Start:Stop - Steering through storms

Bible reading

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 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?” 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?” (Mark 4:35-41)

Meditation

Jesus' reaction to the storm (to sleep) and his response to his disciples after the stilling of the storm ("Why are you frightened? Have you still no faith?") suggest that he had expected the disciples to ride out the storm both by acting as responsible sailors and trusting in God to see them through. Jesus is able to sleep because he trusts his disciples to get him safely to the other side of Lake Galilee, even in the midst of a storm. After all, many of them are fishermen, experienced sailors, while he is, as a carpenter, a landlubber. The disciples know boats and they know the lake, it makes sense that he would trust them to sail safely from one side of the lake to the other. He trusts them enough that he can catch up on some sleep while they get on with doing what they are actually very good at doing. The disciples have skills and knowledge of sailing and Jesus expects them to use these and trusts that they will use them well.

Instead, they are panicked by the storm, forget to do the things that sailors should do in a storm and, as a result, come close to going under. The problem comes, of course, when they don’t use their skills and knowledge well. The strength of the storm is such that they panic and don’t take actions (like taking down the sail, bailing out the water, and steering against the storm rather than with it) which would have enabled them to ride out the storm and get to the other side of the lake. They made the situation worse by panicking and it was their panic which could have got them killed.

This, I think, is why they are rebuked by Jesus for lack of faith. Essentially, he was saying, “If you had trusted in God to see you through the storm, you would have done the sensible things that would have enabled you to survive. But, because you didn’t trust in God to see you through, you panicked, didn’t take sensible actions, nearly got us all drowned, and needed me to intervene to save you.”

This seems a salutory tale for us in the unanticipated storms of life – whether, the credit crunch and the recession it caused or more personal storms such as ill health or redundancy. Instead of panicking and looking for a miraculous instant solution to the storm in which we find ourselves, the faithful thing is to act responsibly, securing what can be secured and steering our way through the storm, trusting that we will come through, battered and blown, but alive nevertheless.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, help us respond to the challenge of your question to the disciples as we face the storm of this time of austerity. May we trust, and in our trust, take the responsible and sensible decisions that will secure our futures and those of others, both those we support and those who depend on us.

Steer us through storms, as we trust in the skills and experience you have given.

Lord Jesus, guide us as we make decisions in difficult times – the storms of life. Enable us to take the long view as we decide rather than acting only in the short-term, enable us to act in the wider interests of others – the common good – rather than thinking and acting primarily in our own self-interest.

Steer us through storms, as we trust in the skills and experience you have given.

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving each of us skills and experience. We pray that these will not be negated by a sense of panic in times of storm and difficulty but that we will trust enough in all you have given us to believe that if we use our skills and knowledge well, we will come through.

Steer us through storms, as we trust in the skills and experience you have given.

Lord Jesus, we pray for the EU and Greece in this week of crisis and decision. May all those who negotiate this week over the fate of these nations and their economies know your leading and take responsible actions which will enable all involved to draw back from disaster.

Steer us through storms, as we trust in the skills and experience you have given.

Trust in God, trust in God’s leading, trust in responsible actions, trust in the skills and experience God has given, trust in the midst of storms and difficulties. May those blessings of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always. Amen.

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Cat Stevens - Morning Has Broken.

Real hope in the face of genuine despair

On Wrecking Ball Bruce Springsteen combines the classic sound of the E Street Band with that of the Seeger Sessions Band. He combines hard times stories of recession hit working people with the language of hope and aspiration in the midst of hard times found in gospel music and spirituals. He even manages to combine folk, gospel and rap within one song ('Rocky Ground') without sounding a false note. He repeats the trick he pulled off with 'Born in the USA' of writing a patriotic sounding song which questions the unthinking patriotism of those who don't appreciate the irony ('We Take Care Of Our Own'). The album is propelled forward by the anger of its storytelling songs before seguing through 'Wrecking Ball' into songs of hopeful fortitude for which Springsteen appropriates the language of faith and the imagery of the Bible. Wrecking Ball is a masterful summation of Springsteen's strengths and an inspirational call to real hope in the face of genuine despair.  

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Bruce Springsteen - Rocky Ground.

Spiritual Life: Big Society

This is my Spiritual Life column about the Big Society which was published in yesterday's Ilford Recorder:

Recently I attended a conference on what the Big Society might mean for the Church, where I heard Jon Cruddas, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, state that he is a big fan of the Big Society. As the Big Society is viewed as David Cameron’s big idea this was a surprising statement for a Labour MP to make, so what were some of the factors that led to this position?

He began with his Irish Catholic, working class, Labour background, which gave him a communitarian disposition. Communitarianism is about balancing individual rights with the interests of the community as a whole and it developed, in the twentieth century, from the Catholic Workers Movement. As a result, the Big Society is not new and has a significant Catholic heritage on which we can draw.

Next, was the example that the Church has provided in his constituency during a period of considerable change. There, the Church has played a central role by holding the line in the tensions of change; tensions which saw far-right councillors elected and then defeated in subsequent local elections. The Church in this situation acted as a just institution enabling the release of virtue and supporting human flourishing.

