Water on my brain ...

Summertime always means “water” to me.  I was blessed to grow up along a wide branch of the Elizabeth River in Tidewater Virginia.  June meant getting the boat & motor ready and launching it for the summer.  All summer I skied with friends, explored new inlets, crabbed a little, met girls, and skied some more. Summertime also meant sailing, the beach, the local pool, cool showers, water balloon fights, on and on.

Water is on my mind as we approach this first June weekend. I hope you won’t miss Cruise Ship:  The Musical, Burke’s annual musical variety show.  It premieres this Saturday evening at 7:00 pm. The encore performance is Sunday, June 2, at 3:00 pm. It’s funny, it’s upbeat, it’s musical as all get-out – and there’s a great blend of familiar faces and some Hollywood stars too!  We promise it’ll be safe, clean, smooth sailing – and we’ll definitely dock on time!

To fit with the chancel / stage setting, I’m going to talk about Jesus stilling the storm (Mark 4:35-41). You can join us at the 5:00 LifeSign, just prior to the Saturday Cruise Ship premiere, or on Sunday morning. We see in that story how the joyful elements of summer (light breezes, peaceful water) can turn into metaphors for the testing times in life:  heavy winds, roaring seas, dangerous waves.  How can Jesus help us through those anxious moments?  How can we not be overwhelmed?   We’ll find clues in the story – and in our hymns for this weekend, “Stand By Me” and a BUMC favorite, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.”

Later this month our confirmation class will confirm the vows that were spoken at the baptisms. Confirmation Sunday is always a moving service, as we witness a new generation of young people saying Yes to Jesus Christ.  These 8^th graders say Yes to the One born through the birth waters of Mary, the One baptized in the river waters of the Jordan.  They say Yes to the water poured on their own fuzzy heads long ago.  They say Yes to the One who’ll see them through their own storms of life, now and forever.

Can you say Yes to the waters this month?  Yes to the waters that gave you birth?  Yes to the baptism that brought you into God’s fold?   Yes to the path that leads “beside still waters”? Even Yes to the path that leads through stormy seas?  Hear the Word of God:  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you!” (Isaiah 43:2)

All water can carry us closer to the heart of God. This summer and always – let Jesus Christ be your Yes.

            Pastor Larry