Daily Lectionary: Exodus 39:32-40:16; Luke 8:22-39 

And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. (Luke 8:24) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. In our daily lectionary today we hear about one of the more famous accounts of Jesus and His disciples. They are crossing the Sea of Galilee and a storm rises up. While the disciples fear they are going to drown, Jesus is asleep.

Most of us have never been caught in a storm that threatened our lives, but we are familiar with feelings of desperation, especially in the midst of circumstances that we cannot control. Like the disciples, sometimes we feel like God is not aware of what is going on in our lives–that He is asleep at the wheel and or has forgotten about us. However, this passage is not simply about Jesus calming the "storms of life." We should be careful not to simplify what Jesus does here in the boat. 

The storm that the disciples faced was real. In that very real story Jesus has all "authority in heaven and on earth," even over the wind and waves. Jesus was present at the foundation of all creation and despite His sleeping during this storm, He still has authority over the wind and waves while in the boat. By His simply speaking to the wind and waves, everything was placed back into order. 

If Jesus has this ability to calm the wind and waves, He certainly has the ability to speak His Word over the waters of your Baptism where He declared from heaven to earth, "This is my beloved child." In Holy Baptism Jesus speaks over the waters of life and death. You were crucified and buried with Him in Baptism so that you, too, might rise and walk in the newness of life. By your Baptism into Christ you are safe and secure in the Ark of the Christian Church until Christ returns to bring you home to the quiet waters of paradise. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

O Lord, since You never fail to help and govern those whom You nurture in Your steadfast fear and love, work in us a perpetual fear and love of Your holy name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday after Trinity)

-Rev. Kent Schaaf is pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Little Rock, AR.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Over eight sessions, The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead you through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, you will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! Now available from Concordia Publishing House.