In last week's readings, the First Book of Samuel told the story of the youngest, smallest son being lifted up to lead the whole nation, and the Gospel of Mark recounted the parables of Jesus about the tiny mustard seed growing into a mighty tree. This week, the stories continue but seem to take a sudden turn, from quiet and promising to things much more disturbing and dramatic, with a measure of violence as well.
In First Samuel, little David defeats Goliath with an impressive confidence in God's help that illustrates what faith truly is, that is, trust that God is, at all times, good and, always, near at hand: David believes that he has never faced anything alone.
Young David is in stark contrast to the disciples in the boat with Jesus, in the midst of a storm that frightens even these seasoned fishermen. They"feared a great fear." They had seen great things Jesus had done. If they did not doubt his ability to save him, did they doubt that he cared? And who can fault the disciples for being afraid, too? We know fear ourselves, from our personal dread of illness, suffering, death (our own and that of our loved ones), and the emotional suffering of loss and loneliness, to the shared anxiety we have about terrorism, war, environmental damage, and economic troubles.
In her "Reflections," Kathryn Huey asks us "Is your church small, like David? Do you feel that your life, and the life of your church, is more like that boat, rocking on the stormy sea? Where do you ground your confidence? Do you feel small and powerful, or small and weak? Is your church or are you personally filled with power and security? In what do you ground your faith? Do you ever have hints of the awesome power of God, even when God seems near and tender and caring for you? What might this God require of you and your church?
In "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing," The Rev. Rick Morley tells us "God never, ever, ever promises that nothing bad will ever happen. God never promises smooth sailing and blue skies every day. If you think that God promises this, you haven’t read your Bible lately. What God does promise is that when the world comes crashing down, God is right there with us. Jesus is there with us, in the sinking boat."
In "Does Jesus Care?" The Rev. Dr. Lewis Galloway quotes Diogenes Allen from his book, Theology for a Troubled Believer: "In addition to discovering
our place in God's universe [as material beings, vulnerable injury, illness, decay and death], Allen describes a second step: trusting in God's
loving care enables us 'to experience God in the midst of suffering.'"
Why do you think this account of the violence, fear, doubt, and vulnerability of the disciples is related to us by the author of the gospel of Mark? What does it teach us personally, and us as a church? What does it teach us about the Teacher?
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