THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23044, 21 November 1936, Page 2

THE SUNDAY CIRCLE

RELIGIOUS READING FOR THE HOME CONFESSION I have been given so much, and done so little, I have been dull of heart and blind of eye, I have had Joy and never truly felt it, I have had Happiness and passed it by. I have lived all my days so close to Beauty I might have touched her with an outstretched hand; I have heard God in rain and wind and laughter, But I was deaf, and would not understand. I have had Friends, and lost my claim to friendship, I have had Love and let its flame grow dim; I have had Youth and wasted half its pleasures; I have had Health and supple strength of limb. To me has come the splendid call of Courage, The chance to rise out of the common rut— I was afraid to take the road to Greatness, And waited till Adventure’s door was shut. Can God Himself, Who understands our secrets, Forgive my lifelong sin when I confess? I am not worthy to be given Heaven, For I have wasted all Life’s loveliness. —Wilson Wood in the British Weekly. PRAYER Holy and Ever-blessed God, Who hast in Thine unfathomable Love borne with us in all generations, have patience with us still. Visit us not in Thy just Wrath foi such sins and faults of ours as may have furthered designs and encouraged ambitions as have led once more to war. At this late hour when we have all failed, do Thou, O God, come to our rescue and rebuke this rising storm. O Saviour of the World, Who didst speak and live and forfeit Thy life in the faith and hope that the human race in all ages, in grief and shame over Thy cruel death, might rebuke within themselves every temper such as nailed Thee to the Cross: turn our hearts again towards Thee, O Spirit of the Living God, Who sharest the Eternity of the Father and the Compassion of the Son, Who art waiting, Who art besetting us, ready to possess us and take control of us even when we by our own devices have fallen into confusion: Come! Choose how Thou wilt come; as dew, as a whisper, as a breeze, or as a mighty rushing wind. But hear us, O God, we beseech Thee, for Thine own Name’s sake. Amen. FOR THE DAILY MEDITATION “UNTO THE HILLS" Sunday.—“ Mountains and all hills . . . let them praise the name of the Lord.”—Psalm cxlvill, 9. 13. Monday.—" The precious things of the everlasting hills.’’—Deuteronomy xxxiii, 15 (R.V.). Tuesday.—“l will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”—Psalm cxxl, 1. Wednesday.—“ Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord? ... He that hath clean hands and a pure heart.— Psalm xxiv. 3, 4. Thursday.—“ The strength of the hills is His also.” —Psalm xcv, 4. Friday.—“ Then He went up the hill, and those whom He Himself chose He called: and they came to Him.”—Mark 111, 13 (Weymouth). Saturday.—“ The mountains shall bring peace to the people.”—Psalm Ixxii, 3, “SAINT” Dr John Pitts, preaching in Myrtle Street Baptist Church, Liverpool, said the term “ saint ” had fallen on evil days. Lots of people said: "I am not a saint,” the reason being that to many people the word “saint” stood for a narrow, rigid type of piety Yet that which was going to save the world was the ministry of the saints. The world was not going to be saved by well-meaning politicians, however strenuous their efforts, but by men and women who seek to know the will of God. and to do it at whatever cost. The world was suffering from a shortage of Christians. THE DEAF AT WORSHIP “ There are compensations.” says Quintus Quiz in a letter on “Slow at Hearing” in “The Christian Century;’ “ Not all that is said is worth hearing. The story is told of Bishop Thirlwall, a Broad Church English bishop of Victorian days, that he was once at a dinner party at which his neighbour made some fatuous remark. The bishon was hard of hearing and the remark had to be repeated several times before he grasped it. When he finally § rasped the remark, he dignified it y observing sotto voce: ‘Strange how little one misses by being deaf.’ ’’ A CITY-WIDE CAMPAIGN Hull, says the Christian World, has always been a strong centre of Methodism. especially Primitive Methodism, and the churches, convinced that “Methodism has a mission to the present age,” will next week launch a campaign for which they have been preparing for nearly a year The first thrust will be made by a body of local ministers, 30 university and college students, lay evangelists and others, who will spread themselves over the city in open-air services and enter the factories and business houses. Eighty thousand homes are being visited and it is expected that the daylight kinema van will attract attention. The basis of the movement is the call to every church to deepen its fellowship and overhaul its spiritual equipment, and to every, member to make a new commitment of themselves to the Christian cause. A WONDERFUL RECORD The British and Foreign Bible Society’s circulation for last year was 11,686,131 volumes of Scripture (Bibles, New Testaments and portions). This means a circulation of 32,000 copies a day—l 334 books in an hour or 22 each minute. On an average one copy of the Scriptures was issued by the , Bible Society every three seconds day and night throughout the whole of the past year. SPANKING THE CONGREGATION “The manner in whjch a pastor preaches is often effective in driving people out of the fellowship,” writes Franklin H. Minck, in an article on “ How to Drive People Out of Church ” in the Christian Evangelist (St. Louis), “ Some men * spank ’’ the congregation almost every Sunday for various omissions. The trouble is that the ones who might deserve the spanking are seldom present.” CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCHES “Soul and Body” is the subject of the lesson-sermon in all Churches of Christ, Scientist, to-morrow. (Matt. 6: 22.) The golden text is “The light of the body is the eye: if, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.”

Among the citations which comprise the lesson-sermon, are the following from the Bible: “O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.” (Lamentations 3: 58.) The lesson-sermon also included the following passages from the Christian Science Textbook, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” by Mary Baker Eddy. “Do you say the time has not yet come in which to recognise Soul as substantial and able to control the body? Remember Jesus who nearly 19 centuries ago demonstrated the power of Spirit and said, ‘He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also,' and who also said, 1 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth-’ ”