Perishing

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 gale 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

While here in Texas at the House of Bishops, we gathered as a class of bishops for dinner. For 23 years we have served as bishops in a variety of places, through many challenges and storms. Five of us were together from the original twelve. We have become a community; a group of friends drawn together not by similarity by joyful in our diversity. None of our jobs have been easy and all of us have had some really rough seas. We even have thought we were perishing. We can witness for each other and the wider church that, despite the enormous circumstances that crashed into us like huge waves, Jesus has been faithful and kept us through the tumult, calming the wind and the waves that threatened us. I am so grateful for love forged in rough seas and battering winds.

Eternal Creator, you poured water 

over the surface of our green planet

making deep oceans and small streams

and baptizing us into your community.

We often fear that we are truly perishing

and we quickly lose faith in these storms

we look for someone to take the blame

when we have forgotten to trust you.

Help us Lord to see you in every storm

let us trust that you still speak to the winds

turn us from fear to deep abiding prayer

so we might be witnesses of your ever calming love. Amen.