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6 The Caniadian Statesman, B3owmanviile, July 2, 1975 Section Two whieh are in Egypt and bave heard their cry by reason of, their taskrnasters; f'or I know their sorrows, and 1 arn corne down to deliver tbhem". Here beside a bush whichl flamied in the desert, was a proclamnation o)f the redemnp- tive rncess through which God brought deliverance to His people. Lt is a redemptive process wbich bas gone on and on, and which continues in our world today., Is the re not a sense ini whicb the incarnation of our Lord% was a fulfilment of this word spoken of old? That the Word becarne flesh and dwelt among us, that God becarnernan for us and for our salvation is another way of saying what Moses heard beside the bush which burned in the desert. I have been the affliction of my people . . . 1 know their sorrows . . . I arn comne down to deliver thern. The use b y the Church of the symnbol of the burning, bush spek o s herefore, of the conltinuity of God's redernp- tive purpose for His people. t speaks to us also of the miraculous continuity of God's church la our world. The persistence and survival of the Church of God in our world is a miracle, like the miracle of a bush buring but not consuned. The existence of the Church of God in our World bas always been sorne- thing of a miraculous event. That a letter in our New Testament should begin: "To the Church of God in Corinth" is sorneth-Ing of a mniracle. Corinth, the city of iii repute -- but there was aChurch of God in it. t was a struggling Cburch, beset with problems; racked witb divisions, but still the Church of God. Is it not somiething of a miracle that there should be a reference in our New Testanent to the "saints which are of Caesar's household"~? Caesar's house- hold was not the kind of place you would expect to find saints in, but there they are, as unexpected and as rnuch out of place as a flarning bush in the desert. As the little patches of the1 green and growing thingsj survived in the sun-beatea,i wind-swept crags, and grassj grew on the mountains, the psalmist reflected that it was the God who nurnbered the stars,'bound up the broken- hearted, and heard the young ravens when they cried, who brought such unlikely thîngs to pass. Tbe.continuity of the Church of God i our world is sornething like this. t liappens because God is God. From the rnidst of the burning bush which burned, but was flot consumned, God declared Himself to be the God of Abrahamr, Issac and Jacob. These patriarchs hadi gone the way of ail flesh, but God's work went on. Gener- ation after generation passed. Old orders changed to new and God fulfilled Himself in rnany ways. The outward forms of the Church changed, as the Satterns of flame in a buraing uhchange from moment to moment. As the fire is still present in a changing pattern of flame, the divine hife of -the Church and of the people of, God has survived and çontin- ues with us stili. From the midst of the burning busi, AMoses heard the summnons to go and bring the Children of Israel out of Egypt. Moses in his moment of humnan weakness,, question- ed why be should be given this task, but in thie awareness of the divine presence and in dependence on God's promis- es, he was able to fulfili his duity. the God we serve today is the God who sees the afflict- ions of His people. He sees rnen beart-sick fron attempt- ing to live without Hirn, and wjthout hope in His w>,orld, and He knows their inability to deliver themnselves from their bondage. We, who seek to serve and wvorship Him in a Churchi whîch cherishes as its symbol a bush whichi buras and is flot consumed have the obligation laid upon uIS to involve ourselves, with ail our gifts of heart and mmid and strength in His continuing redemptive purpose for His people, that we may ail corne in the unity 6f the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God to the stature He intended for us., (Cornpiled and given by Catherine Campbell) St. Andrew's Preshyterian Church Bowrnanville, Ontario P~RrIcPi~ amo Hon or Roi! Accountant and Grand -Salesmaster Tom Cowan, left, owner of Cowan Pontiac-Buick Ltd. congratulates Doreen Gifford for obtaining Honour Roll membership with General Motors Dealer Accountants Club and Weldon Brown for being named the Grand Salesmaster for the second year. The objective of the accountant's award is to encourage and promote accurate business management practices with the preparation of prompt monthly financial statements. Doreen had to obtain over 90 per cent in promptness and accuracy. Weldon was presented the Sterling Silver Service Award, an award in excellence inà the profession of automotive retail salesmanship. Mrs. Winnifred Bird gives instruction' in knitting and crocheting at Strathaven Nursing Home. Oni Friday June 2th, she helped out with a bazaar where many of the items