No doubt, most of you will remember those compositions that we were made to write in school, called “The Adventures of a Penny” or something similar. Remember how we were to imagine the copper coin standing upright on the desk before us telling us how it had come into being, and of its many travels throughout the world?
Now, as most of you know, “The Wicket Gate” has just completed its first year as our Church Magazine, and I wonder, if Pilgrim and Evangelist – our two friends on the front page of our magazine – could step out of the cover and begin to write “The Adventures of the Wicket Gate”, what would they have written on behalf of our magazine!
“I was born about three years ago”, The Wicket Gate would, no doubt begin its story through Pilgrim and Evangelist, “but, although I had a name at that time, I still didn't have an address. However, in July 1966, I moved to Inverness, and I knew that I was to be called – The Wicket Gate.
At that time I was still very young and didn't look anything like I look now; but about October 1966, I began to take on something of my present appearance, and I was shown to the Deacons' Court of the Church. The deacons all agreed that I was quite a healthy looking fellow and thought that I would develop as the months went on, and that the congregation should meet me and get to know me. They decided that the best time to meet would be at the New Year (when everybody – especially in Scotland – is in an amiable mood!) And so, on Sunday, 1st January 1967, the Church and I came together.
Lots of the Church members have remarked to me how helpful I have been to them over the past year, and I have received letters from many parts of the world saying how they looked forward to reading my pages. This pleases me, because, you see, what I really am is a servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I want to be as faithful a servant to Him as possible.
Of course, the people always see me at my best when I am all neatly pressed and stapled together; but, before this happens, I am kept “on the go” for days on end. You see, I don't like to be late in meeting the congregation on the first Sunday of every month, and sometimes, it's a bit of a rush to meet the deadline.
The past year has been a busy time for me, for, although my home is here in Inverness, I have had to travel to a great many places each month. I travel all over Scotland and England, and even across the sea to Ireland. I have to have an International Passport because I go to Switzerland, Denmark, America, Australia, Canada, Brazil and India. I find myself in many different places; in ministers' manses, in missionaries' homes, in Bible Colleges, and, of course, in homes where Christ is not yet the head and where the Name of Jesus is not yet precious. It's my prayer that Christ might become precious to these homes through reading the message that I take there.
I also find myself in some strange places for a person like me to be found. There is a man who lives down in England, and this man loves the Lord Jesus Christ very much and longs to see others brought to the knowledge of salvation through Christ. Every week, this man delivers groceries to a Roman Catholic Convent in the town where he lives, and, after he has read me through he folds me up very neatly and he tucks me in among the groceries that go to this Convent. I trust that the nuns in that place read what I have to say every month, and again, it's my prayer that one day God will use me to show these women that Christ has died so that we might be saved by Grace and not by works.
As I am sent on my journeys each month, I am wrapped up in a brown paper “overcoat”, but, from what I have heard recently, I am to have a new “overcoat” for the next year, and this will have a verse of the Bible written on it, so that the postmen who convey me on my travels will be able to see that I have a message from our Lord for the salvation of souls. I will be a wee bit older, of course, next year, and some of my features will have changed a little; but, for all that, I pray that we all – you and I – might serve our Lord and Saviour faithfully in all that we try to say and do.
PS 1995 arrived and my work continued both in print and on a new medium called the World Wide Web (www for short) and with this new medium I was able to enter many more homes across the world. Not only that, but sound was added to the magazine and many more children and young people were able to hear the “Stories from the Bible” series that Mr Seaton gave in the Church worship each week. Lots of teachers and Sunday School teachers also enjoyed them and even today (17 years later) many still enjoy the stories.
During 2002 when Pastor Seaton retired, I also gave up going out “wrapped up in my paper overcoat” and so I was no longer in print – but the World Wide Web continued and since then four or five of my articles were reproduced and “uploaded” every two months. I was given more audio files – sermons, lectures and podcasts – in the last few days I was able to enter many places where I could not have gone in past years and visited 118 countries. Often my articles are reproduced in other magazines and some articles were put together into booklet form while others appeared in e-book format which can be "downloaded" from my Internet address at no charge.
Remember to pray for my ministry. Remember, in God's providence, Caxton invented the printing press just in time for the spread of the Reformation truths; and Luther once said: “The devil hates quills”. No matter how feeble the effort, if God's truth is being written and distributed, the devil will be busy; so, remember to pray for my work..
This Page Title – The Adventures of the Wicket Gate In the First Year of its Life (1967) The Wicket Gate Magazine "A Continuing Witness". Internet Edition number 100 – placed on line January 2013 Wicket Gate contact address – Mr Cliff Westcombe cw@wicketgate.co.uk If you wish to be notified when each new edition goes on line please send an e-mail to the above address Magazine web address – www.wicketgate.co.uk |