Pastoral Thoughts

Who then is the captain of your destiny?

You will see from this article that my wife and I have safely returned from our holiday sailing the Baltic Sea coasts.  We had a fair old adventure and visited many different countries, including Norway, Sweden, Russia and Estonia. When we climbed onto the coach taking us to St. Petersburg in Russia we were each issued with a little radio receiver to plug into our ears.  This was so the guide could fill us with information but also call us back close to her if we appeared to be wandering off on our own!  It felt a bit like being a small duckling under the watchful eye of its mother but the system worked very well.  You will gather that electronic devices of every kind fascinate me. When thinking about this, it occurred to me that we all need to have our ears attuned to Jesus when we start out on any new venture in our lives.  We can only get the encouragement and guidance we so much need from Him if we make sure we are tuned in to his wavelength.

When we arrived on our ship we were each given a small plastic card with a barcode on it and only by inserting that into our cabin door lock could we gain access to our temporary home on board our floating hotel. Our plastic key was a pass into the place where we really wanted to be.  Here too it seemed to me as I thought about this that Jesus, by His life, death and resurrection, has given us a free pass into the presence of His Heavenly Father where we can each feel safe as a child of God.  All that is needed on our part is a willingness to open our hearts and let Him in.

So whether we feel apprehension or excitement at the challenges our new Methodist Year brings on September 1^st, we can be sure that Jesus travels with everyone who welcomes His presence no matter where their future may be. As Charles Wesley wrote – (see HP62 v 1)

‘Captain of Israel’s host, and Guide

Of all who seek the land above,

Beneath thy shadow we abide,

The cloud of thy protecting love;

Our strength, thy grace; our rule, thy word;

Our end, the glory of the Lord.’ 

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