1/8/2014 – Wednesday after Epiphany – 1 John 4:11-18, Mark 6:45-52

      Jesus is walking on the water, approaching the disciples as they are being tossed about by the rough seas. Rather than being comforted, the disciples are seized with anxiety. They think he is a ghost.  They don't really know what to make of him. Jesus tells them – “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid.”  This is echoed in what we hear in the first letter of John – that God is love, and whoever remains in love remain in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.  We are told that there is no fear in love, because perfect love drives out fear.  Yet, the world we live in can be very frightening, can’t it?  We can fear for the future.  We can fear for the values of our faith that are being disrespected in our world today. But Jesus tells us not to be afraid.  Even though our Christmas season is supposed to bring joy into our lives, and on a spiritual level it probably does, our lives during this time of the year may also be filled with great stress, conflicts, and unmet expectations. And yet we are to bring all of that to God, to face it, to let our faith interact with our problems, our struggles, the reality of our lives.  And if we do that and if we place our hope in God, then truly we have nothing to fear. 

1/9/2013 – Wednesday after Epiphany – Mark 6:45-52

         As we continue to celebrate the Christmas season and Jesus' birth into our world, we find the disciples out on the sea in a boat in today's Gospel reading, where they are battered by the angry winds & waves.  The disciples look out at the sea - they see someone walking on the water, moving toward them.  We can imagine the fear that seizes the disciples until they finally realize it is Jesus.  Jesus is able to calm the winds and the waves.  In our own lives, we may think that Jesus does not hear our pleas for help or see us in need when we are battered about on our journey.

         If you have ever been on the ocean, a river, or lake on a boat when bad weather or an accident strikes, it can be quite a terrifying situation.  As a missionary, I was once traveling in a canoe as we paddled down a large river with some teenagers and small children.  The canoe was suddenly overturned.  Since there was a baby traveling with us, she was my main concern.  We finally got out of the river, all drenched and covered with mud.  We made for quite a funny sight for the other church members who were awaiting our arrival.  But at the time when we were swimming back to shore and trying to all make it back safely, it was anything but funny to us. 

         In times like that, we can be encouraged by knowing that God is all-powerful.  Trusting God can be so difficult in times of stress and adversity, especially when fear and uncertainty seem to be on the rise in our society.  As we enter a new year, after last year provided so much uncertainly and instability throughout the world, we should take heart in the faith we have in God, in the salvation we have in him, in the agape, self-giving love that we receive from him and from our redeemer, Jesus Christ.  May we trust in God's faithful presence at all times in our lives.