It seems like only a short time ago that people were accusing me of robbing the cradle to get a wife. I am now considered a "Senior" and have been eligible for a while for discounts

at certain establishments. Maybe it is the almost 35 years of marriage that has brought all this to pass. I can vividly remember the day I walked into my first

church as "The Pastor." I was the "New kid on the Block," "Still wet behind the ears," "The youngest pastor of my denomination in Ontario," and ready to see the Kingdom of God established on earth.

What has happened in the more than thirty years since that day has been a very interesting occurrence called life. I have met many loving, gracious, compassionate, wonderful people, and many who needed those qualities but who lacked them in astounding measure. I have had the pleasure of working with individuals whose level of commitment to Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God has left me in awe, and at the same time I have be privy to those who have called themselves followers of Jesus Christ whose commitment to both Him and His Kingdom has been visibly lacking.

The truth is, that while technology has changed, the attitudes and nature of humanity has not changed down through the years. When Jesus Christ walked this earth as the Godman, He told a parable about a man who prepared a banquet and invited people to come. You can read this parable in Luke 14:16-24. What we find in this parable is that a number of the invited guests made up excuses and did not show up. They felt they had better things to do with their time.

We have all made excuses at one time or another for something we did not want to do or some place we did not want to go. Over the years I h a v e had the opportunity to hear a signific a n t number of "reas o n s " f r o m p e o p l e why they could not attend church or become involved in helping others and serving in the kingdom of God. The question we need to stop and think about is, "Why do we do the things which we do?" In Matthew 11:7 we read the words, "As Johns disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: `What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?”

If you go to church, why do you go? What are you expecting to happen? Are y o u going as a shopper, looking for the best bang for y o u r b u c k ? Are you g o i n g seeking t h e greatest entertainment value and emotional high that is currently available? Why do you go? OR, why do you stay away? Are your answers focussed upon yourself or do they make room for the fact that we are called to love and serve the One who loved us and died on the Cross of Calvary for us?

On August 13, 2006, at 10:15 a.m. there will be the opportunity for you to attend the Fiddleville Church Service at the Recreation Centre in Shelburne. Why will you come? In the words of Jesus, "What are you coming out to see?" On the other side, why are you not coming? Is that just an excuse?

Gods Word does remind us that we will be accountable for all that we do and say and that includes the excuses that we make up to avoid commitment to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. Time slips away quickly, the years rush by, I would encourage you to be known as an individual who will be known as a loving, compassionate servant of Jesus Christ who seeks to seek the Kingdom of God established in their corner of this earth. Will you be known for being present or absent?