PASTOR'S PEN
Date: Saturday - October 27, 2012
Place: 1751 Sacramento St., Van Ness San Francisco CA 94109Place: 1751 Sacramento St., Van Ness San Francisco CA 94109
Car pool rides to Old First Presbyterian Church from CUPC will be provided if needed.
Trust in Jesus Christ
"A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But (Jesus) was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?' He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' Then the wind ceased..." Mark 4:37-39
Life is full of problems, trials, and tribulations and all of us go through "storms" in our lives from time to time. The storms of life take many forms. It may be the death of a loved one, loss of a job, divorce, peer pressure, illness, homelessness, etc. It does not matter if we are old or young, rich or poor, married or single, employed or unemployed, male or female. We all experience the storms of life. And when we encounter these storms of life, we tend to be afraid, feel overwhelmed, and want to give up.
In August, I found out that my mother in Japan was diagnosed with lung cancer. To say this news came as a shock would be an understatement. It was like being hit in the face with a baseball bat. I was afraid and felt overwhelmed by it. There seemed to be no possible way to overcome this storm when I first received the news.
Gracious God, however, helped me to realize again that I did not have to go through this storm by myself. I have many friends and church families who prayed for my mother and supported me. I would like to thank everyone who prayed for us. I felt your prayers and have been made stronger by the prayers. I was also comforted knowing that Jesus Christ is always with me and I can rely on him anytime to help me through my "storm".
Jesus Christ is always with us all whether we know it or not. We only need to go to him for help just as his disciples did in Mark 4. Jesus commanded the disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee when evening came. Jesus was tired from all the teaching he had done and fell asleep in the boat. Suddenly the disciples found themselves in a storm. They were fishermen and accustomed to the wind and waves, but this storm was so large they feared for their lives. So they woke up Jesus, and he calmed the storm by saying "Peace! Be still."
The disciples witnessed Jesus' great words and deeds, and yet they were afraid of the storm and woke him up. If they really believed in Jesus as the Son of God who can do all things, they would not have woken him up. Jesus rebuked them for their little faith in v.40. Their faith may be small, but we can still learn from their faith. When the storm threatened them, they woke up Jesus. In other words, they went to Jesus. The disciples did not try to take it into their own hands to save themselves. Instead they went to Jesus.
Going to Jesus, relying on him is what we can learn from the disciples. Think back on some of
the "storms" that you have encountered in your life. How did you deal with them? Did you go to Jesus and let him help you through the "storms", or did you try to handle them by yourself?
When the disciples went to Jesus, he calmed the storm. There are times when Jesus will stop the storm completely as in this story. Other times it feels like he did not even calm the waves. In either case, the point is, Jesus will not let us be destroyed by the storms but will help us through them. Jesus Christ is always with us and always ready to help in times of trouble and trials. All we need to do is to go to him like the disciples did. When we do, Jesus will be with us to calm the storms in our lives. God helped me realize this again during my mother's illness.
Jesus Christ is the one who can stop the storms of our lives. He is the one who can still the waves of fear. So let us trust in Jesus Christ and go to him whenever we encounter the storms of our lives.
In Christ,
Hiroko Suzuki, Commissioned Lay Pastor
CLERK'S REPORT
Everyone is invited to attend our regular session meetings. If you are interested in how the session, our governing body, discusses ministry at CUPC, please come and join us! You are also welcome to read the minutes, which are public documents. The minutes are available in the church office.
COFFEE FELLOWSHIP:
The Deacons would like to thank everyone who contributed to the coffee fellowship during the month of September. The Deacons are aware there are others who do not sign up on the list, but contribute. We would like to thank you all!
Jan Der
ANNOUNCEMENT:
As we continue to live out the CUPC Mission Statement: ... "Go Ye Therefore into the larger community reaching out and sharing God's Good News." The Mission and Outreach Committee is inviting CUPC members and friends to consider volunteering your time and talents by participating at Old First Presbyterian Church's Food Pantry day on Saturday, October 27, 2012. Local churches participate with the San Francisco Food Bank to help with the distribution of fresh food, canned foods and staples to people who may not have enough to eat on a regular basis; many being low income individuals or the elderly.
If you are able, please join us as we continue the work of Jesus Christ in serving and loving others. Sign up with Jackie Kwan, Commissioned Lay Pastor/ Mission and Outreach committee Chair person.
Time: 7:30 am - 11 am
