With Christ in the Storms

On Sunday, as we continued our journey through Luke’s Gospel, we came to the story of Jesus—asleep in a boat on Luke Galilee, but then getting up to command the waves to be still (Luke 8:22-25). What a powerful experience that would have been for the disciples—without Jesus being on board as the Lord of Creation, they would have been sunk—and that is a truth for us too to ponder in the storms in our lives: without Jesus we are sunk!

That was the strapline of my sermon in the morning at All Age Worship: in so many areas of life we are indeed ‘sunk without Jesus’.

Andew Micklefield was also speaking on this theme in the evening, when he returned to the Itchen Valley as our guest preacher for the Choral Evensong Service in St Swithun’s, Marty Worthy. I am so grateful for Andrew’s kindly offering to come and fill my absence (I was simultaneously in his church, St Lawrence’s in Alton, giving the second of six monthly talks based on my book The Jesus Way).

And it was wonderful that so many people came out on a winter’s evening to welcome Andrew and Fiona and to celebrate after the service over a glass of wine as they make their move shortly from Alton to Winchester: Andrew will be installed as Winchester Cathedral’s Canon Treasurer on April 5.

There was also another cause for celebration—namely that sufficient donations have been received to enable the ‘go ahead’ of the West Window Project. So, at some point in 2025, there will be this lovely adornment to this ancient church—with a spectacular glass engraving that evokes the stories of Swithun (bishop of Winchester till his death in AD 863). Those stories indicate that St Swithun was someone too who, like the first disciples, knew the power of Christ’s presence in his life—a great example to us all.

Finally, I should note that, at the end of our morning service, there was an opportunity for me and some members of the Ministry Team to pray for Gerry Staecy, LLM, as he starts as our Safeguarding Officer.  Do please pray for Gerry as he takes up this important role and also that our church family will indeed be a safe and caring community, which reflects well the love of Jesus.