Skip to main content

Reset the ripples


*Take a deep breath. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a quiet pond, complete with singing frogs, tall reeds and plenty stones for skipping. 

Pick up two stones. Think about two things you would pray for: One for the world and you personally. 

Toss your stones to skip across the water and watch the ripples as a result of their impact. As the ripples grow, pray for God to work in the world and your life - and help you to act on making ripples for good.*

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All week I've been thinking about this scripture text in order to prepare for a children's message this Sunday. I've considered talking things that "swamp" our lives with unnecessary fear, but I keep coming back to ripples. In this text, the disciples are afraid (when aren't they), Jesus is tired from teaching and healing people and is out cold sleeping when a storm kicks up. In their panic, the disciples wake Jesus up, he gets up and tells the storm to stop and the water is calm. In some translations, the water is said to be "in a dead calm". This is where I was reminded of the glass like surface of a quiet pond. Can you hear the frogs singing too?

When I reread this lesson, and took note of Jesus actions, I began to see his efforts like pushing a reset button. Without Jesus entering into the storms of life, resetting our fearful state and showing us the calm - how else would we attempt to make some good ripples out of our lives. Jesus has done the big work - but now it's our turn (once the reset button has been pushed) to made some ripples. What kind of ripples will you make?

Painting by T.L. Eastman "Ripples" - 
go to: tara-eastman.artistwebsites.com to visit online gallery.

Ideas to ponder -
What are some big storms in your life?
How is/has Jesus worked to calm them?
Now that the water is calm, what fears are you free of?
What are the two prayers you would pray?
One for the world...
One for your own life...

What kind of ripples do you think your prayers will make?

Jesus Calms the Storm

Mark 4:35-41
 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Comments

Mel said…
There's some powerful food for thought.....and inventory material.

Now that the water is calm, what fears are you free of?

That one stopped me in my tracks--because I know what that means in my world...
Tara Lamont said…
I still have some ripples of my own dear Mel. Hang in there.
T

Popular posts from this blog

SWB: Claustrophobia and clearings

Mary Lue shared her host post on business and rest for this weeks Sleeping with Bread Examen. Her words resonated with me in the fact that due to a significant staff change at my office, there is more work to be done and my plate is feeling fuller lately. There have been more meetings, and lots of talking and planning. For the most part, I've felt much more connected to people since I've become more involved in this way, but oddly when I'm done for the day or night - I find myself in need of some quiet. Maybe I'm still sorting and planning in the back of my mind, but silence (even my own) is something I find myself being more and more drawn too. It's like the extra noise, both internal and external, makes me feel claustrophobic . A few days after Christmas, I went into a game store with my son and was overwhelmed by all the noise and activity there. The store was tiny but filled with kids and their parents vying for their video game of choice. My head felt hot, my

Sunny and rainy day friends

There are two kinds of friends in the world: Sunny day friends and rainy day friends. This is a statement that my Mom used to remind me of when I was in the midst of drama or conflict with one school friend of another. There are lots of people that we define as friends, but they are really acquaintances. Two men were out hunting in the northern U.S. Suddenly one yelled and the other looked up to see a grizzly charging them. The first started to frantically put on his tennis shoes and his friend anxiously asked, "What are you doing? Don't you know you can't outrun a grizzly bear?" "I don't have to outrun a grizzly. I just have to outrun you!" This story is funny, but it does help define the distinct difference between a rainy day friend and a sunny day friend. The sunny-day-friend is more concerned with watching out for their own health and wellness, than their friends' wellbeing. On the other hand, a rainy day friend is willing to take risks, work fo

What Summer Camp Means to Me...

  I was around six-years-old when I first went to sleep-away summer camp.  At the time I lived in PA and the camp (through my church) was in Ohio. All school year, I attended Sunday School faithfully partially because regular attendance allowed my family scholarships to help with the cost of Summer Camp. Over the school year, I attended most Sunday's and by the end of the year, my little coupon book was full of stamps - providing me with a scholarship to attend a camp session. I provide this background on how I first got to go to camp, because it is an essential part of explaining what Summer Camp meant (and means) to me.   Going away to Summer Camp gave me a whole new experience of community. The whole process of going to and attending was the first times I experienced, "it takes a village", personally. From the Sunday School Teachers who drove a sedan full of kids to Ohio, to the counselors and staff who supported new campers: through the first 48 hours of homesickness