2026-08-09 - The storms of life

Cecil Frances Alexander a noted hymn writer in the end of the 18th century wrote the words: Jesus calls us o'er the tumult Of our life's wild, restless sea. Day by day his sweet voice sounding, Saying, "Christian, follow me." Peter in this week’s gospel story got the message, that we are called to follow God into the chaos. We see him stepping out of the boat and walking on water as Jesus had just done. As he starts to sink, he calls out to Jesus to save him, and Jesus takes his hand and does just that. We could say Peter was foolish and impetuous, or we could be challenged by his example of stepping out in faith when all around was chaos. Let’s face it, every new venture in church and life was started by someone who was brave enough to do something new and different. In our faith we know that we can rely on God to give us a helping hand when the going gets tough. To save us when we are sinking. And when we allow God to do this then we encounter him in a deeper way. When we experience his saving us in adversity, we have a new understanding of his love and power. There is a similar story earlier in Matthew’s gospel where Jesus is in a boat with his disciples and he calms the storm. It ends with the disciples asking of Jesus, “who is this man that the winds and waves obey him.” At the end of this week’s account the disciples see who Jesus for who he really is, and they exclaim “Truly you are the Son of God.” Then they worship him. When we know Gods power and love in our lives it prompts us to worship him. Celebrate and worship his holy name with all your heart. Psalm 105:3 Signup to our newsletter here: newsletter@stmary.co.nz https://stmary.co.nz/newsletter/ Facebook   / stmarybytheseanz   Instagram   / stmarybythesea   Twitter   / stmarybythesea