Why the Cross? By Del Pierce

Transcription

1 D E E R V A L L E Y M E A D O W S S P E C I A L P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T : V O L U M E 4, I S S U E 1 S P R I N G Words from the director Wagner Auditorium Pictures! Donation Empathy Winter Activities Fundraiser I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : Empathy 2 Pictures 2 Winter 3 activities Pictures 3 Fundraiser 4 Upcoming 4 events During this me of year as Chris ans we think about the suffering and death of our Saviour. As we consider His passion we must recall who it is that died and then ask, Why did He have to die on a cross? John s gospel begins by iden fying the Saviour as the Word who was God, who made everything. He was the source of all life and the one who gives light to everyone who comes into the world. It is this Jesus who is put to death on the cross. Then we must remember that the death of Jesus was neither a natural death nor an accident. The death of Jesus was an execu on carried out by order of Pilate at the request of the religious authori es as a punishment for doing wrong even though he was innocent. Why the Cross? By Del Pierce Jesus did not deserve the punishment. His death was punishment for our sin. For each sin we commit, we earn the death penalty. This penalty cannot be paid by dying a natural death of old age, by accident or by disease. If "merely" dying any old way were the payment for sin, idolaters, murderers, rapists, thieves, liars, adulterers and other sinners would be completely absolved of their sins upon their deaths. Cleared of all guilt by death, they would legally qualify for entrance into God's Kingdom. However Hebrews 9:27 says, "It is appointed for man to die once, and a er that comes judgement." Thus, even a er a person's physical death, he is brought under judgment. This means the penalty for sin is more than physical death. Sin cannot be forgiven un l a sacrifice is made by someone not deserving the penalty. So Jesus is introduced by John as being the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Being without sin he qualified to be an acceptable sacrifice whose death could pay the penalty for our sin. As a subs tu onary sacrifice it was necessary that Jesus die by public execu on not just stabbed to death in some back alley. He was condemned to die by the governments of the day. Pilate tried to escape the responsibility of his decision by washing his hands and declaring Jesus a just person, yet he gave the execu on order. Today criminals are executed by a variety of means: lethal injec on, gas, firing squad, hanging or electric chair. The Jewish tradi on would involve death by stoning or by the sword. The means preferred by the Romans was public crucifixion where the condemned person was fastened to a stake or cross to die. It was a cruel torture that sent a strong message to criminals and rebels. Crucifixion was a means that displayed the awfulness of sin and the shame that it entails. Jesus died a shameful death to depict the shame brought on by our sins. It was a terrible way to die yet we know that Jesus was on the cross by his own will. He could have prevented the process or stopped it at any me. He knew he would be hung on a cross and predicted it many mes. He said, As Moses li ed up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be li ed up And again in John 12:32, And I, when I am li ed up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. Then John comments in the next verse, He said this to show by what kind of death we was going to die. In describing how the Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep Jesus explained, For this reason the Con nued on page 2

2 P A G E 2 Why the Cross? con nued Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (John 10: 17,18.) The real reason Jesus died on the cross is because we have sinned and need a saviour. And God loved us so much that he gave his only Son who offered himself without blemish to God so that our consciences could be purified by the blood of Christ. So now we see Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 9:14;12:2) Our Saviour humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:8-11) Beloved: let us love one another, For love is From God, and anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 1 John 4 Empathy by Wendel Ritz This winter I had the joy of a ending a great na onal camping conference. There were great speakers, and sessions, and I learned many new things, from camp finance, to camp menus, spiritual truths, and new program ideas. The session that stood out to me most was a session with the human resources staff of one of Canada s premier hotels. In the session many valuable things where learned. What stood out most to me was the ques on I asked towards the end of the me there. It caught the presenters a bit off guard, but then they began to talk and lay out an incredibly eye opening statement. I had asked: What is the single thing you would teach your staff if you could only teach them one thing? The answer surprized me. I had expected to hear some great sales tac c, financial method or some such concept. The answer they gave me was just one word: Empathy. This empathy is not just for the customer who has had a bad experience because of a fault of the hotel. The empathy extends to the impa ent customer who is honking his horn. Saying Just wait does not help, and saying You are next inline does not help either what does help is empathy, taking the me to listen to the customer rather than asking them to be pa ent. Empathy extends beyond the customer, though: it extends to our co-workers. Doing nice things, and serving customers is expected. But crea ng a culture of service and caring for fellow staff members is a life changing experience. What we have at Deer Valley Meadows is even greater many of the user groups go out of their way to serve the camp and the DVM staff. Thank you to all our great user groups who do and give so much more than expected!

