The Ridiculous Journey Part V The Sage

July 8, 2018

Our Sermon Series continues …. Five weeks ago we began with the call to embark on what the world might consider “a ridiculous journey,” following “a nobody from nowhere.”  A nobody who was a “revolutionary,” God’s agent of change, revealing and opening up the Kingdom of God;  A nobody who was a peacemaker, “reconciling” of all creation unto God and unto each other;  A nobody who was “the love of God” embodied in human flesh in order that we might understand the radical and all-encompassing nature of God’s unconditional, sacrificial, “agape” love.  Today we continue to unpack the human archetypes found in this “nobody from nowhere,” today in part five we explore - Jesus, “The Sage.”

To be a “Sage,” is to be reflective, thoughtful, experienced, - and in with and through all these things, - to be wise.  To be a sage is to be learned, astute, perceptive, a thinker, a philosopher, a statesman, a mentor, - a wise person.  Jesus, as The Word made flesh, brings to us all the wisdom of the ages, the insights of heaven, and the awareness of the presence of the Kingdom of God.

So it is, that when Jesus spoke the crowds were always amazed, he was different; they had never heard anyone speak this way before.  Following the Sermon on the Mount, The Gospel of Matthew comments, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”  Jesus certainly was a sage, the Word of God incarnate, wisdom from on high!

The Gospel for today features “The Beatitudes,” Jesus opening prologue to the “Sermon on the Mount,” his magnificent vision of the Kingdom of God.  These words spoken by Jesus are poetic, but not to be lost in their beauty is a message that literally changes the world.  Pastor Rich Nelson, curator of our series, writes, “And even if the first few lines of this sermon were the only ones to have survived over time, they would still be just as world-changing as the entire sermon was.  Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the poor ...,’ Wait, what? No. I’m afraid not. That is not at all how it is. It is the rich who have all the ‘blessings.’ They are the ones with big fancy houses, the servants who care for their every need, the doctors who heal their diseases, the lavish garments, the sumptuous banquets, the beautiful concubines, the fear and respect of the people, the fancy umbrellas to shield them from the sun and the rain.” No, they’re the lucky ones, the ones who are blessed!

However, Jesus sees things from a different perspective, from the perspective of God, from a place beyond time and circumstance, from a place of eternal truth and love.  Jesus goes on in the Sermon on the Mount to proclaim that the reality of God’s kingdom is very different than that of this world, offering them the true blessings of God, and challenging them with the truths of the Kingdom of God.  Each word inspiring faith, instilling hope, creating peace, and sharing love.  Each word changing their understanding of the world and opening them up to the everlasting reality of God’s kingdom.  Redefining love, forgiveness, wisdom, peace, justice and the very purpose of life.  Redefining what it means to be blessed, and reversely, what it means to be cursed.  Jesus teachings begin to turn the world upside down and inside out.

The people who first heard these words, that sermon on the mount, were truly amazed.  Even today those very same words from two thousand years ago grab hold of us and speak to our deepest understanding of self along with our deepest hopes for the world.  The Beatitudes have a life of their own that somehow claim authority.  The crowds followed Jesus because he was different. We follow Jesus because he is different.  Jesus does not take advantage of our fears, Jesus does not beat us down with loud and empty rhetoric, Jesus voice is somehow distinctively discernable in the midst of all the collective noise and confusion present in the world. His word, his teachings, and the way he lived them out, was different and continues to be different.  Jesus has a way of making us stop, lean in, and listen.   Pastor Nelson concludes, “People yearn for mentors, someone who has walked ahead of us a little farther on life’s path and knows a thing or two that we yet need to learn. But true mentors, true sages are extraordinarily hard to come by.”  Jesus might have been “a nobody from nowhere”without any credentials but the words he spoke were alive.  

Rowan Williams, Former Archbishop of Canterbury, reflects on the question, “What is God doing in Jesus?”  He concludes that in Jesus, captured for a moment in history, in his life from start to finish; in this Jesus we have “as much God as humanity can hold.”  In Jesus we have God’s witness to “the way, the truth, and the life.”  And this sudden, dramatic, and unique outpouring of God stops the world in its tracks!  In Jesus God reveals just how broken and distorted our understanding of life has become! In love, Jesus points out how things have become - messed up.  In Jesus God comes not to condemn the world but to save it from itself.  Jesus comes into our world only that we might know “the way,”the way to the Father, the way of love, the way of the kingdom; that we might have life, that all might have life, life abundant.

