Meeting Jesus in sacred spaces

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Joe Sawatzky is a theologian and a former mission worker in South Africa.

By Joe Sawatzky

Introduction

Mark 4:35-41 is a story about Jesus creating sacred space, or a set-apart time, for his disciples to meet him as he truly is. Jesus begins with an invitation — “Let us go across to the other side” — to which the disciples respond by “[taking] him with them in the boat.” Jesus calls, and the disciples say “yes” to him. On the sea with Jesus, a great windstorm arises and threatens the disciples’ lives, so much so that they question Jesus’ concern for their well-being. Even so, the perilous storm presents an opportunity for Jesus to act, proving his care for the disciples. Jesus wakes up and rebukes the wind and says to the sea, “‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm.” Jesus’ saving act begins a transformation in the disciples. In place of the fearful storm, they are filled with reverence for Jesus. Together, they sense that their “teacher” is someone more — “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Their faith was not yet complete, but by following Jesus “to the other side,” they grew to know him more deeply. By following Jesus into sacred space, they met him anew!

Discover how the workers and partners of Mission Network are pursuing God’s mission of making sacred space for people to meet Jesus.

Scripture texts

Focal text

Mark 4:35-41 (CEB)

³⁵Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” ³⁶They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.

³⁷Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. ³⁸But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?”

³⁹He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!”The wind settled down and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?”

⁴¹Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Supplemental texts

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 (CEB)

¹⁷The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom. ¹⁸All of us are looking with unveiled faces at the glory of the Lord as if we were looking in a mirror. We are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to the next degree of glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Psalm 107:1, 23-32 (CEB)

¹“Give thanks to the Lord because he is good,
because his faithful love lasts forever!”

²³Some of the redeemed had gone out on the ocean in ships,
    making their living on the high seas.
²⁴They saw what the Lord had made;
    they saw his wondrous works in the depths of the sea.
²⁵God spoke and stirred up a storm
    that brought the waves up high.
²⁶The waves went as high as the sky;
    they crashed down to the depths.
The sailors’ courage melted at this terrible situation.
²⁷    They staggered and stumbled around like they were drunk.
    None of their skill was of any help.
²⁸So they cried out to the Lord in their distress,
    and God brought them out safe from their desperate circumstances.
²⁹God quieted the storm to a whisper;
    the sea’s waves were hushed.
³⁰So they rejoiced because the waves had calmed down;
    then God led them to the harbor they were hoping for.
³¹Let them thank the Lord for his faithful love
    and his wondrous works for all people.
³²Let them exalt God in the congregation of the people
    and praise God in the assembly of the elders.

Jonah 1:1-17 (CEB)

The Lord’s word came to Jonah, Amittai’s son: ²“Get up and go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it, for their evil has come to my attention.”

³So Jonah got up—to flee to Tarshish from the Lord! He went down to Joppa and found a ship headed for Tarshish. He paid the fare and went aboard to go with them to Tarshish, away from the Lord. ⁴But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, so that there was a great storm on the sea; the ship looked like it might be broken to pieces. ⁵The sailors were terrified, and each one cried out to his god. They hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to make it lighter.

Now Jonah had gone down into the hold of the vessel to lie down and was deep in sleep. ⁶The ship’s officer came and said to him, “How can you possibly be sleeping so deeply? Get up! Call on your god! Perhaps the god will give some thought to us so that we won’t perish.”

⁷Meanwhile, the sailors said to each other, “Come on, let’s cast lots so that we might learn who is to blame for this evil that’s happening to us.” They cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. ⁸So they said to him, “Tell us, since you’re the cause of this evil happening to us: What do you do and where are you from? What’s your country and of what people are you?”

⁹He said to them, “I’m a Hebrew. I worship the Lord, the God of heaven—who made the sea and the dry land.”

¹⁰Then the men were terrified and said to him, “What have you done?” (The men knew that Jonah was fleeing from the Lord, because he had told them.)

¹¹They said to him, “What will we do about you so that the sea will become calm around us?” (The sea was continuing to rage.)

¹²He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea! Then the sea will become calm around you. I know it’s my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

¹³The men rowed to reach dry land, but they couldn’t manage it because the sea continued to rage against them. ¹⁴So they called on the Lord, saying, “Please, Lord, don’t let us perish on account of this man’s life, and don’t blame us for innocent blood! You are the Lord: whatever you want, you can do.” ¹⁵Then they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased its raging. ¹⁶The men worshipped the Lord with a profound reverence; they offered a sacrifice to the Lordand made solemn promises.

