Bits and Pieces – 5th Edition – April 5, 2020

STILL CLOSED.  Due to the continuing coronavirus crisis, there will be no public meetings in Toronto F.P.C. for a third Sunday.  There will, however, be webcast services at 11:00am and 6:30pm on www.sermonaudio.com/toronto, with Pastor Saunders preaching.

SKYPE PRAYER MEETINGS for the North American F.P.C. pastors and student ministers are to continue on a regional and weekly basis.  The first meeting was held on Monday, March 30.  The Rev. Reggie Cranston brought a brief devotional message to Frank D’Addurno, John Kelly, Frank McClelland, Larry Saunders and Milos Solc, before the session of prayer – a blessed time.

“THE STARS ALSO.”  Just three words but, to paraphrase Winston Churchill on another occasion, never was so much described by so few words. (Genesis 1:16).  The statistics of the known universe are mind-boggling, and the numbers change constantly as scientists probe deeper and deeper into it.

It is estimated that there are about 200 billion stars etc. in our Milky Way galaxy.  And it is estimated that there are another 100 billion galaxies each filled with billions of stars.   If a computer could be devised to count them all at the rate of 10 million per second, it would take 63 million years to count them all. 

Not only did God make them all, and enumerate them, but He knows each of them by name.  “He telleth the  number of the stars; He calleth them by their names” (Psalm 147:4).  Jesus, our Saviour, was essentially involved in their production.  In Proverbs 8:27 it is said of Him, “When He prepared the heavens, I was there.”   John adds, “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made”  (John 1:3).

Beside the enormity of the Universe our earth is but a speck of dust in the ocean of space.  And we are but specks of dust on that speck of dust.  God likens us to “grasshoppers”  (Isaiah 40:22) so there is not much room for human pride!   Yet, amazingly, God loves us and has redeemed us through the sacrifice of His Son.  Well did John Newton sing of God’s “amazing grace.”

“NO-SEE-UM”s.  The Universe is Macro, but at the other end of the scale is Micro.  On the beaches of Florida in the evening warmth appear the “No-see-ums” – tiny little insects, (so small that you ‘no-see-um’) with a nasty little bite.  They are about the size of a pin prick.  And yet under a microscope they look somewhat like a house fly, complete with legs, wings, and a means of inflicting a bite on the hapless beach goer.  Those minuscule legs and wings etc. have a system of muscles and nerves to enable their mobility.

From the macro to the microscopic God’s wonderful creative ability is seen.  He speaks thus in the general revelation of nature, and by  the special revelation of His Word, which tells us who He is, and how we relate to Him.

MARGARET SCHENK.  The Toronto church was saddened to hear of the death of Margaret Schenk on Thursday night.  Margaret was 85, a longtime and faithful member of the church.  Unfortunately, due her age, she was unable to attend church for the past several years.  To her daughter Grace, son-in-law Alex, grandson Caleb  and the rest of the Schenk family circle, we extend our heartfelt sympathy and assure them of our continued prayer.  Due to the Covid19 situation, there will be only a small private family service at the Holstein Cemetary, Egremont, on Tuesday at 1:00pm. 

MINISTER FOR ORLANDO.  We are happy to announce that the Rev. Thomas Laverty, from Northern Ireland, has accepted a call from Orlando F.P.C. to become its minister.  Pray for him as he goes through U.S. immigration procedures, which may be more protracted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

THE HITTITES were a powerful nation in Old Testament times, stretching back to about 1650BC.  An interesting article on them appears in the National Geographic’s History magazine (March 2020). It points out that the secret of their military success was their superior breeding of horses, and innovative chariot designs.  This concurs with the Bible records with emphasis on horses and chariots (1 Kings 10:29).  The Hittites disappeared as a race, and the History article is not sure why.  The Bible has quite a lot to say about the Hittites, including their defeat at the hands of Israel when Joshua led God’s people to inherit the “promised land”  (Deuteronomy.20:17).