And this is where it gets interesting.  You see, for some these words spoken by Jesus, make good perfect sense.  It especially makes good perfect sense for those who have been marginalized, those who have not been included, those for whom life has only always been about survival.  For “those who have nothing to lose,”those first lines spoken in the Beatitudes, those beautiful poetic words, “Blessed are the poor,”are heard and received as, “Good News.” Even “Great News.” 

But for others, those who have “too much to lose” in this world; the aristocracy, those invested in the temple system, the administration of empire; for those folks these words come as a threat to their way of life.  The Word that is the life and teachings of Jesus exposes the distortion of this world, the corruption of greed, the bending of truth, and the injustice of poverty; and so those who benefit from such things, those who benefit from the way things are, those in power, those who are blessed by the status quo; they push back on “the way, the truth, and the life,” they push back hard on this Word made flesh; ultimately hoping that violence can put an end to it once and for all. Archbishop Williams describes it this way, “They are embarrassed, afraid, they are hateful, they push back at it.  They push it right out over the cliff edge on the cross.  (However) as they look down into the abyss a voice behind them (surprises them saying,) ‘Peace be with You.’” God’s Word of Love will not be silenced!

And perhaps that’s where we are today?  As we gather together Christ becomes present in our fellowship, in our hearing of the Word, in our sharing of the meal, and speaks, “Peace be with you.”  Even in our own broken-ness, in those moments when we push back, when we try to hide from the truth, Jesus steps up beside us and gently offers again, “Peace be with you.”  Jesus is still at work in the world, still revealing the broken-ness that surrounds us in order that we might rise up with him in the Kingdom! The question is, “How might we respond?”

Pastor Nelson concludes, “Today, we give great authority to the voices we hear on TV, or the radio, or online, or in print. We are an easily convinced people, gullible to those who would speak with conviction to our fears about tomorrow.  … How then, can we discern the voice of God in the midst of the collective noise and our own confusion? What will strike our hearts as words of divine authority? …  Perhaps it will not come from those under the spotlight who seek attention for themselves, but rather from an unlikely source, far removed from the camera’s aim, who will speak a word that sounds like ... ‘Blessed are the poor …’” 

Jesus, as much God as humanity could hold, came into the world that we might know, that we might see, that we might experience, “the way, the truth, and the life.”  God continues to come into our world, in the midst of all the noise and confusion, that we might in our gathering together; in our serving those in need; in our sharing of word, water, bread and wine, continue to discern; “the way, the truth, and the life.”  

How might we respond to “Jesus the Sage,” the wisdom of the ages, the insights of heaven, the judgments of the Kingdom?  It might depend on how much we have to lose? I hope it depends on how much we have to gain!  “Peace be with you!”  Amen.

John 14:6-7

6 Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Ridiculous Journey Part IV The Lover

July 1, 2018

Today we return to our sermon series “The Ridiculous Journey.”  Our series began with the question, how is it that “A Middle Eastern homeless man from twenty centuries ago, still stirs the souls and imaginations of many."  Why is it that we follow a “nobody from nowhere?”   What is it about “Jesus from Nazareth”that turned, and continues to turn, the world upside down?   

And why is this journey, this decision to accept the invitation to follow Jesus ridiculous?  Because it challenges us to forsake the well-worn paths of “convention” and take the dangerous “road less traveled!”  Following Jesus inevitably leads us to the margins of life, to the challenging and uncomfortable places of life, to the places where “the least of these” are found. 

In part two we were introduced to Jesus as the “Revolutionary,”God’s change agent in the world ushering in the Kingdom of God; a kingdom whose values and principles are in conflict with the world around us.  We are reminded that Jesus appears “to make all things new,”in a world that doesn’t like change, let alone social and religious change.

In part three we were introduced to Jesus as the “Reconciler,”the one who not only reconciles each of us with God, but also challenges us to participate in the “ministry of reconciliation” unto all the world, to help bridge the gaps caused by the division of blind loyalty and allegiance assumptions; to take that humble stance of the “peacemaker”to be part of the Spirits work of gathering all of creation up and into the great love of God.  

Today in part four of our series we are introduced to Jesus “The Lover,”Jesus as the love of God embodied for the world, that the world might know love, that the world might know God.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son ...”

Today’s first reading proclaims, “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.”  Love, it’s that simple - and that complicated!  Complicated because we don’t all understand and experience love in the same way.  We begin by asking, just what does love look like?

The ancient Greeks had six words to describe love.  There was “Philautia”the “love of self,” which could be expressed in a healthy manner but also negatively in narcissism.  There was “Pragma,”or “longstanding love,” the kind of love that you find in enduring marriages, going deeper and beyond the moments belonging to emotions or feelings.  “Ludus,”or “playful love,” as observed in flirting and the early stages of romance.  “Eros”was used to describe “sexual passion,” and physical desire.  “Philia”was the “love of friendship,” the love experienced by families.  And “Agape”was the word used to describe the most radical form of love; a selfless love, a “sacrificial love.”  

