You don't have to  hang around Valley for very long before you will hear the words 'finish well'.  It is a message I believe God has given to me; a message to share within the community of faith and within the broader community in which we live.  Each of us must ask, how do I want to spend the rest of my days here on earth, however long that season of time may be? 

With each birthday, we recognize the frailty of our humanity.  For some, health concerns have served to heighten this reality.  We know our days on earth have an expiry date, but are we on a path to finish well; to come to the end, knowing we have a confident faith that will carry us across the finish and to our home in heaven?

Recently I was reminded of importance of finishing well as I stood by the grave of our friend Bob McKay; his marker had just be placed--a marker that speaks powerfully of one who did finish well.

I smiled when I saw the image of the birds!  I'm not a bird-lover but whenever I see a hawk soaring in the sky or see a bird I don't recognize, I think of Bob and that brings a smile to my heart. My faith was encouraged saw the image of the cross, for Bob was a man of faith who understood the centrality of the cross of Jesus in the Christian faith -- the cross of Christ is our only hope!  

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

When my eyes moved to the bottom of the maker, I saw the words 'Finished Well'.  I had to choke back tears as I thought again about Bob's courageous battle with cancer and unshakeable faith he lived out and modelled for us.  What a fitting testimony to mark the resting place of one who has crossed the finish line; one who finished well.  Bob's life and faith inspire me to stay the course, to fight the good fight and to finish well for the honor and glory of our Savior.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  (1 Timothy 4:7)

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God
so that you may know that you have eternal life.
                                                                                                                                                           1 John 5:13

It was a defining moment at Valley!  When we sang I Know Whom I Have Believed in response to the truth of God's Word this morning, you could feel the force of conviction in the words and a sense of joy in each note!

For most of us the message of salvation is not new; we've heard it before.  And certainly the call to continue to develop a confident faith, to finish well is not new at Valley.  But we need to be reminded of the basic truths of our faith and to have those truths reinforced in a way that causes us to affirm what we believe in our hearts.  This morning was one of the scared moments in which many of us could boldly, confidently declare:  I know that I know, that I belong to Christ!

Aren't you glad that God has made the message of salvation so clear that even a child can understand it!  The reality is, we are all sinners, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3:23)  And we understand, sin separates us from God, The wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)  We also understand that in and of ourselves we cannot change this reality; we cannot do enough good to offset our record of violations against a Holy God and we cannot cut a deal with God.  Our only hope is the cross of Jesus Christ.  The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 6:23)

Paul writes in Colossians 2:13-14…When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.  

John says the cross is the ultimate display of God’s love for a fallen, sinful man; a truth he emphasizes over and over again in I John. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  (1 John 3:16)  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  (1 John 4:9-10)
 
The cross of Jesus Christ is our only hope.  But, at some point you must trust what Christ did for you on the cross rather than trust a form of religion or your own works.  You must own up to the reality of your sinfulness, confess it and repent of it and trust the only One who can forgive your sin and offer you a pardon; to erase your record of violations.  You must accept the gift of salvation, freely offered in Christ.

And when we do, we find in Christ, saving grace, forgiveness and the sure hope of heaven.  We are then able to have and to continue to build a confident faith that will carry you through all the days of your life, across the finish line to home a home already being prepared for you in heaven.  This is God's great desire for each of us and my desire you, my friends at Valley. that you might know that you know, you belong to God!  And that you might live with a confident faith until Christ comes or calls us home!     

On April 22nd, Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada moved that Bill C-14, an Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (medical assistance in dying), be read the second time and referred to a committee.  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in the House to address Bill C-14, which would, for the first time in our country's history, create a federal legislative framework to permit medical assistance in dying across Canada.  

Since the introduction of this legislation the conversations and debate around this controversial subject have dominated our media; battle lines have been drawn:  some say the legislation does not go far enough and others insist that it goes too far.  No doubt you have found yourself being drawn into the conversation.  How do we respond as a people of faith?  How do we make sense of all the rhetoric; of our convictions and conscience?

As I have had conversations, as I have reflected on the complexities surrounding this debate, I have had to step back and remind myself again of the truths of Scripture that are so relevant as we wrestle with this issue; God's Word is our final rule of faith and practice.  It not only informs our theology but it speaks to the very issue before us. With that in mind, below are six foundational truths to consider as you enter into the conversation.

1 - Sovereignty of God
          We proclaim with the early church, Sovereign Lord, you made the heavens      and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. (Acts 4:24)  We understand that This Is My Father's World, that our God is still on His throne, still working out His purposes.  And though the wrong seems oft' so strong, God is the Ruler yet.

2 - God Is the Author of Life
          For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.  Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book   before one of them came to be.  (Psalm 139:13-16)  

3 - We are called to be honorable citizens
          Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  (Roman 13:1)  As we enter the conversation we have a responsibility to be honorable in our attitudes, actions and words.

4 - We are to be defenders of the truth
         We recognize God's divine plan in establishing governing authorities for the good of society, but at the same time we also understand there may be times when we are called to be a voice for what is right and good when those authorities fail to align with the truth and purposes of God.   We must obey God rather than man.  (Acts 5:29)  There are times when we need to stand firm...with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.  (Ephesians 6:14)

5 - We are to be a people of compassion and grace
        Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  (Colossians 3:12) 
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.  (Colossians 4:6) 

6 - We are to be a people of prayer
          If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Recognize that this issue may not be 'black and white' but stay in the conversation, represent well the Lord Jesus and the truth of His Word by the words we speak and the way we say them.  And above all pray!