Newsletter of Hamilton Bible Fellowship
May 2005
Last month at the annual meeting, Ernie gave a review of the past year, including the significant progress of getting the building up, enclosed and under roof. "We are now out of the boat," he said. "We are walking on the water, like Peter - by faith!" Here’s some context from the gospels. This incident is recorded by Matthew, Mark and John, but curiously not Luke - who is usually the most comprehensive. It follows another well-known, often cited miracle, the feeding of the five thousand. Of the three accounts, only Matthew includes Peter’s experience; the others only recount Jesus’ walking to the boat amidst the storm. Perhaps Peter, the source for much of Mark’s gospel, didn’t want to draw attention to himself. In these miracles - by definition, super-natural interventions - Jesus is demonstrated as provider and deliverer in times of need, chronic, and acute (respectively). He is the source of our daily sustenance, and the savior in times when we need rescued in the midst of our circumstances.
HBF began meeting for regular worship the first Sunday in May, 1985. That’s twenty years God has sustained us! When we started we had no guarantees that this thing would work. We had to trust that God would provide physically and spiritually, for the Cox family and for the fledgling fellowship. And he has! The loaves and fishes of this small group have been continuously multiplied to keep us going. And now, we have taken a big step out of the boat. Before he did, Peter said, "Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water." As with Peter, Jesus’ answer to us was, "Come" (Matthew 14:29-29). We have walked successfully so far, but like Peter we want to avoid freaking out in the midst of the storm (v. 30). Jesus is still here to catch us, to grab our hand and deliver us the rest of the way. It’s not ultimately about our ability, though God gives us skills, talents, training and experience that he wants us to use. It’s about confidence that he will come through, in ways of which we are not yet aware. This is walking by faith, not by sight - even when it’s on water (v. 31). And, faith is not about us (it wasn’t about Peter). Neither is it about some vague notion of "fate," as it is so often conceived in our time. It’s about the one in whom we trust - it’s about Jesus. He has sustained us these past twenty years, and that will continue. And he will deliver us "into the boat" - into our building. There, we’ll be able to more effectively worship him, proclaiming him as truly the Son of God (v. 33).
Thanks to all of you who have supported, and who have been, Hamilton Bible Fellowship - whether you’ve been a part of it for months or decades. Keep praying, and let’s keep walking to this end - together.
NEWS AND PRAYER UPDATE:
Linda Bean arrives home this Saturday morning (May 7th). If you want to be there to greet her, I believe folks are gathering at Airport Rd. at 10:00 AM.
Continue to pray for Brad Bush as he is transferred to state prison in Elmira.
Pray for the Getchonis family and the recent loss of their son.
Pray for graduating Colgate seniors: Andy Birk, who will be teaching in Hawaii next year, and Joe Evans, who will be back at Colgate next fall to pursue an MAT degree (yea!).
May Birthdays: 12 Claire Cady & Joe Evans; 16 Suzanne (Chistensen) Johnson; 19 Martha Fisher;
20 Meghan Pils; 22 Jordan Cox; 28 Terry Hayes & Gaye Andrews
THE QUOTE CORNER
Faith is kept alive in us, and gathers strength,
more from practice than from speculations.
Joseph Addison
Faith is to believe, on the word of God, what we do not
see, and its reward is to see and enjoy what we believe.
Augustine
All that I have seen teaches me to trust
the Creator for all I have not seen.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
COMING EVENTS CALENDAR:
Friday May 6th there is a reception for Kayla Cady, on the occasion of her senior Art Exhibit, 6:00 PM at Cazenovia College.
Saturday May 7th, 1:00 PM at Park United Methodist Church is the Memorial Service for Harvey Deiter. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall.
Friday, May 13th, 6:00 PM at the Andrews’: Gala pot-luck graduation celebration for Joe Evans!
Sunday June 12th is the tentative date for the HBF Spring Picnic.