Southside Oracle Archive

Vol. 49. No. 42            SOUTHSIDE ORACLE          December 22, 2006

A Dirty Shame

            On recent hot summer days, Ryan has enjoyed playing outside with the garden hose. It has a spray attachment on it and he loves making rainbows on the driveway, watering the parched flowerbeds, and "spray painting" the side of the house. One afternoon I was busy inside when I heard Ryan come in and go to the bathroom. I didn't pay much attention until I suddenly realized that the water in the bathroom sink had been running for an unusually long time. Curious, I went to check. I opened the bathroom door and there stood our five-year old son, splattered from head to toe with black, slimy mud! He had a washcloth in his hand and was trying to undo the damage that had been done when he stood too close to the muddy flowerbed he was spraying. The look on his face is one I will remember for a long time. It consisted of a mixture of remorse and fear and I could read it perfectly. It said, "I didn't mean to do it, Mommy. Please don't be mad."

            As I bathed Ryan and cleaned the bathroom I thought about the look on his face. How sad, it seemed to me, that he spent all that time in the bathroom, hiding, frightened, struggling to take care of a problem that was much too big for him. Didn't he know that in another part of the house was a loving mother who could easily take care of him and make everything all right again?

            How much like this frightened little boy must we sometimes appear to God. Just as Ryan did not plan to get into his mess, Christians seldom set out to disobey God. Without warning sin overtakes us and we are covered with its filth as quickly and unexpectedly as Ryan experienced his mudbath. Then like a child we try to take care of the problem ourselves. We hide from God hoping he won't find out, or we rationalize and make excuses, or in some other way try to atone to remove the stain of guilt left by our encounter with sin. Maybe we agonize for months, even years, because, try as we might, the sin is still with us.

            "How sad," God must think. Don't they know they have a loving Father who wants to forgive and take care of them? How tragic it is when we allow fear of anything else to prevent us from receiving the help of the One who can take care of the biggest problem we will ever face - sin.

            Unfortunately, Ryan does not have a perfect mother who always responds with love and quick forgiveness. His hesitancy to came to me, then, is understandable. Such is not the case with our heavenly Father. God's promise to forgive and restore His children to His favor is unfailing. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

Debbie Scales, The Vandalia Star

The Bulletin Board

            The Sick - Both Pearl Molla and Roger Young whose hospitalizations were reported in last week's Oracle, went home from the hospital and were able to be with us for worship last Sunday.

            A potluck dinner in honor of the Valentines last Sunday after worship was very well attended. Their last Sunday with us will be December 31st and they will be moving to Tucson, AZ on January 2nd.

            New Sunday Classes - Beginning January 7th we will offer three new adult Sunday Bible classes that will last for the next four months. There will be a special ladies' class taught by Judy Nowlin entitled Boundaries. Bruce Williams will direct a study of The Gospel of John that will be extended an extra Trimester. Monroe Hawley will teach a class on The Church After the Apostles. This study will explain what happened in the two centuries after the last of the apostles, primarily examining how doctrinal changes were made in such areas as the Lord's Supper, baptism, and church organization.

            The ladies' Thursday morning Bible class will not meet December 28th, but will resume January 4th.

ATTENDANCE RECORD

(*) first service, 96: second service, 109

            Our Spanish speaking congregation is in need of baby boy clothing for six months and up. Anything will do!!! Bring the clothes to the church building.

            The Search Committee to identify candidates for the position of pulpit minister to succeed Bobby Valentine will meet for the first time next week to establish procedures and criteria in the search. Suggestions for potential candidates can be given to any member of the committee made up of Troy Jensen, Mark Orlovsky, Laurie Giombi, Glynda Giemza, or Monroe Hawley.

"It is right to love the sinner, no matter haw vile; but it is never right to tolerate his sins. Toleration of evil is false kindness." Selected

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