LITURGY

Nineteenth Sunday Year A

 

WORD OF GOD
But the Lord was not in the wind...
not in the earthquake...
not in the fire.
And after the fire there came a sound
of a gentle breeze.
(I Kings 19:11-13)

WORDS FOR WORSHIP
May God the Father, whose voice was heard in the gentle breeze, reveal himself to you in the wonders of his creation.
Amen.
May Jesus, who called Peter to walk on the waters, be at your side in the challenges of your daily life.
Amen.
May the Holy Spirit, who is the witness and guarantor of all you say and do in faith, lead you into the fullness of truth.
Amen.
And may the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit come among you and remain with you those whom you love.
Amen.

WORD FOR TODAY
Elijah found God in the most unexpected of places and events, and Jesus asked Peter to do the unthinkable: to walk on water. Our faith is measured by how we respond to God’s call in circumstances that everyone else would give up on.

FAITH IN FOCUS: WALKING ON WATER
From time to time God calls each of us to walk on water. Physically, of course, it’s impossible, but symbolically it’s something we have to do to prove our faith in Jesus. Not that these occasions are simply all in the mind; they are very real and demand that same leap out of the boat and into the water that Peter had to do on Lake Galilee.
By walking on water we mean that sometimes things are demanded of us that require a superhuman effort, that seem absolutely impossible by human standards or that just appear to be plain foolhardy or beyond what anyone could ever expect of us. But it is at these moments that we show whether our faith in Jesus is just words or whether, when necessary, we can translate it into action.
Walking on water is not always a headline grabbing event. Does the car mechanic have the guts to put his faith first and not ring the vehicles or give false test certificates just to earn a bit more? Does the husband away on business have the strength of character not to get involved with the woman eyeing him up on the other side of the bar? Does the young widowed mother of three have what it takes to carry on doing her best for her children when life seems to keep slapping her in the face? Does the criminal have the moral fibre to admit guilt and accept the consequences of the law? Is your faith strong enough to stand poor preaching, indifferent worship or inadequate pastoral care? Do you walk on water in the face of friends and family who mock you for trying to be a Christian in a world that has little time for God?
Fortunately these walking on water incidents don’t happen to us every day. But by being faithful in the small things of life we train ourselves for when our faith is tested at its roots. Peter eventually sank beneath the waves, not because of the storm but because he was all-show and little faith. Whatever storms come our way we know that God will never let us drown, but we can be sure that he will give us plenty of opportunity to get our feet wet.

 

 

TO CONTACT US: OUR LADY OF LOURDES FLEMING FIELD SHOTTON  COLLIERY DURHAM DH6 2JQ