioned the saints going to meet the Lord as He comes down) among other places, the city prepared for God’s children will come down from heaven to earth.

 

Philippians 3:20 says this, “… our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

 

Let us read more from Chapter 3 because tomorrow we will celebrate Canada Day and today, like all Sundays, we are celebrating on the Lord’s Day with our fellow citizens of Heaven. Let’s read some encouragement from Heaven, where as Christians, our primary citizenship resides. How should we, who will be resurrected, live out our time here in Canada as dual citizens of Heaven? While we are living here, we are actually primarily citizens of Heaven and the new Jerusalem which will descend from Heaven. Philippians 3:15 through 4:1 says this:

 

15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained [our citizenship in Heaven].

17 Join together in following my example, brothers [and sisters], and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

 

Tomorrow is Canada and there are many good things and other things about Canada and about celebrating Canada Day. I always used to love Canada Day – the parades, the picnics, the celebrations; some places have fireworks. A few Canada Days ago I remember was quite somber as I spoke at the legion with so much going on in our country: Covid-19, the discovery of probable graves at the IRS and all the controversy around our government lowering our flag and not knowing how to raise it appropriately. Things then became quite uncomfortable and this year our community has no parade, no picnic, no official community events. I think it is still good to celebrate the many good things that we experience as part of Canadian community and I hope that our community will do that again at some point because there are many good things about living here and many things we can celebrate with our fellow citizens of Canada. It is good to celebrate some of the wonderful ways that God has used Canadians to help others: Fredrick Banting’s discovering penicillin and refusing to patent it so that everyone could access it regardless of income or circumstance, Terry Fox who died raising awareness and hope for people with Cancer. Tommy Douglas who made healthcare accessible to everyone who lives in this country and Lester B. Pearson who for a time made Canada Peacekeepers instead of war-makers. Blessed be the Peacekeepers. There are many thing we can thank God and praise Him for as He has provided for us as Canadians but let us never forget that – even more important that that -  we do have a dual citizenship and our other citizenship is Heaven and so even as we rejoice in the things God has done in and through Canada – and there are many good things, Hebrews 11:16, we are still longing for a better country—a heavenly one. For God is not ashamed to be called our God, for he has prepared that city for us.

That is our hope.       Let us pray.

The Lamb at Vimmy Ridge (John 1:29; Revelation 12:7-12a) and the Sunset on the Beach at Dieppe (Hebrews 9:28).

 Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 20 August 2023 by Major Michael Ramsay (Padre. Royal Canadian Legion)

 

The Lamb at Vimmy Ridge

 

 

 

On May 17^th of this year, I walked the short walk from a parking lot to the memorial atop a small ridge, overlooking a small town in France. There were sheep everywhere. I did not see a shepherd. One little lamb had escaped a fence and become separated from the flock; she desperately ran back and forth along the ridge looking, searching, hoping for someway to break through the fence before it is too late; hoping to join her flock, looking for someway to be reunited; looking for safety she bleated, she cried as she looked out terrified over the ridge. This ridge on which she was lost and bleating has a name. It is Vimmy Ridge.

As I stood atop Vimmy Ridge by the memorial to our Canadian soldiers, the symbolism of this bleating lamb running back and forth, looking for someway through the fence was not lost on me.

April 9^th to April 12^th, 1917, a brutal battle was fought as our Canadian soldiers desperately looked for a way to break through the fences and trenches on this very same ridge. Many had tried before. Many had died before. But here they were now, trying to get over those fences and through those trenches, to climb the ridge and bring safety to so many.

After many battles fought by many of our allies. The Canadian Corps were able to secure the high ground and most of the ridge on April 9^th 1917. On April 10^th they secured the village and the crest of the ridge and the final objective, a fortified knoll fell to the Canadian troops on April 12^th. The battle was the first occasion when the four divisions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force fought together. Our soldiers climbed through many barbed wire fences, many deep trenches, many hazards and perils and accomplished what had not been accomplished before but at a great cost: By nightfall on 12 April 1917, the Canadian Corps had sustained 10 602 casualties; 7004 soldiers had been wounded, some in the most horrific of fashion, some to never recover, and 3 598 people breathed their last breath on that ridge overlooking that town on that day in April in1917.

It was quite something to stand there in May of 2023 and see that one little lamb bleating as she ran trying to get through the fences more than 100 years after 10 602 Canadians lay bleeding, 3 598 never to be reunited with their families the way the little lamb I watched was finally able to be reunited with hers.

This all reminds me, of course, of Jesus, who himself is the lamb of God. John the Baptist, John 1:29, “…saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” And relating to the sacrifice of battle, Revelation 12:7-12a:

7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now has come the salvation and the power

    and the kingdom of our God,

    and the authority of his Messiah.