In biblical Greek “Agape”is the most common word for “love” found in the New Testament.  It is used to describe the love that is God, the love of God embodied in Jesus, and the love that will slowly develop inside of those who choose to follow Jesus, those who embark on the ridiculous journey, those who dare to really lean into the teachings of Jesus, to those who place themselves in the Holy Community, the Beloved Community, that is the Kingdom of God.

In 1995 Gary Chapman authored the best-selling book, “The Five Languages of Love.”  He proposed that there are five basic ways that we experience and share love with each other.  The first is “Words of Affirmation,”the intentional “verbal” sharing of affirmations, speaking aloud the encouragement of “I love you.”  The second Language of Love is “Quality Time,”the carving out of time to be shared together, giving the other your undivided attention, the love of being present.  “Sharing of Gifts”is another way that love is “spoken,” a tangible token of love, that meaningful and thoughtful gift that makes a difference.  “Acts of Service”is the fourth language of love. For these people “actions speak louder than words,” lending a hand shows you really care!  Helping with life’s chores, and in life’s struggles, speaks of love.  And finally, there is the language of “Physical Touch.”  Hugs, kisses, holding hands, sitting together, closely sharing life, and in doing so communicating love.

Yes, love can be complicated!  Not everyone experiences love or communicates love in the same way!  How does a person who experiences and communicates love through “acts of service,” someone who is perhaps the strong and silent type; connect with an extremely “extroverted” person who experiences and communicates love through “words of affirmation?”  It’s not easy, in many ways we need to become multi-lingual, we need to learn how to share and receive love in the many ways it might be offered and received.  We don’t all innately speak the same language when it comes to love.

Renowned professor and speaker Dr. Brene Brown, from The University of Houston offers insight into this matter of communicating love, in particular how “the God that is Love,” the God that wants be revealed as Love, the God who wants us to love one another, might go about communicating to humanity.  She explains the problem in this way, you can’t speak in loose words or philosophical concepts because the love of God is too hard to understand, and our human default response would be to make it easy. She exclaims we would turn such an opend ended message of God’s love into “rainbows and unicorns,”- heart shaped candies with “xoxox” on them!  So, God cannot just send us a “word” about love, God must become “the word” about love, God must embody love.  Dr. Brown is emphatic that God “needs to send someone who will show us what love in the flesh looks like.”  “Otherwise we would romanticize it!”

So, God does just that, from today’s Gospel reading, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”   And this love of God, the word made flesh in Jesus, a word of grace and truth,  cannot be romanticized.  Dr. Brene Brown proclaims, “And then Jesus comes and says, ‘I am love.’  I sit with people you are not allowed to talk to, I do all the hard things, I make all the hard choices.  I love the people that are unlovable, I feed the people that are not supposed to be taken care of, I do not tolerate shame, I do not tolerate attacks.  I am love and it’s hard and it’s messy.  And if you really love, big love, you will become dangerous people.”

Once again, we’re suddenly on what some people might call a “ridiculous journey,”living out the values and practices of somebody who “came out of nowhere”inaugurating the Kingdom of God in our midst.  Dr. Brown concludes, “God is love, and Jesus is what love looks like -  made flesh.  And it’s hard, it’s not a default, it’s not unicorns and rainbows and fluffy stuffed animals.   It’s about choosing what is right over what is easy.  And we don’t want love to be that!”  

It’s about choosing what is right over what is easy.  Love is not a feeling, it’s a decision!

This morning Jesus once again invites us into the dangerous life of true love, the love of God, the love that is God.  And why would we follow?  It sounds all too risky and totally inconvenient.  Yet we have chosen to follow.  Why?  

“We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Perhaps we follow because we have caught a glimpse of what true love looks like?  Pastor Rich Nelson writes, “It is only in God’s naked vulnerability on the cross in the form of Jesus, bearing the full rejection of all humanity and the ultimate betrayal—and still reaching out to us with words of forgiveness and grace—that we see what true love looks like.”Perhaps once you have seen and experienced such “true love,” grace that is truly amazing and mercy that is truly unconditional, the selfless sacrificial love of “Agape;”once such love has stirred your soul and your imagination, you can’t go back, because suddenly and forever you belong to holy love, you are wrapped up inside the love of God.  Once again from our first reading this morning, “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.  Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world.  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”

Once again, as so often is the case, God’s Word comes to us as both comfort and challenge. To be loved so completely, so dangerously, so truly, is indeed overwhelming.  It’s sets one free in a way that nothing else could ever do.  And as this love sets us free it challenges us with moments of faith that call us do more than just receive this “Agape Love,”but to practice “Agape Love”in response.

