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Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
In your resurrection, O Christ,
let heaven and earth rejoice. Alleluia.
Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As once you ransomed your people from Egypt
and led them to freedom in the promised land,
so now you have delivered us from the dominion of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of your risen Son.
May we, the first fruits of your new creation,
rejoice in this new day you have made,
and praise you for your mighty acts.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
John 6.16-21
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.
Reflection
They saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified.
I hate horror films! When I am in need of relaxation, I do not want to be scared or repulsed. I know that some people love such things, but they are definitely not for me. I like a good whodunnit, or even a classic spy thriller, something which gives me an intellectual puzzle to wrestle with, but I absolutely do not like the ‘terror’ that horror films set out to engender in their audiences.
When I think about my antipathy to this popular genre of films, I realize that it is rooted in my inability to anticipate what might happen next. Because of the fantastical nature of horror films there are no benchmarks by which the viewer can predict the next scene … literally ‘anything goes’. I wonder if that is the sort of terror that the disciples experienced as they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat?
The disciples had witnessed Jesus’ miraculous signs before, but this one was different. Some of the disciples were fishermen, which meant that they understood the nature of the water. They knew how quickly the calm of the inland sea could turn on them. They knew that only good seamanship, good luck and prayer could save a small boat being tossed about in the midst of a raging storm. They knew that no one could walk on that water … whether calm or storm-tossed. In the light of all that knowledge, we should not be surprised at the terror of the disciples when they saw Jesus walking towards them.
Of course, the terror of the disciples was not the same as the terror of the cinema-goer. The horror film devotee knows that the only peace that they will ever know will be granted to them by the creative minds of the script-writer and the director. The disciples were in a very different place. The terror they experienced was rooted in their not understanding just how powerful Jesus was. The terror experienced by the disciples could be soothed in an instant if they could only recognize and acknowledge the power of their Lord.
Too often we experience feelings of terror, even if we wouldn’t use that word, as we go about our daily lives. We become confused and disorientated as we are confronted with the unexpected and the scary. We may never fully understand that which brings on such feelings, but we can be certain that there is one who will alleviate that terror and will hold us in his loving embrace … Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Saviour.
Let us pray that we might never forget the Son of God who walks with us through both the sad and the joyful, the challenging and the comfortable, the soothing and terrifying moments of our lives. Let us pray that we might always lay our fears at his feet and trust in his love for us every moment of every day.
Prayers
To Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
and who now lives in the glory of the Father,
let us lift our voices in praise, saying:
risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
Lord Jesus, you are the Amen, the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
You are Alpha and Omega,
the one who is, and was, and who is to come:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
You search into the thoughts and affections of all people:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
You reprove and chasten those whom you love:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
You open the eyes of the blind
and set the prisoners free:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
In your paschal victory,
you have proclaimed the coming of the kingdom:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.
God of glory,
by the raising of your Son
you have broken the chains of death and hell:
fill your Church with faith and hope;
for a new day has dawned
and the way to life stands open
in our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Rejoicing in God’s new creation,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
The God of peace,
who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the eternal covenant,
make us perfect in every good work to do his will,
working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among us and remain with us always.
Amen.