Saint Luke's Episcopal Church 210 E. 9th St., Bartlesville, OK  74003 Phone:  (918) 336-1212     FAX (918-336-2557) Email: Get Directions

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For the past few Sundays we have been reviewing the parables of Jesus, his stories about seeds and sowers. At the end of these teachings Jesus was tired. He had preached until his weariness demanded a respite from the crowds.  Jesus and the disciples boarded their boats and set off.

Remember that these men were fishermen. They were familiar with the sea and its temperaments. Unlike my daughter, Kathleen, and I who sailed across the Irish Sea from England to Ireland. We had a choice of ferries, the fast ferry that would cross in ninety minutes or the slow ferry that would take three hours. Not knowing any better we took the fast ferry. As we embarked, that captain made his usual announcements, date, time, weather. Then he said, “The condition of the sea is… (long pause) …not good.”  For the next ninety minutes Kathleen inhabited one of the stalls in the ladies room, and she was not alone. It was standing room only.

The disciples of Jesus were heartier souls on the sea than we. Even a major squall here or there would scarcely upset their digestion and certainly not send terror into their souls. Jesus directed the disciples to sail him across to the other side of the sea. This was significant in itself, for the ten cities, the Decapolis, were on that far shore – Gentiles. It seemed that Jesus was momentarily fleeing the ministry that he had been called to in order to find haven elsewhere. And then the wind rose. A storm that could fill the disciples with terror had to have been mighty. Waves washed over and into the boat. Jesus, asleep in the stern, had to have been soaked, yet he did not wake.

The scene is reminiscent of another biblical character who was sailing away from his ministry. Jonah wasn’t tired, he was fearful of the task he had been called to and rebelled. He set sail, and while he slept a brutal storm threatened to capsize the boat. Everyone on board cried out to his god – everyone but Jonah, who wasn’t speaking to god. He slept on. The captain awoke Jonah and rebuked him for not calling on his god for deliverance.

It was that same impulse that motivated the disciples to rebuke Jesus for not calling upon God to save them. But Jesus astonished the disciples by doing the unexpected. Jesus didn’t call on God. Instead Jesus said, “Be still,” and the winds and sea were immediately calm. This demonstration challenged the disciples to see Jesus as more than a human being with gifts of preaching, healing and deliverance. He must be known as the Son of God.  “Be still!” Jesus was speaking as much to the disciples as he was to the storm, and he rebuked them for having so little faith. The disciples were filled with awe and amazement. Who was this who could command even the wind and the sea? You see, they didn’t know who was in the boat with them. 

Many will read this account and assume the message to be that Jesus will save us from every storm, if we just have enough faith. That is not the message at all. The purpose of the gospel writer is to reveal Jesus’ identity as the Son of God.

I am reminded of a scripture song that we used to sing back in the genesis of the charismatic movement.

“This is what the Lord says…. ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God…’ ”Isaiah 43.

Those words have stuck with me. I often hear them in my mind. Did you hear, really hear, what was said? There is no promise that you would not go through the water or through the fire, only that God would be with you. Whatever happens there will be no injury to your immortal soul. We are not promised immunity from the storms of life. We are promised God’s presence, and that is enough.

The Old Testament reading shows us David slaying Goliath.  But back up a bit. Imagine being that shepherd boy watching the sheep, playing the lute, maybe practicing with your sling-shot, when out of the woods a bear appears and threatens the lives of your children, your sheep. Imagine the terror, the perspiration and racing heartbeat, the impulse to flee if your weak knees could manage it. David faced his fear. Trusting that God was with him, he slew the bear. On another day a new storm arose, this time a lion. David faced his fear again and managed to slay the lion. Had he not weathered these two storms confident in the Presence of the Lord, he could not have faced Goliath.

The disciples were shepherds in training.  Jesus rebuked them for having so little faith. Their fear of the storm overcame them, because they didn’t know who was with them in the boat. Whether we sail, sink or swim, whether we live or die, God is with us and that is enough.

What storms are we facing today? There is the obvious storm in our global Anglican community. We can be fearful, or we can weather the storm, confident that whatever happens, Jesus is in the boat. Our eternal souls are in his safekeeping whatever rages on around us.  Sail, sink or swim, God’s presence is our promise.

Perhaps you are leaving home for the first time and struggle with a barrage of doubts and fears. Will you succeed? Will you fail? The question should be, “Is God present with me?” If the answer is, “Yes,” then move on, whatever comes. Or perhaps you are facing the loss of the home you have worked hard for and loved; the loss of your independence as you move into an assisted living facility; the diminishing of your abilities as aging takes its toll. These storms are real and can be terrifying – unless you remember who is with you in the boat. Pass with confidence through the water, the fire, the storms of life; the comedy and tragedy, the success and failure, the pleasure and pain, the joy and grief. God is present with us, and that is enough.