“Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation…” Acts 13:36
We welcome Revd Peter Cook and his wife, Ineke this Sunday.
Peter served with me in my five years of ministry as Vicar at St Andrew’s Cathedral. It was a very intense and challenging season of ministry. I was glad to have Peter on the team. I can recall the many hours of brainstorming and we figured our stuff together. Peter is one who plan in detail and in advance. You can say that he complemented me very well!
Such was the pace of ministry that I that I only began to truly appreciate his friendship and ministry companionship after I was posted out. I looked back and realise that all that happened would not have been possible without good team players on the clergy team. The clergy and staff team I had was multi-cultural and each had different gifts. Peter certainly contributed a lot in this regard.
Time move on relentlessly and all those times are now fading memories. But they remain treasured because those were good and fruitful times. As St Paul said in Philippians 1:3, “I thanked God for every memory of you.” When memories of being with someone are wrapped up with God’s work, those moments stay as seeds of thanksgiving which continue to grow and nurture the present and future.
The ministry and community dynamics in MPCC are very different but the same values continue to hold true. Here I am now with a staff and lay leadership team which is slowly growing. Friendships are slowly being forged. The soil of ministry is tilled in some parts and already fruit-bearing in others.
One thing that we should never forget, is that we are all “ordinary people.” By His grace, some of us do extraordinary things. But we remain just people: weak, sinful and fearful. Every name in the Bible (except for Jesus) is one that belongs to a person just like you and me.
May He use each of us for His glory in every season.
__________________
Note: Since space permits, I copy here the lyrics of this classic which I was blessed with in my teenage years:
Just Ordinary People
Just ordinary People
God uses ordinary people
He chooses people just like me and you who are willing to do what He command
God uses people that will gave him all No matter how small your all may seems to you Because little becomes much as you place it in the masters hand
Just ordinary people God uses ordinary people He chooses people just like me and you who are willing to do everything that He commands
God uses people that will give Him all No matter how small your all might seem to you Because little becomes much as you place it in the Masters hand
Just like that little lad who gave Jesus all He had How the multitude was fed With the fish and the loaves of bread what you have may not seem much
but when you yield it to the touch of the master's loving hand,
yes then you’ll understand how your life could never be the same
Hear the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yNnirP8fiM