I
hope all members and friends will be able to attend worship this weekend to
celebrate God’s goodness in guiding Eastminster through another excellent year
of ministry. Worship will be upbeat yet
realistic, ending on Sunday at 11am with Eastminster’s Annual Congregational
Meeting. During worship, we will be
looking at scripture texts which focus on the presence of God, even in the
storms of life.
Indeed,
God has been faithful! The reality most
followers of Jesus know is that God does not always remove us from life’s
storms, but God is present in their midst. We sail on.
One
of the best-known texts of the Bible is Psalm 46. It begins:
“God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
The text asserts God’s
presence in the storms and in the end, we hear God say “Be still and know that
I am God” (Psalm 46:10.)
Today’s
scripture text is from Matthew 14:22-33 where Jesus calms a storm by saying,
“Peace be still.” The disciples sailing
with him marvel that even the wind and waves obey him!
This
text is the text I focused on when I preached before being voted by the
congregation to be your pastor over six years ago. Needless to say, there have been exciting
times as we have journeyed from that point forward together. There will be exciting times ahead as well.
Few
would have guessed we would be where we are today. That’s why we sail. And as we sail, it is good to know that “calm
seas do not make a skilled sailor.” As
we go through challenging times, know that God is with us and is cultivating in
us the faith to sail well and help others to do the same.
As
we look over the past and see where God has taken us, it is my prayer that we
have faith, strength, courage, skill and each other to provide wisdom and
experience to move forward with confidence, knowing “even the wind and waves
obey him.”
Annual
Reports will be available to tell the details of our church’s journey this
year. I hope and pray this is a good
time for us all not only to celebrate, but also reorient our lives to God’s
direction, knowing that to love God and serve on God’s “crew” is a privileged
and blessed place to be in all times, seasons and conditions. God indeed is our refuge and strength!
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
