Mark 4:35-41
On that day, when evening had come, he said
to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd
behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were
with him. A great gale arose, and the waves beat into
the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 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?’
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. He said to them, ‘Why are you
afraid? Have you still no faith?’
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?
JUST A BOAT
When Pastor Lesley approached me to inquire
if I would be willing to preach in June, the first thing I did was to look up
the lectionary texts for the three Sundays she would be gone. I read them all and when I got to this story
I jumped in my seat a little … It’s
a BOAT story! I love a good boat
story! In my work with youth, we plunge
into the story of the disciples and the boat and Peter walking on the
water. We look at where we are in our
lives … are we in the boat, are we hanging on to the side, are we walking on
water with Jesus? Our placement relative
to that boat speaks to our relationship and our level of trust with Jesus. In that boat story, we teach the youth that
boat is symbolic for so much.
And then other times, a boat is just a boat. We
find ourselves here in the 4th chapter of Mark. As you may remember, Mark is the shortest
gospel. Mark is bare bones … there is
no birth story, there are fewer stories about Jesus’ teachings, and Mark’s original book ends before the risen Christ
appears. Mark gets right to the task of
telling us about Jesus and the coming of God’s kingdom, and there is not a lot of fluff
along the way. By the time we arrive at
our story this morning, Jesus has been baptized and tempted, called his
Disciples, did a little healing and shared some parables about the Kingdom of
God.
The Sea of Galilee is the central location
for this story and many of Mark’s
stories of Jesus. This “sea” is actually
a freshwater lake 13 miles long and 8 miles wide that is fed by the Jordan
River. First century writers report
there were at least 16 harbors on this lake, so this was a well-used and busy
lake. At its deepest point, the lake is
only 140 feet deep, and the mountain range to the west funnels in strong winds
that often bring about sudden and violent storms upon its waters.
Earlier in the day, Jesus had attracted some
crowds and asked his disciples to get a small boat for him to speak from, so he
wouldn’t get crushed by the people
and so everyone could hear him. Jesus
stood on the boat near the shore and spoke to the crowds in parables. After an afternoon of teaching, Jesus tells
the Disciples, “Let’s cross
over to the other side of the lake.”
They jump in the boat with him and they take off. Now when I have had the pleasure of
initiating Family trips, my suggestion of a destination is always accompanied
by questions. “How long will it
take?” “What is there to do when we get
there?” “Can I sit in the front seat?” I’m sure Jesus was grateful there were no
questions, because we learn in the next chapter that their destination was a
few miles across the lake, where they would encounter demons and thousands of
pigs. My guess is if they had asked
questions, they wouldn’t have
gone along on this journey.
Jesus and the disciples are sailing along,
when gale force winds arise and waves swamp the boat. Jesus is sleeping away in the back of the
boat. The disciples wake him up to ask
if he cares if they are drowning.
Without a word, Jesus gets up, and orders the wind to be still and the
threat immediately goes away. Not only
that, but now the water is completely calm.
Ravaging storm to dead calm … (snap) just like that. Not a wave, not a ripple. It was dead calm.
Jesus uses this as a teachable moment. The disciples are asked, “Why are you
frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” Many times when Jesus speaks words like this
to his disciples, we tend to see them as criticism. Like Jesus is saying, “Dummies, don’t you get it?
Why aren’t you
trusting me?” But if we pay attention to
the verb here, it is “Asked” … not “rebuked” or “chastised” or “scolded”. It’s just a
question. It’s a simple question for the disciples, and it’s a simple question for us. Why are we afraid? Don’t
we have faith yet? Well, maybe it’s not so simple.
The story ends with the disciples asking
their own questions. Think of all that
just happened here … they ARE overcome.
The “awe” they are experiencing is closer to fear than to
amazement. They are wondering “what the
heck just happened here?” It doesn’t make sense.
So they ask “who then is this?
Even the wind and sea obey him.”
Because WE know the whole story of Jesus, it’s easy for us to reduce the Disciples at this
point to clueless knuckleheads. How can
they not recognize the power of Jesus?
He’s just told them parables
about the kingdom of God and how MUCH can come from LITTLE, so why can’t they get this. But really, this story is early in their
ministry together, the parables he has told them are pretty hard to follow, and
sure, he’s healed some people, but
we are talking about CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS IN AN INSTANT. If I was in that boat, I know that I would be
confused and afraid, wouldn’t you?
It would be easy to look back and see
parallels to our own faith journey represented in the boat, or the waves, or
the disciples. But today I feel we are
being pushed a little more. I mentioned
before that sometimes a boat is just a boat.
The boat in this story is a vehicle of transportation. The purpose of a boat is to move you from
where you are to some place new. And
here is where our fear creeps in.
Left to our own devices, we like to stay put.
Where we are is just great. Its human
nature to stay where things are warm, and safe, and comfortable, and there’s a Jewel down the street to buy M&Ms and
coffee and pancake mix. Where we know
the bed is comfortable and no one will mess with our TV remote or ding our car
or look at us funny. Isn’t staying in our comfort zone just
delightful? It’s easy and it’s stress free. Let’s
put up our feet and sit for spell, shall we?
Lovely … but here’s the problem. Jesus doesn’t want us to just sit on our couch and watch
Netflix. Jesus doesn’t want us to stay in the known. Jesus didn’t want those disciples to camp for the night
by the shores of the lake. He wanted
them all to jump in the boat and take off into the night. Jesus said, “Let’s go!” and off they went. No chance to think about it, because we know
when given the chance, many of us would sit and think about it and analyze it
forever. Or we would decide we are
afraid and the journey wasn’t worth
it.
