Be Still!
Elaine Poproski Download: Audio
Sermon Note:
At the 21 minute mark, listeners were invited to share stories of their experiences of the absence of God (the Dark Night of the Soul). What was shared is not included in this recording, but you may want to pause the recording to reflect on your own experience.
Scripture: Mark 4:35 – 41
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” Read more…
Looking to Sunday
by Elaine Poproski
There’s a beautiful stained-glass window in Walmer’s sanctuary that portrays Jesus welcoming children into His presence. It’s beautiful, welcoming, and warm. That’s who Jesus was. But that’s not all Jesus was. He also wielded extraordinary, terrifying power; He spoke with authority against the powers and principalities of the universe; He was the Word of God through whom chaos was spoken into order before time began. This is the side of Jesus that astounded people and caused them to ask, “Who is this man?” That’s the question we’ll be asking over the coming weeks of Sundays.
But we’re not just asking out of intellectual curiosity. We’re asking because the answer to that question has direct bearing on what it means to be disciples and, perhaps more importantly, whether or not being a disciple is worth it. Frankly, if Jesus was just a really nice guy who did some wonderful things and whose teaching was particularly inspiring, I might still be His disciple. I might still choose to live like He lived. At least until doing so became difficult or cost me too much. But if Jesus truly was the Son of God who was in the beginning with God, who was, in fact, God, then that’s something entirely more compelling. On Sunday we’re going to read a short story from Mark 4 in which Jesus, almost nonchalantly, silences a storm on the sea. We’re going to be confronted with a side of Jesus that inspires fear and awe, even among those who knew Him best.
As you prepare for Sunday, perhaps spend some time considering this side of Jesus. When you imagine His face, is it all warm and gentle, or is there a shadow of the Creator of the Universe there as well? How does that side of Jesus make you feel? What thoughts does it bring to mind? Perhaps read the story in Mark 4:35-41 and try putting yourself in the position of the disciples cowering first from the storm and then from Jesus. Pay attention to the reactions you experience in your mind, but also in your body. What do those reactions tell you about who you prefer Jesus to be?