40 WAYS IN 40 DAYS LENT 2015
#15 Cross to the Dark Side (Relocation)
Mark 5:35-41; 6:45,47-48
While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?’ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, ‘Do not fear, only believe.’ He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Little girl, get up!’
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by.
Reflection
As a child like many others Star Wars was a great Saturday ritual where we would play the videotapes at nausea to enjoy the battles and mystery of this struggle for good and evil. As I moved into to high school however I discovered there was something much greater that I loved about Star Wars…the music! The first time I played the main theme in a concert band was in 1996 at Rosetta High School in Hobart, an exciting time, particularly on tuba. But the best part was playing this Dark Side theme the imperial march, symbolising evil whenever it was heard.
Today’s readings are an interesting group, life and death, resurrection and relocation, mystery and clarity. This group is no accident and invites us to consider the many crossings we have in our lives as we march to our own song and rise each day. For Marks community water and particularly deep bodies of water are disturbing places and getting to the other side often meaning returning to gentile soil, is always depicted as difficult never free from calamity and more often than not a wrestle with the disciples faith…why?
Relocating ourselves is never easy and relocating ourselves spiritually is certainly a wrestle. We can laugh and mock and think about the waste of time it is, but there is always life that can emerge amidst this if we don’t let it pass us by.
I wonder where are the places we are finding hard to crossover at the moment? Is there some murky waters beneath our boats? The imperials in star wars where always a formidable force to be frightened of, what are we afraid of?
If Jesus is out walking as we wrestle in our crossing over I wonder can we see him beside our boats? Perhaps a storm is coming and we will need to think about how we will respond…how will you?
– Luke Bowen, Moreland Baptist
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