“ That which was from the beginning , which we have heard , which we have seen with our eyes , which we have looked upon , and our hands have handled , concerning the Word of life — 2 the life was manifested , and we have seen , and bear witness , and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us — 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you , that you also may have fellowship with us ; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ . 4 And these things we write to you that your [ a ] joy may be full .” 1 John 5 : 1-4 NKJV

I ’ d like to share with you these words from St Patrick of Ireland about his take on Jesus Christ . It was a long passage so I am putting the last lines . The lines show how much St Patrick love Jesus Christ .

“ Christ to shield me today , Against poison , against burning , Against drowning , Against wounding , So

that there may come to me an abundance of reward . Christ with me , Christ before me , Christ behind me , Christ in me , Christ beneath me , Christ above me , Christ on my right , Christ on my left , Christ when I lie down , / Christ when I sit down , Christ when I arise , Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me , Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me , Christ in every eye that sees me , / Christ in every ear that hears me . I arise today Through a mighty strength , the invocation of the Trinity , Through belief in the Threeness , Through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation ”

This is part two of the Church Statement of our Beliefs .

LESSONS FROM THE PARABLE

“ According to Paul , writing on 1 Corinthians 12 , the same thing is true in the spiritual realm . If one member of the church refuses to work in harmony with the directions of Christ , the Head , the work will be impaired or interrupted until

each member decides to cooperate . And if Satan , the author of chaos , controls any members of the body instead of Christ , there will be no possibility of Christ ’ s church functioning in unity , unless of course , it ’ s for the wrong purpose .”

IMPORTANCE OF UNITY

Speaking of unity , the Bible writers stress that differences such as gender , race , wealth , intelligence should not hinder the body of Christ from functioning correctly as long as members are in Christ . These differences exist , but the person who is in Christ is a new creature . The Lord removes the barriers that divide human beings , ( Ephesians 2 : 14 ). Thus , “ There is neither Jew nor Greek , slave or free , male or female , for you are all one in Christ Jesus ( Galatians 3 : 28 ). In other words , all these differences , far from producing dissonance , contribute to enriching the concert .

Just before His agony in Gethsemane , Jesus prayed for the unity of His disciples . He asked His Father to make them

one , as He and the Father were One . ( John 17 : 20- 23 ). The unity that we , His disciples , achieve in response to His prayer will give us the ability to fulfill His purpose of declaring to the world that Jesus died to save us from sin .

As one body with many members , the church brings together people from every nation , tribe , language and people . Through the revelation of Jesus Christ in the Bible , we share same faith and hope , becoming witnesses to the whole world .

“ Christ to the world we sing , The world to Christ we bring .” Amen .

For prayer , questions and Bible study , call Ben

at 604-581-1278 , Junjun at 778-927-8040 , and Stanley at 604-700-3053 . You are invited to worship with us every Sabbath ( Saturday ) at the Abundant Life Community Seventhday Adventist Church at 13062-104 Avenue , Surrey . Welcome .

Our new shepherd , Pastor Leomar Macaraig also takes care of the Vancouver Filipino and Burnaby FilCan SDA churches . His phone number is ; 604-928-3579 . Every Friday , we have a Bible Study with the Pastor . Everybody is welcome to attend , whether you are a Seventh-day Adventist or not . The Word of God is for everyone . Our address is 9495- 132 Street , Surrey .

The story is told about a husband who looked so forlorn and rejected . When asked why , he said : “ My wife and I had a fight . This morning , she asked for her lipstick and I unintentionally handed her the glue stick . Up to now she is not talking to me .”

In today ’ s Gospel ( Mt . 21 , 33-43 ), Jesus tells us that rejection is part of a mission . “ The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone ; by the Lord has this been done , and it is wonderful in our eyes .” Consider it a privilege when you experience rejection , persecution , oppression , or being misjudged or misunderstood in any way . We take courage from the words of our Master who said that we are blessed when we are insulted or persecuted because of

Him .

Today is Indigenous People Sunday . For the longest time , indigenous peoples have experienced all forms of rejection and oppression in blatant or subtle ways . Let us be sensitive to and be respectful of everyone . All people have rights . May we have respect , understanding and compassion toward one another .

Today ’ s parable ends with a clear note that God Himself will defend and restore justice to those who are aggrieved . Divine justice is slow , but surely it will come . Goodness will triumph over evil in the end . God does not sleep . In time , in His time , the good will be rewarded , and the evil will be punished .

Life is just leased to

us by God . No one has the right to take life away from us . “ Vintage time ” is reserved for God alone . It is He and He alone who decides when and whom to harvest .

Psalm 146 tells us to focus on and trust the Lord as we go through this valley of tears and fears : “ Put no trust in princes , in mortal men in whom there is no help . Take their breath , they return to clay and their plans that day come to nothing .” Let God be God , let man be man .

After Jesus died on the cross , the disciples disbanded and were gripped with fear . And it was the Blessed Mother who rallied them to regroup , and reminded them of their original vision and mission . It is our Blessed Mother who calls us again ,

especially during these trying times , to be strong , to be steadfast , and not to lose hope . Our Mother tells us today : “ I am here . I am your Mother . Do not fear . I am near .”

Gone too soon . Fr . Ed Orpilla , SVD , has gone home to the heavenly Father at the age of 55 . Father Ed is from Candon , Ilocos Sur , and has spent most of his 23 years of priestly life in pastoral work in Mindoro . His last assignment was as parish priest of the Shrine of St . Arnold Janssen in Cainta , Rizal . Father Ed reminds all of us that indeed , life is short , so let us not postpone our conversion and our loving .

Grateful at 64 . Yes , I am grateful for the gift of life , and for the mission done , and yet to come . I would like to thank the following who helped in

our birthday fundraising dinner and program last Oct 1 : “ Moments with Fr . Jerry ” Foundation , Mission Angels , Dik & Nitz Trofeo , Adrian Panganiban , Maita Martinez , Prince Biñas , Fatima Soriano , Franco Aquino , Christopher de Leon , Michaelangelo Lobrin , Pinky Marquez , Ivy Violan , George Tagle , Madonna Decena , Sherwin Sozon , Lucky Robles , and Jonathan Badon .

Think about this : “ Have I not commanded you ? Be strong and courageous ; do not be afraid ; do not be discouraged ; for the Lord God is with you wherever you go ” ( Joshua 1:9 ).

A moment with the Lord :

Lord , us to be strong and courageous especially when we are rejected or persecuted . Amen . ( Inquirer )