Sunday, 16 August 2026
SERMON 239 - SUNDAY 16 AUGUST 2026 - TRINITY 11
Sermon at St. Mary’s Parish Church, West Dean – 11th Sunday after Trinity – Sunday 9th August 2026
Psalm 46
May I speak in the Name
of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and may these words of yours be a joy and
blessing to all who hear them. Amen
In a similar
way to last week’s readings from Isaiah (Elijah’s calling out of despair) and
Matthew’s description of Jesus walking on water to comfort the disciples, Psalm
46 is another piece of scripture to inspire confidence and reassurance. It
speaks to us in a world where life can sometimes feel uncertain, frightening
and beyond our control. Its central message is simple but profound: God is
our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
The
historical background and context to this psalm is that the author is writing
about Jerusalem following it having been shaken by a severe earthquake, and his
reference to a river flowing through the centre of the shaken city in verse 4
is a metaphorical reference to God’s continued life and presence, His continuity
through the turmoil and destruction of all around Him and us.
The psalm
begins, therefore, not by pretending that trouble does not exist, but by
acknowledging that it does. The earth may give way, the mountains may fall into
the sea, and the waters may roar and foam. These are powerful images of chaos
and instability and of the earthquake itself. They remind us that there will be
times when the things we normally depend upon seem to be collapsing around
us. It’s very much a psalm for today.
Yet the
psalmist says, “Therefore we will not fear.”
That is a
remarkable statement. It does not mean that there is nothing to fear. Rather,
it means that fear does not have the final word. Our confidence rests not in
the circumstances around us, but in God who remains with us through them.
How often do
we find ourselves worrying about things that we cannot control? We can become
anxious about the future, about our families, our health, our finances, our
work or the state of the world. We’ve experienced all sorts of troubles in our
lives – we’ve lost our car keys, we’ve fallen disastrously in love with the
wrong person, we’ve flooded the kitchen, we’ve had health problems, our
children have been a challenge and so on and so on, but above all this, we are
still here and alive and so is Jesus and God is still bearing us up. Sometimes, though, circumstances can seem so
incredibly overwhelming that we still wonder where God is.
Psalm 46
gives us a very straight-forward answer: God is with us.
The psalmist declares,
“The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.” The
repetition is important. God is not a distant observer who watches from afar.
He is our refuge. He is present in the midst of our difficulties.
There is also
a beautiful contrast in the psalm between the noise and turmoil of the world
and the quiet presence of God. In the middle of all the upheaval comes the
command:
“Be still,
and know that I am God.”
Perhaps these
are some of the most challenging words in Scripture for us today. We live in a
world that rarely seems still. There is always another message, another piece
of news, another problem demanding our attention. Even when we are physically
quiet, our minds can remain busy with worry.
I know that this seems to be my life – always somewhere to go, something
to do, someone to see, bins to take out, a sermon to write and the general
busyness of just living.
To “be still”
does not necessarily mean that our problems will disappear. It means that, for
a moment, we stop struggling to control everything ourselves and remember who
God is.
It is an
invitation to trust Him. That is the
essence of Faith, to believe and trust.
When we are
still before God, we can remind ourselves that we are not alone. We do not have
to understand everything that is happening. We do not have to know what
tomorrow will bring. We simply need to place ourselves into the hands of the
God who does.
Whenever I
look up at the heavens, and this week I have been doing a lot of that with a
solar eclipse and the Perseid meteor shower, despite having much scientific
knowledge of the cosmos, the one fundamental aspect I can never get out of my
head is the awesomeness of God as Creator and the smallness of us as
individuals on this little planet. It is those moments of stillness and calm,
looking up at the heavens, that I can often feel the closeness of God.
The psalm
also reminds us that God is not merely our refuge in private troubles. He is
the God who brings peace into the world: “He makes wars cease to the end of
the earth.” This gives the psalm a wider vision. Our faith is not simply
about finding personal comfort. We are called to trust in the God who desires
peace, reconciliation and restoration for all creation.
For
Christians, this confidence finds its fullest expression in Jesus Christ. Jesus
does not promise His followers a life without storms, as we saw last week, but
He promises His presence in the storm. Just as the disciples discovered when
the waters threatened their boat, faith does not mean that the waves will never
rise. It means that Christ is with us when they do.
Psalm 46
therefore invites us to change our perspective. When life feels secure, it is
easy to believe that we are in control. But when the mountains seem to shake
and the waters roar, we discover where our true security lies.
Our security
is not ultimately in possessions, circumstances, other people, or even in our
own strength.
Our
security is in God.
So when we
are troubled, let us remember: God is our refuge. When we are weak, He is our
strength. When we are afraid, He is with us. And when we do not know what to
do, we can be still, place our trust in Him, and remember that He is God.
The final
message of Psalm 46 is therefore one of hope:
Whatever
storms may come, God remains faithful. Whatever changes around us, He remains
our refuge. And whatever tomorrow may bring, we need not face it alone.
“Be still,
and know that I am God.”
Let us
pray
God of Jacob
When the earth shakes
And the nations are in uproar
Speak, and let the storm be still,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen MFB/239/14082026
Monday, 10 August 2026
SERMON 238 - SUNDAY 9 AUGUST 2026 - TRINITY 10
Sermon at St. Laurence’s Church Parish Church, Downton – 10th Sunday after Trinity – Sunday 9th August 2026
1 Kings 19:9-18; Matthew 14:22-33,
May I speak in the Name
of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and may these words of yours be a joy and
blessing to all who hear them. Amen
"Keep
Your Eyes on Christ"
Both of our
readings today speak directly to anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by fear,
uncertainty, or despair. They remind us that faith is not the absence of
difficulties; it is the confidence that God is with us in the midst of them.