3 V O L U M E 4, I S S U E 1 P A G E 3 Winter Fun by Wendel Ritz Wind howls from the north, and a chill lies in the air. Winter is coming and it is time to pack up and stay inside the rest of the year! Camp is closed, or so you think, but this would be wrong! In winter, things just get a little more interesting at Deer Valley Meadows. Too many events happened over the winter, to list them all, but here are a few: Besides the user groups coming for the conferences, banquets and retreats, we had some DVM events that stick out. In the early winter we launched our first ever wilderness cooking classes in partnership with the Mirror Christian School. Around 20 students bussed out to participate in a for-credit onsite time at Deer Valley meadows. This class was part of the WLD classes of the Alberta Program of Studies CTS program. After some classes at Mirror, and preparatory homework, the students put their knowledge into practice and came to Deer Valley meadows to cook 4 course meals over the fire, using the safety and cooking techniques previously taught. January saw our annual sledding day, where our hill is open for people to come as a family and enjoy the great outdoors. We saw kids slide on sleds, ride on sleds and fly on sleds down the hill. We served up refreshments and hot beverages, and had a wonderful time with the community members.

4 Box 690 Alix Alberta T0C 0B0 Phone: (403) Fax: (403) Deer Valley Meadows Camp is a relaxing setting for your event with 142 acres of woodland and grass meadows on the north bank of the beautiful Red Deer River. We facilitate and host conferences, retreats, seminars, family reunions, camps, business meetings, board meetings, weddings, school day trips, picnics, anniversaries, concerts, banquets and cultural groups. Larger groups of 300 enjoy all the facilities at DVM. Smaller groups of 10 to 20 soon feel at home gathered around one of our fireplaces or a kitchen table. We offer packages for a week, a weekend, or for one night or an afternoon. Our staff is able to assist with planning your program. Deer Valley Meadows Camp is owned and directed by the Canadian Church of God Ministries. It is a member of Christian Camping International (CCI) and the Alberta Camping Association (ACA). The objective of Deer Valley Meadows Camp is to provide facilities for people to meet in a Christian environment and to offer quality food, programs and service as representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ. Deer Valley Fundraiser On Saturday April 8th Deer Valley is hosting a fundraising banquet and auction, to help us raise funds to complete the Cabin Clusters. And complete the Auditorium project These are important projects as they will allow more Children to come to Camp, and provide washrooms at the Wagner Auditorium. Arrival is 3pm Supper is at 5:00, and the price is $20/ adult, $12/ child age 5 11, and under 5 years old is free. Please Call: (403) to reserve your spot. Upcoming events April 7-9 Children's ministry retreat April 8th Deer Valley Fundraiser April Emerging Leaders June 2-4 Gospel Music Weekend Deer Valley Meadows Camp is grateful to all those who have donated to the camp over the years. We depend on the generosity of many people, who have helped us by financial donations, volunteer work, or by including us in wills. Please consider us when you are planning for your future giving, and estate planning.

5 Spring 2017 newsle er Insert 4th Annual Fundraiser Supper April 8, 2017 Raising funds to complete the Auditorium renovation project 3 pm in the Dining Hall Coffee & Refreshments & Silent Auction 5:00 Roast of Beef Buffet Music Ministry and Live Auction Ben Kellert Killam, Alberta Tickets $20.00 Call to reserve your spot.

6 Spring 2017 newsle er Insert 55+ retreat May 22 25, 2017 Near to the Heart of God Our guest speaker is Del Pierce, the Execu ve Director of Deer Valley Meadows since Del has 27 years of pastoral service in rural communi es and 10 years of service at Gardner College in Camrose. Del will be leading a study from Ma hew chapter 15 about knowing the heart of God. The Wednesday banquet features the music ministry of Del s brother Ron. Ron Pierce comes to us from Brandon, Manitoba. Singing some of the best of southern gospel music, Ron and his wife, Marilyn, have travelled throughout western Canada. His choice of music includes songs by Bill Gaither and Rodney Griffin. Ron is a member of the Time to Sing Choral group. Special all inclusive price is $90 per person or $165 per couple. Arrive Monday a ernoon stay un l a er breakfast on Thursday Includes all meals, Wednesday banquet, concert and sessions. To register call or dvmcamp@xplornet.com. Projects for the Fundraiser Auditorium Renova ons New Cabin Cluster