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,

    who accuses them before our God day and night,

    has been hurled down.

11 They triumphed over him

    by the blood of the Lamb

    and by the word of their testimony;

they did not love their lives so much

    as to shrink from death.

12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens

    and you who dwell in them!

 

Jesus is the lamb of God. As all those soldiers died on that simple ridge more than a century ago, Jesus died on the cross more than 2 millennia ago. The WWI soldiers offered their lives there and many of them died. Ultimately they were victorious. The foe was defeated and as a result of this battle 100 plus years ago and others that followed over the next 100 days, they celebrated victory and experienced a much sought after peace.

The angels in the heavens fought against the devil and his forces. Jesus, The Lamb of God has triumphed in the Ultimate battle. He has defeated not mere mortals but even death itself; therefore we can all rejoice!

 

Sunset on the Beach at Dieppe (Hebrews 9:28)

May 15^th and May 16^th of this year, I walked along the beaches of Dieppe. I looked out across a beautiful beach covered with large smooth rocks that gave way under your feet drawing you back, in towards the sea, and I looked up steep, steep cliffs to see even ancient fortifications, in the evening beautifully lit up by an amazing sunset.

August 19^th, 1944, almost 80 years ago, over 6000 infantry, primarily Canadian infantry arrived at this same beach. The same rocks that gave way under my feet gave way under their feet. Only they were wearing heavy packs and carrying their weapons and supplies; just trying to survive. Balance must have been near impossible. They would have been so heavy, soaking wet as the sea wanted to claim them for her own. As they looked up at the sheer cliffs, I am sure it was not the beauty of the moment that captured their imagination but rather the sheer horror of having to find a way to scale those cliffs, while sopping wet, heavy with gear, and being shot at. The fortifications seemed insurmountable to me months ago; the fortifications for many of the Canadians on the beach then were impenetrable. 3623 Canadians died on this small strip of beach. As I stood there watching the sunset over the water, this fact was not lost on me. 3623 Canadians after visiting this beach never saw another sunset again.

I walked silently along the beach. I looked again at the stones, the cliffs, the fortress, the waves, and the sea and imagined and remembered those who had gone here before me. Then I noticed a monument, a monument, in a garden, in a place now called Canada Square, placed there lovingly and in remembrance by the citizens of the town of Dieppe. It reads:

 

On the 19th of August 1942

on the beaches of Dieppe

our Canadian cousins

marked with their blood

the road to our final liberation

foretelling thus their victorious return

on September 1, 1944.

 

This memorial cast my thoughts to Jesus and His sacrifice -yes- and also the hope that comes with it. This memorial did not talk about the futility of war – we all know about that and the closer to having had experienced a war we are personally the more acutely aware of that we are. This monument does not glorify or justify war pretending that is somehow a noble cause or something we should exalt in. This plaque at this monument notes that those who died, “marked with their blood the road to our final liberation, foretelling thus their victorious return”. These words are so poignant for me that I will probably remind you of them on Remembrance Day and again on Resurrection Day, Easter. These words sum up the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross on Good Friday, and the hope of Easter and beyond. Hebrews 9:28 records, “so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” When Jesus died on the Cross on Good Friday it not only foretold His resurrection on Easter; it also foretells His victorious return at the Eschaton, at the end of time, when Heaven comes down to earth and there is new heavens and a new earth. 

This is our hope. Just as the people of Dieppe remembered the sacrifices of the Canadians on their beaches at a future time when they were able to celebrate their victorious return at their final liberation; so too do we even now remember Jesus, each and every week as we gather here for, as the plaque in Dieppe, interpreted, paraphrased, adapted; reads, Jesus “marked with [His] blood the road to our final liberation, foretelling thus [His] victorious return”. At which time there will be no more suffering and no more death in the Kingdom to Come.

 

Art of the Gospel (Hebrews 12:1-2, Philippians 1:20-21, 1 Corinthians 13:12, Luke 7:36-50)

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries by Major Michael Ramsay, 16 July 2023

 

When I have been chatting with you over the past few weeks I have been sharing from a sermon series, ‘Thoughts from France’ about various truths / realities that the Lord has revealed to me during travels this Spring. We have looked at various themes and scriptures through a number of different sermons: 

·                  We looked at John 4, 5 and 7 in our message titled ‘Lessons from Lourdes’ 

·                  We looked at the Gospels, the Pentateuch and Revelation 3 in ‘Thoughts from Driving Around France’ 

·                  And last time we spoke, we looked at a number of other truths in our message entitled ‘Gospel Seine-ry’ 

 

Today we are exploring the scriptures through the theme of the ‘Art of the Gospel’ 

 

Mona Lisa and Other Oil Paintings

Hebrew 12:1-2a Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith… 

 

When we were in Paris and the rest of France, we were able to see the Louvre, other museums, art galleries, and many famous works of Art. We saw the Mona Lisa and other great oil paintings. One thing that struck me as I looked upon the original works of art of which I have seen reproductions dozens or even hundreds of times before in my life, is that the reproductions are never as good as the original. They can be like the cloud of witnesses in Hebrews but they are not anywhere near the value and power of the original! A picture of a painting is not the painting itself: not nearly as vibrant and alive!  

