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What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of mice, snakes, things that go bump in the night? What is it that causes your heart to race and your palms to sweat? My fears have changed over the years. As a child I was very scared of the darkness. My father would take me outside at night and as we would walk, he would try desperately to convince me that there was nothing in the dark that wasn’t there in the daylight. I was never quite convinced.
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In the scriptures there are many stories of people who are frightened and find themselves in extreme circumstances. One text that comes to mind is that of David and Goliath. The Israelite army is terrified by the giant Philistine, Goliath. The scripture says that the entire army is so afraid that they fled from Goliath. However the story of David and Goliath and our Gospel lesson differ in that in the Old Testament Lesson David is confident that the “Lord of Hosts” is with him and will battle with him to slay the giant. However, in Mark's Gospel where the disciples find themselves fearing for their lives, they are not as trusting and they immediately believe that Jesus does not care about them as he sleeps while their boat is being swamped by the high seas.
This story of Jesus and his disciples in the boat reminds us that storms often arise out of nowhere in this world that we live in. You know what I mean. Just like a thunderstorm that comes out of nowhere and strikes mightily with loud crashing thunder and vivid lightning, we are often caught in storms in our own lives.
If you have ever suffered from cancer, you know that world. In cancer, the normal reproductive processes, the “natural” workings of cells, somehow go out of control, reproduce with astonishing speed, oblivious to the checks and balances of the body. The once placid lake that has been our body on most days becomes an angry, raging sea. This is what this story is about.
During these storms in our lives, Jesus does hear our cries and just as Jesus was not concerned about the storm, Jesus was concerned for the disciples. Jesus was concerned for those men who had left everything and boarded the boat with him. Jesus heard their cries and Jesus cared and not only cared but saved them from the storm.
In the storms of life when things are at their worst, when the clouds turn dark and the winds are howling, when we feel that we are lost and alone, hear Jesus’ strong voice saying, “Quiet! Be Still!” We do not know how Jesus calmed the seas, but we see a Jesus who cares, speaks and saves. This is the good news. In the middle of the storm, Jesus cares about us, speaks to us and Jesus will save us. Amen. |