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Only a few days ago the disciples almost sank in a storm. They cried to Jesus who was asleep in the back of the boat. When the wind and seas were calmed, Jesus accused them of not having faith. Then he sent them out to evangelize and heal the world two by two. Jesus asked them to pack light. He sent them out with the Holy Spirit, but they were still ripe with doubt, fear and anger.

“The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves, taking nothing with them except the cloths on your back.” (Mark 6:30-32)

Last week I returned from Bermuda on a 43-foot sailboat and we hit some rough wind and waves. We heard that a fifty foot boat was lost, but the crew was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. That was the third boat to sink on the way to and from Bermuda in that past week. The captain asked me what my last sermon was, I told him, “Jesus may be asleep, but he’s still in the boat. We are going to get through this.” I heard the captain on the radio later saying, “we are going to be fine.” When I arrived home, I went to Shelter Island for a week of rest and relaxation.

I turned on the news when I got home to hear of the Trump assassination attempt. This past week I spoke to many folks that mentioned to me that they were broken by the politics in our nation, and a few said that they were very angry. Some expressed fear and doubt.

Please take time for rest and renewal this summer, Jesus asks us to balance our doing and our rest. Jesus asks us to have faith in the Holy Spirit and to rest in the love and peace of God that passes all understanding. My sermon for this week is entitled, “Many of us have cracks in our pots, but God’s love is the glue that keeps us strong.”

In Christ’s love,
Fr. Duncan