Our steward Bunty Hodgkins warmly welcomed local preacher from Market
Drayton, Mr Peter Williams, to lead our Service this week. Peter opened by
conducting a recitation of the psalm 100 with its theme “Shout to the Lord in
Triumph”. There followed our first hymn “We Have a Gospel to Proclaim.
Our organist today Neil Barnett read a passage from Hebrews 12 vv1-3 which
exhorts us to run with perseverance, with our eyes fixed on Jesus.
The second hymn was “What a Faith we Have in Jesus. Prayers were said for
those suffering so badly in war torn areas of the world such as Ukraine and
especially the Middle East, is expanding daily. Prayers also for peaceful relations
in our own lives here in Market Drayton and Ashley are important. The
congregation then said The Lord’s Prayer. We sang the hymn “May the Mind of
Christ my Saviour Live in me from Day to Day”.
The next hymn was “What a friend we have in Jesus all our Sins and Griefs to
Bear. Indeed Peter Williams reminded us that Jesus proclaimed friendship with all
Humanity. Peter went on to emphasise that his theme for today was “never give
up”. A keen and practised runner himself, he urges us all to acknowledge that Jesus
was the son of God worthy of all worship and that we must never give up on living
for Him. Quoting Churchill we must “never surrender”. Life is not a sprint but a
marathon, said Peter urging us to keep, and live by, faith in Jesus Christ the Son of
God. An impressive, rousing and eloquent call to pursue truth and calling of our
commitment to the Lord. Peter also reminded us that we can become burdened by
life’s little distractions which can rob us of our love and devotion to the Lord. We
then sang the final hymn “Who is on the Lord’s Side? Who will serve the King”.