I will give the last word in today’s sermon to Pastor Rich Nelson, the curator of our Sermon Series, he writes, “Love isn’t pretty. And it isn’t simple. And it isn’t easy. Love is more often than not messy, and complicated and excruciatingly difficult. But the alternative, to not love, is to refuse to truly be alive.” Love has come into your life to make you alive!  Let us continue the Ridiculous Journey together.  Amen.

1 John 4: 16b-21

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.  

"Boat Stories"

June 24, 2018 + Pentecost 5B

There are three “boat stories” in the Gospel of Mark.  They are stories about adventure and taking risks, stories about fear and faith, stories about you and me and God, and the kingdom of God that is unfolding today in our very presence.

The first story is found in today's gospel reading.  Jesus has been teaching in parables to the crowds, and as the day ends he decides that it's time to move along, to cross the sea of Galilee.  So, they board a boat and set out for a new destination.  As they begin their journey Jesus finds a comfortable place to lie down and get some sleep.  After a while, a great wind storm arises and soon the water is rough, real rough.  The boat is tossed about the violent sea and begins to take on water.  The disciples become afraid, they think that they are about to die, so they begin to shake Jesus, they want him to wake up, "Do you not care that we are perishing?"  Jesus wakes up and speaks to the wind and the sea, "Peace! Be still!"  And suddenly there is a great calm.  Jesus then asks the disciples,"Why are you afraid, where is your faith?" 

Two chapters later they are ready to set sail on the sea again.  Once again Jesus is speaking to the crowds.  This time he teaches them until late into the day, and they get hungry.  So, Jesus decides that they should all be fed, - all five thousand plus.  The disciples quickly protest, "We don't have enough money to feed all these people?"  Jesus asks, "What food do we have?" The disciples look around and gather up what they can find, "Just five loaves of bread, and two fish."  Jesus then takes the bread and fish, and looking up to heaven, he gives thanks.  He then begins to break off bread and pieces of fish, and hands them over to the crowd. And all are fed, all five thousand, and when all have finished there are twelve baskets of leftovers! 

Jesus then puts the disciples on a boat and sends them to the other side of the sea.  He tells them to go ahead and that he will meet the later.  So, the disciples put out to sea.  And things are going well until evening sets and a strong wind rises up and they find themselves with some tough rowing.    All night they fight the wind and the sea, but they are making little progress.  Then early in the morning they look out and see this figure walking towards them - on the water.  They quickly decide that it must be a ghost and they become afraid.  Who wouldn't be?  The ghost continues to come toward the boat, the disciples are getting worried, and then the ghost speaks, "Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid."  Finally, the disciples realize that it's no ghost, it's Jesus.  Jesus climbs into the boat and the wind ceases.  And this story ends with the curious line, "They were astounded, they did not understand about the loaves, their hearts were hardened."  They seem to have forgotten about the wind, the rough seas, and the ghost.  They are consumed once again by the miracle of the bread, they do not understand the abundance of the kingdom of God.

And one more boat story in Chapter Eight.  (My favorite story!)  This story begins much the same as the last one, Jesus is teaching the crowds somewhere out in the wilderness desert, away from homes and food.  The disciples ask Jesus to send them all home before it gets too late, because there's not enough food for everybody.  But once again Jesus wants to feed them all.  And once again the disciples are worried and complain, "But how can we feed all these people here in the desert?  All we have is seven loaves of bread."  So, Jesus takes the seven loaves, and a few fish that are found, looks up to heaven and give thanks, and then begins to break off pieces and hands them out to the crowd.  (Does this sound familiar?)  And once again, all ate and were filled, and after the meal there were seven baskets of leftovers.  All together 4,000 people were fed that day.

After the crowd leaves, Jesus and the disciples get on a boat and head out to sea, setting sail for a new destination.  All of the sudden the disciples are worried about something. It seems they had forgotten to load the boat with supplies, and get this, - they only have one loaf of bread. Whatever are they going to do? How will they eat?  There's not enough for everybody!  (They have really short memories) Eventually Jesus becomes aware of their worries, "Why are you talking about having no bread?  Are your hearts hardened?  Do you have eyes that cannot see?  Do you have ears that cannot hear?  Do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves and fed five thousand, how many baskets were left over?” The disciples answered, "Well, twelve."  "And when I blessed the seven loaves and fed four thousand, how many baskets were left over?" The disciples answered, "Uh, Seven."  “Why are you still talking about having no bread?  Do you not yet understand?  Don't worry, remember and be filled with faith!"  Don't be afraid, remember and be filled with faith!"

