Opening sentence. At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you: See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 2 Corinthians 6:2
Collect. O God our defender, storms rage about us and cause us to be afraid.Rescue your people from despair; deliver your sons and daughters from fear,and preserve us all from unbelief; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever. Amen.
Reading. 2 Corinthians 6:1-13. There was a powerful message in verses 1 & 2, of this reading and because of his great love and concern for the Corinthians Paul did not want them to miss the urgency of his message. In the previous chapter Paul has reminded the Corinthians that through the death of Jesus they have been incorporated into the very body of Jesus Christ; through his death they have become adopted members of God’s family. The same privileges and realities that Paul applied to the Corinthians now also apply to those who today believe.
As members of God’s family we work together with God for it was God’s plan and purpose to send Jesus as the Saviour of the world. (John 3:16). With that in mind Paul is urging us not to accept the grace of God, (i.e. belief that Jesus Christ is Saviour), in vain. As those who accept God’s grace we show by our words and deeds that we do join with God, living in ways that honour God’s ways. We live out the truth that Jesus has changed us for the good. However we can treat God’s grace in vain if we fail to live a life which demonstrates our obedience to God. Similarly we can also treat God’s grace in vain. We do this by while knowing of the sacrifice that Jesus offered we choose not to believe that it makes any difference to daily living.
Paul’s message is that by accepting the grace of God and the salvation that is offered we can then begin to work with God bearing witness to his goodness and love. Furthermore Paul makes his appeal most urgently by reminding everyone that now is the time, today is the day of salvation. In other words we should not hesitate and put it off for a later time, now is the time to receive the gift that God is offering.
Having accepted God’s grace and received God’s grace Paul then goes on to remind every Christian that following in the way of Jesus Christ is not an easy matter. Paul himself describes the hardships and obstacles that he has had to face. Working with God is also to work against most worldly values. Walking in obedience to God often begins with a denial of self and Paul reminds us that the only way we can succeed is to use the weapons of righteousness. These weapons he most fully describes in his letter to the Ephesians. (Ephesians 6:11ff)
Paul ends his urgent appeal to the Corinthians by reminding them of the great love he had for them and urges them to respond by showing love to him. Perhaps we can say that the reading holds the same sentiment for us today: The message Paul writes comes to us out of the love that Paul has for God. This then translates into love for all who hear of the good news of Jesus. Maybe above all the passage reminds us to look to ourselves, remembering that today is the day of salvation and to recommit ourselves to working with God because of his grace.
Prayer. Gracious Lord, you sent your Son into a lost and broken world to bring salvation and healing to all who would turn from disobedience and walk with you in the light. May we hear most clearly that today is the day of salvation and your forgiving power and presence is always with us. Grant that we would not fail to turn from our foolishness and trust in you alone to bring us both forgiveness and peace. As we face the realities of life, may we draw our strength from you and find our hope renewed. Through your grace we pray for those who struggle with the circumstances which they experience. May they receive for themselves the peace which passes all human understanding, the peace that the Saviour gives. May we together lift our hands and our hearts and give honour and grateful thanks in your name: We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Reading. Mark 4:35-41. In this passage Mark reveals the great stature of Jesus Christ the Lord of creation. At the same time he reveals the true humanity of Jesus. Jesus had spent a whole day teaching about the kingdom surrounded by a very large crowd of people. He had related a number of parables and no doubt had answered many questions for teaching is both giving out and also receiving if the true meaning of the teaching is to be grasped. The kingdom of God was an important aspect of the ministry of Jesus and by Mark’s description even the disciples themselves found it hard to immediately understand. (Mark 4:13)
After such a day they would be tired and so at Jesus’ command they take a boat and sail to the other side of Lake Galilee, no doubt for a night of rest. Lake Galilee is many metres below sea-level and surrounded by high ground. It is also known as quite a shallow body of water. Strong winds can suddenly change the conditions for sailing and in shallow water the waves can be very dangerous. However the disciples were seasoned fishermen and so well used to the changes and usually well able to take appropriate action. On this occasion they seem to be filled with fear.
By his language, Mark makes it clear that this is no ordinary storm. (if you look up the number of times the word “rebuked” is used in the gospels it is almost always in relation to an exorcism.) Mark is reminding us that this storm is of demonic origin.
Meanwhile, Jesus being exhausted after a day of work is so deeply asleep that he is undisturbed by the commotion on board and so with some urgency the disciples shake Jesus awake. On waking from sleep Jesus immediately takes charge of the situation. He speaks sternly to the demonic element of the storm but speaks gently to the sea and suddenly there is a dead calm! Jesus does not grumble about the weather conditions but he does silence the demonic attack on his chosen band.
In a few short words Mark emphasises the situation without Jesus and then the change when Jesus is present. The hardened sailors are now filled with awe and wonder at the stature of Jesus to be able to control an aspect of creation simply with a word. They submit to his stern challenge that their fear questions what faith they have.
The church has long been symbolised as a boat on a troubled sea and for Mark at the time of writing that symbolism would have added meaning. The date of writing is not agreed by all scholars but the majority place the date around the time of Peter’s death by the Romans. With this in mind, Mark’s description of the word of Jesus bringing order from the chaos that the disciples had experienced would have sent an encouraging message of hope to a church: Especially a church which had suddenly lost one of its key leaders. Mark noted that other boats also experienced the demonic storm and so his message relates also to them, Jesus cares for a wider situation than simply the disciples in the boat where he rested. Though the threat of persecution and hardship may have been present Jesus would be able to bring the boats safely to shore and to a place of rest. Mark’s truth about Jesus still holds for us today as we face an ever changing world and often feel that the storms of life could easily swamp us.
Prayer. Lord of all the universe we bring our prayers of praise to you alone today. You are the source of all true power and in you alone we each find our origin. So today we give to you the praise that is yours by right. We bless you for all that you have done in your work of creation and we praise you even more for your work of re-creation through Jesus our Saviour. May we remember that you are always with us, make us ready to hear your word to us personally. Still within each of us the storms that rage and by your power bring us safe into a harbour of peace. May your peace be in our hearts and your presence be our constant comfort. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Collect. Maker and Sustainer of creation, you bring order out of chaos and calm in the discord of our lives; help us to trust in you, even when all around seems to be giving way; this we ask in our Saviour’s name. Amen.
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