Ministry Updates for Monday, May 11th, 2020
Scripture for Reflection – Matthew 8:26-27
Then Jesus got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”
Reflection – Receiving Calm
What difference does our faith make on Monday morning? We gather on Sunday to worship God (though of late it has only been virtually). For many of us, it is an important part of our lives. Faith in God helps as get through a moment, a day, or a week which we are not sure we would otherwise survive. I feel certain God has calmed me when it felt like my boat was getting swamped.
I wonder what difference this moment made for the disciples. Jesus performed nature miracles, like calming the storm, and feeding and healing miracles. The disciples witnessed them all.
I believe the point of these varied miracles is to bless us with assurance God has power over every aspect of our lives. There is no ‘Achilles heel’ for Jesus. If something has power to ‘swamp our boat’, then Jesus has power to calm the waves and the wind which makes them.
In my experience the best way to get the most benefit out of something is to share it. If faith in God helps me feel I belong to a church, then helping others have faith gives me a sense of even greater belonging. If faith helps me keep calm in a storm, then helping others who need calming gives me even greater calm. If faith in Jesus lets me know I am forgiven, then forgiving others helps me feel even more certain of my forgiveness. Like fishes and loaves, faith multiplies when we practice it. And we ourselves are part of the community of benefactors.
What difference does our faith make after we emerge from worship? Hopefully we are refreshed and renewed. But true Christian ‘joy’ is to be shared, not hoarded.
How will you share your faith today or this week? Is there a bit of calm you might be able to bring to someone’s life? It may be a letter, a texted photograph, or a phone call. Whatever you might do for someone, do it or send it with a prayer of faith in God, who we know works wonders.
Prayer for Faith Sharing
God in heaven, we are thankful for the gift of communal worship. We are thankful for the many ways in which you speak to us. We give you thanks for the faith with which you have gifted us, and the ways in which you have called us to grow in our faith. Help us Lord, to find opportunities to share this faith, surrounding our actions with prayer, so that your love and your good will for the future may be known in the world around us. Amen.