June 27, 2021
Old Testament Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their calamity;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards,
and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
New Testament Mark 4:35-41
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
In college I sailed around the world on a ship as part of the Semester at Sea Program. Some 800 people on this large cruiser leaving Seattle and returning to Ft. Lauderdale. Merging studies with travel we explored Hong Kong, and China, Turkey and Greece, Israel and Spain. It was late December as we crossed the Atlantic Ocean, and it was also time for finals. So there we were trying to concentrate, while the ship was pitching to and fro, sending chairs on their sides and papers flying off tables. The sea was so rough that I was getting seasick. I don’t remember how I did on my finals, but I was so grateful to have the waters calm down as we got closer to the Americas. The sea is a powerful force. From the chaos of creation to the sagas on the seas, think Exodus, Jonah and Paul in his travels. We can focus on the storms, or we can view the storms as a way for us to experience God’s power today.
The Psalmist lays out a blueprint using storms. Give thanks to the Lord because the Lord has redeemed you. All people are redeemed, from every corner of the globe. God’s wondrous deeds consist of commanding the winds, forming the waves. God has the power to raise the storm and to calm the chaos. But the same role God played for Israel in calming the storms, Jesus played for the disciples. So these stories of storms are to help us see the divine power working in our lives today. How are we like the disciples in the boat being tossed by the raging waters?
I learned an interesting note about our connection to storms as a congregation. You may know that central part of a sanctuary is called the nave, from the narthex to the chancel. Nave is the Latin word for ship, so that when we are gathered, we are all in the boat of life together. Have you noticed that some churches look like an upside-down hull of a ship? A NAVE. So when you are going through a difficult time, a storm of life, we are in the same boat of prayer, of listening, of caring for each other. It is a comfort to know we are in the boat together. You do not experience my storm, but you travel the journey with me. Just like I may not know your storm, but we are in the boat together. It is one of the blessings of being able to worship together in person, of worshiping as a congregation.
The gospels are filled with storms. Each gospel has an account of Jesus calming the storm and or walking on water. But did you know that Mark tells of two storms- one when Jesus calms the storm, the one we read today. And the story of Jesus walking on water (Mk 6:45-52). Mark’s gospel is the shortest and the first written, so why does he include both? Let me nerd out a bit. There is a section in Mark where he writes in doublets telling similar stories twice. There are two exorcisms, two wilderness feedings and two sea rescues all within four chapters. (Mark 4:35-8:21). Why?
The disciples take Jesus across in the boat “just as he was.” I love that statement. It is still new in his ministry, but they take him as he is. Jesus is so comfortable that he falls asleep on a cushion. But then the storm hits. The waves beat the boat and start to fill it. The disciples panic, fearing for their lives. But then Jesus does what God had done in our psalm lesson, he calms the storm. Jesus does what only God can do. This raises questions in the disciples’ hearts as to who Jesus is? They ask, “Who is he that even the wind and sea obey him?”
Aren’t we like the disciples? We take Jesus along with us living our lives, until some catastrophe hits and we wonder who is Jesus or why is he asleep?
The second sea rescue answers the question of who Jesus is. First time Jesus calms the storm the second time Jesus walks on water. Of course, the situation is different. The disciples are in the boat without Jesus when the storm hits. But the parallels between these two stories in remarkable. Jesus responds to their fear saying, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” I hope you hear Jesus using the same words God used in naming God’s self. “I am.” Jesus is establishing that just like God calmed the chaos at creation and in the storm in the psalm, now Jesus has the power to do the same. One commentator writes, “The sea was for the Old Order the element of chaos: It was way beyond human control, an image of the fierce, shapeless mass that God reduced to order in creation. To walk on the waves is to subdue them- and this is the prerogative of God: God alone, we read in the ancient book of Job, stretched out the heavens and walks on the waves of the sea (Job 9:8). (The Four Witnesses, Robin Griffith-Jones, pg. 77) Jesus answered the disciples question of who is Jesus by showing the divine power of God while using the name of God.
Storms happen over and over again. But each one is a little different. In the psalm, God calms the storm; in Mark 4 Jesus is with them and calms the storm, but they still had questions. In Mark 6 Jesus comes to them in their distress, walks on water and declares “It is I” claiming the name and power of God.
Storms are woven through scripture just like they are embedded in our lives. Sometimes it feels like we are dealing with the same storm over and over and over again. A storm we wish would just end already. Maybe it is a child who causes you angst. A shortcoming or fear that seems to haunt you. A physical limitation you pray to be relieved. That weakness or addiction that seems to be your nemesis, no matter how hard you try to address it. Or maybe you feel like your life is going swimmingly in all areas except one. You feel grateful for so much of your life, if only this one thing would be better. The one thing that you have sought therapy for or tried so hard to fix. You may feel like, haven’t I already dealt with this? Haven’t I done therapy, sought medical advice, but still this storm remains or returns? Does that mean you really had not done the work the first time? No, what it means is that we all have concerns that we work on throughout our lives and with each new chapter they can take on new life or a new form.
This week I was speaking with a woman who recently lost her husband. Talking about her loss, she said, “Water is life.” It is so true! We need water to live, plants need water to grow, yet water is a major component in storms; the things that sweep through bringing life can also bring destruction. Our question is to ask how is God bringing life even when it feels like we are drowning in a storm?
We get to look for God’s presence in the midst of our trials. We get to embrace Jesus as we navigate the storm. We get to care for and celebrate each other in our nave, our boat of life, that is our congregation.
Storms will never cease, but we can see them as opportunities to see God’s power at work today. To see God’s redemption in our lives even when things are swamped. To thank God for the divine presence abiding with us as we journey through the eye of the storm. Jesus is in your boat, calming your storm, offering you peace, telling the winds and waves to be still.
May we be like the disciples as one commentator described them, “Once they knew Jesus was there, fearless peace entered their hearts. To voyage with Jesus was to voyage in peace even in a storm. Now that is universally true. It is not something that happened once; it is something which still happens and which can happen for us. In the presence of Jesus we can have peace even in the wildest of storms of life” (Gospel of Mark, William Barclay, p. 116). Amen.
