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NRSVLuke
8: 22-25 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to
them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put
out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A gale swept down on the
lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They
went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And
he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there
was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and
amazed, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even the
winds and the water, and they obey him?’
When my son Ben was little he was scared of thunderstorms
and lightning. I remember he would shake and cry whenever a storm would come
up. So one day as a storm approached we went out onto the deck in our house. We
could see the storm coming from several miles away and the lightning would fill
the sky and the thunder would roar. I began to talk with him quietly about the
simple science of the storm and how the electricity would erupt creating a
vacuum. He asked, like a vacuum cleaner sucking up stuff. Similar I said but in
this case it sucks up the dirt and debris of the atmosphere. When the lightning
comes it is filling that void. But more importantly, when we see the lightning
we see the power of God in creation. So we can rejoice that God is with us.
Then we counted from the lightning until we heard the thunder. I told him
thunder is the air rushing back into the vacuum that the lightning created
making everything whole again. So we laughed and counted, laughed some more and
held our breath each time as we counted to see how close the storm was to us.
When the rain fell we got wet but I rejoiced in the reminder that my little man
now was no longer fearful of storms but saw them for what they were, a
magnificent creation of God.
What are you afraid of? Me, I cannot tread water so I am
fearful of being in water over my head. So I can picture the fisherman in this
story being sore afraid of the storm that has come up and is in danger of
wrecking their boat and throwing them in the water.
There is a story told about how the eagle copes with a
storm. Noted for their size, strength, and powers of flight and vision,
the eagle knows when a storm is approaching long before it breaks and
will fly to some high spot to wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits,
the eagle sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the
storm. While the storm rages below, this resourceful bird is soaring above it.
It does not escape the storm but simply uses the elements to elevate it to
safety.
C.S. Lewis once wrote: You never know how much you really
believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and
death. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong as long as you are
merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a
precipice. Wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it? So
what do we have faith in? What is the strength of that faith?
I often am called upon to bring prayer, comfort and peace to
those who are in the midst of struggle and tragedy. Sometimes I know what the
proper scripture or prayer or words are to use in those circumstances. But more
often than not, my own humanness fails me to know exactly what to say or do. So
my first thought is always to rely on God to give me the words or prayers or
the right response. But in order to do that I first have to be open to hear the
message that God wants me to hear.
It is enlightening to read what Saint Augustine, 354
–430 A.D.) had to say about the private storms in our lives. St.
Augustine was a philosopher and theologian who tells us, “Don't
forget the presence of Christ. When you have to listen to abuse,
that means you are being buffeted by the wind; when your anger is roused, you
are being tossed by the waves. So when the winds blow and the waves mount high,
the boat is in danger, your heart is imperiled, your heart is taking a battering.
On hearing yourself insulted, you long to retaliate; but the joy of revenge
brings with it another kind of misfortune—shipwreck. Why is this? Because
Christ is asleep in you. What do I mean? I mean you have forgotten His
presence. Rouse Him, then; remember Him, let Him keep watch within you, pay
heed to Him. Now what was your desire? You wanted to get your own back. You
have forgotten that when Christ was being crucified He said: Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do. Christ, the sleeper in your heart, had no
desire for vengeance in his. Rouse Him, then, call Him to mind.”
I think these are great words of comfort. Rouse Him, call
Him to mind. In this story that we all know well, Jesus is sleeping even as the
storms fury envelopes the boat He is on. He is tired. Ever been boned tired so
much so that you could sleep through a bomb exploding outside your house. It’s
an expression, but you get my point. I envision that Jesus is that kind of
tired. He has been preaching and teaching, performing miracles and walking,
ever walking from place to place. Here He is on the boat and for a moment He
has peace and quiet. I know growing up the sound of rain could often be a great
comforting presence to fall asleep to. Nothing seems to say, sleep, all is well,
that a gentle rain on a tin roof. So here He is sleeping when the storm comes
up.
The disciples are so scared that they begin to panic. Here
are grown men who have grown up on the water who suddenly fear for their lives.
And they know that Jesus is with them. Or do they? I ask this question because
we need to truly know the truth of Jesus. James Moore wrote a book called, Noah
built his ark in the sunshine. It is a reminder that faith is grown in the
good times, when the sun is shining and all is well. But true faith is matured
in the tough times. In other words, we cannot truly know who well we are
convicted until we are tested. So Jesus wakes up and quells the storm
immediately. He does not say be at peace, be calm or work at reassuring the
disciples in their fear. No, he wakes and questions their faith. He asks them
the question He is asking of us right now. How many of you have had a time of
trial or tribulation in the last five years? Come on, be honest. Many of us
have. Some of us had a time where our health caused great fear. Some of us had
financial crisis or deaths in our households. How did your soul fare during
these difficult and challenging times? The measure of that question my friends
in the measure of your faith.
In the scripture they ask themselves, who is this man who
can quell storms? You see, I believe they not only doubted but that they have
no idea really who this man they are following really is. In fact, we could
even argue that this storm may well have been a test to see if the message that
Jesus was teaching them was sinking in.
This week I had to meet with the Bishop to talk about
discipleship in the conference. She did not begin that meeting by describing
for me what we needed to do or what my role might be. She began with a question.
What does the vision, being disciples, lifelong learners who influence others
to serve mean to me? It was a test. Did I understand the vision being tossed
out in front of me or not? Why? Because if I did not understand it then how can
I go forth and teach it to others? I believe that this scripture is that kind
of question. If the disciples knowing that Jesus is peacefully sleeping as the
storm rages around them cannot quell the fear within their hearts, how are they
going to go out into world following the crucifixion and resurrection and calm
the hearts of those they encounter?
So what is the lesson here for us? Jesus has the power to
transform the weather. Jesus has the power to overcome death. Jesus has the
power to lead and direct us into new realities and experiences. But are we
willing to go? I have seen peace and comfort come to those of faith in the
midst of unbelievable tragedy and illness. I have seen the sense of loss and
anxiety in those who do not. I am reminded of the stories of Jewish men and
women singing to God as they are marched to their deaths in concentration
camps. How we see the strength of Paul’s faith as he faces his own death. I
have talked to men and women, some of them here today who have faced adversity
with courage and peace because of faith. What would it mean to be able to find
calm in the midst of the greatest storms of our lives? What Jesus can give us
is joy. What Jesus can provide to us in reassurance that no matter what
happens, Jesus will always be with us. That death no longer should cause us
fear knowing that even physical death is not the end. To be a true disciple is
to find our faith in the sunny days so that we can share that love, peace and
calm with those in the midst of storms. Jesus is asking, where is your faith?
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