These boat stories from the Gospel of Mark certainly don't flatter the disciples. Their response to the Word of God and to the ministry of Jesus never seems to overcome their worries and their fears.  Their hearts are hardened, they can't believe it, they just don't get it.  In the midst of the abundance of God, in the midst of all the leftovers, in the midst of everything literally overflowing, they are always still worried about “having enough.”  I suppose they might have thought that their eyes have played tricks on them, that their ears had heard wrong, that's it's all just too good to be true.  Whatever the case, worry and fear always seem to find their way into their life.  It seems that “Fear” is always easier to hold onto than “faith.”  

So, what about today, what do these “boat stories” have to do with us? Well, I suppose we too are on an adventure, following Jesus into uncharted territory, by paths yet untrodden, through events yet unknown.  And we too have fears that perhaps there just isn’t enough, enough resources, enough space, - enough to include the other, the homeless, the immigrant, the stranger.  And even though God has brought us this far by faith, it’s still hard for us to take “leaps of faith,” not really knowing where we are going, and what it might look and feel like when we get there. And even though we have stories of faith to which we can cling, even though God has brought us through life’s storms before, even though God has stayed faithful to us, and even though God has always been present throughout all of life’s changes, even though God always provides; sometimes it just doesn’t make the storm that surrounds us now, the circumstances that challenges us now, and the inevitable change that is before us now, any easier.  

Once again it seems that “fear” is always easier to hold onto than “faith.” Just like the disciples, how quickly we forget, how quickly we forget the good graces of God.  Even though our eyes have seen it before, even though our ears have heard it all before, and even though our heart has been touched profoundly; in the midst of the storm, in the face of a challenge, at the beginning of a new adventure, we find ourselves wondering, “Is there enough bread for the journey?”  “Is this boat big enough to stay afloat in these large waves?”  “Is Jesus still with us?”  

Suddenly the stories about those, ever slow and bumbling disciples found in the Gospel of Mark are not just stories from a long time ago.  They are all too familiar.  “Their story” is indeed “our story” too!  And their story is also God’s story because God never gave up on those disciples.  God doesn’t write them off and move on to a new group of people, but rather God keeps calling them, inspiring them, and reminding them.  And eventually they got it, they found courage in the face of fear, they were blessed with faith in the midst of doubt, they found more than enough bread, and they went out and they helped changed the world.  They embraced a new day, the Kingdom of God at hand, the day of salvation.  And as we gather today, the fullness of their story continues to be our story, in the words spoken by Jesus, "Do not worry or be afraid, but remember and be filled with faith!"  

Remember!  Remember the promise of your baptism.  When times were hard Martin Luther would make the sign of the cross and remember his baptism, he would remember that he was nothing less than the beloved of God.  And – in, with, and through, that promised identity he could face and endure every trial and temptation.  Luther remembered that ultimately, he was loved, and that made every difference.  “Remember and be filled with faith.”

Remember!  Remember those times when scripture, song, and fellowship became that Living Word of God that spoke to the very depths of your heart, inspiring faith and courage, giving you meaning and purpose, blessing you with hope and peace, opening up the very Kingdom of God to you. “Remember and be filled with faith.”

Remember!  Remember those times when storms were stilled, bread was multiplied, and the hungry were fed.  Remember successful “ventures past” in order that “ventures before us” might be met with trust and courage.  Remember the past not for the details but for the confidence.  New adventures are made up of all things becoming new! “Remember and be filled with faith.”

Remember! “Do this in remembrance of me.”  Gather into that faithful community where God is present with “faith-filled people” doing “faith-filled things.”  Re-member the body of Christ, the place and occasion for all good gifts to be put into practice for the sake of those in need, for our own sake, for the sake of the Kingdom.  Re-member by investing in unlikely friendships. Re-member, take the bread and the cup which is poured out for many - for the sake of all the world. “Remember and be filled with faith.”

Remember!  Don't worry about the storms that seem to surround us, don’t worry about this old boat, and don’t worry that we only have one loaf of bread.  The winds will cease, the boat will outlast the waves, and the bread blessed by Christ will be more than enough for the journey.  Remember the boat stories.  “Remember and be filled with faith.” 

Let us pray.  Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths yet untrodden, through events unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Mark 4:35-41

35 When evening had come, (Jesus said to the disciples,) “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 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?” 39 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. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 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?”