Christ Calms
This is the sermon I preached at St. Timothy Lutheran Church on Sunday, 6/23. The text was Mark 4:35-41 I always refer to the Galilee as a lake because that is exactly what it is, a lake. It is located in a depression about 700 feet below sea level, surrounded by hills. Although larger than Chautauqua, on a clear day you are able to see across it. And just like Mark writes, violent storms suddenly come up on the Galilee. Signs were posted around the lake warning of the winds. However, it was mistranslated, “Beware of western whips.” Evidently they were trying to warn the public of western winds or winds that come whipping in from the west. We never did quite figure that out. This drama from Mark hinges on four questions, the final one combined with an exclamation. The first question from the scared disciples is, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" If we paraphrase the disciples’ question, we get something like this, “Why aren’t you as anxious about dying as we are