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       Pastor’s Letter  (Nov 7, 2020)

 

           WHO  COULD SLEEP                                                                                    

               

            

       THROUGH   THIS ???

 

 

Ships in a Squall, Abraham van Beijeren (1645-1650)

          Could you sleep through this storm? -  Not if you were as faithless as Christ’s disciples.  One night when they were out on the Sea of Galillee with the Master, they went into sheer panic as fierce winds suddenly blew at them and mustered up gigantic waves that likely would capsize their boat. They thought that their lives were about to come to an end.

        But “How is that possible?” you might ask. Surely it would take a most powerful storm to terrorize rugged, seasoned fishermen that typically were unflappable. With unbridled fear, Christ’s disciples, full of trepidation, scrambled to wake Christ, who was on the boat quietly sleeping through the storm. The disciples were sure that they were near death as they shouted above the howling wind, “Save us; Save us !! (Matthew 8:23).

        Localized, violent weather is not a strange occurence on the Sea of Galilee.  Sometimes drastic temperature inversions can occur over the very narrow Jordan River Valley. This phenomenon can quickly generate even hurricane force winds that can sweep over the Sea of Galilee. A few pictures below show how stormy the weather can sometimes be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       Occasionally we have had trials that seemed like there was going to be ‘no tomorrow’.  Psalms 34:19 reminds us that “many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers us out of them all”. While that is reassuring, such Biblical passages strongly suggest that we and the people we are closely connected with will sometimes face challenges that are as daunting as wild waves whipping up a stormy sea.

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       What constitutes a dangerous wave for you? A job loss? A letter from the IRS? A miscarriage?  The loss of a family member, or a traumatic auto accident? We can fret over our relatives, neighbors, election results, the Stock Market, rumors of war, viruses from China, a bad school report card, an unpaid hospital bill, or the uncertainty of how well we will do in a future that threatens to fearfully rattle our world – if we let it. It is only natural that people worry, and when that worry increases, our lives feel out of control like a small boat constantly being flipped around by violent, frothy waves of churning water.

         It is no accident that God told His various servants not to worry. He had to. Christ understood that there would be so many waves of anxiety that would enter into lives of brethren from time to time; especially in a world that is influenced by the negative thinking of Satan the Devil. (Ephesians 2:1-2) God wants us to cast our cares on Him (I Peter 5:7) and God promises to help give us what we need  (Matthew 6:33-34) .

       Sometimes God has to calm the storm to help us and there are other times when God has to calm the “inner child” in us that is afraid and insecure. As time goes on, hopefully God’s people, including each of us, can handle more challenges in life in a confident manner. To that extent, it may be that past trials that bothered us earlier have melted away and no longer constitute difficulties in our lives – if we are spiritually growing.

       In Matthew 8:23-27, Christ was in a fishing vessel with His disciples and fell asleep as the weather became violent. By His calm demeanor, Christ demonstrated an inner peace and divine trust. It was all because of Christ’s faith. As Paul states: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Christ had no visible evidence that God would save them but He did exercise His confidence that God was near to them and that He cared. Could we have the confidence that God would save us from a horrendous storm? Yes. Will we?  The answer to that depends on if we ask for such faith and can see God working in our lives. As Galatians 6:7 states, we get out of life what we put into it…even when we are in turbulent water. 

 

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                                         There is calm serenity after the storm

     Here are excerpts of Victor Kubik’s weekly Ministerial Letter which is so timely for what is happening politically.

Dear United Citizens:

“Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17). About a week ago we discussed this scripture in the General Epistles class that I teach at Ambassador Bible College. We discussed what these words meant when they were written and what they mean to us now. This short verse succinctly touches on our relationship to God, our leaders, people in general and brothers in the faith in particular.

These words were written in a time of great persecution on the Church. It was the time of Emperor Nero. As the Roman historian Tacitus records, Nero blamed the disciples of Jesus Christ for the Great Fire of Rome that destroyed much of the city in July A.D. 64, even though many disputed that claim. Even so, Tacitus notes that: “Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace.” Yet, amid this hostility, the apostle Peter encourages Christians to take the high road in attitude and conduct.

There certainly is a time to “cry aloud and spare not” (Isaiah 58:1), but there is also a time to diplomatically demonstrate God’s way of life as a witness to the world. As Paul declares: “Be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children, and live a life of love” (Ephesians 5:1-2, New International Version). People are supposed to openly see the hope that resides in us, so much so that they ask about it (1 Peter 3:15)! We are to be the lights to the world, demonstrated by our hope-filled words and behavior (Matthew 5:14-16).

As we live in a world exhausted by a pandemic and politics, let us openly reflect our divine citizenship. And as Peter writes, “Dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen” (2 Peter 3:10, NLT).

“Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king” (1 Peter 2:17).

LOCAL CHURCH NEWS

 VERO BEACH:   This Sabbath, Bill Wilson and Jonathan Hendricks will be giving split sermons. Several local members are considering the possibility of doing occasional out-reach in the near-by community as an outward gesture to help those around us.

OCALA:  Court Greenfield and Paul Bidetti also will be giving split sermons. Garret Bunnell is continuing a podcast project that has enabled him to interview various community leaders. Part of this development is based on his affability and expanding circle of clients that he has built up through time in his barbershop. We were happy to welcome KC Jones of north Ocala to be with us as well.

FT MYERS   Bob Orosz will be in Ft. Myers this Sabbath. We have had several visitors plus a new person who is excited to attend with us.

TALLAHASSEE   We were happy to get our original hall back (Marriott Hotel, 1972 Raymond Diehl Rd., Tallahassee – just off of I-10). That saves us some money and offers better quality. We expect several visitors and a new family this Sabbath. I will be there this weekend.

"Ship tossing on a stormy sea (photo of a photo)" by momboleum is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 "The calm, waiting the storm at sunset passes." by Riccardo Maria Mantero is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0  "Stormy Seas" by Andi Pope is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 "Stormy Seas at Newhaven" by andrewtijou under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 "Stormy seas at Porthcawl" by Dai Lygad is licensed under CC BY 2.0