Knox (Westport) Presbyterian Church

Sunday, July 18, 2021

Hello Everybody!

Welcome to Knox (Westport) Presbyterian Church on this Sunday July 18, 2021.

We are following the guidelines for gathering during this Covid-19 pandemic and we ask you to be patient and respectful with the rules that prevent us from being a more friendly people - no coffee hours or passing of the Offering plates or using hymn books.  When you join us in singing hymns and praise songs, we encourage you to reduce the volume of your voices or just hum along.

If you are fully vaccinated and past the two weeks of incubation, you do not need to wear a mask or face covering, but please be aware that not everyone may be fully vaccinated and wearing a mask or face covering may still be advisable to protect everyone.

Following our worship service, people can feel free to linger and visit with each other outdoors when the weather is good as long as you are careful to maintain at least six feet of separation from each other.  As more and more people get vaccinated and the cases of infections continue to decline, we will be able to resume a more friendly approach to each other.

Thank you for being here.  Let’s stay safe and stay well.

Announcements

• July 4 and 11 – Vacation Sundays

I want to thank the Rev. Bruce Kemp for conducting worship and preaching at Knox while I took a very brief vacation break.  As with many of you, the impact that Covid-19 has had on our lives and our families along with any plans we may have had for enjoying times together have been quite tiresome.  I have been feeling this weariness for some time and was glad to have a brief time with my children and grandchildren during this past week.

• Take Out Ham Dinner

I am sure that Diana and the Ladies’ Guild have things well under control for the “Take Out” Ham Dinner on Thursday, July 22^nd.

Usually, this fund-raiser is held in our Fellowship Centre but continuing Covid-19 restrictions require us to hold this event as a “take out” event.  A number of churches and businesses in our community have done this quite successfully and we are doing the same as the first fundraiser at Knox in over a year since the beginning of the pandemic.

We want to thank the many volunteers who are preparing and donating the food, serving up the meals and delivering them to people’s cars, setting up and cleaning up.  Of course, we hope you will all enjoy a ham dinner while we are at it.

Cemetery Memorial Service

Sunday, July 25th at 2:30pm

The Annual Memorial Service at Knox Presbyterian Cemetery will be held at 2:30pm.

As a result of changing Covid-19 restrictions, the service will be held at Knox Church instead of at the Cemetery.

The Rev. Bruce Kemp will officiate at the service.

Any Further Announcements

Are there any further announcements before we greet one another?

Greeting One Another

We are delighted that you chose to join us this morning as we come together in fellowship to celebrate our shared faith in Jesus, the Messiah.  Let’s stand and greet one another by applause instead of the customary hearty handshake or caring embrace.

A Moment for Reflection

Take a moment now to prepare for worship.

Let the many things that have occupied your attention this morning, even as you were planning to come for worship with us, fade into the background to give space for thoughts about God, about life and about faith.

I’m going to ask Barb to play a brief musical selection as we come into the presence of God.

Call to Worship – John 4:4-24 (The Message)

The Call to Worship is from the Gospel of John, chapter 4, verses 4 to 26.  It is the account of Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.

I am reading from The Message translation:

^4-6He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon.

^7-8 A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, “Would you give me a drink of water?” (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.)

⁹ The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, “How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” (Jews in those days wouldn’t be caught dead talking to Samaritans.)

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”

^11-12 The woman said, “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water’? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?”

^13-14 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

¹⁵ The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I won’t ever get thirsty, won’t ever have to come back to this well again!”

¹⁶ He said, “Go call your husband and then come back.”

^17-18 “I have no husband,” she said.

“That’s nicely put: ‘I have no husband.’ You’ve had five husbands, and the man you’re living with now isn’t even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough.”

^19-20 “Oh, so you’re a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?”

^21-23 “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God’s way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.

^23-24 “It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself — Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration.”

Let us respond in the same way as Jesus invited the Samaritan woman:

A time has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Praise and Worship

How Great is Our God As the Deer (vss. 1,2) Ancient Words

Don and Barb Warren will lead us into the presence of God in praise and worship.  Please sing along where lyrics are provided.

