We have called us, team C ushers, the DREAM TEAM. I have asked myself who is an excellent usher?
For God, whom we serve, our Sr Pastors have asked that we reach for excellence. Our leaders asked that we give our best. We may have any number of reasons to be an usher. These are thoughts that came as I examine myself; one who honors Jesus commission to love God and love his neighbor (Luke 10:27) He answered, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself.
Serving God through this church is one small way of expressing our love for God. And, we love our neighbor through;
- Submission to leadership (Heb 13:16-17) And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
- Submit one to another (Eph 4:2-3) Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
- Minister to the congregation through the expression of the fruit of the Spirit in our action, words, deeds and gifts (Gal 5:22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
When we recognize who we are as ushers, usually seen as the hands and feet of the church during services, there is unity in spirit and a flow of God's grace in us and through us as we serve.
It is indeed a privilege to be an usher and serve God and church in this manner. And, rightly we should give our very best to our Lord Jesus. I close with these words " Ushering is not just another job" if we apply God's principles into what we do.
The above was written and read by ET this evening before the service.
Now you may wonder why I would share ET words in my blog, well an hour before the service, the team normally gather for prayer before the service commence. This week is her turn for sharing His message by putting her thoughts on paper. She told us how one night, she couldn't sleep, her mind is keeping her awake and she finally surrender and pen down the scriptures that was speaking to her. After pouring out her feelings she manage to sleep
peacefully. She told the team
she had something to share, she needed to speak cause God had sent her a message. Finally
the time came, it is her turn to share this evening.
Now
I have to confess that I have been missing in action probably for a few weekly ushering due to other
commitments. Coming back to the team today, I felt a sense of belonging again, I miss the team, I felt I was away for a long long time but the feeling of closeness and warmth are still strong. By the way during this time our team leader got married, we found out about it on FB and got really surprise, amazing, sincere showers of blessing and
best wishes to both of you. May you both have a happy wedded life together.
During the meeting, ET sat next to me, she look very nervous, she stumbled a few times but she carried on reading. I could feel, she was trying hard to keep calm, she looked over at me as we were sitted. Her message was indeed what we need to hear from God. After she finish sharing, she pointed over to
me, indicating I will be the next one to share in the next meeting.
So we close in prayer and went off to start our ushering duty. During the sermon, the Holy Spirit prompted me to approach her. I pull myself together and walked over to her. I asked her if I could have a look at her speech that she had prepared, out of my surprise, she passed the folded paper over to me instantly and said I can take it home with me, it is for me. I look down at the piece of white paper, I didn't expect she so openly gave me her
note, it was personal. I look up back at her and she said, "My dear I have to also tell you
this, you have to know, after I finish writing it all down, before I went back to sleep, the Holy Spirit told me that someone in the team will walk up to me asking for the message and I will pass it on."
Now to my surprise, she was chosen to share not the week before or after but this week when I am here, how
ironic right, I am sure she didn't know I would be coming this evening,
plus among everyone in the team, she said she keep thinking of me, and she know I
will be the one asking for it.
I have to say we are never close, we don't hang out much after ushering, she has never ask for my help and I have not given her anything. During the service, I stood there thinking to myself, for her to be waiting eagerly till the weekend, so that she can get the task done, it must tiring, she had to be patient and obediently waiting for everything to take place. She truly trusted God's purpose.
I was a bit overwhelmed, but holding that piece of paper, I have to admit it is not
coincidence or choice, God wanted me to hear this from her. I have to thank
her for being my messenger today and I pray my blog will continue to be a
blessing to others. To my sisters and brothers in church, do not turn your backs to serving God, do not ignore His calling and do not fear sacrificing. We are all interdependent and we have a purpose in God's plan.
It is one thing for us to pursuit God, it is whole different thing for Him to pursuit us. He already took a step by bring us into His world. It is now up to us to run towards Him.
Join
me in prayer, praise and worship ... I will meet my next team at kids ministry tomorrow morning.
Another great team, Building Future Young Leaders which I will name them The Baby Dream Team.
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