Dear Truro Family,
In the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we read the incredible account of Jesus sleeping in a boat, while his disciples fear for their lives, sure that they’re about to die. They correctly perceive the danger of the storm.
But they forget the power of the one accompanying them.Dr. Scott Redd, President of Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington D.C. writes in The Wholeness Imperative (with a few small additions from our clergy):
Jesus’s sleeping in the boat is a poignant reminder of his humanity. It’s a fascinating thought that there were regular moments when the God-man, the Lord of the universe, may have laid down and pondered some random thoughts before sleep overtook Him. As a human being, Jesus could grow tired, even to the point of exhaustion. So He gets in the boat and lies back like a business traveler on a red-eye flight, trying to fit in sleep wherever He can.
But the fact that Jesus sleeps speaks to even more than his humanity – but also his divinity. How? Jesus didn’t fear the wind and waves or anything they could do to Him. The Creator need not be restless in the face of a dangerous or threatening creation. When Jonah secretly sleeps below the decks, he does so in a spirit of fatalism and dread. But when Jesus sleeps in the hull of the boat, He does so in quiet confidence and authority. He doesn’t lose sleep on account of weather patterns or any threatening storm. Jesus is more than a teacher. He is a miracle-worker. He Is the eternal Word-made-flesh, the Creator through whom all was made. He is Lord of all!
Friends, we may very well be in the middle of a storm as a church. Perhaps you’re experiencing some storms in your personal or professional life as well. Remember that you belong to Jesus. You are “in Christ”. So we can have peace in the middle of the storm. We can even sleep when we need to. We can have that much confidence in our Lord who commands the storms to cease.
Jesus, one hundred percent human, understands storms. He lived them. Jesus, one hundred percent divine, also has the power to overcome them. He has. And so we can look to Him, trusting that He is not indifferent, nor is He powerless, but worth trusting in all the storms of this life.
Your Truro Clergy,