A QUESTION OF FAITH
With William Lyon from Living Rock Church This time last year, all of 2016 was ahead of us. We probably had some predictions about the way things would play out during the year. We were probably surprised on lots of occasions as things unfolded in ways different to our predictions. Did we think Donald Trump would win the US presidential election? Did we think Britain would leave the EU and gain a different Prime Minister?
Did we think Leicester City would win the Premier League? Did we think there would be so many awful terrorist attacks across the world and also very close to home? Did we expect certain people to get married, become pregnant, find jobs, leave jobs, pass away? It is safe to say that 2016 has been a surprising, even turbulent, possibly quite unsettling year.
Reflecting on the last year, we might think that at times it has felt like there has been a storm raging around us and we might be thrown overboard at any moment. This is exactly how Jesus’ disciples felt when they were onboard a ship that was being tossed all over the place as a mighty storm was raging around them.
Luckily for them though, Jesus was there and, motivated by his love and compassion for the worrying disciples, he calmed the storm with a simple command. All the peace, comfort and strength that was needed for the rest of the journey was supplied in that moment.
But how can that help us today with all the current affairs that have made 2016 so stormy?
Well, luckily for us, Jesus is just as current today as he was in that boat all those years ago. With the same motivation of love and compassion towards us, Jesus would be overjoyed to give us calm amidst the storm and supply us with peace, comfort and strength if we would only ask him.
We probably all have different ideas and understanding of faith and Christianity and some of us will have made a decision about whether a faith in Jesus is worth our consideration or not. What we are perhaps agreed on though, is that at the outset of 2017 each one of us has the opportunity to make an adjustment to the way we think and act - a New Year’s Resolution.
Whether we believe in Jesus or not, the person we read about in the ‘calming the storm story’ is one whom it would be a good decision to make a resolution to be more like in 2017.
We can decide to be a person of peace rather than unsettling, one of comfort rather than aggravation, and one of loving selflessness rather than cold selfishness. Worth a go isn’t it?