Malcolm Potts September 27th 2015 ~ Special Day

I have been known to start meetings by announcing, "Well folks, we are here for a good time, not a long time" - sometimes a vain hope and possibly an ingenuous one, for I know that being in things for a long time and persisting is essential for goodness, truthfulness and fruitfulness to prevail.When Cheryl designs a garden she asks herself what the plants will look like in two to five years.  She knows what will flourish in the short term but she is really most concerned about what a plant will do over the long term.In the Garden of Gethsemane, just outside the walls of the old city of Jerusalem, are some very old olive trees.  Viewers like to think they take us back to the time of Christ and his weeping blood.  You can imagine him, in this carefully tended olive garden, preparing to voluntarily give his life for all people.  These ancient trees with their huge gnarled trunks have been bearing fruit for at least a thousand years.  Their longevity accords with their wow factor.Today is a special day at St Philips.Today we welcome two families who have been a part of this community for a long time.  They have been called by God to serve.  And they have served, doing good, bringing God's truth and bearing much fruit for his glory.  Their servant lives have not always been easy.  There have been ups and downs, long dry patches and sometimes confusion and even despair.  But their persistence and endurance bears testimony to what is good.  As they share with us today they are part of St Philips’ good news story and we give thanks to God for them and with them.Graham and Alison Mackay have returned briefly and we welcome their updating us on their work at St Johns University in Tanzania.  Graham and Alison are like spiritual parents to me. It's not what they say or do so much as who they are.  The elders remind the youngers of the fruit of persistence.  Their lives reassure us that our service is worthwhile, we are on the right track and there is a future and a hope.Paul and Anne Gill, likewise, have modelled steadiness, passion and determination.  Paul's ministry in prisons and to prisoners may be  beyond the comprehension of some.  His gift of standing alone and advocating for the last and the least speaks of the length, breadth and width of Christ's love.  You could only do it if you had heard God's call.  Paul's work reminds me that Jesus goes where you and I might not.The Mackays and Gills model to me that it doesn't matter that no one sees our work.  What matters is that God's work prevails and we participate in his purpose for us.Today the Mackays will share and Paul will preach. We will witness God's conspiracy of the seemingly insignificant.This Wednesday 30th September from 7:45pm, a number of dignitaries will be gathering to launch Paul's book -  Opening the Door - A Prison Chaplain's Life on the Inside. You are invited to come.I have just put down the phone connecting our ministry here at St Philips with the wider ministry of the diocese in the area of youth ministry which James' team have been working on for over two years.  We are offering an Internship and Traineeship in youth ministry here at St Philips - hopefully, prayerfully, another little conspiracy of weaving together long-term commitments and relationships with others.It is such a privilege and inspiration to share with you and your teams of partners in fruit-bearing, long-term Christ-honouring commitments.Amen [let it be so]Malcolm