In the Boat Together

Sunday, June 21
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Focus Theme
In the Boat Together

Weekly Prayer
Keeper of our lives, you know the hardness and gentleness of human hearts. You call your people to faithful living. Through the storms of life that bring suffering and fear, joy and laughter, teach us to turn to you for all we need, so that we may come to know your presence even in the midst of the trials that surround us. Amen.

Focus Reading
Mark 4:35-41

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"

Reflection by Kate Matthews (Huey)

In last week's reading, the Gospel of Mark recounted the parable of Jesus about the tiny mustard seed growing into a mighty tree. This week, the story continues but seems to take a sudden turn, from quiet and promising to things much more disturbing and dramatic. The disciples are in a boat with Jesus, in the midst of a storm that frightens even these seasoned fishermen. In spite of the powerful things they have already seen Jesus do, they are certain that they're headed for destruction. Their question, "Don't you care that we are perishing?" (v. 38) is ambiguous: it may indicate that they lack confidence that Jesus could act, but it may also indicate their concern about whether he would act in the midst of this crisis. "Don't you care?" they ask. Instead of trusting Jesus, they "feared a great fear," as verse 41 is more accurately translated. Mark writes for the early church, tossed on the stormy seas of persecution, but his message is for us today, that God is with us always, even in the face of powers that might overwhelm us. There is much to consider here, including the mysterious reality of God's love and presence with us in every circumstance. Thus, we can faith that this power at the heart of the universe, at the heart of all reality, vibrates with love and goodness, and, in the end, will allow all things to unfold in justice and peace, making all things right, including our small but immeasurably precious lives.

For Further Reflection

African Proverb
"Smooth seas do not make for a skillful sailor."

Dean Smith, 20th century
"If you treat every situation as a life and death matter, you'll die a lot of times."

Woody Allen, 20th century
"I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens."

Eleanor Roosevelt, 20th century
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."