CHURCH PARADE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 253, 23 September 1940, Page 5

CHURCH PARADE

ARTILLERY UNIT. SERMON ON STRENGTH. | Marching to and from the church, members of F Troop of the 4th Field Battery, the Territorial unit now training in Palmerston North, yesterday attended the morning service at All Saints’ Church. The troop was under the command of Captain J.- F. Tasker, and moved with precision and a military smartness. A drummer from tho M,ana\vatu Scottish Society’s Highland Pipe Band accompanied the troop. I Boy Scouts and Cubs were also on parade, and hymns appropriate to the occasion were sung. The Union Jack was borne to the altar by lloy Scout , leaders and placed thereon by the vicar (Canon G. Y. Woodward), remaining on tho altar throughout the service. The National Anthem was sang at the close. Canon Woodward conducted the service, assisted by Rev. D. Y. de Candole. and he preached from the text: “With Him is w’sdom and strength,” from Job. chap. 2, 13th verse. . “Strength is a word that is very much in our lives to day, when we are constantly thinking of our Empire being at war,” said Canon Woodward. “The Empire is fighting for its very life, and for all it holds most dear. So this word strength seems to ho always in our minds. We want| strength, power, that which will, aid | us to be victorious over our enemies.”

If we examined the word we found that it cinne to have different meanings through history, proceeded the preacher. Over and over again we had seen history change. There were three ways in which the meaning of the word came to us. There were nations now, and there had', been nations in the past,' which looked upon sheer brute force as the meaning of strength. When we read the Old Testament we found that the great empires of Egypt, Babylon and Syria thought that brute force was the only force worth possessing. They defeated their enemies by massing great numbers and overcame them by sheer momentum. The smaller nations were in fear when these forces were massed. Later in history a new meaning came to the word—that of the strength the Greeks used. They were able to put to flight the great army of Xerxes. The Greeks had realised that brute strength was not enough, that direction and strategy must be applied, too. The meaning then left that of brute force and became new. It was a new strength, controlled by brain power. “Then we come to the last meaning of strength, which we in the British Empire are striving to obtain,” said Canon 'Woodward, “that which is controlled by wisdom. Wisdom, in the Bible, means knowing God, and When our strength is founded on a knowledge of God and trust in Him then it becomes a righteous strength. We are told in the Bible that wisdom is stronger than weapons of war. When Lsrael trusted in her God she triumphed, but when she trusted in herself she was defeated. Wo now, honestly and truthfully, want to pray for this full strength. We certainly need physical force, but that in _ itself is not sufficient. We need brain power also, but that is not sufficient. We need the righteous strength gained through 'wisdom.”

A LESSON FROM HISTORY. On considering history, continued the speaker, ive found that the days of Napoleon were very like those of the present. The speaker referred to the “thin red'line” at "Waterloo, defending the right against the best trained of Napoleon’s troops. "Wave after wave of attack was sent against tliis “thin red line,” but it stood fast. At. the back of it was the strength of righteousness. Referring again to the text, Canon Woodward said that God was all-wise. Who made all things. At the hack of all things in this world was a great Mind, which wo called God. If we compared the strength of our armies with the wondrous organisation lying behind the myriads of stars—worlds like our own, or bigger, that we could see on a fine night, we gained an impression of the strength of God Then we realised in Whom we should put our trust. Wo should may for that righteous -strength. The last word in this war would be that of God.. So we could go on. knowing the right would be victorious, knowing that victory would be ours, knowing the victory was in the hands of God. Who was wisdom, and Who was strength.