The Adventurous Lectionary: The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Last updated on: June 11, 2012 at 5:33 pm by Bruce Epperly

The Adventurous Lectionary: The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost 2012-06-11T17:33:52-04:00 Bruce Epperly

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Lectionary Reflections: The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Sunday June 24, 2012

1 Samuel 17:32-49; 17: 57-18:5, 10-16; 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Mark 4:35-41

I recall hearing a definition of courage as “fear that has said its prayers.” Today’s passages speak of the interplay of courage and faith. Those who experience the nearness of God are able to face challenges and threats with resolution and courage despite their fear.

In the era of biblical literacy, every school child – churched or unchurched – knew the story of David and Goliath. It is a classic underdog tale: the mighty warrior is defeated by a teenage boy. Some congregations will “fear” reading this whole passage because it involves violence, jealousy, and – perhaps most challenging – a god who takes sides, who can give or withdraw energy and power with little or no reason. They may resist the imagery of David stunning Goliath with a blow to the head and then beheading the giant. In fact, I recall our Sunday School teacher reminding us not to try this on our siblings we acted out the story in our class! This passage is not for the faint-hearted – it is for those willing to take risks for their nation and their God.

I must admit that I have some problems with the passage from 1 Samuel. I wonder how the story might have been told from Goliath’s perspective: perhaps, this “bully” had only one option in life, war-making, as a result of his size. He might have preferred a different occupation, but realized early that he would either be a fighter or laughing stock, because of his size. I also wonder how the story might have been told from Saul’s perspective: he is a tragic figure, like Richard Nixon, who achieved great things only to lose it all. Once upon a time, God was on his side – he was God’s chosen leader – but then the spirit left him, descending on the shepherd boy David.

Neither Goliath nor Saul is a one-dimensional character, and our opponents aren’t either. They are flesh and blood, fearful and hopeful, and sometimes forced by circumstances outside their control to take certain personal paths that place them at odds with us.

Still, we can’t dismiss the heroic path of the shepherd boy. Without assuming that God abandons people, often arbitrarily, we can claim the importance of trust in God as a source of courage. Our lives on a day to day basis are an adventure. We may not meet giants, but we often face issues that dwarf our abilities or force us to leave our comfort zones. Perhaps, even David had second thoughts, but inspired by his vision of divine companionship he took on a giant and won! When we open to God’s presence as a living reality, new energies and possibilities flood into our lives, giving us the power to face obstacles with courage and grace.

The words of 2 Corinthians proclaim that now is the day of salvation. Or as the Psalmist affirms, this is the day that God has made! God is near, giving us power, energy, and guidance to become healed and whole – strong and courageous for God’s way – right now. This power – grounded in the interplay of divine presence and personal openness – enables Paul and his colleagues to maintain their integrity despite problems, disasters, and stressful situations.

The gospel reading describes a storm at sea. Coming out of nowhere, the storm threatens to capsize the boat. The disciples lose heart and panic, thinking all is lost until they realize that Jesus is with them, sleeping like a baby. This is one of many “miracle” stories in the first ten chapters of Mark’s gospel; and, as I see it, the miracle here is two-fold. I suspect that once they realized that Jesus was with them, the disciples began to experience God’s peace despite the waves that rocked their boat. Recognizing that the healer was with them may have delivered them from the paralysis of fear. While the calming of the waves is more than an afterthought, I imagine that awakened to Jesus’ presence, the disciples knew that they could face and survive the storm at sea and the storms of life.

Events such as calming a storm are often scoffed at by liberals as supernatural violations of the laws of nature and, conversely, accepted as factual by conservatives who see them as proofs of God’s power and Jesus’ divinity. We don’t need to explain the mechanics of stilling the storm to appreciate the creative transformation of fear to calm through faith in God’s intimate presence. Nevertheless, ancient wisdom – archived in the experiences of shaman, medicine men and women, and rain makers – suggests the possibility of spiritual synchronicities that may lead to changes in weather patterns. We are more than aware of the negative impact of human behaviors on weather patterns (global climate change). But, what about positive impact on weather patterns?

Could it be that within the interdependence of life, the quantum entanglement of the micro that shapes the macro, often described metaphorically in terms of the butterfly effect, our spiritual states – or the spirit states of certain spiritual leaders – can bring forth the healing and calming aspects of the non-human world? Just as positive thoughts and gentle images can nurture the growth of plants, positive energy and imaging may lead to changes in the weather? This is not prosperity thinking, new age magic, or supernatural intervention, but the naturalistic healing which emerges when we befriend and embrace positively, rather than fear or devastate, the non-human world around us! In an interdependent, open-ended, energetic world, our faith in God’s deeper energies radiates beyond ourselves to shape in small ways the human and non-human world around us.

Despite the challenges of these passages, they are an invitation to “open our hearts wide” (2 Corinthians 6:13) to the creative energies resident in each moment of experience. With God as our companion, we can become large-souled people who bring beauty and healing out of otherwise difficult – and desperate – situations. In fact, given our current global, economic, and political malaise, this is what we must do!

Bruce Epperly is a theologian, spiritual guide, pastor, and author of twenty two books, including Process Theology: A Guide to the Perplexed*,* Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living*, Philippians: An Interactive Bible Study, and* The Center is Everywhere: Celtic Spirituality for the Postmodern Age. His most recent text is Emerging Process: Adventurous Theology for a Missional Church*. He also writes regularly for the Process and Faith lectionary. He may be reached at [email protected] for lectures, workshops, and retreats.*

Uncategorized

Previous Post

June 5, 2012

The Adventurous Lectionary: The Third Sunday after Pentecost

Next Post

June 26, 2012 The Adventurous Lectionary: Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews The Adventurous Lectionary Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 December 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz