Jesus Tames the Storms

First of all: If you feel like you're in the midst of a storm, if you're on mission with Jesus and everything is going wrong. As you think about this storm and you think of something in your life, and Jesus seems to be ASLEEP… We encourage you: Go ahead and wake him up. And if you have some choice words for him about how he doesn't care whether you live or die, go ahead and speak to him.And secondly, What if… Jesus is inviting us to go across to the other side? Because like the disciples who are being tossed around on that boat, the world and our country are undergoing tumultuous shifts… authoritarianism on the rise; putting already vulnerable at greater risk of things like poverty, incarceration, deportation. This sea that feels so tumultuous, in many ways, is standing in opposition to Jesus’ kingdom of flourishing for everyone.To be in the boat with Jesus means you are going to grapple with questions like: How do we become agents of reconciliation, agents of God's mission for the least and the last and the marginalized? It means discerning HOW to move more concretely into advocacy for, solidarity with those on the receiving ends of hostility and injustice. It means committing ourselves as a church to real racial justice, the dismantling of systems of exploitation and inequality, continuing to lay down our privilege and repent of our complicity and inaction for the sake of marginalized communities.As we follow Jesus into boundary-crossing mission, we can count on opposition, just as the disciples did. There will be storms of chaos that threaten to overwhelm us, that threaten to sink us. But do not be afraid, little church. Despite our fear and faithlessness, Jesus stands in our midst as the Lord of all creation, taming the forces of chaos, and training us faithfully in the ways of the kingdom.**Note: Audio echoes during first half and then switches over and improves for second half of recording. Apologies!