At church this morning, the theme was the story in which Jesus walked
on water. Jesus’ disciples were on a boat in the water, the wind was
fierce, and they were afraid. But Jesus comforted and reassured them.
Similarly, the pastor was saying, Jesus can comfort us. And yet, the
pastor continued, our faith in this should not be passive, but it should
encourage us to go out, to take risks, and to show love to people. As
examples, the pastor referred to two people in our congregation: one was
the lady who spearheaded our Vacation Bible School this summer, and the
other was a lady who was preparing lots of meals for a charity that
provides support to older people who lack a support network.
I do not know if I have the level of faith to take risks. I am not
saying this to beat up on myself. It’s just that, sometimes, when I
look at the state of this world, I wonder if there indeed is a God who
takes care of us. While I may tell myself that there is as a way to
help myself to calm down, I am not sure if this notion is enough of a
reality to me that it motivates me to go out into the unknown and to
take risks, or to sacrifice in times that are already uncertain.
But I do believe that we need to get outside of ourselves, that our
faith should encourage us to make a difference in the world. In some
cases, that may entail us getting outside of our comfort zones.
I liked my pastor’s references to the two people in our
congregation. It shows that our church is on the move—-it is taking
initiative in reaching out to the community.