Last week people from all around New Zealand and Australia arrived in numbers for the celebration of the 200 years since the arrival of the Gospel to the Cook Islands, writes Pastor Eric Toleafoa from the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

During this event many were privileged to witness the re-enactment of the Gospel’s arrival to our shores, to help us to re-live and experience what transpired 200 years ago.

The celebrations continued this week with the weeklong Te Maeva Nui celebrations and ending with the commemoration of 58 years of self-governing in the Cook Islands. These were defining events that have shaped our nation to what it is today.

It’s also important for us to not only focus on the events themselves, but rather, on the purpose and significance of these events.

Let me just say, that our nation’s success, has been, and will continue to be, depended, on our relationship with … and our trust in … the God of heaven.

If we go back 200 years, we will discover that God had already paved the way for the Cook Islands to receive His gift of the Gospel for the purpose of calling a people (God’s special possession) out of darkness and into His marvellous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

For our forefathers, the acceptance of the Gospel meant a prosperous and a secure future for many, if not, for all people. Letting go of idol worship and embracing the worship of the one and only God of heaven meant accepting a new and improved way of life.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!” (Psalm 33:12)

The journey, of the children of Israel, wasn’t always smooth sailing. In times of calamity, afflictions, distress, and captivity, the author of Psalm 46:1 describes their encounter with God in this way – “The Lord, is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help, in times of trouble” – as the Israelites reflected on their personal experiences of events. They realised that God’s presence was never far from them.

With hearts of gratitude, the chosen people of God echoed the words of Psalm 107:1, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” They were so encouraged after experiencing what it was like to be blessed by God and that they could not resist but demonstrate their joy of freedom, by praising, the God of heaven, for His love, for His leading, and protection over His people.                                                                     

As a nation, we have certainly, experienced a similar journey, no doubt. Like the children of Israel, we have experienced hardship, with many challenges along the way but one thing is certain (from the Israelite experience), that is, God continues to pour out His everlasting love into the lives of His people.

We are here, in 2023, at this time, at this place, because of God’s goodness in our lives.                                                                                                                         So, let’s be encouraged, as a people, as a nation, to come to Him with hearts of humility and gratitude for His Goodness and His Love that endures forever.

Similarly, like the children of Israel, today we are grateful and thankful to God:

• For His Goodness, Love, and Mercy.
• For His leading in our journey as nation regarding where we came from? Where we are today? And, where we are going?
• For blessing our people, our families i.e., mamas, papas, youth, children.
• For blessing our leaders (past and present) and their contributions to a better Cook Islands.
• For His protection, over our little Islands, we call paradise.

So, as we reflect and celebrate together achievements of our nation, let us “Give thanks to the Lord, (Why)…for he is good; (and) his love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1)

One of my favourite Christian authors quoted, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching, in our past history.”

So let us give thanks to the Lord for both, the arrival of the Gospel (God’s gift to our nation) and the 58 years of self-governing, and for the way He has led and blessed our people, and ‘those’ whom were ‘called’ to lead this nation forward, since 1965 to where we are now, in 2023.

May we not forget the Lord’s goodness and everlasting love, as we (as a nation) continue to navigate our way forward, and into the future.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!” (Psalm 33:12)