TGIF
I have attached the bulletin from last Sunday’s service with a few items highlighted for you. That is the focus of today’s TGIF message.
Two weeks ago, after church was over, I was visiting with some church members when there arose a loud sound. It was strong enough that I could not hear the person I was speaking with. When I checked out what was going on, I saw the ensemble singing loudly with Bill Mercado joining them. It turned out Tina was going to miss the next Sunday service (last Sunday), so she needed someone to lead the music. She had heard Bill sing often in church, and God led her to ask Bill to lead the music last Sunday. Bill enthusiastically agreed and they immediately began “practicing” some hymns for the next Sunday. It was clear from their excited, happy, and loud sound that all would be well with the music last week in Tina’s absence.
It turns out that I was also going to miss last Sunday’s service. So I needed to find a replacement for the roles I usually performed for the church service. It turns out that Craig Alexander had offered to me the previous 2 Sundays that he would be glad to help out in any way he could. So I immediately asked him to take up the offering which he gladly did. Then I also asked him to provide the Invocation last Sunday, and he also gladly accepted that request.
Michelle Miller also stepped up and agreed to lead the Welcome and Announcements last Sunday. In addition to playing the piano, Rose Morgan also stepped up and read the scripture. And, of course, thanks to Joe Morgan and Pastor Carl for their important contributions (as always) to a successful service.
This experience brought the following scripture to mind.
1 Peter 4:10-11 – As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Thanks to everyone who shared their special gift last Sunday, and to all who do so in their own special way, whether it be sending cards to shut-ins, or calling and visiting members to check up on them, or managing the bank finances, or depositing the weekly church offering, or cleaning the church, or playing the piano, or singing in the ensemble, or ………… There are a lot of church functions that need to be handled for a church to be successful, and Covenant has been blessed for many years to always have its needs met by the right people stepping up at the right time. That brings to mind another scripture verse.
Romans 12:4-5 – For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Just as our individual bodies have many essential components needed for our complete body to function well, so does our church body together provide the numerous essential needs for us to serve the one body in Christ completely and faithfully.
We also need to remember that it is not our responsibility to tell God what our service to Him should be. Instead, we need to listen for His voice, for the times where He will tell us what He wants us to do, just like Bill, Craig, and others did two weeks ago……………… just as He wills.
1 Corinthians 12:11 – But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
AMEN!