 

This reminds me of our faith and a temptation for some Christians who maybe even grew up in the churches. I have met some people – even in seminary - who hadn’t ever read through their entire Bible even once! There are people who identify as Christians who look to or through others instead of to God directly for their faith. They rely on preachers, teachers, parents, authors, musicians, friends, anyone, instead of relying directly on God. 

 

These maybe are the folks we hear about who ‘lose their faith’ when they go to seminary or when they are challenged in any other way by someone who has a different interpretation or faith perspective than their own. These are the folks who can’t defend their faith because they don’t know their faith – people who have only seen reproductions of God or commentaries on His Word, may never have even met Him or if they did, then they seemingly prefer to read about Him instead of spending time with Him. 

 

When we read Christian authors but don’t study the Bible; when we listen to podcasts, preachers, teachers, and our friends but not to God we only see a reflection of the truth, a reproduction, a copy… and a copy is not worth nearly as much as the original. No one is going to try to steal a postcard of the Mona Lisa and sell it to a museum for millions of dollars! No one is going to hang a photocopy of Monet’s Waterlilies in the Louvre. 

 

Likewise we shouldn’t just rely on other people’s copies for our faith in God – especially when the original Jesus Christ –who is the author and perfecter of our faith - and the very living Word of God is right here for us to experience anytime we like. 

 

The Death of Marat

Philippians 1:20-21: I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 

 

One oil painting we saw at the Louvre was an oil painting of the 1793 painting by Jacques-Louis David of his colleague, the murdered French revolutionary leader, Jean-Paul Marat, entitled ‘Death of Marat’. 

 

Oil paintings are amazing. You can see them today, centuries later, and they look as vibrant as if they were painted just yesterday. 

 

What struck me about the death of Marat however was not the art as much as the subject matter. Now, I am not a fan of Marat. It really is not a surprise that he was murdered, in my opinion: he was really quite a nasty fellow. He was a propagandist for the French revolutionaries; much like Milton was for England’s Cromwell, only nastier, I think. 

 

Marat is often held responsible for the September Massacres in which between 1,176 and 1,614 defenceless people were taken prisoner and then murdered. And then after earning these murderous credentials, Marat went on to sit on the Committee of General Security where he played his part in what is now called the Reign of Terror as they chopped the heads of a further 1700 people and otherwise were directly responsible for the deaths of up to 5000 people. I would not say he was a ‘good guy’. 

 

What strikes me about the painting and his death is this; possibly his one noble attribute: Marat died doing what he loved and what he believed in. He was a propagandist for the revolution. He was murdered probably writing propaganda for the revolution and his doing so certainly contributed to his death. 

 

If the ‘bad guys’ can have so much devotion to their causes, that they die for them and that they are willing to live for them, how much more should we? We should feel emboldened and empowered to stand up for our faith. Do we share Christ with the world and with our friends – Christ, who has saved the world and who can save your friend – do we stand up for Christ the way others stand up for their causes and beliefs? Are we willing to die for what we believe in like Marat did? Are we willing to die, yes, and even more importantly than that, are we prepared as Paul said, to live for Christ? 

 

Philippians 1:20-21: I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 

 

Monet’s Gardens

1 Corinthians 13:12: For now we see in a glass, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 

 

We saw a Salvador Dali museum in Paris. I have always liked his work – though one may need a book or a tour guide to understand them fully: the melting clocks and other items that typify surrealism.  

 

We were also able to go the Giverny and see Monet’s gardens. I have seen Monet’s paintings before and I admit that I have never been that much of a fan. I once, in university, for a class had to review some of his work. I ran through everything I knew about the techniques he used and everything else. My professor was really impressed and was starting to comment on my analysis before I had spoken the concluding words of my presentation which were, “and I don’t like that”. 

 

But then I saw up front and in person the objects Monet was painting and I understood. French Impressionism made sense to me in an instant. That which I never used to even understand, let alone appreciate, when I saw the reality it was representing with my own eyes, when I was able to see the light on the water, and smell the flowers in the air, I understood and was impressed by Monet’s impression. 

