…And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven (Colossians 1:20).
A momentous day of Prayer, Praise and Testimonies took place at the Hackney Seventh-day Adventist Church on Sabbath 27th April 2024. Led by the Hackney SDA Prayer Team, the day focused on the meaning of the cross in the lives of those who have taken up their own and followed Jesus. Children from Junior Sabbath School shared true life stories of men and women who overcoming persecution, temptations and trials kept their faith in Jesus.
During the praise and worship segment of the service, recently ordained Elder, Christopher Brooks, encouraged church members to stand and recite their favourite passage of scripture before leading out in a number of hymns (At the Cross, In the Cross and The Old Rugged Cross to name a few) based on the day’s theme.
Many members and visitors flocked to the front of the church during the Garden of Prayer, bringing their personal prayer requests as well as sharing testimonies of thanksgiving for the goodness of God shown in their lives. An occasional visitor, celebrating her 63rd birthday on the day, thanked the church for their prayers during her time of illness and told them that she is a walking miracle, God is real and that they should hold on to Him because He is good.
Although not in the best of health, Myrtle O’ Keefe’s meditational, Say A Prayer for Me, not only brought a hearty round of applause at its end but also a few shed tears at the sentiments expressed through the words – say a prayer for me, you know what I need, go before the Father, and intercede for me, the enemy desires to sift me as wheat, but like you did for Peter, say a prayer for me, she sung with some power and conviction.
In his message, Pray for Me, special guest speaker, Elder Philip Grant, from Wood Green Community SDA Church (sister church to Hackney SDA Church), recognized the presence of members and visitors among the congregation who would not have been there had it not been for a God who is faithful in answering the prayers of His children. “I am a product of prayer. My mother spent hours on her knees in prayer for her family and would often admonish me to learn to pray for myself,” said Grant, adding, “while today’s playground has turned into a battlefield with two forces vying for our attention in what we know to be thegreat controversy between good and evil, Christ has promised to put an end to the world’s ills and will return for those who have placed their trust in Him and hope in His word.”
The climax of the day saw members and visitors uniting together in prayer for restoration, forgiveness, peace and reconciliation along with messages in word (Elder John Mathieu) and song (Tanesha James and Pastor Vaughn Thorpe) which reminded of the love of God shown through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ, on the cross of Calvary, that all who believe in Him would have eternal life (John 3:16).
