Above: Christ Walking on the Sea, by Amedee Varint
Image in the Public Domain
Do Not Be Afraid
JUNE 23, 2021
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The Collect:
O God of creation, eternal majesty,
you preside over land and sea, sunshine and storm.
By your strength pilot us,
by your power preserve us,
by your wisdom instruct us,
and by your hand protect us,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 40
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The Assigned Readings:
Joshua 10:1-14
Psalm 65
Mark 6:45-52
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Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,
O God of our salvation,
O Hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the seas that are far away.
–Psalm 65:5, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
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Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.
–Jesus in Mark 6:50b, The New Revised Standard Version (1989)
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Among the repeated themes in the Bible is that God is on the side of the righteous. This might prove difficult to see sometimes, given persecutions and other hard times, but texts acknowledge this reality. The composite theme holds that being on God’s side does not automatically mean that life will be prosperous, healthy, and easy, but that God will be present with one during good times as well as bad times. Sometimes, in fact, one will suffer for being on God’s side.
I have had difficulty reconciling the God of battles in Joshua 10 with the God of Jesus, but I must, in all honesty, acknowledge that Revelation is not the most peaceful of books in the Bible and that its depiction of God is not pacifistic. The truth is that we mortals can never, as much as we might try, remove our biases from our quest to understand God as much as we can, which is quite partially. May we, therefore, consider our God concepts with humility, recognizing that we are all partially mistaken.
Fortunately, God remains faithful to divine promises and accepts with much kindness that which we offer sincerely. Mercy flows abundantly. We come to God with our fears, hopes, preconceptions, and the desire to obey divine commandments, but often our spiritual blind spots prevent us from understanding those commandments fully and recognizing many of our sins. As in the story preceding the pericope from Mark, we bring all we have–a few loaves and fishes, to speak–and God transforms that which is inadequate into that which is more than sufficient. May we take comfort in that reality.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MARCH 25, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/03/25/do-not-be-afraid-3/
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