 

This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:12 for all of life here and now is just seeing through the glass darkly. It is like we are looking at an impressionist’s or a surrealist's paintings: There are many things we don’t understand but in the end all will be revealed. The mystery and the majesty of the love of God and Christ, at the end of it all, will be revealed when, like with Monet’s garden we see and experience God and His new creation with our own nearly re-created eyes and eternal bodies where there is no more suffering and no more decay but only the love of God – then and only then will we no longer see through the glass darkly but fully understand His Majesty! 

 

Church Walls

Luke 7:44-47: Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” 

 

Verse 44-47 are part of the episode we read earlier in the service today. This passage was very much in my mind when we were in Paris and any other part of France where we walked into an historic cathedral. The big, ancient Roman Catholic churches walls are filled with naves, alcoves, altars. Many rooms open exposed to the main sanctuary. You can see in many of these worship spaces amazing works of art; grand works of art, worshipful works of art painted right on the walls of these chapels; some of which are painted by some famous artists, their contemporaries or their equals. Some of these painted walls in these chapels are in great condition and some of them are worn away. It is something as you can see them worn away. At the top the painted walls, they still look mostly untouched even after a century or centuries of use as an aid in worship – but near the bottom, in the places where one can reach, you can see where thousands of people over hundreds of years have beseeched our Lord with their tears pouring down their faces. Facing the wall, one can see where people in real need and in real passion they have placed their hands and faces upon the painted images of God incarnate and scenes of service to Him. You can almost hear their prayers through their tears; their fervent prayers! Now they are gone but the testimony of their coming before the Lord is still there. The power of the miracles they sought, is still there. The image of the Love of God is still there. Their tears have washed the painted feet of our Lord in the sanctuary. 

 

May it be the same with us. May we be like the lady anointing the feet of Jesus with our tears, may we be like the centuries of people washing away the images in the churches with our tears; may we come to the Lord with such passion and devotion that all who see us will have no doubt of our love and zeal for God. For as we do, we will know we have been forgiven and as we do we will know He has saved us. 

 

It is my hope that we can all come to the Lord with that true passion and abandon that comes only from really, truly, and totally turning ourselves over to Him. May we each do this then and experience the full power of His Salvation for now and forever! 

 

Let us pray

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Hebrews 11:6: The Faith in/of Advent.

 Presented to TSA Alberni Valley Ministries on the Second Sunday of Advent, 04 December 2022, by Major Michael Ramsay

  

The second candle of Advent is faith. The four candles are (according to the source I am using): Hope, Faith, Joy, and Peace. Advent is about waiting. It is about people waiting for the Messiah, the Christ to come the first time (as we now know He did, as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem) and it is about us waiting for Him to return, as we are now.

When people began waiting for Christ to come the first time, they did not know when He would come; they did not know how He would come; they did not know exactly where He would come (similar to us now waiting for His return) – but when the signs of His pending arrival started to appear, people started to notice and as people started to notice they started to tell others and as they told others more people began to notice the signs. (aside: all the miracles recorded in the Gospels are just recorded signs themselves that point people to the Advent of Christ). The more people notice the signs, the more they share the good news of Jesus’ arrival, the more people can experience the Good News of Christ in our lives. (The word ‘gospel’ by the way simply means, ‘good news’). In the season of Advent, today, we remember that period of waiting to hear and experience the Good News of Christ coming the first time and we apply the memory of His birth in a manger to bolster our faith (as our candle today reminds us) that just as Christ came once to save us, He will return again to have dominion, to rule, to reign forever. He will be, as Isaiah 9:6 says, “…Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Price of Peace; of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end…”. (That by the way was a line from a play that I needed to memorize as a child in church)

The candles of Advent remind us of what we need to be able to wait for something we so desperately want and something we so desperately need. We need Hope: Hope that that for which we are waiting will make things better; we need faith, faith that it will actually come; we need the joy of anticipation that pushes away despair in our situation; and we need peace – the peace that surpasses all understanding. It is only when we have this Hope, Faith, Joy, and Peace that we can possibly make it, that we can endure the waiting of Advent.

Advent Calendars are a great glimpse of what waiting this way is like: everyday you open a number and there is a small gift, a picture, a prelude to the greater gifts of Christmas. They are appetizers for the main course of Christmas Day. The stores sell Advent Calendars with chocolates in them; Susan often makes Advent Stockings with devotions, Scriptures, candies, and other goodies in them for us; when I was young, my mom made us Advent Calendars that would often have parts of Lego or toys in them – each day you would get a new piece of Lego and add it to your creation and at the end you would have a present; when I was a child I used to like to make Advent Calendars by drawing 24 little pictures on one piece of paper and then cutting doors out of a second piece and taping them together for people to open one door at a time. Last year I made on-line advent calendars for my children where they would click on the door and it takes them to an image, a story, or a song online. I re-did them this year.

