Scripture:Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning 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?’ (Matthew 14:28-31)Reflection:Walking on water means, according to the American Christian author, John Ortberg: facing our fears and choosing not to let fear have the last word; discovering and embracing our unique calling from God; and being empowered to do what we would not be able to do on our own. (If you want to know more, read his great book, “In You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat”!) Taking that first step – of trust – when listening to God is the hardest step of all. It takes real trust, real courage; when every fibre of your being is saying “no, I can’t”, but you hear God calling, “Come.”Try this prayer:“Loving God, you know me through and through. You know my hopes, my fears, the things that get me going, and those that make me freeze. Give me the courage to put my anxious, fearful thoughts and feelings aside, to listen to you, and trust you. Get me out of the boat, my eyes, my mind, and my heart always fixed on you. Amen.” Revd David
Scripture:‘Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters, and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk, without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labour on what does not satisfy?’ (Isaiah 55.1-2)Reflection:As human beings we have both physical and spiritual needs. Jesus reminds us that ‘Man does not live by bread alone’, but when his 5000 hearers were hungry he gave them actual bread to eat. When we pray: ‘Give us this day our daily bread’ we pray not only for food (which most of us do not lack), but for all the resources we need to meet the tasks of each day.This prayer is not only for ourselves, but for all God’s people. One of the greatest scandals of our time is that so many people suffer poverty and hunger, not only in famine-struck countries far away but in our own society.‘Freely you have received’ said Jesus, ‘freely give’. ( Matt.10.8)May God help us to understand what these words mean for each one of us. Revd Rosemary
