In Memory of Arthur Malcolm “ Mr eternity ” Stace
(AD 1884 – AD 1967)
By
Pastor Peter Rahme
Author - The
Man & The Story Behind Amazing Grace
….He
being dead yet speaketh. (Hebrews 11:4b)
Wednesday,
July 30th
AD 2008, marks the 41st anniversary of the death
and home going of Arthur Malcolm “Mr. eternity” Stace. Born in 1884 into a drunken
family, Arthur described what he’d become “a petty
criminal, a bum and a metho drinker."
His new
birth from an old life in crime and
sin to a new life in Christ and
service, took place on the night of August 6th,
1930. This significant and
spiritual turn around occurred after he heard the Gospel of Jesus
Christ preached faithfully by Rev. R.D.S. Hammond at St Barnabas church
in Broadway, Sydney.
Then 12 years later on a Sunday night of November 14th,1942, at his home church, the Burton Street Baptist
Tabernacle, Darlinghurst, he heard
“the echoes of
eternity”, proclaimed
forthrightly by
Australia's beloved evangelist- the late
John G. Ridley M.C.
The
little man with a big heart
was challenged to go out and write the word eternity. This he did
continuously and consistently for the next quarter of century till he
died on July
30th, 1967.
By
the time Arthur Stace was
called by God to exit this world
into eternity, he had left behind a legacy of an
enormous
value in the copperplate writing of one word – eternity.
God took his tool
of one piece of chalk, his text of
one word eternity and his territory
of one pavement at a time in Sydney,
and
multiplied it abundantly.
It
was witnessed first by many thousands in Sydney,
Wollongong, Newcastle
and Melbourne.
Then
on the eve of the new
millennium celebration, more than a million
people who crammed around the Sydney Harbour
Bridge saw
it electronically emblazoned
across the bridge of our Olympic city after a spectacular display of
fireworks.
It was also
beamed around the world to more than
two billion viewers then, as well as at the closing ceremony of the
Sydney Olympic Games later on in the year.
Here
is the life & legacy of Mr. Eternity in a song.
I'd
like to tell you the story, the one of Mr. Eternity.
His
real name was Arthur Stace.
This
trophy of God's grace joined the human race,
back
at the last century, in the Balmain slums of Sydney.
Home
was hell for this young lad, with a desperate mum and a drunkard dad.
The
first half of his wretched life, was torn by sin and left in strife.
He
spent more time in jail than school, for breaking the law and being a
fool,
and
almost followed his family into a Christless eternity.
At
the age of 45, utterly lost and barely alive,
he
went into St. Barnabas to see,
what
else he could get for free, besides a rock cake and a cup of tea.
He
found God’s grace and mercy with the love of Christ
on Calvary.
Convicted
he went out in the dark, and walked across to the park,
and
under a Morton bay fig tree, he cried "Lord be merciful to me".
He
trusted Christ and believed, eternal life he received,
from
sin and shame he was set free, and was saved for eternity.
In
November '42, God was working in and through, the evangelist John G.
Ridley.
He
preached so eloquently “the echoes of eternity”,
and
wished that all of Sydney,
would
hear that word eternity.
With
conviction from on high, Arthur Stace began to cry,
as
he left and went for a walk, he had with him a piece of chalk,
outside
the church in Burton
street,
and right there by his small feet,
began
a life long ministry, the writing of " eternity
".
In
July '67, Arthur Stace went to heaven, at the ripe old age of 83.
He
entered and saw finally that place he wrote of frequently,
and
the Saviour he loved dearly, whom he served so faithfully.
The
life of little Arthur Stace, reflects the mercy and the grace,
of
God who is great in his love, He even left his throne above,
for
a cruel death on this earth, to give the repentant, second birth,
and
for sinners like you and me, he stepped down and crossed eternity.
Chorus-
Eternity, Eternity,
the lifetime of the Almighty.
You've got to meet eternity,
where will you spend
eternity?
Where will it be where will it be? Will heaven or
hell be your destiny?
Call
on God’s grace and mercy,in the love of Christ on Calvary.
.................................................................................
For more on
John G.Ridley’s effective ministry & powerful
sermons, go to - www.johngridley.org.au
To
listen to 'the life & legacy of
Mr.
Eternity' - song on
You tube,
click on http://au.youtube.com/user/innerwestbaptist
To
order 'the life & legacy of Mr.
Eternity' complete CD - email pastor@innerwestbaptist.org.au