These different advent calendars are all like the gifts that Jesus gives us everyday in our lives. The daily miracles we experience in the midst of everyday reality, the successes, the joy, the comfort, the love, that God shows us – these things we can experience each one as a new door being opened on an eternal Advent Calendar, knowing that at the end of all time (the eschaton, Maranatha!) we will experience the big gift of Christ’s Ultimate Kingdom, where that is what there is, the Hope, Faith, Joy, and Peace that make up of the Love of God.

The Advent Candles are like a mini-Advent Calendar with only four or five doors. Behind today’s door is Faith. Faith gives us something very important as we wait for Christ to return. It gives us the ability to wait because we have the knowledge that what we are waiting for will come. No one waits for something that the don’t in some way believe may come. As a child in a Christmas concert, we performed a musical called the Music Machine. I actually sang the one and only solo I ever sang in my life in it – the song about self control. I still remember parts of that song and other songs from that performance (and all those practices, many, many years ago); I remember one song from the Music Machine called, “Faith’ The chorus of that song sings Hebrews 11:6, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." And this whole song is based on Hebrews Chapter 11, in which verse 1 and 2 define faith in this way: "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for."  

This is the Candle that we have lit today. We have lit the Candle of Faith that it will be all right, we will get through. This Candle is a symbol of the confidence we have in Christ’s return based on both our knowledge of and relationship with Him and our knowledge of His coming before. This faith can be used to transform not only the future but also the present.

In Bible Study we spoke a little bit about the Greek word in the New Testament for ‘Faith’ and I won’t put anyone on the spot by asking what it is or what it means: the word means more than just belief. The word means action as well. It means BOTH ‘faith’ in someone or something AND ‘faithfulness’ of someone or something. And as we faithfully serve Christ, He can and will transform us and our world even as we are eagerly awaiting His ultimate return.

Let me share you some stories from the kettles and more. This week from the kettles, I heard a lady tell me of her father and how he served in the War and how God through The Salvation Army was on the front lines giving them whatever they needed, free of charge, without asking anything of them. I heard the story of another man, when he was a boy, his folks were trapped in their addiction, their house burned down, God through The Salvation Army found them a new place, furnished the place and walked with the family so that the cycle of addiction was broken and the children were free to not only live their own life but to help their children and now grandchildren live their lives free of addiction and even poverty.

And I will never forget one Christmas season when I was at a lunch with a number of Executive Directors of various non-profits in the community we were serving at the time. One told me of a Barbie the Army gave her when her family was in need – she still has the Barbie. Another told me of a hamper she received as a child and a third ED of a local branch of a major non-profit told me a similar story. These gifts from God, given through The Salvation Army, transformed these children’s lives: they all grew up to serve God and others. These actions of love, these actions of faith: providing the most basic things for people in need, was transformative. They broke generations of poverty, addiction, and created lives of service and salvation.

My friends this is what God is doing for us and through us by His faithfulness; so, as we leave this service today, let us go out boldly in service, in faith and faithfulness proclaiming His Gospel and then He may use even us to transform this world even now as we eagerly await His ultimate return (at the eschaton) and which point the whole world will be make anew. Maranatha! Let us pray.

  

 

Dual Citizenship: Hebrews 11:13-16 and Philippians 3:10-4:1

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 03 July 2022 and 30 June 2024, by Major Michael Ramsay

This is the 2022 version. The see the 2024 version, click here: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2024/07/dual-citizenship-hebrews-1113-16-and.html

I was at a board meeting for the Neighbourlink Society: a group that provides food for children in the schools. Many of the people on the board have been friends for years. They were telling a few good stories. John and Carol are very good friends. John was giving Carol a hard time about her cooking because apparently shortly after she fed him a grilled cheese sandwich he had a heart attack – he was saying, ‘don’t let Carol make anyone any food’. Carol then told us more of the story. John was coming over to mow her lawn and after he had a lunchbreak, he headed outside to finish the work… and he did have a heart attack. They called the ambulance. It was quite significant. Carol was quite concerned. They took him to the hospital and then they actually had to fly him out by helicopter. You have to really understand the humour of these two for the rest of the story. As he was going up in the helicopter with his family and everyone around Carol yelled out, ”and don’t think I’m paying you! You didn’t finish the job!” The paramedic with John, in the helicopter, apparently said “I wouldn’t want to work for her” and then they heard her yell, “and don’t think I’m going to give you a reference”. John and Carol were laughing hysterically as they were recounting the story – especially as no one else there, at the hospital, at the time (including his adult son, I believe) realized that it was a joke. This made them laugh all the more.

