Living close to bodies of water as we do, we have great respect for the power of the sea. A storm can quickly turn a quiet day on the water into a fight for survival.
When I was learning about controlling a small sailboat on a lake, I took my 9-year-old niece out for a sail. It had been a beautiful day with a lovely slight breeze. However, by the time we got to the middle of the lake the wind had become quite strong. To quote the theme song from “Gilligan’s Island”: “the weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed…” The trip back to the dock was frightening. My niece jumped into my arms and asked, “can we do that again?”. My sister didn’t need to say anything, her look was enough.
Storms arise around us in life. Some are predictable, many come without warning. When we read of Jesus calming the storm on the sea in this Sunday’s Gospel, we are reminded that Jesus is stronger than any of the storms we face.
Thanks be to God.
Pastor Bill