No escape for the prophet

¹⁷Meanwhile, the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.

Children’s time

On God’s team

“For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free.” —1 Corinthians 12:13

She raced onto the field, which was worn and dusty from soccer matches before. The score was tied 1-1 with 15 minutes remaining. The team needed Mingombo. In soccer, she was a part of something bigger than herself. But in Christ, Mingombo was a part of something bigger still.

Mingombo Bulamba (Mee-NGOHM-bo bu-LAM-bah) lives in the city of Ilebo in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ilebo is about the size of Portland, Maine.

Last summer, Mingombo traveled seven hours to go to camp organized by the Mennonite Church in Congo. This was Mingombo’s first time at camp. (There are fewer camps in Congo than the United States.) Mingombo wasn’t a Christian, but she thought it would be fun to play soccer with 150 other youth.

Off the soccer field, Mingombo learned how much God loved her. Because of God’s love, she wanted to follow Jesus’ teachings. This means that she loves God and loves others. At the end of camp, Mingombo told her friends about her choice to follow Jesus for the rest of her life. To show this, she got baptized.

It was then that Mingombo joined something bigger than a soccer team. She joined God’s team. God’s team speaks all types of languages, has many beautiful colors of skin, and lives all around the world—in Congo, in the United States, and everywhere in between.

Even though Mingombo is young, she is a part of the Mennonite church in her town.

“Mennonite youth are not the church of tomorrow, but of today,” Komuesa Kalunga told the youth. He is the president of the Mennonite Church of Congo.

Questions for discussion

Have you ever been to camp? What did you do there? What did you learn?
Why did Mingombo choose to follow Jesus?
After choosing to follow Jesus, Mingombo chooses to help others at church. What are ways that you can help others at church or in your neighborhood?

Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us and for welcoming us onto your team. Help us to love you more and to show your love to others. Amen.

Changing lives through sports

Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-5: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord.”

Botswana is a beautiful country, filled with many good people. But sometimes, even good, smart, hardworking people can’t find a job.

When Mothusi Kenosi looked around his home in Francistown, Botswana, it made him sad. He was sad that there were few jobs. He was sad that women and children had to make hard choices. He was sad when the choices sometimes hurt families.

So he decided to do something about it.

Mothusi didn’t have many resources. But he had a dream for a better Botswana, a love for sports, and a supportive church.

That dream became the Bokgoni Sporting Club. (“Bokgoni” means potential.) The Bokgoni Sporting Club uses netball and soccer to teach young women and children. It models healthy exercise, teamwork, and helps young women to follow their dreams. They reached out to women and children because they often didn’t have the opportunities that young men had.

Lesedi Kapaya is one of those young women. Before playing netball at the Bokgoni Sporting Club, she was living day-to-day, with no direction in life. “Bokgoni has taught me … the difference between healthy and unhealthy behaviors,” said Lesedi. “I feel confident standing up for myself and expressing my opinions openly. I also have learned how to treat my family and friends with more respect.”

Questions for discussion

Have you ever been a part of a team? Maybe you played sports, sang in choir, or played an instrument in band. How did the people around you change you? What are ways that you had an impact on other people?
Church is a little bit like being on a team. Everyone is important—no matter how young—and everyone has a special gift to bring. Some people bring their musical gift, others bring their gift of friendship, or the gift of how they see the world. What are some of the gifts that you bring to your church?

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for surrounding us with a team of believers. Thank you that we can learn from and encourage each other to follow you more. Bless the Bokgoni Sporting Club and help it to continue to teach people how you would like them to live. Amen.

Sermon starters

Hans Denck, an early Anabaptist evangelist, said, “No one can truly know Christ unless one follows him in life, and no one may follow him unless one has first known him.” How do you see this paradox at work in Mark 4:35-41?

What similarities and differences do you notice between Mark 4:35-41 and Jonah 1:1-17? By comparing these stories, what new insights emerge for you about Jesus and his mission?

In 2 Corinthians 3:18, the Apostle Paul speaks about transformation “from one degree of glory to another.” How does this relate to the disciples’ journey with Jesus in Mark 4:35-41?

Reflect on your own journey as a disciple of Jesus. Can you think of times you have spent in sacred space when you have met Jesus?

How does your church create sacred space for people to meet Jesus?