This then got the stories going. One of them was telling the story of when their husband was in the hospital. A friend of theirs came to see him. Now he was in one of those rooms with more than one bed and there was a curtain drawn around his bed; so the friend went up to the other bed and thinking it was Fred (or whatever the husband’s name is) said, “Oh my goodness – Fred you look so bad I don’t even recognize you!” Fred's family then poked their heads out of where they were and said, “cut that out, come over here...”

 

Another lady told a story about when her mother went to the hospital to see her father and she leaned over to give him a big kiss only to realize that the fellow she kissed wasn’t her husband.

John then relayed the story of when he came up behind his friend and blew in his ear, for a joke, only to find out that it wasn’t his friend at all. It was some complete stranger’s ear he was blowing into. That gentleman did not receive that gesture very well at all. Board meetings can fun...

Friday was Canada Day. The Salvation Army had a float in the parade. It was a lot of fun. In light of the fact that it was just Canada Day, I thought that we would look at the verse from the Order of Canada (and more) today. Can anyone tell me:

 

• What is the motto of the Order of Canada? desiderantes meliorem patriam, meaning "they desire a better country"

• Where does it come from? Hebrews 11:16

 

The Motto of the Order of Canada comes from Hebrews 11:16, “they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” 

Pierre Eliot Trudeau when he established the Order of Canada applied this verse to our nation but of course this verse refers to more than just our nation or any nation. It is great that he wanted to apply these Christian ideals to our country, just as an earlier generation had applied the Christian ideals of Psalm 72:8 to our nation – with the hope that our country would always take care of the poor and those on the margins. But to fully ascribe this verse to our nation, of course, would be a case of mistaken identity not entirely dissimilar from our opening stories. This verse and this passage (though extended) obviously isn’t actually referring to Canada. It is referring to someplace else. The second part of the verse, where it says that God has prepared a city for them… to what city is the author of the Hebrews referring? The new Jerusalem. 

 

• Hebrews 12:22, “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God” (cf. 13:14)

• Revelation 3:12 “Him who overcomes (I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it.) I will write on him the Name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.”

• Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

At the eschaton – the end of everything – the New Jerusalem, as referred to in Hebrews, Revelations, Philippians, and Thessalonians (where it mentioned the saints going to meet the Lord as He comes down) among other places, the city prepared for God’s children will come down from heaven to earth. 

Philippians 3:20 says this, “… our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

Let us read again from Chapter 3 because this Friday we have just celebrated Canada Day and today, like all Sundays, we are celebrating on the Lord’s Day with our fellow citizens of Heaven. Let’s read some encouragement from Heaven, where as Christians, our primary citizenship resides. How should we, who will be resurrected, live out our time here in Canada as dual citizens of Heaven? While we are living here, we are actually primarily citizens of Heaven and the new Jerusalem which will descend from Heaven. Philippians 3:15 through 4:1 says this: 

 

15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained [our citizenship in Heaven].

17 Join together in following my example, brothers [and sisters], and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

We have just had Canada Day this week and there are many good things and other things about celebrating Canada Day. I always used to love Canada Day – the parades, the picnics, the celebrations, some places have fireworks. Last Canada Day was quite somber as I spoke at the legion in light of both Covid-19 and the discovery of probable graves at the IRS and all the controversy around our government lowering our flag and not knowing how to raise it appropriately. This year it was good to celebrate again the many good things that we experience as part of Canadian community but there is more to life than that. There is much more. You see, even as good as the best parts of being Canadian are, we do have a dual citizenship and our other citizenship is Heaven and so even as we rejoice in the things God has done in and through Canada – and there are many good things, Hebrews 11:16, we are still longing for a better country—a heavenly one. For God is not ashamed to be called our God, for he has prepared that city for us.

 

That is our hope.

 

Let us pray.

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Hebrews 13:1-6: A Gentle Reminder

Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 19 September 2021, by Captain Michael Ramsay

A few interesting things happened in the previous week or two – well, lots of things actually – but one or two things I’d particularly like to share today.

 

You know of course that The Salvation Army has a drug and alcohol policy: we don’t drink or do drugs at work (or soldiers anywhere, anytime). I recently needed to print out our drug and alcohol policy and go over it with some of our volunteers, staff, or community partners. Apparently one or two folks may not have remembered (even though they all read it when they were hired or started volunteering) that they can’t use drugs at work with our clients. You'd think that would be self-evident, a ‘no-brainer’ as they say. We don’t want to harm people and we do want  to help people, but good, well-meaning folks actually needed to be reminded that they shouldn’t use drugs with our clients. There are many reasons for this and God gave us an object lesson, an example of being sober so we can help others out; as well as a lesson about the very real dangers of drug use, this week.

