MORNING PRAYER (BAS. p. 47) – 10:00 a.m.
St. John’s Minster Anglican Church, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
Sunday, June 20, 2021 – Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Morning Prayer – 10:00 a.m. BAS
Opening Hymn SS #80 – “This Is My Father’s World”
Opening Sentences (p. 47)
Invitatory #3, p. 47
Responsory #5, p. 103
The Proclamation of the Word
The Readings – First Lesson
A reading from 1 Samuel (1 Samuel 17: 1-49)
David and Goliath
Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh. Saul and the Israelites gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah and formed ranks against the Philistines. The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.
And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armoured with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, ‘Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.’ And the Philistine said, ‘Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together.’ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
David rose early in the morning, and came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. David left the things he’d brought for his brothers in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. As David talked with his brothers, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. All the Israelites, when they saw the man, fled from him and were very much afraid. David, however, questioned them about this.
After others reported what David said to his brothers, Saul sent for David. David said to Saul, ‘Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.’ Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.’ But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.’ David said, ‘The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.’ So Saul said to David, ‘Go, and may the Lord be with you!’
Saul clothed David with his armour; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul’s sword over the armour, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.’ So David removed them. Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.’
But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand.’
When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly towards the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
The Psalms: Psalm 9: 9-20 (p. 713)
The Epistle
A reading from 2 Corinthians (2 Corinthians 6:1-13)
Paul Commends Himself to His Hearers
As we work together with him, we urge 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.’
See, now is the acceptable time; see, 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: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, 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 see—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.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Hymn SS #23 – “God Will Take Care of You”
The Gospel
The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark (Mark 4: 35-41). Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus Stills a Storm
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 gale 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?’
He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ 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 awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’
The Gospel of Christ. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon: “Jesus Calms the Storm” (Nicole Schwartz)
When you started out on your journey of faith, did you think it would make your life easier? I was around 14 when I made that commitment, so, like a typical teenager, I expected pretty smooth sailing. Boy was I wrong! My sermon today is written by Rev. Marcea Paul from the Sermons That Work website with some of my own intermittent commentaries.
Storms happen – even to the best, the smartest and the most prepared among us. Storms terrify us, knocking us around, threatening to destroy our stability and security. We don’t know whether we can withstand them, and we are uncertain of how long they will last. At least, that’s how a storm at sea would be for most of us.
That is how it was for the disciples. At the end of a long day of teaching, Jesus needs a break and initiates a trip across the Sea of Galilee. Although the water is usually calm, the wind coming over the surrounding mountains can suddenly raise a tumultuous storm. Even with Jesus on board, they still encountered tremendous gusts. There was no avoiding this storm. Even as they faithfully followed Jesus’ instructions to cross the water to the other side, they were beaten by waves. Even though surrounded by other boats – the wind howled – lightning flashed – rain poured – thunder boomed, and the boat seemed to be sinking. The disciples were terrified that they would perish and Jesus was peacefully asleep – on a cushion no less! So, they cry out, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
At the beginning of the story, Jesus was not immediately visible, though He was entirely present.
It is then that Jesus calmed the sea with the words, “Peace, be still.”
Here we see both the human and divine aspects of Jesus. The human aspect of him needing rest and the divine aspect of him being able to control the weather.
We may have never crossed the Sea of Galilee, but we’ve been in that boat. This story is not just a story about a boat trip and stormy weather. It’s a story about life – our life – our fear – our faith.
Times of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger have often been compared to stormy seas. They come upon us whether we like it or not. Life is like that. We can avoid some storms by watching the weather forecast and using some common sense. We can avoid some emotional, spiritual, financial, and social disasters by being wise and following God’s instructions. But sometimes, bad things just happen – even while we’re minding our own business, doing what’s right, living out our Baptismal Covenant to the best of our ability, with God’s help.
Sometimes, life places us in a boat and the storms begin to rage – the storms of pain and loss – the storms of rejection and failure – the storms of illness and death – the storms of pandemic and polar vortex – storms brought on by racial and political unrest. Whenever or however they arise, storms are about changing conditions. Life becomes overwhelming and out of control. The waves crash, the boat fills up, and we’re struggling to stay afloat.
For more than a year, the storm of pandemic has taken us to uncharted waters. We have a desired destination but are not sure of where we will end up or when we will get there. The water is deep, and the new shore is a distant horizon. We long to trade in our lament for the psalmist’s proclamation: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!” Instead, we cry out in fear, “God, where are you? Do you not care that we are suffering?”
When the wind ceased and the waves became calm, Jesus questioned the disciples’ fear and lack of faith. It is worth noting that Jesus never said, “There’s nothing to be afraid of.” The storm on the Sea of Galilee that night must have been extremely fearsome if seasoned fishermen doubted their own ability to keep the boat afloat. We often confuse the two phrases, but saying, “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” is quite different from saying, “Do not be afraid.” The truth is that things that cause fear are very real. Isolation, pain, viruses, the loss of one’s job, or loss of a relationship, illness, and death are real.
Jesus does not minimize our circumstances or our feelings, but focusing on Him, His abilities and His love for us helps to put our fears and feelings into perspective.
Like the disciples in our text, we are also challenged to rediscover our faith in God’s word when we find ourselves in the midst of storms. The questions Jesus asked the disciples are the questions he continues to ask us: “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” I understand this as meaning “Do you still not know who I am?”
In our Old Testament reading this morning, we have David going to battle against Goliath. David was able to defeat Goliath because he knew that God was with him and was much bigger than any giant. David’s faith in God was a great example for the rest of the Israelite army and his family. It is clear why he was considered a man after God’s own heart. As a side note, I noticed that David refused Saul’s armour because it wouldn’t fit him, it wasn’t made for him, it would only hinder him. What hinderances do we carry that make it more difficult to face our life challenges?
As we grow in faith, we come to understand that the things that cause us despair do not have the last word. Yet, faith does not eliminate, change, or take us around the storms of our lives. Rather, faith takes us through the storms, reminding us that Jesus is there with us. We are reminded that the power of God is mightier than any wind that beats against us – that the love of God is deeper than any wave that threatens to drown us. Jesus invites us to stay with him in the boat saying, “Let us go across to the other side, I won’t leave your side, I’ll journey with you.”
And let’s not forget that Jesus was not addressing only one disciple when he invited them on their boat trip. He addressed all twelve, and Mark tells us that other boats were with him. They were in community. If the past year has taught us anything, it is the importance of community. People have worked so hard to stay connected to their communities, even while apart.
Just as the disciples set off for the other shore with Jesus in the stern, we too, journey with our community, accompanied by the Master of ocean and earth and skies, who promises, “The winds and the waves shall obey my will, peace be still.”
Hymn SS #50 – “Standing on the Promises”
Hear, O Israel (p. 53)
The Prayers of the People (Litany #4), p. 113
Collect of the Day, p. 363
The Lord’s Prayer #2 (p. 54)
Aronic Blessing
Dismissal (p. 55)
Closing Hymn SS #36 – “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”