It is the fourth Sunday after Pentecost. The title of today’s Bach cantata is “Jesus schläft, was soll ich hoffen?” (Jesus sleeps, what shall I hope for?)

Today’s Gospel reading is Mark 4:35-41.

Jesus Calms the Storm

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

The text of today’s piece is available here. The cantata is a perfect musical companion to the Gospel reading, in which the sleeping Jesus awakens to calm the storm and protect those who believe in Him.

Jesus sleeps, what can I hope for?

. . . .

Quiet, heaving sea!
Be silent, storm and wind!
Your bounds are set for you,
so that my chosen child
will never suffer mishap.

O joy to me, my Jesus speaks a word,
my helper is awake,
so must the storm’s waves, the night of misfortune
and all trouble disappear.

Under your protection
I am safe from the storms
of all enemies.
Let Satan rage,
let the enemy fume,
Jesus stands with me.
Whether now it thunders and flashes,
whether sin and Hell terrify,
Jesus will protect me.

Happy listening! Soli Deo gloria.

Today’s newsletter is for paid subscribers. It follows up on my observation from previous emails that the percentage of “victims” of police shootings from any given race or ethnicity tends to be roughly the same as the percentage of felonious fatal attacks upon police committed by people from that same race. Although there are racial disparities in who ends up being the victims of police shootings, there is a similar racial disparity in who kills police officers.

Today’s newsletter asks why that would be?

I make two basic points. First, the question is more complex than the usual simplistic answers, such as citing “systematic racism.”

Second, I note a factor that people commonly overlook, but which doubtless contributes to many different racial disparities, including disparities in poverty and crime statistics. It’s a factor that has no obvious relation to racism.

I won’t do a clickbait thing. I’ll just tell you. The factor is age. You’ll never hear people talk about it in Big Media — ever — but it’s staring us all in the face.

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