Dear Congregation,
June is the month we associate with graduations and weddings. These are happy occasions in which individuals’ educational achievements and the loving, life-long commitment between two persons are celebrated. As well as being occasions for joy, graduations and weddings represent milestone life changes for graduates and newlyweds. Things will be different in their lives – where and how they live, new experiences, new relationships, and so much else that is new.
They are stepping out into a new phase of their lives, somewhere they haven’t been before. So, in spite of the joy, there may be some anxiety and even fear. This is where our Christian faith comes in very handy with its reminder to “step out in faith.”
You might remember the story in Matthew 14:22-33 of Jesus walking on the water to his disciples in their boat. Terrified at this unbelievable sight, “…they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’” Then Jesus invited Peter to come to him by walking on the water himself. When Peter became distracted from focusing on Jesus and began to sink, “…he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’”
All of us, whether recent graduates or newlyweds, or those whose graduation or wedding days are long past, have times in our lives when we are faced with changes that can seem very daunting. We may feel we are beginning to sink. Know that we too can cry out, “Lord, save me!” and find ourselves caught by the loving hand of Jesus.
Do not doubt that Jesus Christ, the son of God, has the power to save you from sinking into whatever sea threatens to overwhelm you. Do not let fear prevent you from stepping out in faith. Take heart!
In Christ’s Love!
Pastor Candy Thomas
Interim Pastor
Christ Congregational United Church of Christ