Prayers of Adoration and Confession

God our Maker,

In summer we easily marvel at the world you have made, the colours of sunrise and sunset filling the horizon, the intricate beauty of flower gardens and natural parks, the quiet dignity of a river in its course, and the steadfast presence of a rock face carved over time.

You show us how each small piece of your creation depends in many ways on all the others.  Summer growth depends on spring rains; health for each creature depends on the wise balance you have set between each species; the quality of life on the respect we show one another.

Wise and patient God, we marvel at the world you love.  Our worship joins the songs of all creation to bring you praise, honouring you and the relationships you have set between us all, through Christ, firstborn of all creation.

God our Maker,

As we marvel at your creation, we confess we often take it for granted.

We don’t know what to make of reports about the damage human life causes. We prefer to live as if our lifestyles make no impact on the earth.

We confess we don’t really want to change. Yet we wonder if the way we live is pleasing to you.

For all the ways we put your creation at risk and harm the earth,we ask for your forgiveness.

Teach us how to live in this marvellous world with love and respect for you and for your whole creation.

Move among us with your Spirit, O God, and prepare our hearts and minds to receive your Word. Silence in us any voice but your own, that hearing you, we may obey your will and follow your ways in the example of Jesus Christ, the Living Word.

Let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples and us to pray:

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive sinners.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  AMEN.

The Offering

Offering plates have been placed at the entrance into the main auditorium for you to leave your offering as you enter or leave this morning.  Thank you.

The Book of Proverbs

This morning I am going to introduce you to my summer series of studies in the Book of Proverbs.

Years ago, I participated in the Institute in Basic Youth Conflicts taught by Bill Gothard who defined wisdom as follows:

“Wisdom is being able to see life from God’s point of view.”

I have always thought that this was an excellent definition of wisdom and I still do.  When we see life the way God’s sees it, we are able to think and act guided by a much more all-inclusive perspective of truth and righteousness.

“He will lead them to springs of living water.”

While wisdom in this sense may be gleaned from our study of the Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament, the true source of power to live wisely comes from the Spirit of God in Jesus the Messiah.

It is these two principles that we must keep in mind as we study some of the Proverbs in this summer series.

In introducing you to the Book of Proverbs, I want to ask you:

Sharing Thoughts on Our Experiences of Life

What practical insight has helped guide you in your thinking and decision-making?

Thank you for sharing those insights with us.

Today’s Message

Vertical Wisdom For Horizontal Living

In the mid-1950’s knowledge was doubling every five years.  By the mid-2010’s knowledge has double every three years and it continues to grow at an ever-increasing pace.  In fact, our generation possesse more data about the universe and human personality that all previous generations put together.  High school graduates today have been exposed to more information about the world than Plato, Aristotle, Spinoza and Benjamin Franklin combined.  In terms of facts alone, neither Moses nor Paul could pass a college entrance exam today.

Yet by everyone’s standards, even with all our knowledge . . . society today is people with a bumper crop of brilliant failures . . . Men and women educated to earn a living often don’t know anything about handling life itself.  Alumni from noted universities have mastered information about a narrow slice of life but couldn’t make it our of first grade when it comes to living successfully with family and friends.

Let’s face it.  Knowledge is not nought to meet life’s problems.  We need wisdom – the ability to handle life with skill and effectiveness.

Where can we find this rare, intangible quality – and how?

By drawing from the wealth of practical insights divinely deposited in the Book of Proverbs.  Proverbs offers us insight into how to cope with daily life and with other people.

The Christian life is characterized by both a vertical perspective and a horizontal action.  The vertical perspective is found in God’s truth and the horizontal action is lived out in our relationship with our fellow human beings.  We must know both who we are in Christ and how we are to relate to our world and the people around us.

Let’s get at it. . . .

