Following a night, now morning, of a parade of Donner and Blitzen, I’m thinking of Job 38:8 from last Sunday’s Old Testament lesson. “Who shut the sea behind gates
when it burst through and came out of the womb. When I clothed it with clouds
and wrapped it up in dark clouds.”

For 37 chapters God listened to Job and his friends discuss guilt, innocence, suffering and God. Now God speaks up out of a tornado, “Who is this who speak empty words of wisdom but doesn’t know anything about anything.  Put on your pants, stand up like a man, I will question you.  Where were you when…”

In vs 8-9 the poet describes the birth of the sea as a violent baby gushing forth from its mother.  It’s not clear who is the mother.  As the attending physician, God sees immediately that this baby must be contained, or it will wipe out all the rest of creation.  Yet, God will not leave this monster unattended.  God provides clouds for its clothing and darkness as it’s swaddling cloth.

In the Gospel lesson when Jesus quieted the raging sea, the disciples ask, “Who is this that even wind and sea obey him?”  On Sunday morning the waters again obeyed our Lord.  God who commanded the sea to gush forth, who, in Jesus spoke peace to the raging water, used the quiet and obedient baptism water to give new birth, life and salvation to three youngsters.