Letter to the Parish - Friday 18 June 2021

First published on: 19th June 2021

Dear all,

This week’s bible reading includes this wonderful story of Jesus and His disciples getting in a boat, leaving the crowds behind and, after a long day's ministry, heading across a lake. The passage says that Jesus was taken just as he was, which probably means not in the correct fishing clothes like the other disciples; Jesus finds himself a cushion and goes to sleep just as He is. As they cross, a great storm comes in and the waves beat the boat. It is in danger of being swamped but Jesus remains asleep. The disciples wake Him and say;

“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:38

A feeling I am sure we can all relate to, a feeling of being overwhelmed by the storms around us, of a feeling of being insecure, of helplessness, of abandonment, of despair and ultimately of perishing. Over the last 18 months during this pandemic, I expect that most of us have felt frightened in some way, just like those disciples.

“He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased and there was a dead calm.” Mark 4:39

The remarkable thing with this passage is what it reveals about Jesus, about what His character is like and how He is someone we want in our lives.

“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him” Mark 4:40

We have a saviour who is powerful enough to control the weather and the sea. We have a saviour who, when chaos seems to be reigning, brings peace. We have a saviour who has brought ultimate peace and calm through His death and resurrection and this same saviour is with us through all the storms that we face in our lives. Let us look to Him in times of trouble and lean on Him.

This is going to be the last weekly clergy letter for the time being; they were introduced at the beginning of the pandemic as a way of staying in touch. The majority have been delivered by Lorna each week and she deserves a lot of credit for doing that. During a crisis, it is always interesting to see people’s reactions and who steps up to challenges; Lorna has definitely stepped up along with so many different people and together the church has offered great pastoral care to lots of different people.

Pastoral care is not stopping and is something that we will always do and we need to carry on helping one another. If you or someone you know may need some additional care then get in touch with me or the church warden.

God Bless,

Gareth

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