Mark 4:35-41
After Hurricane Katrina. In New Orleans, in one of the cemeteries, the many monuments and gravestones ended up as ruble, small broken pieces of stone, with the remarkable exception of a tall statue of Jesus, intact except for one hand. A great image for the familiar story in Mark 4: 35 - 41. Here we see Jesus in a boat, going across the sea of Galilee, asleep in the storm, literally a great storm, with the disciples, even the experienced fishermen, afraid for their lives. What does this say to our churches today? Corporately, we are afraid for our churches as many believers die off from old age and we have difficulties attracting younger people to our congregations. Let's look at where Jesus and his followers were headed? Away from the familiar to the "other side," where the excluded, the Gentiles, lived. We in the church need to reach out to the unfamiliar, to the unchurched or to immigrants or to those from different backgrounds? We are called to this? Is it scarey? For sure it is! But what church in our Presbytery is drawing in young families? Nuevas Fronteras but many of them don't even speak our language! In very recent research reported in the New York Times June 19, across a wide variety of communities, areas of increased immigration had economic revitalization and lower crime. So connecting to the unfamiliar has benefits.
Let's look back to Mark to learn more about what happened when Jesus and his friends went to "the others." Massive storm, terrified disciples, woke Jesus, who revealed his power over wind a wave, like God over the chaos at Creation. Result -- great calm replaces great storm. What about the disciples? Do they respond in gratitude and faith like Psalm 107:29-30? No, great fear! Phobos like phobia. Repeatedly in the Bible, God's presence or an angel's brings fear and "Do not be afraid." Have faith in God's presence, the answer for our congregations today in scarey threatening times.