During the
course of my own life, there have been numerous times when things seem to be
overcoming me and I’m not in control – from the anxiety of taking academic
exams through to romantic rejections, difficult job interviews, career
opportunities missed, financial matrimonial difficulties and even my calling to
ministry. It’s a rare person indeed who has gone through life without
difficulties along the way. So too, for our biblical characters, Elijah and
Peter, in our readings this morning.
In our first
reading from 1 Kings, we meet the prophet Elijah at one of the lowest
points in his life. Only a short time earlier, he had experienced a great
victory over the prophets of Baal – you’ll remember, the great “BBQ Contest”.
Yet now, because Queen Jezebel has threatened his life, he flees into the
wilderness. He is exhausted, frightened, and ready to give up. He believes he
is alone, abandoned, and that all his efforts have been in vain.
God's
response is not to overwhelm Elijah with displays of power as he might have
expected. Yahweh is not found in the mighty wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in
the fire. Instead, God comes in the sound of a gentle whisper—a still, small
voice. It’s in that quiet encounter that Elijah discovers that God has never
abandoned him. The Lord reassures him, gives him a new mission, and reminds him
that there are still seven thousand faithful people in Israel. Elijah's own
fears had clouded his vision, but God's gentle presence restored his hope. Have often, do our own fears cloud our vision
such that we cannot think straight or logically? Tasks seem insurmountable and we either give
up or flee?
Our Gospel
reading presents us with a similar lesson. The disciples are battling strong
winds on the Sea of Galilee. The waves are high, and they are afraid. Then
Jesus comes to them, walking on the water, saying those comforting words:
"Take courage; it is I. Do not be afraid."
Peter
responds with remarkable faith. At the invitation of Jesus, he steps out of the
boat and actually walks on the water. As long as his eyes remain fixed on
Christ, he does the impossible. But then Peter notices the strength of the
wind. He looks away from Jesus and focuses instead on the danger beneath his
feet. Fear replaces faith, and he begins to sink.
Again, isn't
that often our own story?
When life is
calm, trusting God can seem easy. But when illness strikes, relationships break
down, finances become uncertain, or grief enters our lives, it is easy to
become like Elijah hiding in the cave or Peter sinking beneath the waves. We
begin to focus on the storm rather than on the Saviour. We look at the size of
our problems instead of the greatness of our God.
So, in both
readings, the message is the same: God does not abandon his people.
He comes to
Elijah in quiet reassurance.
He comes to
Peter with an outstretched hand.
And he comes
to us with that same promise.
Faith does
not mean we will never encounter storms. The Christian life has never been a
promise of an easy journey. Rather, it is the assurance that Christ is in the
boat with us, or, when we feel we are drowning, that he reaches out to grasp
our hand before we are lost. I am sure
you all know the story of the footprints in the sand, that at the time there
only appeared to be one set of footprints it was when Jesus was carrying us,
not simply walking alongside us.
Peter's
mistake was not that he stepped out of the boat. In fact, his courage was
extraordinary. His mistake was allowing fear to become greater than his trust
in Jesus. The moment his attention shifted from Christ to the storm, he lost
confidence and began to sink.
The same
temptation faces us every day. The world constantly invites us to focus on
anxiety, uncertainty, failure, and fear. Indeed, much of modern social media
seems designed to appeal to our fearful natures. But the Gospel calls us to fix
our eyes on Christ. As Paul reminds us elsewhere, "We walk by faith, not
by sight." Faith sees beyond present circumstances to the God for whom nothing
is impossible.
That does not
mean every difficulty ahead will disappear. Elijah still had work to do. The
disciples still had to cross the lake. We too must continue our own journeys
with their challenges and crosses. But with Christ beside us, and sometimes
carrying us, those challenges no longer have the final word.
When we
listen for God's gentle voice in prayer, when we receive Christ in the
Eucharist, when we trust him even when we cannot see the way ahead, we discover
that his grace is always sufficient. He strengthens us, guides us, and carries
us when our own strength fails.
Perhaps today
some of us feel like Elijah—discouraged and wondering whether we can go on.
Others may feel like Peter—overwhelmed by the storms of life and beginning to
sink under the weight of fear. The Lord speaks to each of us today with the
same words of hope: "Do not be afraid."
Let us ask
for the grace to keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus. For when we trust in him,
the impossible becomes possible. When we place our lives in his hands, fear
gives way to peace, despair gives way to hope, and weakness is transformed by
his strength.
May we always
remember that no storm is greater than our Saviour, no darkness can overcome
his light, and no difficulty is beyond the reach of his saving hand. If we
remain close to him, listening for his voice and trusting in his presence,
then, whatever trials come our way, we too will discover the truth of God's
promise: with him, all things are possible.
Let us pray :
Heavenly
Father, when fear overwhelms us and the storms of life seem too great to bear,
help us to hear your gentle voice as Elijah did, reminding us that you are
always with us.
When, like
Peter, we take our eyes from Jesus and begin to sink beneath the weight of
doubt and uncertainty, stretch out your hand to us. Strengthen our faith, renew
our hope, and teach us to trust you completely.
Grant us
the courage to believe that with you all things are possible, even when the
path before us seems impossible to walk. Help us to fix our eyes always upon
Christ, knowing that his love is stronger than our fears, his power greater
than our weakness, and his presence our constant refuge.
May we
leave this place today with hearts full of faith, confident that you go before
us, walk beside us, and hold us safely in your everlasting arms.
We ask
this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen MFB/238/06082026