“And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”
Mark 4:39b
The two episodes involving the Sea of Galilee in Mark’s Gospel (chapters four and six) demonstrate the power and authority of Jesus over nature. It is hard for us to imagine the power and might of the sea and the amount of respect that it commanded in the imaginations of the fishermen. Their life was drawn from the sea. They both feared its power and looked to it for provision. When Jesus rebuked the sea, they naturally asked the question, “who then is this…?” It is a question that Jesus answered in the second episode involving the sea.
In that passage, Jesus walks or treads on the sea. (See Job 9:8-11). He also begins to “pass by” them. (See Exodus 33:18-22 and 1 Kings 19:9-13) And he tells them, “Take heart. It is I.” The “It is I” mirrors God’s revealing of his name to Moses. (Exodus 3:14) In Sunday’s sermon, the following point was made:
This is not only a story about Jesus helping us with the storms of life, it is primarily a story of who Jesus is and how he sets his disciples up to see who he is. Your life’s narrative has less to do with overcoming storms and is more about recognizing Jesus and receiving him for who he has revealed himself to be.
And truly to see Jesus for who he is, leads us to trust him through the storm. Have a blessed week and we will see many of you on Sunday. As a bonus, I am including a Christmas poem written by Luci Shaw.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Dale
Royalty
- He was a plain man
- and learned no latin
- Having left all gold behind
- he dealt out peace
- to all us wild men
- and the weather
- He ate fish, bread,
- country wine and God’s will
- Dust sandalled his feet
- He wore purple only once
- and that was an irony
- by Luci Shaw
