Menno Simons on the Assurance of Salvation - Chortitzer Mennonite ...

even now you are not yet able, for
you are still fleshly. For since there is
jealousy and strife among you, are you
not fleshly, and are you not walking like
mere men? For when one says, “I am of
Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,”
are you not mere men?
What then is Apollos? And what
is Paul? Servants through whom
you believed, even as the Lord
gave opportunity to each one. I
Editorial
I’m a Man… I can Change…
If I have to…Maybe.
Several months ago my wife
and I celebrated our fifth wedding
anniversary. Not twenty-five years, but
the first number of note in our married
lives, and I wanted to make it special.
When you are dating, and looking
forward to getting married to the one
you love, you often imagine all the
fancy dinners you will take her to, the
flowers you will buy, and limo rides
you will take. In reality it’s more like
McDonald’s, dandelions, and a ride in
the minivan. But you wouldn’t trade it
for the world.
Still, I did want to get away with her
for a weekend, and spend quality time
together that would be remembered
for a long time (that’s a guy’s way of
saying, “So I don’t have to make any
effort for the next five years!”). Well, I
made my plans, got my mother to babysit,
and we were set.
What were those great plans, well,
namely, I had tickets to the opera at the
Pantages Playhouse. The opera. That’s
right, I said it. Now, some of you are
thinking, “What’s the big deal about the
opera?” but I also know some of you
are thinking, “You don’t admit those
kinds of things aloud.” But I knew my
wife had often talked about going, and
now was the time.
I need to stop to mention what a
monumental decision this was for me.
I have often mocked the opera, made
planted, Apollos watered, but God was
causing the growth. So then neither the
one who plants nor the one who waters
is anything, but God who causes the
growth. Now he who plants and he who
waters are one; but each will receive
his own reward according to his own
labor. For we are God’s fellow workers;
you are God’s field, God’s building (1
Corinthians 3: 1-9).
Bishop Frank Unrau
fun of anybody who went, many times
saying the words, “I will never go the
opera”. I let it slip to my brother and
brother-in-law and got snickered at.
This only increased my resolve.
I bought tickets to Pirates of
Penzance (featuring the song, I am the
very model of a modern major general),
and decided I wouldn’t tell her about it
until we were on the way. I even bought
her a dress for the event, which is not
easy to do when you don’t have a clue
about sizing, let alone maternity sizing.
I probably shouldn’t admit that I tried
the dress on to get a sense of whether it
would fit, and tore it in a bit of a panic
when it would not come off! Still, the
plan was rolling.
Then, as we were heading to our
hotel in Winnipeg, I couldn’t hold it in
anymore and I told her of our tickets
to the opera. I imagined her excited
squeals of, “You’re the best husband
ever!” Not exactly. Her response was
more like, “The opera…Okay. Sounds
good.” I nearly panicked then. Had
she not said she wanted to go? Was
it something else she talked about?
What was I thinking? Why would I
buy tickets to opera? This was going
to be terrible, a disaster, our suffering
would be immeasurable. How could I
have made such a catastrophe of this
weekend before it even got started?
We spent an enjoyable Saturday
Upcoming
Events
No Conference Ministerial
Meeting in July. Next meeting
will be August 27.
October 16-18, 2009 will be
the annual CMC Mission’s
Conference.
To post an upcoming event in
the next Chronicle, call the office
at 204-346-6320 or email cmc@
mts.net.
together, but the upcoming opera of
that evening weighed large in my mind.
I had resolved that I would suffer in
silence, and at least gain credit for my
ability to endure in the face of tragedy.
I would take whatever the Opera had
to throw my way and would not let a
complaint out of my mouth.
That evening, we got dressed up for
the event. My wife tried on the dress I
bought for her, and looked particularly
beautiful. We drove to the opera,
wandered into the grand old theatre,
and settled in for the show.
Long story short, from the first note
of the first song, we absolutely loved
it. The play was great, the singing
amazing and fun, and the live orchestra
was sensational. I would go again in a
heartbeat.
I am reminded of a line from a
movie I enjoy, “change, for the sake of
change, must be discouraged”. I don’t
change easy, and we as churches often
don’t find it easy either. Change, for
the sake of change may not accomplish
anything, but sometimes a willingness to
make a change in the way we do things
will create experiences and growth that
far exceed our expectations.
Clinton Friesen
July/August Page 3