June 20, 2021 - 4th Sunday after Pentecost / Pride Day /Juneteenth - Cecil B. DeMille and a Wet Pillow

Dr. Yolande Herron-Palmore gave today's sermon. This was the second sermon I heard this Sunday. The first was from Pastor Angela Shannon of All Saint’s Lutheran Church in Bowie, Maryland.

These sermons both spoke to me in different ways. Each of them gave context to today's Gospel lesson which was Jesus calming the storm. There was a council retreat where Pastor Janell led a lectio divina reading of the passage yesterday.

Pastor Yolande emphasized many of the themes that "shone" for council members as we read the passage. We gleaned some great insights from this approach to the words from Mark. They followed what we had tradtionally gleaned from the passage. This came down to variations of the following "Jesus is Lord of the storm and seas, what have we to fear? And yet we do"

As a council we talked about the relationship of fear and faith. In all these insights our awe and faith in Jesus' authority was kept firmly in place and we accepted what he said to his disciples as a well-deserved rebuke that we would have received under similar circumstances. Our faith is not strong enough and the fear and awe described in the disciples is our object lesson in what not to do.

Now, way too often when I read the Bible passages, I imagine them like I am watching a Cecil B. DeMille picture. The parting of the Read Sea, the feeding of the 5,000 runs through my imagination with miraculous, momentous, movie images surrounded by "halo" frames on holy people. This certainly is true of this story as well. I imagine the Jesus standing up majestically and dramatically during this terrible storm. He calls out for the wind to cease and instantly the winds part amd the clouds miraculously part.

Pastor Angela Shannon gently challenged this image when, rather than formally asking, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”she has the disciples "rousing" Jesus by imploring him, "Jesus, please get up from that wet pillow and help us." and he responded by saying "Hush" or "Shush" to the wind. There is no loss of authority for me in imagining this but the scene and the tone and the character of Jesus instantly changes. I imagine a Jesus, much more intimate and invitational rather than intimidating, calming the disciples like a parent would a child, at the same time and in the same way he is calming the storm.reminding them that they should have faith that everything will be alright. 

This story came alive for me again with that image. I learned more about how I experience life as a Christian when I consider it in addition to the reverent awe of yesterday's lectio divina and Pastor Youlade's sermon.