Too Good to Be True?

And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw this they were terrified, saying 'It is a ghost!' and they cried out in fear. Immediately Jesus spoke, 'Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid'. Matt. 14

Aren't we, in most circumstances, predictable? We quite prone to disbelief, and it seems not to make a big difference whether we have experienced a series of setbacks ("After what I have just been through, I can't believe this is happening to me! God, why are you doing this to me?") or it is good news ("No, HE can't be giving me a compliment" "I won the lottery? You must be joking!"). We just plain struggle with belief.

Peter was trying to give Jesus a means test: Lord, if it is you, bid me to come to you on the water. And Jesus said Come.

When Peter was concentrating on Jesus, had Jesus as his beacon and focus, he too could walk on water. Just as soon as he lost sight of his goal/purpose (getting to Jesus) and began noticing the wind and the waves, he started sinking. He cried to be saved and Jesus rescued him with the remark "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?"

When it comes to God that IS the question. With our small minds, with our finite perspective, with our self preoccupation we doubt. Investing in faith, developing a sturdy faith foundation, our view of life and God's promises and assurances become fortified. We learn to trust the Word of God. With our eyes of steadfastly fixed on Christ who gives us meaning and purpose and love beyond our understanding, we can put aside our disbelief. Yes, God is good AND true. Put your faith on it!

Liturgical Lexicon

Dear Folks,

I've been wanting to open up More or Less Church to a more interactive process. To that end, I invite you to send in your questions and solicit your requests for topics you'd like to see here.

For example: You may come from a different faith tradition and are currently attending a local Episcopal Church. You may be wondering what in heaven's name a warden is or have heard the term narthex tossed about but haven't a clue what that might be. Hesitate no longer! Whether you are curious about the names of sections of the church building or vestments worn (and by whom), orders of clergy, saints, the Book of Common Prayer, customary practices in liturgy, sacraments, how to address a Bishop...... heck, just about anything that might be considered MORE OR LESS CHURCH, please drop me a line. Then, quick as you can say aspergillum I'll respond here @ MOLC, keeping only initials or using 'anonymous' in the question you send (unless you'd like your full name mentioned). I'm excited about the prospect of addressing your questions and learning new things too!

Looking forward to receiving your questions at: deaconj@geraniumfarm.org, I remain, Deacon J