Scripture Reading – Proverbs 1:1-7

Purpose and Theme

¹ The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

^{2 f}or gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight;

³ for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair;

⁴ for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young —

⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance —

⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Name of the Book

Clearly stated in verse are the name and author of the book:

“The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel.”

Just as we associate Torah (the Law) with Moses and the Psalms with David, we put Solomon together with the wisdom literature in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.  Solomon did not write the entire book but the vast majority of it is attributed to him.

The name “Proverbs” comes from the Hebrew word ashal, meaning “to represent, to be like”.  It involves making a comparison in order to convey a specific truth in a pointed way.  The book is filled with sayings, many brief, to guide the life of the godly.

The Form of the Proverbs

The Proverbs make their point in four ways, mostly in one of three couplets:

1. By means of a contrast

Here the writer draws a contrast, using the word but:

A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not respond to rebukes. (Prov. 13:1)

1. By means of a completion

Here the writer completes a thought using the word and or so:

Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy. (Prov. 14:10)

1. By means of a comparison

Here the writer draws a comparison by using the word better / than or like / so:

Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.

Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.  (Prov. 15:16,17)

1. By means of a cameo appearance

In addition to using couplets, the writer relies on cameo appearances of a wide cast of characters like the sluggard:

I went past the field of a sluggard,    past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; . . . I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:     (Proverbs 24:30-34)

Apparently, there are forty-six specific kind of men, twenty-three kinds of woman, and several types of children who make their appearance in parables to illustrate a principle to be learned and applied in life.

1. By means of direct, practical counsel.

Here the writer provides direct, practical counsel to enable a person to make right choices in decision-making:

For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life, keeping you from your neighbor’s wife, from the smooth talk of a wayward woman. Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.                                        (Prov.6:23-25)

THE PURPOSE OF PROVERBS

Now let’s dig a little deeper into chapter 1 to uncover the specific purposes of Proverbs.

1. To revere and obey God from the heart.

Solomon reveals his first purpose in verse 2a, “for gaining wisdom and instruction.”

WISDOM is key to this book.  The Hebrew hokmah is most frequently used in Proverbs.  It occurs 45 times and is used of the skill of craftsmen, sailors, mourners, administrators, and counselors.  These workers, in particular, are knowledgeable, experienced and efficient in their area of expertise and therefore considered skillful or “wise”.

Similarly in the spiritual realm a person who possesses hokmah in reference to God is one who is both knowledgeable and experienced in following God’s ways.  In the Bible, being wise means being skilled in godly living – attentive to and obedient in the truths of God and in applyting them to the issues and problems of life.

INSTRUCTION  is connected to wisdom in the sense that it is learned through experience and moral discipline.  Just as the skills developed by the craftsmen, sailors, administrators, and counselors previously noted, wisdom is more than just communicating and knowing a set of facts.  Wisdom will be hard-won, a quality of character as much as of the mind.

2. To provide discernment and understanding

The second purpose of the book of Proverbs is found in 2b:

“for understanding words of insight.”

It’s the ability to read between the lines; to distinguish truth from error; right from wrong; good from evil.  It is the ability to use the knowledge gained from instruction to perceive the moral imperative of the words spoken.  In the Biblical sense, moral understanding and insight is not the fruit of empirical study, but rather is a gift from God.  It is a gift from God and is uniquely revealed or concealed by God.

A good example of this is Jesus’ use of parables where self-evident truth is known by everyone who hears the  story but the deeper meaning or insight is revealed by Jesus to his followers in particular.

3. To develop alertness in one’s walk.

The third purpose of the book of Proverbs is found in verse 3:

“for receiving instructions in prudent behaviour, doing what is right and just and fair.”

RECEIVING INSTRUCTION suggests an activity in response to something provided or made available.  The term is used to refer to plucking grapes from a vine and taking them with you.  In this instance, it refers to instruction that is plucked and taken like succulent fruit from a vine.

In taking the instruction offered in one’s daily walk, our behaviour will be prudent, right, just and fair.  Admirable qualities indeed!

