Chaplain's Message

We had a big wind the other night – well it might not have been that big but in my little Granny flat with a tin roof, it sounded like a hurricane. 

My animals snuggled in close – Mandela the Maremma; Wellington 111, my little white fluffy with magnificent underbite; Shumba the Orange Cat; and Chutney, a St Philip's sibling from behind the air conditioner in the Quad! 

All of them alarmed by the activity happening on the roof! As they crept in close, my sense of love and protection grew and I had no concerns of being awoken in the night – they needed me and I was there for them.

I mulled over this human capacity to respond to the trust of those in our care. As I lay there in the dark, listening to the wind and comforting my fur babies, I felt God’s care of me and the way he responds to our trust. I was reminded that we are made in the image of God and therefore reflect his qualities. As we read Psalm 91, there is a wonderful promise that I find inspiring and comforting in moments of crisis, especially when we consider the chaos of our world.

Psalm 91 v 1 – 6

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High 

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a] 

2  I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, 

my God, in whom I trust.”

3  Surely he will save you 

from the fowler’s snare 

and from the deadly pestilence. 

4  He will cover you with his feathers, 

and under his wings you will find refuge; 

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 

5  You will not fear the terror of night, 

nor the arrow that flies by day, 

6  nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, 

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

As we love and protect those we love, may we never forget that God responds to our trust with all his strength and courage and wisdom to grow us through our fear.

God bless!

Go safely.

~ Pastor Sarah Pollitt

   College Chaplain