Still Work To Be Done

Matthew 8:18-27

The story it a familiar one. Jesus is asleep in the boat as a storm rages all around. The disciples, fearful of drowning, waken him and point out the danger. “Then (Jesus) got up,” Matthew tells us, “and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm” (Matthew 8:26c). The disciples were amazed, Matthew continues, and wondered what sort of man Jesus was.

And then they started rowing. They had to. Jesus’ actions has brought the sea to a “dead calm.” That would mean no wind, which would also mean no sailing. So if the disciples were to get anywhere at that point they were going to have to put their backs into it.

God’s actions in human history often require more than a little follow-up work on the part of God’s people. Moses understand this. In the Exodus the people were led out of Egypt by God’s power but years of effort followed. Pentecost is another good example. The Spirit arrived with the sound of a mighty wind and as divided tongues of flame and the disciples went tumbling into the street. But there was work to be done if the faith was to spread: witnessing to others, building a community, withstanding persecution. To feel blessed by God, to see miracles abound, to find ourselves nurtured and sustained by divine grace is never the end of the story. God calms the storms of our lives. Then it is up to us to put our backs into it.

Prayer: Lord, you bless us in so many ways. Help us to respond with all our strength to the opportunities you give us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Mission Possible

Isaiah 29:9-24

Luke 1:26-38

I wonder how seriously most of us take the words of the angel to Mary: “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). We might pass them off as a sort of catchphrase, an advertising slogan like “No one beats our prices, no one!” Or we might consider them on a par with the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team and their amazing consecutive wins streak. How do they do that? we ask before moving on to another topic. Or we might go so far as to confine God’s works to a Star Wars-like domain, “long ago in a galaxy far away.” Even at Christmas time, the season of miracles, we find the angel’s words better suited for pageants or services of lessons and carols than for “real life.” So perhaps one of the great challenges of being God’s people is accepting the them as bedrock truth, and then repeating them with a straight face.

Our reading from Isaiah today offers this bit of insight: “All those who err in spirit will come to understanding, and those who grumble will accept instruction” (Isaiah 29:24). I’ve never thought of it in these terms before, but perhaps the prophet is speaking as much to you and me as to anyone else. Maybe our jaded view of things, our hesitancy to accept God’s actions as exactly what they claim to be is the erring in spirit, the grumbling that God corrects with understanding and instruction. Personally, I need a little instructing and understanding this time of year. I need my heart opened to allow God’s truth to come in. I need my very human cynicism blasted away so that the birth of Immanuel—God with us can touch me once again and give me the hope I need for the living of these days. Maybe you do as well. If so, remember the good news, that nothing is impossible with God.

Prayer: God of the miraculous, make yourself known to us so that we may live more closely attuned to your will, at Christmas and throughout the year. In Jesus’ name. Amen.