Her sermon beautifully tied to all today's readings. She preached that it takes courage to go against the norm and not be afraid. Otherwise that fear can capsize our creativity,
Each of the central characters in this Sunday's scripture readings reflects an aspect of overcoming that fear. She used fear as an acronym: F-E-A-R: False Evidence Appearing Real.
Take these readings as examples of overcoming False Evidence Appearing Real.
First Reading: 1 Samuel 17:32-49
Pastor Janell preached David was more secure with his staff, pouch and
sling. when fighting with Goliath who despised David for approaching him
without the expected armor. He only noticed the absence of the warrior
attire, what was on the exterior. David was confident his relationship
with God that would sustain and protect him
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13
"...We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything...."
Pastor Janell observed in her sermon that in Paul's letter he is looking through the lens of God’s grace and protection rather than societal norms. Again, this provides him with the same confidence that Jesus demonstrated as he slept on the boat.
Gospel Reading: Mark 4:35-41
Paying attention to particular details in scripture can lead to rewarding readings. "They took him with them in the boat, just as he was." Pastor Janelle's sermon highlighted this detail. Like David and Paul, Jesus was not afraid to be faithful and trust that God would use his abilities to do God's purposes. In sleeping Jesus is demonstrating how confident he is in God's support.
Many in the Creator congregation are currently watching, or have watched, The Chosen, the first-ever multi-season TV show about the life of Jesus.
There are Biblical passages that collectively confirm that Peter (also referred to as Simon or Cephas) was married. The Chosen creatively names Peter's wife as Eden, though the Bible does not provide her name. This addition helps to flesh out the personal lives of the disciples and provides a more immersive narrative for viewers.
I bring it up here because the portrayal of Jesus calming the sea in The Chosen also collapses in it's creative story presentation Jesus' calming of the sea with Jesus and Peter walking on the water. The emphasis with dramatizing the narrative in this way highlights Jesus as miracle worker more than his faith in God.
This Season 3 Episode 8 also portrays Eden as Peter's wife going through a purification ritual as her husband wants to walk on the water. Both the ritual and the miracles address overcoming fear through faith. Eden’s ritual can be seen as a means to overcome her spiritual fears and doubts, while the miracles demonstrate Jesus’ power to calm literal and metaphorical storms.
There are many implications for the miracles of Jesus;
Faith: Jesus often performed miracles to inspire faith in those who witnessed them. For example, in the healing of the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13), which indicates that Jesus wanted his miracles to lead people to believe in him and in the power of God. Recognition of Divine Authority: which is an obvious implication.
Repentance and Transformation: Miracles were also intended to lead people to repentance and a transformation of life. I think this is what the TV episode is highlighting with Eden's purification. The expression on the actress' face when she emerges form the water and looks around at her transformed view of the world illustrates it all. Gratitude and Worship: Jesus expected that his miracles would lead to gratitude and worship of God. In Luke 17:11-19, when Jesus healed ten lepers, only one returned to thank him, and Jesus remarked on the importance of giving praise to God. This indicates that Jesus wanted people's response to miracles as inspiring gratitude and worship.
Spreading the Good News: After performing miracles, Jesus often instructed those healed to tell others about the works of God. For instance, after healing a demon-possessed man in Mark 5:19, Jesus told him, "Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." Jesus wanted his miracles to be a testimony to others, spreading the message of God's love and power.
This leads to the passage in Mark that profoundly moved me this week, "And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
This question led me to questions regarding the passage. Was Jesus himself in awe of these miracles of wind and sea? Did the detailed implications of performed miracles deepen Jesus' faith and worship of God?
Today particularly I want Jesus to be in awe of the source of all the miracle implications found throughout his ministry.
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