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Text of the page (random words):
the rasburry patch 2022 the rasburry patch random pickings from a lutheran pastor devoted to the life of christ in the body of christ for the life of the world 30 january 2022 homily for epiphany 4 2022 authority to calm and restore matthew 8 23 27 when jesus reveals himself to be the son of god in human flesh he also reveals our frailty and our fears it s something like opening the curtains or blinds on the window to let in the bright sunshine not only does it brighten up the room it also reveals all that dust on the furniture remember how we prayed in today s collect god knows we live in the midst of so many dangers we admitted that in our frailty we cannot stand upright so we pleaded with our epiphany lord to grant strength and protection only with his strength and protection can we find support in all our dangers only he can carry us through all temptations matthew chapter 8 introduces us to the authority of jesus and how people react to that authority last week we heard how he had the authority and will to cleanse the leper that was followed by healing the centurion s servant simply by speaking his powerful word mt 8 1 13 then he authoritatively healed peter s mother in law helped many who were oppressed by demons and healed other illnesses he fulfilled the prophecy that said he took our illnesses and bore our diseases mt 8 17 is 53 4 then came a scribe he wanted to follow jesus wherever he would go jesus had to warn him unlike foxes and birds of the air the son of man has nowhere to lay his head mt 8 20 the scribe could not conceive that jesus was not about self promotion or his own comfort nor could the scribe comprehend that following jesus means surrendering all guarantees of a comfortable secure existence in this fallen world he missed it on the purpose of jesus authority that authority will lead jesus to sacrifice himself upon a cross those who follow him may expect the same cross shaped life of self sacrifice then came another of jesus disciples first let me bury my father he instructed jesus sounds reasonable but who knows how long until that would happen this guy was putting family obligations above allegiance to jesus he missed it on the priority of jesus authority so jesus gave a stern command follow me and leave the dead to bury their own dead mt 8 22 translation jesus calls those who follow him to make their allegiance to him the first and top priority whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me mt 10 37 he would also say now we come to today s gospel it answers the question what is the extent of jesus authority jesus reveals he has authority even over storm and sea in fact over all creation he also reveals the frailty and fear of his followers yes including you and me they re all in the boat a great storm arose great waves swamping the boat literally the boat was hidden or covered by the waves how did the disciples react remember some of them were fishermen on this very lake called the sea of galilee you d think they would know the waters the weather patterns and how to handle the waves their reaction this time save us lord we are perishing in mark s account of the same event the disciples cry out teacher don t you care that we are perishing mk 4 38 it s what happens when you re not so sure about the extent of jesus authority you conclude jesus doesn t care you fear he s not always there for you you wonder if you will even survive it could be a wind storm on a lake or a snow storm on land it could be a personal diagnosis of illness or a global pandemic of a disease that still after two years has a survival rate of 99 percent it could be the stresses of family conflict or the confusing ever changing policies and practices at work it could be the constant drumbeat of fear by the news media or the arrogant antics of power hungry magistrates when your fear and frailty come out of the closet of your heart and mind you too echo those disciples in the boat lord we re dying here don t you care do something save us where has jesus been all this time during the boat tossing storm sleeping as though he had not a care in this blustery tempestuous world calm in the midst of chaos actually let s thank him for this revelation this one truly is human he got tired and needed rest just as he got hungry and thirsty and needed food and drink this is also a wonderful contrast winds blowing waves crashing boat floundering sailors frantically flailing about yet jesus sleeps with great calm even in sleep jesus is still in control soon enough he would reveal his divine almighty power and authority over winds and waves first though let s ponder what he said after his fearful followers woke him from his peaceful slumber he said to them why are you afraid o you of little faith his comment about little faith is not so much a measurement of their faith itself it s more of a divine insult if you will appropriate and accurate in revealing their frailty he called them little faiths what led them to being little faiths they were afraid no doubt we can relate this is a curious term in the greek it s not the usual term phobos the common greek term for fear which we use for our various phobias when you look up this term in the dictionary you get a different perhaps deeper slant with some related words why are you cowardly craven vile worthless miserable wretched or unhappy it s what fear will do to you make you cowardly and miserable wretched and unhappy after rebuking his cowardly christ followers jesus rose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm the creation responded to its creator no this man is not the father nor the holy spirit but he is god nevertheless all things were made through him and without him was not any thing made that was made jn 1 3 since he made it he can and does control it and calm it he rules over it and preserves it even in its fallen frequently dangerous chaotic state the creation itself groans because it is subject to futility who subjected it adam in his original sin because of adam s sin all of creation was also subjected to bondage of decay danger and death no the creation is not the very good place that god originally made it to be even the brightest noon day sun and the most stunning evening sunset are actually muted and dull compared to what they should be and all because of us sinful humans but as st paul says the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of god rom 8 19 and jesus in the boat has revealed himself to be the very son of god who will set free both the creation and you his followers when jesus calmed that storm he also made a promise to you me and all who trust him not only can he still a storm on the sea of galilee not only does he still the storms of sin doubt and cowardice within you but he will one day also restore the whole creation to god s good design this jesus this man who is god god with us emmanuel he has the authority to repair the creation undo the damage caused by sin and death in fact he has already begun his fixer upper renovation project you can see it begun in his death and resurrection on the cross in the tomb and as he came out of that tomb on day three just as jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish so will the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth mt 12 40 just as jonah was thrown into the sea and the sea ceased from its raging jonah 1 15 so also jesus was thrown into the sea of our sin the depths of our decay the chaos of the cross the tomb of our death and he calmed the storm of god s judgment raging against us not only does your lord have the authority to calm storms but he also has the authority to forgive your sins calm your craven fears and restore you to life with him so you enter the boat of his church through the peaceful waters of baptism you hear the calming words of his absolution you feast on his body and blood under bread and wine to be strengthened and sustained in the face of all things that cause cowardly fear you may take courage and be brave you live under jesus in his kingdom you serve him in everlasting righteousness innocence and blessedness what does this mean you belong to him he grants you his strength and protection he supports you in all dangers he carries you through all temptations especially temptations to craven fear it also means that we look forward to the day when sin death and the devil will no longer hinder us from serving him with complete devotion in peace and joy forever expl of sc 179 amen posted by randy asburry at 1 00 pm no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels creation epiphany homilies jesus christ newer posts older posts home subscribe to posts atom subscribe subscribe in a reader about me randy asburry st louis missouri united states view my complete profile sacred meditations issues etc lutheran public radio steadfast lutherans wmlt followers blog archive 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