ST. PETER’S CHURCH

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 306, 23 November 1934, Page 11

ST. PETER’S CHURCH

CONFIRMATION SERVICE. The rite of confirmation was administered by the Bishop of the diocese (Rt. Rev. Dr. T. H. Sprott) to 34 candidates in St. Peter’s Church, Terrace End, last evening. Thirty-two were presented by the vicar of St. Peter’s (Rev. I>. J. Davies, B.Sc.) and

two by the vicar of Aslihurst and Poliangina (Rev. H. B. Goertz). There was a splendid congregation present. In the course of a helpful and inspiring address to the candidates Dr. Sprott based his remarks on portion of the 15th' verso of the 3rd chapter of St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy: “The House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

“I want to talk to you this evening on your future life,” said His Lordship. “You are really making a beginning in living the Christian life. This is the meaning of those solemn vows and promises you are about to make. I want to impress upon you the foundation of the Christian life. It is a great and wonderful relationship, in which our Lord Jesus Christ lias taught us we stand to God Who made us. He has taught us that God is our Father in heaven. He has taught us also the meaning of the Father and His everlasting love. It is a wonderful thing' when we realise that fact. The holy love is a love that seeks the highest happiness and welfare of the person loved. Such is the love of the Father in heaven. On that foundation the Christian life is built.”

Dr. Sprott then spoke on three things to help the candidates to live the Christian life. First, he urged them to form the habit, if they had not already done so, of a little daily prayer to God to enable them to live as His children ought to live. It was not easy to live tlie highest and best, lives; it was easy to drift like a log in a stream. It required an ef-

fort to live the best and highest life and prayer was one of the ways. Secondly, they sliou'd get tlie habit of some real study of tlie Bible —not wonderful learning, but intelligent understanding of what was read. One reason why they should do so was that our forefathers had the habit which a past generation had readily given up, and we could not say we were the better for that. The writers of the Bible had a direct awareness of God’s presence, and one could not nead any part without being conscious of this. His Lordship counselled the young people to join the Bible class movement.

Thirdly, confirmation admitted them to the full membership of the Christian Church, His Lordship proceeded. Why did Jesus Christ found that society called the Christian Church? One reason was that it might be a help to all people to live their best and truest lives. He urged the congregation to have a strong Christian society in Terrace End so that the young people would find the help to live the best and highest life. The Christian Church was the oldest in the world having the object alone of promoting the highest life. “I want to impress upon von to keep in the Church, for the Church of Jesus Christ is the household, the family of the living God. You will live safer and happier lives if you do so,” Dr. Sprott concluded.