As my mind wandered over the image of Jesus, asleep in the stern of the boat while his followers panicked, a lyric and melody came to mind from my younger days, Rescue Me, sung by Fontella Bass, recorded in 1965.
[quote]
“Rescue me
Come on and take my heart
Take your love and conquer every part
‘Cause I’m lonely
And I’m blue
I need you
And your love too
Come on and rescue me” [end quote]
While the singer longs for romantic human love, the lyrics do easily fit and echo the disciples’ shout —
Master, do you not care? We are going to drown!
And Jesus performs his first miracle.
On to serious matters.
The Sea of Galilee experienced a severe drought in 1987.
What appeared in the silt was a boat that was removed, evaluated, and preserved.
Scientists concluded it had sunk to the bottom during the first century.
It was the most common type of boat used at that time and could easily be the type Jesus used to cross the lake the six times mentioned in Mark’s Gospel.
It measured 27 feet long, and 7.5 feet wide.
It was a shallow draft boat just a little over 4 feet in height.
It could hold up to 12-15 people.
Imagine how precarious you would feel as one of the passengers if a squall came up while you were far from shore.
[According to the US Geological Survey,The Earth is a watery place. But just how much water exists on, in, and above our planet? About 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is water-covered, and the oceans hold about 96.5 percent of all Earth’s water. Water also exists in the air as water vapor, in rivers and lakes, in icecaps and glaciers, in the ground as soil moisture and in aquifers, and even in you and your dog.]
In the world where the authors of our Jewish and Christian scriptures lived water represented both life and menace.
It was essential, but it also threatened.
The creation story in Genesis, referenced in our reading from Job today, and the gospel passage today, testify to the belief that only the divine power can tame this element and put it to our use and benefit.
When facing dire and overwhelming circumstances, we are tempted to fear as the followers of Jesus clearly express in today’s gospel passage.
I understand their fear completely.
Having had a few close calls with water overpowering me, I can well imagine the panic the disciples had in that small boat.
But they were filled with fear again after the wind and sea calmed down.
The meaning of fear there is better explained as awe.
The disciples were in awe of the power of God manifested in Jesus of Nazareth.
I understand their awe completely.
I want to look more closely at fear and awe as we live our baptismal call to follow Christ Jesus.
The gospel writer, Mark, addresses a generation of followers who lived in chaotic times (sound familiar?).
The Emperor, Nero, had persecuted Christians throughout the empire.
The Jews were in open revolt in Judea and the Roman military crushed the revolt and leveled Jerusalem, resulting in the great dispersal of Jews for two millennia.
The cry of the first followers in the boat, “Teacher, doesn’t it matter to you that we’re going to drown?” could easily be the cry of Mark’s readers and listeners.
Where should they look for safety?
Will the power of the God of Jesus be enough to quiet the storm of violence and calm the wind of malice?
Mark’s account wraps it up and puts a bow on it, by having Jesus wake up from his nap in the stern of the boat, summon up his best voice of authority and rebuke the wind and calm the sea.
We cannot know how Mark’s readers took this in the face of their own considerable fear, but it seems to me that arriving at a greater faith and trust in God’s power to save requires something of us that might be described as praying with confidence and acting boldly.
I take my lead in this regard from the experience of refugees.
The united Nations along with many public and private partners observed World Refugee Day on June 20th.
The UN estimates that by mid-2023, (one year ago) over 110 million individuals worldwide were forcibly displaced, with 40% being children. Three-fourths of these displaced individuals are hosted in low- and middle-income countries.
These are persons who are truly challenged to pray with confidence.
When today’s food depends completely on the good will of others then the prayer that Christians offer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” or as we say here, “Feed us today,” takes on a depth of meaning most of us here will never know.
When a low-income country opens its borders to a flood of refugees, it acts boldly.
This simple example can be summarized, I think, in this way.
Whatever I think I need today is really up to God.
And
A generous response is the most helpful response, which Paul expects from the Church in Corinth which has been half-hearted in its response.
The message of the Book of Job, Paul’s taunting message to the Church in Corinth and Jesus’ response to the disciples at sea are all very similar.
God loves and cares about each and every one of us with a generous, even extravagant love.
When we have cooperated with that love in the day-to-day tribulations, and particularly when we forge ahead as refugees seeking safe harbor, then all that is left to do is to give ourselves over to God’s will, which is God’s care and God’s love.
I conclude with another song lyric, this time from a hit recorded in 1971 by Joe Smith.
The title?
Drowning in the Sea of Love.
[quote]“I’ve been down one time
And I’ve been down two times
But now I’m drowning, drowning in the sea of love
Let me tell ya all about it
I’ve been out here so very long, I’ve lost all my direction
(Baby) when you came my way I thought I’d found my protection
But a strong wind came into my life, surely took me by surprise
And I can’t seem to control these tears that’s falling from my eyes
I’ve been down one time
And I’ve been down two times
But right now I’m drowning, drowning in the sea of love”
May that be our greatest aspiration.
For the leaders of the nations, and for all in
authority, we pray …
For seasonable weather, for an abundance of the fruits of
the earth, and for the wisdom and will to conserve the good earth God has given us, we pray …
For those who travel on land, on water, or in the air, we pray …
For the aged and infirm, for the widowed and orphans, and
for the sick and the suffering, we pray …
For the poor and the oppressed, for the unemployed and the
destitute, for prisoners and captives, for refugees, and for all who
remember and care for them, we pray …
For all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, and for
all the departed, we pray …
Please take a moment to mention quietly those whose needs you carry in your heart. For these and all whose names are listed in our book of intentions, we pray …
God of all, thank you for our ancestors who held onto their faith.
May we hold on as well:
to bring good news to the oppressed;
to bind up the brokenhearted;
to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners.
We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Comments 1
Great homily, Jim, especially your use of contemporary music.
Best wishes, Tom Eichenberger