Bits and Pieces – 121st Edition – July 3, 2022

“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” [Isaiah 53:5]

     Here we have Calvary unveiled. It is a holy scene depicting the greatest work ever done on earth.  What is here described is the deep mysterious transaction that took place in the darkness of the crucifixion day when the Son of God died as our substitute and sacrifice.  Isaiah mentions four aspects of that work.

     The physical agony of the cross. Wounded, bruised, and stripes are words that describe deep bodily pain.  We should never be able to read of Christ’s bodily suffering without being moved to tears. [See Psalm 22].

     The spiritual conflict of the cross.  Wounding and bruising also denote the penetration of Christ’s heart with sorrow and the severe inward sufferings He bore.  When men had done their worst, all hell sought to conquer Christ.  Satan bruised His “heel” [Genesis 3:15] but, praise God, He bruised Satan’s head and spoiled principalities and powers, making a show of them openly [Col.2:15]

     The penal sufferings of the cross.  “The chastisement of our peace was upon Him.”  This was from the hand of His Father as He judged our sin in our sin-bearer.  What a mystery!  And, Oh, what love, that God should so afflict His Son to spare His enemies!

     The finished work of the cross.  “With His stripes we are healed.”  We have healing by virtue of the work of Christ alone.  He paid our debt.  He bore our judgment.  He removed our curse.  He cures our disease.  He redeemed us to God.  Hallelujah!  What a Saviour!  [Dr. Alan Cairns]

     Sitting in the back garden I watched the amazing flying display of swallows, as they caught their evening meal of flies.  As a former aeronautical engineer I was fascinated by the flying display put on by these little birds, well beyond the capabilities of even the most advanced airplane.  Looking at the complexity one wonders how anybody could theorize that they evolved over millions of years.

     The swallow’s brain would be about the size of the tip of our small finger.  Yet that little computer must execute millions of calculations per second to control yaw, pitch and roll angles, not to mention rates of acceleration and deceleration, as it flies after its elusive pray.  That little brain has to take care of navigation as well.

     We will let the erudite evolutionist tell us why the swallow did not take the easier route of just eating vegetation like the goose?  It would have saved them a lot of trouble.  Most humans would not want a diet of insects but the swallow loves them!  How long did it take them develop a taste for flies during their evolutionary journey?

     The evolutionist who raves about his scientific brilliance, and tries to put others down as know-nothings, cannot see the wood for the trees, nor the swallows!  The hymn says, “Heaven and nature sings” of the great Creator who made us – and the swallow!

     I read an article recently by an avowed atheist who walked through an idyllic natural setting.  He felt a thrill of joy as he beheld the wonders of nature.  Then he suddenly came down to earth with the thought, “Whom do I thank for all this?”

     How poor is the individual whose eyes never seem to see the wonder of it all.  How good it is to be able to walk and quietly sing, “This is my Father’s world.”  Not only does the evolutionist rob himself of the wonder of God’s greatness, but also he torments himself with many questions for which he, and his theory, have no answers.

     For example, When that first ‘thing’ crawled out of the sea (Not to ask where the sea came from in the first place) what gave it the idea of multiplying and reproducing, seeing there was but one of them, and how could it quickly, within the space of its short life, develop a reproductive system?  For the Christian the answer is easy.  God said, “Be fruitful and replenish the earth.” [Genesis 1:28].

     Normally the Toronto church held its annual picnic in September, but a change was made this year.  July 1 is Canada Day, a public holiday, and July 4 is the 46^th Anniversary of the church.  So it was decided to commemorate everything on Canada Day.

      About 150 people gathered at 5.00 pm, including a number of visitors, and hearty fellowship was enjoyed by young and old.  A beautiful meal was prepared and enjoyed by all.  At dusk, an impressive fireworks display concluded the day.