Pew Sheet, Sunday, June the 23rd 2024. Fourth Sunday after Trinity / Proper 7

One of my all-time favourite hymns is that written by a former resident of Baltimore, Priscilla Jane Owens. She was a Sunday school teacher of Scottish- Welsh descent who was also very much involved in setting up public schools for the city’s poorer residents. I am fond of it not only because I associate the hymn with a much loved city in which I lived and worked for a time when on a teaching exchange between King’s College London, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Maryland, but because it epitomises the story which we read about in today’s Gospel reading – one of my favourites; and I greatly regret that we do not sing it more often in our churches, for its words contain both a strong challenge, and some beautiful words of encouragement for all those faced with the strong winds of adversity. It begins like this:

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, when the clouds unfold their wings of strife? When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain, will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows roll; fastened to the Rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!

I listen to a rousing version of it sung by Robin Mark when I am alone in the car and even, on occasions, sing along with it - much to the bemusement of other drivers when they pull up alongside me, but I cannot help it, because the image of the one whom even the winds and the waves must obey is one which captures the imagination, and can be seen very often in film versions of Jesus’ life. Invariably though, they get the story completely wrong, because there is only ever one boat at peril in the scene they shoot, namely that with the terrified disciples and the sleeping Jesus in it. If you look at the text more closely however, you will see that the disciples’ boat was not the only one at peril in the storm which blew up from nowhere, as they often do on the Sea of Galilee when hot dry wind from the deserts to the east collide with cooler moist ones coming from the Mediterranean in the west and suddenly sink in a whirling vortex to the water beneath, which is over 200 metres below sea level and surrounded by high ground like a natural basin.The text indicates that theirs was just one of many in a small flotilla of boats which set out to follow Jesus in the way he was going, containing perhaps, some of the more zealous followers who had previously been listening to Jesus teaching the crowds on the shoreline; so there were a great many more lives in peril than the cinematographers depict or we often assume.

Jesus’ actions saved not only those in his immediate vicinity in the boat, but a great many more in the small craft around them. For me, it is a picture of the way in which he saves not only those in the Church – which is often symbolised as a ship or a boat in Christian iconography, but those in other vessels too. A sign if you like, of the hopeful universalism which has marked Anglican theology for many centuries and expressed best in those verses from 1 Corinthians 15:22 which remind us that, ‘As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive’. The ‘all’ here is not conditional, any more than the suggestion that all who were present with him on the waters that day were not also saved. Do we, I wonder, have the faith to believe that God’s mercy is far wider than we can imagine, and might not the one whom the wind and sea obey be capable of helping all to accept the grace he offers... whether sailing with us in our boat or some other?

Collect

Gracious Father,
By the obedience of Jesus,
You brought salvation to our wayward world. Draw us into harmony with your will,
That we may find all things restored in him, Our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Job 38:1-11

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up your loins like a man;
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements? Surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?“Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed bounds for it,

and set bars and doors,
and said, ‘Thus far shall you come and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?

2 Corinthians 6:1-13

As we work together with him, we entreat you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,

“At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Look! Now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! We
are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: in great endurance, afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, riots, imprisonments, labours, sleepless nights, hunger; in knowledge, purity, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors and yet are true, as unknown and yet are well-known, as dying and look: we are alive, as punished and yet not killed, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections but only in yours. In return, I speak as to children. Open wide your hearts also.

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? And waking up, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be silent! Bestill!” 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 fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Please pray this week for:

Bishop Steven, Bishop Gavin, Bishop Olivia, and all the diocesan staff involved in long-listing candidates for the vacant see of Buckingham, and the soon to be vacant see of Reading. That the Holy Spirit will give them discernment and wisdom to select those whom God would call to serve us in Bishop Alan’s place, and in the Reading area. Please do also continue to pray for our nation and our national leaders as the election draws nearer, that God’s will be done. And please do pray for all ordinands and lay ministers due to be ordained or licensed next Saturday (SS Peter and Paul) on the ‘ember days’ listed below.

This Week’s Events

Monday (Birth of John the Baptist)

Bell ringing at 7.30pm in St Laurence. Contact Jan on 07835 461361.

Julian Prayer Group (first Monday of the month) in St Mary’s Addington. Do speak to Canon Alan Hodgetts for more information.

Tuesday

Zoom Morning Prayer at 9am ID: 748 9970 4493 Password: Trinity or contact Didier on [email protected]

Daytime Bible Group (2nd and 4th Tuesdays) contact Paula: 07722 808 988. Evening Home Groups, contact Jo on 07803 942 687.

Wednesday (Ember Day)

Morning Coffee from 10.00-11.45 in the St Laurence Rooms.

Midweek Holy Communion at 12 noon, St Laurence Church.

Thursday (Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, Teacher of the Faith, 444).

General election hustings with our candidates, 7.30pm at St Laurence’s.

Friday (Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, Teacher of the Faith, c200, Ember Day)

Junior Choir at 6.30 pm followed by full Choir Practice at 7.30pm. Do contact Derry on [email protected] if you would like to know more.

Saturday (Peter and Paul, Apostles, Ember Day)

Diocesan ordinations, Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.

Sunday, June 30th Pimms and Hymns at 6pm in St Mary’s Church Addington. Please do join us for this annual summer celebration come rain or shine!