The View from Here

Those who attended tonight's class on science and religion enjoyed a great lesson on perspective.  While finding much hope in a complementary view of these two realms of understandng, we recognized how the rhetoric of fear stlll has the power to divide us from the gift of new insight and truth.

Then I came home and watched the documentary on one of my childhood heroes, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, and his testimony of living with HIV.  It was humbling to remember the barriers of fear and prejudice that were endured in the wake of his initial announcement, and inspiring to see his public witness since that time, now 20 years ago.

The reading from Mark's gospel for today reminds us that though the storms of life are real, many of our perceptions of those storms are illusory.  What we believe to be a class five death sentence may actually prove to be a single cloud on the large radar screen.  Still, when the waves are crashing down, it is also all too easy to assume that Jesus is sleeping on the job (we also assume that his "job" is to address our concerns immediately, lest we should suffer at all).  Yet Jesus still asks us, Why are you so afraid? Where is your faith?  Do you honestly doubt that I can handle your waves? Really?  

Go ahead.  Try Him.  Today.

From where he sits, the view is a bit different. Really.

Darren