made by th e residents were sold. TH maE BuRFNING B USH This titie (The Burning 1Bush) takes us back to the w-onidrous day of Moses' en- couter with God beside a bush which flarned in the diesert. We are told that when Moses saw the flame in the midst of the bush, "he looked and h-ehold the bush burned wiie aïad the bush was not consumed". From the midst of this bush which burned with fire ,and was not, consurned, God spôke to His servant Moses of lis redemiptive power for His people and sumnmoned Moses, His servant to take part in that redemptive purpose. Ejxlanationsor attempted explanations of the miracle of a bush which burned and was not consurned have not been very impressive or for that matter Ver y necessary. To be told th at there are plants in the desert which exude rec- inous material which is highly inflamimable and which'may be îgaited by the heat of the sun does not take us very far towards an uaderstanding of the real miracle in this incident, the miracle f a mnan's encounter with God. We rnay corne dloser to the spirit of the incident, if we take the poetic viewpoint that earth is always crammed wth heaven and that to the eyewhich can THE HERITAGE COLLECTION .. .OUR NEW SELECTION 0F COLOURS. 8x10 PORTRAITï Ail ageës: Babies, children and aduts One sitting per subject Additional subjects-Groups or individuals in same family- $I.0O per subect Nô profs-Clioose from finished professional portraits (poses--our selection)E You may select additiona I portraits offered at Iow plices 0%N LY NO HANDLING -SA'TIS'FACTION GUARANTEED ITHURS. FR1. SAT. JuIy 3-4-5 PHOTOGRAPHER ON DUTY: Thurs. 10-6 Fr1. 10-8 Sat 9-4 BOWMAN VILLE see every common bush rnay be aflame with God. We who have seen the Canadian coun- tryside in autumn and have noticed the dark red sur-nacs by the roadsîde, or the scarlet Imaple on the hilîs, should not need too rnuch by way of explanation of the possibility of God speakiag to mnan from a bush which burned and was flot consumed. The incident is one which has given to our braneh of the Church a cherished symbol - The ernbiem of the burning bush was used in ail branches *of the Presbyterian family of churches which came together to form the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Lt appear- ed on the titie page of the Christian Examiner, of the Free Church, and of the Synods la connection with the Church of Scotland. Iltlhas been emnbroidered on pulpit fails, depicted in stained glass, painted o'n walis, and earved la wood and stone on buildings dedicated to the worship of God and the proclamation of lis Word. The symibol was not adopted through any officiai action of the Church. La. 1690 an Edinburgh printer narned George Mossm-an was ap- pointed to print the Acts and Proceedîngs of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He p ut on the tLitle page the nlow familiar symbol of the burning bush, with its familiar motto. There is some uncertainty as to where he obtained the idea f or it. Lt is ciaimed that the sym bol of the burning bush had appeared on the seal of the national synod of the Reformed Church of France. There are a few referencès in the letters of Samnuel Rutherford to "the goodwill of hlm that dwelt in the bush", and to the Lord being with Hîis afflicted kirk so that "this burning bush is not consumed to ashes". What- ever may have suggested the idea té George Mossman the symbol of the burning bush as an ernblern of the Church of God in our world, appealed to many as rnost appropriate. Lt is of the very essence of a symnbol that its meaning cannot be defined ver y strictly in miords. Tt is to the language of symbolismn that we have recourse wheît we comne to the deep places of fle where Wiords fail us. A symbol is aiways something like an outline which we fill la with meaning frorn our own exper- ience and f rom our own insights. We can go a littie way, however, towards seeing something of' the attraction whicb this symbol hias hiad for our church and som-ething of the significance which has been attached to it, by lookinig at the setting in thie story of God's dealings with His people. When Moses had thîs en- counter with God beside a ,bush which burned in the desert, his people were la bondage. He had already tried the way of violence in an atternpt to help thiem. He had slain* an Egyptiafi and had been compeiied to flee to the wiiderness. Here, as hie nursed bis hopes and biurts, God spoke to hlm an-d revealed Himself as thec God of Abra- ham-f of issac and of Jacob, Ilere, too, H1e revealed H-is redemiptive purpose for His people, -1 have surely seen the aifflictioni of my people IGA Dessert Shefls ASSORTEO VARIETIES IGA Candies 4 IGA Book Matches NORMAL, DRY, EGG OR OiLY IGA Shamopoo CHOCOLATE FUDGECREME Colonial Biscuits PKG. 0F49 1%t TO 9 OZQ PKGS 49 PKG PRICES EFFECTIVE WED. 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