Canada - the greatest!

139 years ago (1867), Canada came into existence. In the world of nations, Canada is a youngster.
How good God has been to our nation. Putting within her some of the world's greatest mineral wealth, fresh water greater than any other nation, two oceans on her farflung borders, and a friendly neighbour to the south with unimaginable military might and of like thinking, God has been so very good to us. To date, our dominion has 32 million people, double what it was when I was a boy.
I have had many opportunities in my lifetime to thank God that I was born in Canada. When we went abroad as missionaries, our Canadian citizenship and passports were regarded highly. In this great nation, I have been able to earn four post graduate university/seminary degrees even though I came from a poor family. My mother, an immigrant from Scotland, had to work very hard to keep us together as a family since my father died three weeks before my twin sister and I were born. I was born in pastoral Prince Edward Island and raised in Sarnia, Ontario. My home church, Temple Baptist Church, Sarnia, took us under their wing and provided help to us as a family which the government at that time was not doing. Under good leaders like Baptist cleric Tommy Douglas, our social services and medicare developed unbelievably so that a family today in the position of my family at my birth would have much more help in raising a family.
I thank God for so many blessings this Canada Day. I sit here at my computer in sunny B.C. and thank God for our mountains and beautiful topography. Our food distribution is so ample that we can choose to buy all kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables all year round. I never go to bed hungry or fearful. Canada is a safe and peaceful nation. On the whole, apart from some random act of violence, we have nothing to fear.
I've been a pastor for almost 50 years (as of 2007). During that time in addition to being on the mission field I have served across Canada (Toronto area, Winnipeg and B.C.). No one has ever threatened me with imprisonment or worse because I fearlessly preach the Gospel of Christ and His Word. We enjoy rightly our freedom of religion. We have full freedom to vote (including our women folk), assemble and get together, freedom the press. What a land! Thank-you, Lord Jesus.
The word "Canada" apparently is native Indian for "village". Surely we are a village of people part of that great global village that Marshall McLuhan referred to. It is a dominion, not of England, but of God (founding verse: Ps.72:8 "A nd He shall have dominion from sea to sea."
A prayer for Canada is found in one of the official verses of "O Canada":

Ruler supreme, Who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our dominion in Thy loving care.
Help us to find, O God in Thee, a lasting rich reward.
As waiting for the better day,
We ever stand on guard.

God keep our land, Glorious and free
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Let's Reverse Same-Sex Legislation

Canada is at the crossroads right now. At last we have had a change in our national government. Although the Conservatives under Prime Minister Stephen Harper do not enjoy a majority government, they have proven already that they can bring in some bold legislation and have it passed in parliament.

Thankfully, our new Prime Minister has never hidden the fact that he is opposed to same-sex marriages. Many of us have bided our time in urging the new government to do something about this travesty of morality in our country. Sometimes, however, we can keep silent no longer. In one of our Vancouver newspapers the other day, a reporter audaciously said that some of the Conservative caucus are saying they have had few letters on this subject of same-sex marriages and that it would be better for the government to keep silent about it. This reporter needs to understand that the reversing of same-sex marriage laws are every bit as dear to our hearts as ever. I call on all of us to write the Prime Minister's office and our MP's asking them as soon as possible to pass legislation to get rid of this affront to our moral values.

As a chaplain and a clergyman, I am as opposed as ever to the marriage of same-sex couples. The Bible is diametrically opposed to such marriage (re Romans 1: 18-32; I Corinthians 6: 9-11)!
Marriages in our country are weak enough without muddying the waters with same-sex marriage. Children are confused enough and should not have their sexual orientation weakened by laws that are contrary to common sense and nature.

Another big factor in all of this is that the courts are really the ones who have forced us into this present position on same-sex marriage. Since Parliament has refused to act with proper legislation to clarify marriage in Canada, we are faced with a situation that is intolerable. Parliament has every right to act. We are calling upon our new government to act as quickly as possible to make marriage what it has always and universally been, namely, "the union between one man and one woman"! While I could be wrong, I do believe that there are now sufficient mp's who would vote with the Conservatives to make new legislation strengthening marriage and outlawing all other types of marriage (polygamous, same-sex, etc.) that it would pass handily. Before when legislation along these lines was passed, the former government refused to allow the cabinet to have a free vote. Now it should be different. As part of this bold initiative for parliament to clarify marriage in Canada, every concerned Canadian should contact his member of parliament and the Prime Minister's Office urging them all to reverse the offensive legislation making same-sex marriages legal in Canada. Remember, the holy God will bless our efforts.