 

On this past Sunday, Rees, one of our employees, the one who saved the dog’s life a week or two previous, saved a person’s life as he was walking to work. The person overdosed outside of the OPS, the safe injection site; there was no one there who called 9-11; there was no one there who tried to revive him; there was no one there who was helping him; maybe he didn’t use inside the site, who knows? Rees saw the person on the sidewalk and Rees saw he was starting to turn blue. He stopped. He gave him some Narcan. He called 9-11. God used Rees to save his life. Praise be to God.

 

And thanks be to God as well for this gentle reminder of this self-evident, ‘no-brainer’ that we should be sober when at work and when heading to work – like Rees was – so that we can be used to help others.

 

Paul, Barnabas, Silvanus, Apollos, or whoever dictated Hebrews concludes this letter or sermon with this gentle reminder of some very important points for anyone who serves Jesus to remember as we go about our daily lives.[1] The first four of which should be self evident for all Jesus’ followers so that we are available to serve God and others.

 

1)    He says that we should have genuine affection for one another, for fellow Christians. If you see me on the street tomorrow you shouldn’t duck and hide (as tempting as it may be!); wave and smile instead; do not try and run away before I notice you. We shouldn’t try to avoid one another; we should genuinely look forward to seeing each other. We are, after all, all on the same team – or at least we should be.

 

2)    Then he says that not only should we be happy to see each other and genuinely care about one another; we should also be nice to strangers, to people who aren’t part of our group here. (This may be referring to Christians you don’t know – such as itinerant preachers – but it should certainly apply to any stranger.)[2] This week, a fellow who is a stranger to us but well known to the Parksville Salvation Army came in here seeking help. Nichi and Leslie were right there helping. They called me from another part of the building and I called Major Norm in Parksville and we prayed together offering support and other help as we were able.

 

If there is some way you can build a relationship with a stranger that is great. I love to go down to the Bread of Life many days for lunch. I often have conversations with people on the street – the fact that I almost always wear my uniform or logo-ed gear helps a lot! When needed, I also direct people to opportunities for them to help others or to be helped as the case may be.

 

3)    Paul, Barnabas, Silvanus, Apollos, or whoever dictated this letter or sermon to the Hebrews, gently reminds us that even more than genuinely looking forward to seeing each other, and being sociable to strangers; we should remember those who are in real need in our community. Pray for those who are mistreated in society. The letter/sermon here particularly mentions prisoners. As awful as our prisons are today – and they are awful – in the First Century Roman Empire, friends of the prisoners had to provide their food and basic necessities themselves;[3] so if you didn’t have any friends or if your friends were ashamed or afraid to be associated with you… Today, who are those with no friends and support? Who are those who are in real danger or jeopardy? How can we help them? How can we remember them? You can chat with people up here – I think we might start our coffee times up here again soon; we can have lunch at the soup kitchen; we can help out on the food truck – that is a great way to get to know those who are mistreated. And of course, we can all pray for those in need.

 

4)    Paul, Barnabas, Silvanus, Apollos, or whoever dictated this letter or sermon then says that as well as genuinely looking forward to seeing each other, being sociable to strangers, and remembering those who are in real need in our community; we need to pay special attention to our marriages. He mentions two ways. 1) don’t commit adultery with outsiders and 2) don’t the two of you do anything immoral.[4] Honour one another.

 

Just like how this week, we had to actually put in writing that our staff and community partners may not do drugs with our clients, something that one would think would be self-evident, these first four items are what Paul, Barnabas, Apollos, or whoever dictated this letter or sermon thinks are the self-evident. He gently reminds us that all Christians should honestly and almost instinctively:

 

1. look forward to seeing each other,
2.  be sociable to strangers,
3. remember those who are in real need in our community,
4. and pay special attention to our marriages.

 

And then Paul, Barnabas, Silvanus, Apollos, or whoever dictated this letter or sermon, tells us something a little more tricky. He says that, just as we are to genuinely care for each other and love strangers, we are NOT to care for and love money in the same way (cf. 1 Tim 6:10). This plays out a couple of different ways. 1) We as individuals aren’t supposed to love money and 2) corporately, as a society we aren’t supposed to love money. The church, we know, is not a building, it is a community, a society and it is (or should be) a society that does not love money.

 

There was a meeting of the ACRD’s Emergency Support Services this week. These are some of the people who help in emergencies in our community. The Salvation Army has an MOU with the ACRD to provide various services, so I was there. The meeting was at the Beaver Creek Firehall. It was great to get a tour of the building, see the fancy expensive trucks, and hear what the fire chief and others had to tell us before our regularly scheduled meeting.

