Facing the storms of life can cause us to take a new look at what we hold as important. God’s Word asks us to consider who we trust, and where we focus our lives.
Worship this week:
Saturday – 5:00 p.m. in the chapel
Sunday – 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship
9:30 a.m. – Cross-generational education event in fellowship hall
10:30 a.m. – Contemporary Worship
Devotions for the week:
Facing the Truth October 10-11, 2015
A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the seas, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? –Mark 4:37-41
Why is it so hard to MAKE IT SIMPLE? We face daily a complex world of our own making. We feel pushed and pulled by forces beyond our control. And when things feel like they are out of our control, we often feel afraid. We become like the disciples in the boat with Jesus. We are afraid that we are perishing, tossed about by the “wind and the waves” in our lives. Imagine being one of the disciples in the boat. When you decide to wake Jesus up, what would you expect of him? What do you need from Jesus in the midst of the storms of your life? Can you hear Jesus’ question in the moments of calm in your life? “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?”
Narrative Lectionary readings for the week:
Sunday, Deuteronomy 5:1-21; 6:4-6, Hear, O Israel
Monday, Exodus 12:43-13:2, Directions for the Passover
Tuesday, Exodus 13:3-10, Festival of Unleavened Bread
Wednesday, Exodus 13:11-16, The Consecration of the Firstborn
Thursday, Exodus 13:17-22, Pillars of Cloud and Fire
Friday, Exodus 14:1-31, Crossing the Red Sea
Saturday, Exodus 20:1-21, The Ten Commandments
What did God want written on the hearts of the people? Why?
What traditions exist in your community that help you remember what God has done in your lives?
How do you remember God’s love on a daily basis? What rituals could you create so that remembering becomes second nature?
