Scripture Reading:   Mark 4:35-41   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?”

My dear friends,

Most Methodists know the hymn  "When Peace Like a River, Attendeth My Way." It isn’t sung much in the Lutheran Church.  Too bad, it is a good hymn.  The author is Horatio G. Spafford, a successful Chicago lawyer. Upon the advice of his doctor and for the benefit of his wife's health, Spafford planned a trip to Europe for his family. Due to unexpected last minute business developments, he decided to remain behind for a few days and sent his wife and four daughters on ahead as scheduled.

On November 22, 1873, their ocean liner, the Ville du Havre was struck by an English ship, the Lochearn, and sank twelve minutes later. Mrs. Spafford was saved but all four of her daughters died. When the survivors landed at Cardiff, Wales, Mrs. Spafford cabled her husband this message: "Saved alone."  Mr. Spafford left immediately by ship to meet his wife. When he arrived on the high seas near the scene of this awful tragedy, he was inspired to write this hymn and name the tune Ville du Havre:

    "When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll;
    Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul."

When you boat with Jesus, know for certain that Jesus cares for you. But also know for certain that the one sleeping in the stern will not ignore your pleas. He will say to your soul, “Peace. Be still.” This is the peace Jesus offers.  You can climb into his boat. He will not desert you.

God go with you,
Pastor Tom

Scripture Reading:   Mark 4:28   “The soil itself makes the plants grow and bear fruit; first the tender stalk appears, then the ear, and finally the ear full of corn.”

Dear friends,

Once when I had dinner with my daughter, she fondly remembered our “table talks” at home, during her childhood. When our children were young, my husband and I were focused on trying to plant seeds in them. After our evening meal, we taught them the Lord’s Prayer, the 23rd Psalm, a night-time prayer, and things like that. Yes, my daughter remembered learning “that stuff”, but what she remembered most was that that everyone participated and we prayed. I wish now that we had had better resources and ideas for making children more aware of the presence of God around them and in their lives. But we didn’t, so we used the models we had.

In his parable about the farmer and the seed, Jesus points out that God is graciously and actively present in the lives of our children. They, like we, are the soil of God. We don’t need to drive the seeds into them. Our job is merely to sow. When our kids receive the seeds of Jesus in themselves, God’s creative power will open their potentialities. When they listen to the word and example of Jesus, they will know who they are, and bear the fruit of God’s kingdom in their own way.

God’s strength and joy be yours,
Pastor Ana

Scripture Reading:    Mark 4:35-41   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?”

My dear friends,

This is a story which is rich with meaning. There are so many ways that this story applies to us. There is so much truth that can be unlocked in this little miracle story.

This story is an invitation for us to trust God not merely when life is good, when we have plenty of health, cash and family around, but to trust God in the midst of the storms of life. The disciples did not realize that the power and presence of God was with them during their storm.  They could have simply trusted God, trusted that God was with them.

Life as we know it is filled with storms. You and I are built for storms. We are not built for cozy, safe little harbors. The Lord is with us. We have the kind of craft that can weather any storm. In fact, we should head out for the storms. One of the great perils that face the church in our day is that we  want to steer out of the storm centers. We are not to anchor our lives in some sheltered cove and let the storm tossed world go by. The Lord’ s call is not like that. We are not called to an easy task but a greater cause, not to a cozy harbor but to the sea of storms. We are not built for safe harbors. We are built for storms.

 Remember God is with you in your boat.
Pastor Tom

Scripture Reading:  Psalm 133

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!

It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the
beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.

It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For
there, the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.

My dear friends,

 Psalm 133 is a short psalm that packs a wallop. Its opening verse is clear and easy to understand. "How good and pleasant is the sight, when kindred live together in unity." Curiously, when I checked the Hebrew of this psalm, I discovered that the word translated as "live" is really a form of the verb Shabbat, which means "to rest" and is directly related to the word"Sabbath." I was not quite able to figure out how this word got translated as "live together" but clearly whatever else this image means, it ties in
with our identity as God's people enjoying the Sabbath rest of shalom that God always intended.

Someone once pointed out that despite the value we place on work, isn't it interesting to notice that Genesis 1 states that Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day. Their very first full day of existence took place on the Sabbath. God no sooner created humanlind and he immediately gave them a day off, a Sabbath in which to enjoy each other, enjoy God's world, not doing anything except revel in the prior grace of God.

Everyone needs some “Sabbath time.”  Part of that time is to worship together as a community of faith.  “Isn’t it good and pleasant when kindred rest together on the Sabbath.”

God go with you,
Pastor Tom