Thought for the Week 26 July 2026

“Dear whānau, as we gather this morning, may we be encouraged by the God who meets us in every calm and every storm.”

This Sunday we step into the boat with the disciples as Jesus invites them to cross “to the other side.” What begins as an ordinary journey quickly becomes a moment of deep formation. Alan Hirsch, in his groundbreaking book The Forgotten Ways, reminds us that God often shapes his people in liminal spaces — those uncomfortable, in‑between places where our usual securities fall away. He notes that “danger and challenge” often awaken the church to its true calling.

The storm on the lake becomes a place of communities — shared courage, shared vulnerability, shared growth. The disciples learn to call on Jesus from within the chaos, discovering that his calm presence is not absence but lordship. The storm doesn’t stop the mission; it shapes the missionaries.

As a church in South Canterbury, we are invited to consider what “other side” Jesus is calling us toward — and to trust him in every storm along the way.

Steve