Alex Swain

Beloved in Christ,

The readings* today struck me by their degree of parallelism to current times.

The sons of Israel are scrounging for food, fearful of the days to come as their crops wither in a famine. They undoubtedly worry over the survival of their family, their friends, their livelihoods. We find ourselves scrounging, too--not for food, but rather for commonplace products like hand soap and toilet paper. Goods we so commonly purchase from shelves bloated with excess, are not available. Now, shockingly, those shelves stand barren and withered. The livelihoods of the sons of Israel are massively shifted in the blight of the famine. Our livelihoods are shifting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In prayer I approach the living God and cry, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” much like the apostles cried out in today’s Gospel reading. Amidst the incessant bleating of news unrolling society’s latest catastrophe, and subsequent worries that manifest as our societal, ecclesial, and operational norms begin to screech to a halt, the metaphor of being in a wave-tossed, storm-blown boat seems particularly apt.

“Save me, O God, for the waters have risen up to my neck!” we cry out with the Psalmist, “I have come into deep waters, and the torrent washes over me.”

The Sons of Israel felt the fragility of their world during the famine. The apostles felt the fragility of their world as they were tossed about helplessly in the waters of a raging storm. Undoubtedly, we now feel the fragility of our world as society responds to the threat of a novel virus. Amidst this backdrop, let us recall what our Lord says to the tempest, rebuking the might of the storm:

“Peace! Be still!”

Our Lord calmed that storm 2,000 years ago. I take great hope in resting in God’s awesome goodness and peace amidst our turbulent times. As the Psalmist says, “But for me, it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all thy works.” In the coming weeks as we withdraw from Holy Communion, social gatherings, and work, may we draw closer to God in prayer, and in peace rest in His great goodness.

Through the grace of Jesus our Lord,

Alex Swain
Beloved in the Desert Episcopal Service Corps Member
*Psalm 69, Psalm 73; Gen 43:1-15; 1 Cor 7:1-9; Mark 4:35-41