In the Midst of the Storm

June 24, 2018 Mark 4:35-41 Pentecost 5 In the Midst of the Storm Children’s Sermon……… But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" (v. 38) Object: A cushion or pillow. Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have ever gone fishing? (Let them answer.) Fishing is really fun if you catch some fish, but if you have to just sit and do nothing but wait for the fish to nibble on your line every once in a while, it can be pretty boring. Have you ever been fishing in a boat? (Let them answer.) That seems like a lot more fun, doesn't it? Even if you can't catch fish, you can always have a nice ride while you sit in the warm sunshine, and let your hands skim through the cool water. The disciples and Jesus used to take a lot of boat rides. They didn't have cars or buses, so it was one of the ways that they chose to get from place to place. They often rode in a boat from one side of a lake to the other. This was also a good place for Jesus to take a nap, since he had little time for sleeping when he was around people. They wanted him to heal their sick or teach them about the ways of God. Once in a while, Jesus would tell the disciples that he wanted to go somewhere else and that they should get a boat, so that they could cross over to the other side of the lake. It was a day like this, that Jesus was sleeping on a cushion at the front of the boat, when a terrible wind storm came up and made great waves. Riding in a boat, with his head upon the cushion, Jesus was sleeping after some very busy days. But the disciples were not asleep. They saw the huge waves and became very much afraid that the boat would turn over in the storm and they would all drown. They knew how tired Jesus was and they hoped that he would wake up on his own, when he felt the boat toss and turn in the storm. But Jesus was so tired and completely unafraid that he never moved. He remained very quiet with his head upon the cushion. Finally, one of the disciples became so afraid that he screamed at Jesus to wake up and do something about the storm before they all drowned. Jesus did wake up, and he looked at the waves which were pounding at the boat and then, with a very quiet voice, he told the waves to calm down. The waves were no more. The lake was calm and the disciples were almost more afraid of his power than they were of the storm, "Just think," they said, "he speaks and even the seas listen to him and obey him." No one had ever seen such power before. Maybe you have a cushion that you sleep on sometimes. The next time you sleep on it, you can think about the day that Jesus spoke to the sea, and the waves calmed down and became quiet. Will you do that? Good. Amen. Mark 4:35-41 Common English Bible (CEB) Jesus stops a storm 35 Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” 36 They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along. 37 Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. 38 But 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?” 39 He 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. 40 Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” 41 Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible I checked weather forecast, it has been a pretty stormy week, but it looks like we will get a little break from the rain until at least Tuesday. Have you noticed that life seems to be full of storms. I have heard it said that in life, either, we have just gotten over a storm, we are in the midst of the storm, or we are about to go into a storm. We don’t ask for trouble in life, it just seems to have a way of finding us. Thrown into the Fire I read a story about an Ohio gentleman whose oil well caught fire, and he put out an all-points' bulletin for help, to make sure that anybody and everybody would come and help him. He offered a $30,000 reward to whoever could put out that fire. With all the large firehouses from cities like Newell, Chester, Wellsville, Dillonvale sent help. They sent their best companies accompanied by the most modern fire- fighting equipment available, but not one of the trucks could get within 200 yards of the blaze because the heat was just too intense and the fire was too big. Finally, the Calcutta Township Volunteer Fire Department appeared on the scene. Amazingly they had only one rickety truck equipped with a single ladder; only two buckets of water, three buckets of sand, and a few blankets. It didn't even come with a hose. When that old truck reached the point where all those other fire companies had stopped, the driver didn't even hesitate. He just kept barreling ahead until he and his crew were right in the thick of that blaze. They jumped out of that truck, threw the two buckets of water and three buckets of sand on that fire and then beat the fire out with those blankets. That oil man was so impressed by that unbelievable display of courage, he gave the driver $30,000 in cash on the spot and said, "What are you and your men going to do with all of that money?" The driver, shaking like a leaf, said, "The first thing we're going to do is to get those stupid brakes on that truck fixed." Sometimes we are thrown into the fire through no fault of our own. James Merritt, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com Trouble has a way of finding us. Have you noticed that when trouble comes, no matter how calm and faithful we may be otherwise, no matter how much we know about Jesus and faith, it all seems to go out the window. We forget all that Jesus taught us about life. For instance take the disciples as an example. They were all fishermen, they were used to being on the water, summer storms were not something new to them. But this time as they are on the sea and a storm comes up, Jesus is in the boat with them asleep. And this time they are afraid and worried about what would happen. This story is very important for us to remember, it has a lot of symbolism. If you go back all the way to the story of creation, in the Hebrew bible, you have to remember that Jews are naturally afraid of water. The sea is the place where the enemy of God lives and rules. In the creation story, God had to defeat the sea monster chaos in order to create order. For the Hebrew people, being in the middle of the sea in the midst of a storm was a very dangerous place to be. If a storm were to come up, the only person with the power to save you was God, only God could calm the sea. Mark tells this story to help us to understand that Jesus holds the power of God. It is interesting that when this summer storm comes up, these lifelong fishermen get scared