 

One thing that came out of the side conversations was how much our society’s love of money is adversely affecting volunteer fire departments, service organizations, and even employment in our country. When the Beaver Creek Fire Department was founded, they were able to staff the department entirely with volunteers from Beaver Creek and they were able to acquire enough resources to keep it going. As a result, a team could be ready to respond to a fire in 5 minutes or less. Now it takes them much longer as they have to wait for people to come from all over the valley to assist at a fire in Beaver Creek. There aren’t enough local volunteers. Even if people are interested in volunteering, now qualifications and equipment are so expensive (and/or take so long to get) that they are having trouble getting enough people and money to keep it going at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if volunteer fire departments started closing around the country the same way that service groups and other volunteer organizations are quickly vanishing from our landscape.

 

Currently, at a time when people in our country are spending more money on leisure activities than in any previous era – trips, sporting events, lessons – people are spending less and less time volunteering and working together. The more a society orients itself towards money, the more the gap between the rich and the poor grows. The larger the chasm between people grows.

 

Property is a prime example of this: a realtor friend pointed out to me that housing has now become primarily a commodity, an investment and as a result more and more people can’t afford housing. The most recent homelessness count results were published just recently – I read them this week. Did you know that the percentage of actual homeless seniors right here in Port Alberni (this doesn’t include people who live in shelters, slum housing, or on someone else’s couch) has literally doubled from 9% to 18% of the homeless population? A society cannot be oriented towards money and at the same time be oriented towards God and our neighbour (cf. Mt 6:24-34; Lk 6:13).[5] These are anchored in opposite directions. We cannot love both God and money. Corporately, how are our churches oriented? We need to be aware of this. Are we church members – like the Scriptures say - content with what we have?

 

This brings us to the individual aspect of this very important point. Do each of us here love God and people more than we love money (cf. Dt 31:6, Ps 118:6-7)? Do we spend more time acquiring, spending, and saving money or do we spend more time loving God through helping others? As Christians, we are not to look forward to getting money; we are not to be sociable in order to get money; we are not supposed to serve others with the intent of getting money, etc. He gently reminds us, we are supposed to be content with what we have. We are supposed to love our spouses, each other, and our neighbours – we are not to love money![6]

 

If you can give something to someone who will actually benefit from receiving it, instead of selling it to them for money; give it to the person. Hebrews 13:5-6 contrasts loving each other and loving money. The Bible says that if you love God, you will love your neighbour and the Bible says that if you serve money, you do not serve God (Mt 6:24). And then Paul, Barnabas, Silvanus, Apollos, or whoever dictated this letter or sermon gently reminds us that for perfect peace and harmony, for salvation, we really must be content with what we have.

 

This contentment is simple, but it is also very important – especially since we live in a capitalist society, a society that by definition has chosen to serve money. Our motivation, what we love, our reason for doing something should never be to get a paycheque and pay-off. Our motivation should always be to serve God and our neighbour. Here is a gentle reminder, Hebrews 13:1-6, that as followers of Jesus we will,

 

1. look forward to seeing each other,
2.  be sociable to strangers,
3. remember those who are in real need in our community,
4. pay special attention to our marriages,
5. and be content with what we have

 

Friends, this is key to being able to survive, to being able to be saved in our world today. We need the church and we need to be the church. And this is what the church is, it is a group of people who

1. look forward to seeing each other
2.  be sociable to strangers,
3. remember those who are in real need in our community,
4. pay special attention to our marriages,
5. and be content with what we have

 

So this is my encouragement today: May our group of people here be a people who continues to do just this for as we are, we will experience God’s salvation in our lives and He will use us to be a transformative influence in our community for now and forever more. 

Let us pray.

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[1] Cf. Thomas G. Long, Hebrews (Interpretation: a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1997), 1.

[2] Cf Tesfaye Kassa, ‘Hebrews 13:1-21: Practical Evidence of Faith’ in Africa Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010), 1532 and Simon J. Kistemaker, Hebrews, NTC (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic: 2007), 408 but conversely cf. Fred B. Craddock, The Letter to the Hebrews (NIB 12: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1998),162 which contends that ‘strangers’ are itinerant preachers or other Christians who aren’t part of one’s own congregation. While this is possible, I concur with Tesfaye Kassa’ and Simon J. Kistemaker that the term as broader than that.

[3] Fred B. Craddock, The Letter to the Hebrews (NIB 12: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1998), 163

[4] Leon Morris, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Hebrews/Exposition of Hebrews/IX. Christian Living (12:1-13:19)/F. Love (13:1-6), Book Version: 4.0.2

[5] Fred B. Craddock, The Letter to the Hebrews (NIB 12: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1998), 164

[6] Simon J. Kistemaker, Hebrews, NTC (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic: 2007), 409