4. To establish discretion and purpose in life

This objective is somewhat different from the others because we are told what kind of person will most benefit from Proverbs in verses 4 and 5:

“For giving prudence to those who are simple; knowledge and discretion to the young – let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”

TO THOSE WHO ARE SIMPLE refers to a person who is wide open; easily influenced; gullible; an easy target for someone like the harlot described in chapter 7.

THE YOUNG.  In a similar fashion, Solomon mentions the young, referring to small children, earl adolescent teens, and young adults.  Because of their lack of experience and naivete, they are also vulnerable to dangerous influences and need protection and guidance.

What will the book of Proverbs do for the simple and the young?

PRUDENCE.  The simple will become prudent as in shrewd in the management of practical affairs.

DISCRETION.  The young will know discretion.  They will be able to make plans for the future.

5. For understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

The final purpose is found in verse 6:

“For understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.”

RIDDLES.  The word for “riddle” means an indirect, oblique, or enigmatic statement (like a figure of speech) which needs interpretation.  We understand how Jesus used parables to convey truths that were not self-evident, but, needed interpretation or further explanation.  In our study of the book of Proverbs, we will certainly come across many statements that are indirect or subject to closer examination in order to know their significance and application.

A study of Proverbs will introduce the reader/student to a style of teaching that provokes thought’ gets under the skin by thrusts of wit, paradox,  common sense, and teasing symbolism.

Exercising our minds in such a variety of ways will inevitably sharpen our ability to think deeply and with keenness.

THE CONCEPT OF FEARING GOD

Perhaps one of the most familiar, if not understood Proverbs in the book of Proverbs is found in verse 7:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (wisdom).”

The common responses to understanding who God is and how people are to approach him are the extreme positions:  fearing the judgement of God upon us that will utterly annihilate us because we are sinners; and, believing that God is so loving and gracious that He will overlook even the most grievous of wrongdoings.

What does the “fear of the Lord” mean/”

I want to suggest that there are five principles that provide a necessary balance to this understanding of “the fear of the Lord”

1. God must be reverenced for who He is.

First of all, let us not forget that when God gave TORAH (the Law) to His people, He did so to the accompaniment of thunder and lightning and thick smoke.  The people at the foot of Mount Sinai trembled.  When we think of the fear of the Lord, we need to know that God is mighty and holy and worthy of worship.

In the New Testament, the writer to the Hebrews tells us:

“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  (Hebrews 10:31)

God must be reverenced for who He is.

2. God is to be joyfully served.

If God is truly Almighty; if we are His people; if we are living by His Word; if we are daily experiencing His mercy and grace, each one of us ought to find our unique place of service to God.  It is in joyfully serving God and others that we find the fullest satisfaction and meaning in life.

3. God is to be worshipped.

I read the story of Jesus encounter with the Samaritan woman at Joseph’s well as the Call to Worship.  In the eyes of the Jews, she was a hated Samaritan – little more that a dog.  To many people who knew her well, she was a wife or many men and now living with someone who was not her husband.  In spite of that, Jesus engaged her in a conversation that challenged her to re-think her life and faith.

Jesus told her,

“The time has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24)

4. God is to be obeyed.

Solomon, the same writer as this book of Proverbs wrote in the book of Ecclesiastes:

Now here is the conclusion of the matter:  Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.  For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

And finally,

5. God is to be loved.

Because of all that God has done for us in His grace and mercy, showered on us in Jesus the Messiah, we are to:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ (Mark 12:30)

And:

We love God because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

So when you add it all up: reverence God for who He is; serve God joyfully; worship God in spirit and in truth; obey God; and, love God with our whole being because He loved us with His Son, the Messiah – that is the beginning of WISDOM.

And only fools despise it!

Prayer of Response

Let’s pray:

Closing Hymn – “Be Thou My Visions” – Book of Praise #461

Don and Barb are going to lead us in our closing hymn.  Please sign along.

Benediction – John 3:16 /

2 Corinthians 13:14

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  (2 Corinthians 13:14)