Mark 4:35-41
Lead in: In Mark 4, in the midst of a violent storm at sea, the panicky disciples are paralyzed by fear. Their boat is taking on water, and it looks like the swell of huge waves is about to overtake them. Amazingly Jesus, the sound sleeper he is, is oblivious to the danger at hand. Once awake, the undisturbed Jesus with a wave of the hand calms the sea. Suddenly all is quiet again.
Prompt: Reflect on a time when the quiet stillness of God within calmed the fears of your restless mind and opened your heart to the power of God’s presence in your life, even in the chaos that
surrounds you.
Lead in: Reflecting on the story Jesus calming of the storm at sea, author Joan Chittister offers this observation. “The thought that we are just a comic accident on a small planet aimlessly whirling our way through space adrift and alone is a sure recipe for human anxiety and despair. But to the person of faith, it is the very mystery that presses us down to the center of our souls. It is here that
we meet the smiling God who created it all.” This God is there waiting for us to come home. Such is the awe and wonder the disciples felt the night that Jesus calmed the raging seas and brought the quiet stillness that their terrified hearts so needed in that moment.
Prompt: Reflect on a time when life got stormy and you were feeling the anxiety of the unknown, when the smiling God who created it all was there for you waiting for you to come home.
Lead in: Commentators tell us that the Book of Job is a long parable which grapples with the
question of why bad things happen to good people. It is a question that has troubled the human heart ever since. Logically speaking, there is no answer to that question. It’s only when we step into the mystery of God’s sovereign presence in the world that we will find peace in the mystery of life. It’s a mystery we can’t understand but are invited to live our way into.
Prompt: Reflect on a time when you felt like Job, up against unfair misfortunes for which there were no answers.
Lead in: In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul describes our life on earth as a pilgrimage home to heaven. On that pilgrimage we are invited to walk by faith and not by sight.
Prompt: If you were to name three highlights in your life on your pilgrimage home to heaven, what might they be?