and they think of Jesus to come and save them. Jesus is not a fisherman, he is a carpenter. He is an honored guest on the boat, and since he is not working, he is sleeping. When they wake Jesus, he is able to calm the sea. Who is this person who has the power to tell the sea to be quiet and it listens? I have heard it said that this story was about the calming of the disciples, when they were able to calm down, they were able to deal with the situation. They say that sometimes God can calm the storm and sometimes God calms the frightened child in the midst of the storm. But this is not just about the disciples calming down, or about us learning to dance in the rain. If you look at the scripture, when Jesus speaks, He does not speak to the disciples to tell them to calm down, he speaks to the storm and tells it to calm down. He has the power to control the environment and make things better. As a matter of fact, his power over the storm seems to lie in his words. It is his words that change the whole situation. That power comes directly from God. Little Faith in a Great God There was a woman in a community who was well known for her simple faith and great calm in the midst of many trials. Another woman who had never met her but had heard of her came to visit one day. "I must find out the secret of her calm, happy life," she thought to herself. As she met her she said:" So you are the woman with the great faith I've heard so much about." "No," came the reply. "I am not the woman with the great faith, but I am the woman with the little faith in the great God." Can you say the same? Donald L. Deffner, Seasonal Illustrations, San Jose: Resource, p. 89 Having faith is not in having the answers, most of the time faith is in being able to ask the right questions. Our answers don’t satisfy everyone, but we all have the same questions. If we go back to the story – when the disciples are afraid and talk to Jesus – they ask a question. Do you want to watch us die? Jesus comes back with a question of his own – why were you afraid? Where is your faith? The bible is a series of questions to each of us about our faith. Look just at the new testament and its questions. Listen for the Questions The Scriptures include a significant number of life-and-death questions about meaning, purpose and value in life. Consider some of the questions posed by Scripture: What will it profit us if we gain the whole world but forfeit our life? (Matthew 16:26) Who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:15) What are you looking for? (John 1:38) Who is my neighbor? (Like 10:29) What must I do to inherit eternal life? (Mark 10:17) Who can separate us from the love of Christ? (Romans 8:35) Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? (Mark 10:38) Which commandment is the first of all? (Mark 12:28) Where can I go from your Spirit? (Psalm 139:7). What is this new teaching, with authority? (Mark 1:27) Who is this about whom I hear such things? (Luke 9:9) What is truth? (John 18:38) And this morning’s Gospel lesson ends with the question, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41). Who is this Jesus, the one who speaks with a new level of authority, the one who is able to bring calm into the storms of life, the one who comes among us as prince of peace, suffering servant, fount of compassion and grace? Joel D. Kline, Listen for the Questions If life is like a storm, and faith is like a question, and Jesus is the one who calms the sea, then the church is meant to be the boat. This is a postmodern church, but in a lot of churches, if you look up, you will see a series of beams, that is intentional. It represents the bottom of the ship. The sanctuary is the nave, the body of the boat. Tied to the Shore Often, the alternative to risking the dangerous, stormy crossing, is to stay tied up on the shore. Unfortunately, that is the picture of many churches -- a peaceful, restful club house on the shore rather than a boat following Jesus' command to take the fearful risk to cross the lake. We are often more willing to be safe than to answer Jesus' call to go to the other side. A quote that is in my notes from many years ago ties in with this image: "The church is 'not a luxury liner, granting passage and comfort to all who qualify and clamber aboard' but rather 'like a rescuing lifeboat, sometimes listing, or even leaking, but always guided by the captain, Jesus, at the helm.'" (Bishop Lyle G. Miller in opening worship at the Sierra Pacific Synod assembly, 1991, quoted in "The Lutheran," June 19, 1991, page 38) Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes The Boat Is a Symbol for the Church The boat is a symbol for the church. It has been that way from the beginning. The ship has always been a symbol for the church. The logo for the ecumenical movement in our day is the symbol of a ship upon the sea. The Roman Catholic Church refers to itself as "the bark of Peter" which means "the ship of Peter." Architecturally, that part of the sanctuary in which all of you sit is called the "nave." Up front we have the chancel. Out back we have the narthex. That's "churchspeak." But where you are is the nave. The word "nave" is obviously linked, linguistically, to the word "naval." Literally, "nave" is the Latin word for "ship." Even as we sit here in church, we are in the boat with the disciples. And, as Al Gurley is fond of pointing out, if you look up at the ceiling, you can see the ship's prow, albeit upside down. William A. Ritter, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com As we sit hear together, each of us dealing with our own personal storms – looking for the right questions. Let us remember that Jesus is our savior – not just calming our nerves, but indeed calming the storm itself, creating a better life for us. Traveling together as we set sail for the other shore – the shore of forgiveness the shore of peace. This is an important story for us. It has lot of important symbols of life and faith. But let us remember that in the midst of the storms of life, to trust in Jesus. He calms us, but he also calms the sea. Who is this that even the seas obey? That person is Jesus. Let us pray… Humor: Sucked In, Washed Up, Blown Over Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over. The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She'd barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in. The bird’s owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum cleaner, and opened the bag. There was Chippie - still alive, but stunned. Since the bird was covered with dust, hair and all the stuff you find in a dust bag, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air. Poor Chippie never knew what hit him. A few days after the trauma, a friend who had heard about Chippie’s troubles contacted his owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn't sing much anymore - he just sits and stares." Who can blame him? Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . . That's enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart. Things happen in our lives that come along unexpectedly and we end up feeling a bit like Chippie - sucked in, washed up, and blown over – the song stolen from the stoutest of hearts. I reckon there are very few here this morning who couldn’t stand up and give testimony to some aspect of their lives where they feel a bit like the disciples in that boat - afraid, vulnerable, a decidedly sinking feeling! You know what it’s like to feel as though you are in the middle of a storm, tossed this way and that, and you wonder how you’re ever going to get to calmer waters. Vince Gerhardy, Calm in a Storm Why Not You? A ministerial colleague tells of a conversation he had one day with a female medical assistant in a doctor's office, as he was waiting to see the doctor. The woman recognized him because she had occasionally attended his church, though she was a member of another church. "I want to tell you about my experience," she said. "I got saved in the Assemblies of God Church ... I gave my life to God ... and guess what? ... Life tumbled in! I developed a heart problem. My husband lost his executive job ... and he recently died of cancer." The minister says he tried to mumble a few theological sounding explanatory words about God's mysterious ways, thinking that was what the woman wanted. But she went right on with her story, indicating that she had repeatedly asked God, "Why me?" "And what do you think God told me?" she continued. "'Why not you?' That's what God said. 'Why should you be spared all the crises of life that everyone else must go through?'" Then she wound up her story saying, "One day I said to God, 'Lord, you've forgiven me. Now I forgive you.'" There is a woman who, from my point of view, has a healthy faith. Her faith is not a series of propositions, it is a relationship, and as in all relationships, it is one that changes and can tolerate challenges. It is vital because it is honest. David G. Rogne, Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost, CSS Publishing Company What Is The Question? In his book Listening to Your Life Frederick Buechner writes of Gertrude Stein asking on her deathbed, “What is the answer?” Then, after a long silence, she asks yet another question. This time she asks, “What is the question?” Buechner concludes: "Don’t start looking in the Bible for the answers it gives. Start by listening for the questions it asks. "We are much involved, all of us, with questions that matter a good deal today but will be forgotten by this time tomorrow — the immediate where’s and when’s and how’s that face us daily at home and at work — but at the same time we tend to lose track of the questions about the things that matter always, life-and-death questions about meaning, purpose, and value." Joel D. Kline, Listen for the Questions Now You Know Why During his years as premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev denounced many of the policies and atrocities of Joseph Stalin. Once, as he censured Stalin in a public meeting, Khrushchev was interrupted by a shout from a heckler in the audience. "You were one of Stalin's colleagues. Why didn't you stop him?" "Who said that?" roared Khrushchev. An agonizing silence followed as nobody in the room dared move a muscle. Then Khrushchev replied quietly, "Now you know why." Fear has a way of paralyzing us. Today in the Word Sleeping When the Wind Blows God also works through other people to assure us in the midst of difficult times. A young man applied for a job as a farmhand. When the farmer asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows." This puzzled the farmer. But he liked the young man, and hired him. A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace. Meanwhile, the young man slept soundly. The farmer and his wife then inspected their property. They found that the farm tools had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn was properly locked. Even the animals were calm. All was well. The farmer then understood the meaning of the young man's words, "I can sleep when the wind blows." Because the farmhand did his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm when it broke. God wants us to rely on others when there is turmoil, especially to those who are faithful. Keith Wagner, Sailing Through the Storms of Life Crossing Over The story is told of old Bishop Warren Chandler, after whom the school of theology at Emory University was named. As he lay on his death bed, a friend inquired as to whether or not he was afraid. "Please tell me frankly," he said, "do you fear crossing over the river of death?" "Why," replied Chandler, "I belong to a father who owns the land on both sides of the river." In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. That is our great salvation hope. I want you to know that God cares if you are immobilized by some fear in your life. He cares because that fear is intruding upon His destiny for you. It is perfect love that casts out fear. At the foot of the cross you can lean back into the arms of an ever loving and gracious God and echo the words of the old hymn: "God will take care of you, He will take care of you." Staff, www.eSermons.com I Have Seen the Face of the Captain Robert Louis Stevenson delighted in the story of a ship tossed in a storm. The sea was rough and the rocky coast perilous. Danger was real and dread expectancy active among the seamen. One frantic sailor who was laboring below the water line could contain himself no longer. He rushed to the control room, closed the door behind himself, and stood frozen in fright watching the captain wrestle with the controls of the huge ship. Skill of mind and strength of hand enabled the captain to guide the vessel through the threatening rocks into open water. The Captain turned slightly, looked at the frightened sailor, and smiled. The youth returned below deck and assured the crew all danger was over. When they inquired how he knew, he answered, "I have seen the face of the Captain, and he smiled at me." If you will only "turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace." When you know who is in control there is no fear. Eric S. Ritz, www.Sermons.com