A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 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?" 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 still no faith?"
˜ Mark 4:37-40
As a spiritual director, I find that most of my directees are either ordained clergy or are in the process of ordination. I always use this miracle of Jesus calming the storm to provide context for the work of ministry. The church, I tell them, is not a shiny, seaworthy vessel with perfect crew members guiding it. It is, instead, a leaky ship with a crew of all sorts, and it is truly a miracle that it still remains afloat. Church folks do not sign up for an easy journey. But we try our best to keep the church going through hard times with very human, fallible passengers and crew.
This story is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke, and it echoes Psalm 107, which recounts God's deliverance of the Israelites from their many struggles. Verses 28 and 29 of the Psalm say: "Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper and quieted the waves of the sea."
Jesus, as the incarnation of God, calms the waves of the sea.
Our boat, the church, is fragile and tiny against the powerful forces that rage against it. Our ministry is often shaken by forces beyond our control. The stress of trying to remain faithful to our discipleship can sometimes lead to disillusionment and burnout. Jesus, in this story, is sleeping peacefully on a cushion while the storm rages. He is baffled as to why the disciples are afraid.
When Jesus calms the raging waters, he is showing us that even in the midst of the storm, God is still in charge. God has power over every difficulty we face, and all we have to do is ask for God's help.
Reflect: How has your own spiritual path been tossed about by the waves of the world?
This Lenten Meditation can be found at Episcopal Relief and Development