Jesus had done what he needed to do on that
side of the lake, and now it was time to move to a new place. Jesus knew that
the group needed to go to the other side because there was someone there who
needed them. Unfortunately for our
comfort-seeking, slightly lazy selves, Jesus also wants US to join him on the
other side of the lake too. We know that
crossing that lake comes with a whole set of challenges. Wind, waves, traveling with a smelly bunch of
guys, inability to read maps … all upset the calm. Let's face it, Moving is abusive. Think about when you get off an airplane after
a long trip. Don’t we all look and feel like we’ve been dragged behind truck for a
while?
Moving from one place to another is change
and change is hard. We resist
change. We fight change. We ask a million questions before we agree to
change, with hopes that our stalling will convince everyone we don't really
need to change. We tell people that it
would be so great if those other people would change, because they’re so much better at it than we are. But Jesus knows all our tricks and Jesus
still wants us to change. He doesn’t want us stuck in one place. Jesus knows there are going to be gale force
winds. Jesus isn’t afraid of that, and Jesus invites us to
come along … “Come on, let’s cross
over to the other side of the lake”.
Jesus didn’t tell
them, “You guys go on ahead, I’ll
catch up with you later.” That's another
story. Jesus was there on that
pillow in the back of the boat, Jesus was there to silence the wind, Jesus was
there to ask them to examine their fears. And Jesus is going to be with US too,
when the storms arise, when the calm appears, and when we disembark on the other
side.
Change is difficult. Change is scary. Last January, after working with teenagers
for 22 years, Jesus started whispering to me, “Hey, what if you stopped working
with the youth?” I didn’t want to hear that. I was really good at my job. I knew what I was doing. I had the trust of the teenagers and their
families. But Jesus wasn’t OK with me standing still. The whispering got a little louder, “No,
really, I mean it. I have something else
I want you to do.” And I said, “No
thanks, Jesus. I can’t leave a solid job. I have two girls in college. I’m
afraid, so I think I’ll just
stay put, but thank you.” But Jesus is
relentless. “I know you’re afraid, but I have a plan. Just get in the boat with me and let’s see where this goes.” So I did. I resigned from my job. And I had many nights of being afraid of what
would happen. I had days where I asked,
“Hey Jesus, can’t you see
I’m drowning here?” And then things became clearer. There was a new role for me. I’m
getting off the shore just a few offices down, and I’m landing in a place where I’m not sure what I’m doing.
But I am changing. I am excited
for the unknown that is to come. But I
know I only moved because I listened to Jesus’ invitation to change.
Following Jesus means that we need to be
dissatisfied with sitting on one side of the lake. Jesus rarely stayed in one place for long
and as his followers we need to seek out those new places that we as
individuals and as churches need to go. If the church never changed, we would
still be singing Gregorian chants, and refusing to allow the LBGT community in
our doors. If the church never changed,
you wouldn’t have a female pastor or
this larger sanctuary. The events of
this week prove to us that we as a nation need to change … we need to push for
fundamental changes in our laws and attitudes to heal the deep racial wounds
that are entrenched in our society. We
must work to eliminate the violence we have allowed to be done to our African
American brothers and sisters. The
church has long been a leader in bringing about sweeping change in issues of
justice and equality and it seems clear that we are being called to step firmly
onto that boat once again.
Most of the time, the hardest part is getting
into the boat … agreeing to change. Because
we know that getting in the boat also invites the storms, and we really like
when things are calm. But Jesus knows
what’s over there, and wants us
to get there. Listen for those whispers,
examine the boats in the harbor ready to depart, put on your deck shoes and get
ready jump on board when you hear the invitation. Work together to find what boat St. Luke’s is being called to step on to next. It will be a wild ride, but oh, so worth
it. May we each have the faith to take
up Jesus’ invitation and may we
believe that getting to the other side is essential to the work of God’s Kingdom.
Prayers of the People
Loving and gracious God, we gather
together to worship you this morning, and we seek to make sense of a world that
is confusing, violent and seems so far from the world you created.
Our hearts are especially
heavy Lord, as we remember the names of those who gathered to worship you on
Wednesday and are now in your heavenly presence after a gunman senselessly
ended their lives. We uplift to you,
your beloved children Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Hurd, Susie
Jackson, Ethel Lance, Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Rev. Clementa Pinckney,
Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel Simmons, Sr., and Myra Thompson. Surround their families, the congregation of
Christ the Emmanuel AME Church, the Charleston community, and our nation with
your comforting and powerful love.
We know that the
loss of a life through violence breaks open your heart, Lord. Allow that sorrow to reside deeply among
each of us, and refuse us the ability to be content with the way things
are. We pray that you transform the
hatred that lies deep in the hearts of people.
We seek a world where each person, regardless of their skin color is
treated as a precious child of God and held sacred. Help each of us to work for change, to
refuse to be complacent in matters of race, and fight for an end to violence
and injustice.
God, inspire our
leaders and guide our own creative souls to head to the other shore you have
prepared. Infuse your churches with
energy and commitment to step forward together to bring about the Kingdom as
you intend.
Amidst the sadness
of the week, we also experience joy in our lives. This morning we celebrate the birth of Nora
Bee Meeks and rejoice with her parents, Brian and Sarah and Pastor Lesley and
Scott at this wonderful new arrival into their family. Be with St. Luke as they prepare to welcome
Lesley back from Study Leave and as they begin to say farewell to Megan as she
concludes her work here with them.
We each have joys and concerns that
lie on our hearts.... We silently offer these now to you, our God...
Loving God, through all the sorrows
and joys we know that the one constant is YOU. Your deep and abiding love
sustains and nourishes us. We know that WITH YOU, and each other, we can
do far more than we can alone. We
know that you are with us and together we pray the prayer we received from your
son ...
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