The Lord
answered Job our of the whirlwind…”Where were you when I laid the foundation of
the earth? Tell me if you have understanding…” [Job 38:1, 4]
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his mercy endures
forever…they cried to the Lord in
their trouble…He stilled the storm to a whisper…Then they were glad because of
the calm. [Psalm 107:1, 28, 30]
As we work together with Christ, we urge
you not to accept the grace of God in vain…as servants of God we have commended
ourselves in every way: through great endurance…hardships, calamities…kindness,
holiness of spirit…in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. [2 Corinthians 6:1, 4, 6, 8a]
A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the
boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was…asleep…and they
woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
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. He said to them, “Why are you
afraid? Have you no faith?” [Mark 4:37-40]
Oh Dear
Job, it’s no wonder that the trials and tribulations of that man give rise to
the expression the patience of Job. After lengthy conversations with his
friends, in prior chapters, in this reading God, speaking from out of the
whirlwind, is setting the record straight, reminding Job just Who has done
all the work of Creation and asking the age-old question, “where were you when
I was doing all of this?” The Book of Job can be confounding if taken in
literal terms. Essentially, Job is based on an ancient folktale about a saintly
man of that name who is also mentioned in Ezekiel 14:14, 20. This is considered
to be the most difficult Book of all to interpret because of its poetic and
often ambiguous language. For our purposes this week, this reading reminds us
Who has Created everything, and of course, the whirlwind mentioned resonates with
the appointed parts of the psalm, this section of 2 Corinthians, and, most
tellingly, the storm on the Galilee in Mark’s Gospel.
Jesus wants to cross to the other side of the lake, leaving the crowds behind. He settles down for a nap as the boat sets sail. Then the storm. The Disciples are terrified of this storm on the water. But wait, aren't
most of them experienced fishermen? That must have been one whale of a
storm to frighten them so much and you can almost hear the translation of
Jesus' words to them in today's terms as "Seriously, you woke me for this?
Where is your faith?" Jesus then tells the waves and winds, Be
Still! And so they become, still and dead calm.
And what does this all mean for my life? How is my level
of faith? In last week’s Gospel, Jesus said we only needed faith the size of a
mustard seed. What is my faith level, then, if I’m fearful of tempestuous storms?
For me it depends on the day and the fear; especially during times in every
human age of not only fear but raging anger and strong division in each country
and across the world. But Paul urges the Corinthians not to accept the
grace of God in vain. That sentence jumped out at me. No
complacency, no cowering, whatever the hardships, calamities, beatings,
imprisonments, riots...sleepless nights...kindness, holiness of spirit..., as
if most on that list isn’t frightening enough, but the message is: we
have the grace we need. And whatever part of
now we are in, it is the acceptable time to recognize that every
now is the day of Salvation! We are to commend ourselves as God’s
servants to the work to be done in the fields of faith-filled living.
Of
course, it is difficult and often thankless work in this earth-bound, high-tech,
materialistic, us vs. them, temporary life. Keeping my faith in God
through Christ and the Holy Spirit conscious and active takes great effort sometimes.
Yet it also means that I may surprise myself with my own strength, resilience,
and capacity to face the fearsome foes and woes in life, especially the ones I
create for myself. And so even in the most ordinary of times with some low-level
daily frustrations, the excitement of great sunshine and joy, or the stormiest days
with anger and fear all around, I can reboot by crossing to the other side of
my heart and mind for some time to breathe deeply, be still, and calm the winds
and waves within myself. And then one step forward and another, and another, in
faith, in hope, in genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God [2
Cor 6:6b-7a], I can cross back, renewed and with great awe, to join again with wide open heart
and soul to the One Who even the wind and sea obey.
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~
O Lord of the Whirlwind and the Calm, in the
smallest and largest moments of everyday life, in the face of angry seas or
fearsome foes, in joy and in suffering, prod our souls often to turn
first and always to You in faith with our hearts wide open.
Lord of Enduring Mercy
RESPONSE: Still
our fear and quicken our faith
~
O Lord of the Whirlwind and the Calm, as Your servants, with Your
power, we commend ourselves by endurance in afflictions, labors, and calamities,
with patience, kindness, and truthful speech to challenge the leaders of
Earthly, National, and Local governments as we strive to successfully defeat
discrimination, injustice, and physical danger for all Your people. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Lord of Enduring Mercy
Still
our fear and quicken our faith
~
O Lord of the Whirlwind and the Calm, restore health
and give comfort to those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and give
patience to those who tend their needs We now join our hearts together
to pray for those in need... add your own petitions
Lord of Enduring Mercy
Still
our fear and quicken our faith
~
O Lord of the Whirlwind and the Calm, lighten the
burden for all who grieve, as You embrace those newly arrived to dwell with You
in the glory of everlasting life and peace. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
Lord of Enduring Mercy
Still
our fear and quicken our faith
~
O Lord of the Whirlwind and the Calm, we pause
in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials… add your own petitions
Lord of Enduring Mercy
Still
our fear and quicken our faith
~
Lord of the Whirlwind and the Calm, endow our
ordained Shepherds with extra measures of genuine faith-filled love, holiness
of spirit, and serenity of soul, to guide and join us in the ministry of this
life that we discover in service to Your Will. We
pray especially for: add your own petitions.
Lord of Enduring Mercy
Still our fear and
quicken our faith
The Celebrant adds: O God Almighty and Ever-Living,
release us from merely accepting Your grace in vain. Deliver us from life’s
storms, into the humility of knowing that every moment of now is the acceptable
time to recognize the day of our Salvation. Fill us with faith enough to quell
the angry tempests within ourselves and with each other, that, putting no
obstacle in anyone’s way, we may walk together, if differently, to Your Eternal
Shore. We ask through Jesus, our Peace and our Salvation, and the Holy Spirit, the
Fount of our Wisdom, Who together with You, are One God for all of time
eternal. Amen.
