In the middle of a storm…

Many years ago, I was often up struggling with breathing due to asthma. The medications we have now did not exist back then, and it was scary. Our Gospel reading for today was one which spoke to me in the night when I felt very much like I was in the middle of a storm. In the reading ,the disciples and Jesus head across the lake in a boat. They have been working hard and Jesus is exhausted, so he naturally goes to sleep in the stern on a cushion. The geography of Lake Galilee makes it prone to sudden storms. As they make their way across the lake, the weather changes and a storm blows up out of nowhere. The waves are so big they’re crashing into the boat and the water is beginning to rise enough to make the disciples afraid that the boat could sink. At this point, Mark tells us that Jesus was asleep on a cushion and the disciples woke him up saying, ‘Teacher, don’t you care that we’re perishing?’ Sounds like an accusation to me. Don’t you care? What are you doing? Where are you now that I really need you? All the words we can throw at God when we’re scared, and he doesn’t seem to be taking any notice of our problem. One could think that Jesus would be unhappy that he was woken up and have a go at them, but instead he gets up straight away and deals with the problem at hand. He rebukes the wind and the waves, and they immediately cease. The dead calm that followed would have been a huge contrast to the raging storm a few moments before. Only now does Jesus speak to his disciples and ask them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’. Here is where the comfort came for me when I read this. I realised that Jesus could sleep through the storm because he had absolute trust in his Father to keep him safe. His faith meant that he knew without a doubt that the storm would not sink his boat, so he slept. The disciples didn’t have the same perspective. For them there was no comfort and no relief from their fear because they did not know who they had with them. ‘Who is this, that even the wind and the waves obey him?!’ This is Jesus, Son of the Living God, and in his presence, we are always safe. I am always safe. Even if it feels like he’s asleep or not there, the truth is that Jesus never leaves me, and he hears my prayers and responds to my needs according to his steadfast love. I knew, even when struggling for breath in the dark I would be okay. Peace, be still, he said, and it was.

Janice

This Week

Regular Worship Times

Parish Contact Details

Notices:

Op Shop…

Our Op Shop is a ministry of this parish to the wider community which Parish Council would like to see grow as a ministry, alongside its financial support of our work here. We have had some volunteers resign this week for various reasons and will be in need of others to assist. If you can spare some time to help, please see Edna South or another member of our Op Shop Committee: Vicki Brown, Lorraine Strickland, Richard Watson, Graeme and Cheryl King or Rev’d Janice.

Fencing & Security Project…

Oue new security system will be installed over Monday and Tuesday 24th and 25th June. The bulk of the cost has now been covered by generous donations, for which we are very grateful to the Lord and to those who have contributed. If you would like to donate towards this project, please put any cash into an envelope marked “Security” and put it in the offering on a Sunday. We will provide you with a receipt on request. You can also give to this project electronically. Donations of cash are also still needed for the fence. Instruction in how to use the system and gain access to the church and Op Shop will be given to those who are already authorised i.e. those who have been given the code for the church door and those with keys to the Op Shop, after the installation is complete and the system is operational. The Wardens will ensure that all who need to ‘open up’ for church or Op Shop activities receive instruction so they are able to do so.

This Week’s Prayer Focus

In our country and the world:

• For those facing homelessness, hardship, anguish and despair amid rising costs.
• For all in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine.
• For families affected by violence.
• For those affected by natural disasters in around the world.
• For King Charles III, the UK and the Commonwealth.
• For peace and unity in countries around the World.
• For aid agencies such as “Save the Children”, Oxfam, CARE, UNICEF, World Vision.

In our community:

• For teachers and students.
• For doctors, nurses, paramedics, Coast Guard, the CFA & SES.
• For local community outreach groups such as the Dromana Community House and “Food for All”.

In our Diocese and beyond:

• For Archbishop Geoffrey Smith’s ministry as Primate of Australia.
• For Archbishop Philip Freier’s ministry in the Diocese of Melbourne.
• For the ministry of Bishop Paul Barker in the Jumbunna Region and for Archdeacon Helen Phillips in the Frankston Archdeaconry. Give thanks that Archdeacon Helen is now well and beginning to return to work.
• In our Deanery, we pray for the Parish of Holy Trinity Hastings and their Vicar, Rev’d Tim Anderson.
• For the work of the Church Missionary Society and Wei-Han the Victorian Director.
• For Anna Radkovic our CMS Link Missionary.
• For Christian churches around the world to be free to worship and be witnesses of the love of God as shown through the coming of His Son.

In our Parish:

• For our leadership and ministry teams.
• For Rev’d Janice O’Gorman our Vicar.
• For the finances of our Parish.
• For our Parish, its people and those we reach out to every week.
• For the success of the new Family and Children’s Ministry.
• For the 2024 Alpha program, its leaders, and all who attend.
• For the 9am at home prayer time for the Parish, Dromana & Mornington Peninsula.
• For: Maggie Dodu, Chloe, Ted, Monica, Joy Clayton, Jessica, Audrey, Joan R, Backy, Margie, Fred, Robert, Jan, David, Guy, Harry Patterson.