These thoughts about the Big Society provide a viable alternative to the selfishness inherent in our market-led consumerism and the over-heavy control of the ‘nanny’ state. They suggest that there is a different way of living and being socially; that life is more than earning and spending.

That certainly doesn’t mean that all is well now. Where the axe of cuts is currently falling makes the Big Society less likely. People in our community are struggling because of the withdrawal of 'safety nets'; the least well off are paying the price for the recession.

It doesn’t have to be like that, however. Successful community campaigns in this borough show that people of all faiths and none care deeply about what happens to this borough and the likely effects of cuts in Council services. Jon Cruddas quoted Oscar Romero who said, "Aspire not to have more but to be more." Maybe if we all thought like that, the Big Society could become the cornerstone of a new politics and the new centre ground.

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Eddie and the Hot Rods - Do Anything You Wanna Do.

Jesus - catalyst for and predictor of change

The passage from Isaiah quoted by John the Baptist in Matthew 3. 1-12 portrays him as a roadbuilder. His role is to construct a straight path, by tearing down hillsides and raising up valleys, along which Jesus can walk towards us with nothing to obscure our view of him.

What we are looking at is a changed landscape. The way of life and religion which the people of Israel had known in recent years was shortly to change radically and violently as a result of Jesus’ death and resurrection followed by the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD70. The message which John brings seeks to prepare the people of Israel for change on a massive scale with Jesus at the centre of what was to occur.

Is something similar underway in our own day and time through the effects both of the recession and the challenges of peaks in the world’s supply of oil and water? We could be looking at a different political and economic situation globally in a very short space of time. Those who cling to the old ways of doing things – pictured here as the Pharisees and Sadducees – could find themselves swept away in the changes which may be about to come.

Are our eyes on Jesus as we seek to negotiate our way through changing times? Are we keeping our sightlines unobscured so that we can see him clearly and receive his leading and guidance?

Lord Jesus, you were the catalyst for change and the predictor of change for your first disciples. Help us to see you clearly in the challenges and changes of our times that you might also be our Lord and guide today. Amen.

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Lifehouse - Hanging by a Moment.

MiLE Gospel Reflections

I've just written my latest Gospel Reflection for the MiLE website on Sunday's Gospel reading - John 6. 24 - 35. My reflection can shortly be found by clicking here.

Here is my previous reflection, for Sunday 21 June, on Mark 4. 35-end:

Jesus' reaction to the storm (to sleep) and his response to his disciples after the stilling of the storm ("Why are you frightened? Have you still no faith?") suggest that he had expected the disciples to ride out the storm both by acting as responsible sailors and trusting in God to see them through. Instead, they are panicked by the storm, forget to do the things that sailors should do in a storm and, as a result, come close to going under.

This seems a salutary tale for us in the unanticipated storm of the credit crunch and the recession it has caused. Instead of panicking and looking for a miraculous instant solution to the storm in which we find ourselves, the faithful thing is to act responsibly, securing what can be secured and steering our way through the storm, trusting that we will come through, battered and blown, but alive nevertheless.

Lord Jesus, help us respond to the challenge of your question to the disciples as we face the storm of this recession. May we trust, and in our trust, take the responsible and sensible decisions that will secure our futures and those of others, both those we support and those who depend on us. Amen.

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Nanci Griffith with Eric Taylor - Storms.

Global recession – praying with purpose

This comes from Tearfund's World Watch Prayer Link:

"The hardships of the recession are being felt from Manchester to Malawi, underlining that this is a truly global problem from which no one is immune.

But for poor communities, those hardships are more painful. The cost is beginning to be counted in lives. Your prayers are needed urgently.

‘This is a disaster waiting to happen – actually it’s begun to happen,’ says Victor Mughogho. ‘Funding is evaporating from poor communities across Malawi.’

Victor is head of Eagles, one of Tearfund’s partners in Malawi, that trains and mobilises local churches to meet the needs around them. He’s working towards our vision – which is to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty, through a worldwide network of 100,000 local churches.

It’s a vision we are fixed on whether in times of recession or prosperity.

That’s why we’re determined not to cut funds that we’ve promised to those we support, particularly as many are already feeling the pinch with the falling value of the pound.

It’s easy for us all to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the problem, but in a position of prayer we regain the right perspective - when we remember that our hope lies in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Please use the following points to guide your prayers:

• Pray for a swift end to the global recession and the dire effects it is having on people in poverty.
• Pray for God’s blessing on the work of local churches among poor communities, as they share the love of Jesus and fill the material and spiritual gaps in people’s lives.
• Pray for those who are struggling to cope with hunger and are least able to help themselves due to rising food prices.
• Pray God’s provision for those affected by the recession and job losses in the UK, including staff at Tearfund.
• Ask the Lord to bless Tearfund’s ministry despite the recession, that we may remain a beacon of light and hope for millions living in poverty."

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CompassionArt - Until The Day.