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| Image by Nils Tamlag |
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A GREETING
I offer my life to you, Lord.
(Psalm 25:1)
A READING
Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along. Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?” He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm.
(Mark 4:35-39)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Lord God,
you created heaven and earth by your great power and outstretched arm;
nothing is too hard for you!
(Jeremiah 32:17)
A PRAYER
Let there be
an opening
into the quiet
that lies beneath
the chaos,
where you find
the peace
you did not think
possible
and see what shimmers
within the storm.
- from "Epiphany 4: Blessing in the Chaos" by Jan Richardson,
found on paintedprayerbook.com
VERSE OF THE DAY
So they rejoiced because the waves had calmed down;
then God led them to the harbor they were hoping for.
(Psalm 107:30)
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| "Master of the Sea," by Jorge Cocco Santángelo. (Click to enlarge) The artist has figured Jesus in the moment of "rebuking" the storm. His outstretched arm is an echo of the Hebrew Bible God, while his whole body leans forward into the command with a human vulnerability. Raised Roman Catholic, Santángelo became a Latter-Day Saint as a young adult and raised his family in that tradition. His paintings illustrate stories in both the Judeo-Christian bible and the Book of Mormon. His work favours a realism framed by abstraction. He invites the viewer to see the sacred embedded in the physical. In Canada, his work might be reminiscent of the early Lauren Harris. |
An outstretched arm, pointed at something or raised in the air, is invoked frequently in Scripture to show God's power, holding back enemies and keeping God's people safe. "With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm" appears eighteen times in the Hebrew Bible.
In the gospels, however, the phrase does not exist. Instead, the outstretched arm of Jesus is mostly suggested to be healing and restorative, empowering and transformative. What carries power, is the voice of Jesus. Jesus is capable of rebuking storms and reviling demons simply by speaking to them. His power comes from his attunement to the natural world, not his dominance of it.
In today's two paintings by Jorge Cocco Santángelo, we see the outstretched arm of Jesus showing connection and purpose. In the first painting, he is calming the storm while on the Sea of Galilee with the disciples. The second painting depicts an event in the Book of Mormon and shows Jesus healing children. In both paintings, the outstretched arm of Jesus is symbolic of his capacity to restore: it is both divine and human.
In today's reading of the storm scene, Jesus' first shouted command is to "be silent." He is not "rebuking" the storm so much as restoring order in a moment when the disciples are frightened. He has been asleep and unaffected, but seeing their fear he is saying to the elements, "pipe down." His will is always for harmony and peace, more than demonstrating authority.
Over the coming days, the humility of Jesus will be increasingly on view in the ways in which his body interacts with the world around him and his voice lends authority. In your imagination, what does the voice of Jesus sound like? How can you hear it calling to you?
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| "Behold Your Little Ones," by Jorge Cocco Santángelo In this scene from 3 Nephi in the Book of Mormon, Jesus is figured healing individual children while making a post-Resurrection appearance in the Americas. Ministering angels stand ready for follow-up care. These outstretched arms are involved in healing -- and as in the painting of Jesus calming the storm, or in yesterday's painting of hooking the lost sheep, his arms form the connection between his divine power and the material (and human) world. |
Scripture passages are taken from the Common English Bible.
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LC† From Dust, Still Holy is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!