6.21.09 "Taming the Wild Storms"
WESTMINSTER PULPIT
The Rev. Robert H. Fernández
June 21, 2009 “Taming the Wild Storms”
1 Samuel 17:57-18:5 Psalm 133
2 Corinthians 6:11-13 Mark 4:35-41
One of the most unforgettable boat trips I have ever taken was the hydrofoil ride from the Island of Crete to the Island of Mykonos. Three of us were spending several weeks hopping the Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea, which we were doing along with the locals on the giant car/passenger ferries. While quite seaworthy and comfortable, they were slow, sometimes requiring overnight accommodations in small cabins with bunk beds. Several times during our crossings we had seen hydrofoils zipping along right on top of the sea leaving us far behind. Therefore, two of us outvoted the third person to take a hydrofoil so that we could cut off three or more hours of the journey from Crete to Mykonos. The passenger cabin of the hydrofoil was quite spacious, about double the width of a jumbo jet and very similar in layout—reclining seats and all. We boarded and got settled.
One important item we had forgotten to check, however, was the weather report because the Aegean Sea at that time of the year was prone to have storms. You can tell where this story is going, can’t you? About an hour out at sea, the wind and waves began to pick up mightily, and the hydrofoil soon became a submarine half the time when the portholes were completely submerged, and I was sure I had seen a shark or two swim by. Not even the roughest airplane flight I have taken can compare to this voyage! Two or more hours of this seemed like an eternity. I can well understand how the disciples felt on the Sea of Galilee in today’s story.
The story tells us that after an exhausting day, Jesus urged his disciples to cross over to the other side of the sea most likely to get away from the pressure of the crowds and to get some sleep. Soon after leaving shore, one of those sudden wind storms caused such huge waves that the boat was taking on water and beginning to sink. The disciples panicked; however, Jesus was fast asleep. We have heard this story many times—we know it by heart. I am sure that many of us here have asked several times: “Did this really happen?” “Does God intervene to reverse dramatically the course of natural phenomena?” I maintain that to get caught up in a discussion of this sort is fruitless. As I have said in several sermons, too much theological speculation has been focused on matters like this, and after two thousand years, we are not any closer to a unanimous or satisfactory conclusion. It is my assertion that it does not matter that some chose to believe in the literal story and others to believe that it is a myth depicting a deeper truth. What does matter amazingly is that both of these conclusions point to the same basic truth which is: There are times in life that such terrible events happen that we have to find a way of taming—calming—the wild storms that destabilize us.
As soon as we put ourselves in the place of the disciples in this particular story we find it remarkably contemporary. We live in an environment in which the talk of financial difficulty and stress is all around us. Terms like, “economic downturn,” “slowdown,” and, “recession,” can be found on the pages of nearly every newspaper and fill the Teleprompters of the news media. Right across the street from us, our state government leaders are dealing with one of the worst economic crises in the history of this state, and there is talk of serious cutbacks in the workforce and programs and higher taxes. And bringing this even closer to home, our life in this congregation is caught up in another storm that is touching our life as a community of faith. Looking at the total picture of the world around us the words of Thomas Paine written during the Revolutionary Years seem quite appropriate: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” (The Crisis). And we will forgive Paine’s use of sexist language.
Now, let us go back to the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is asleep—the picture of quiet confidence in the power of the God who made both land and sea. Frantically, the disciples wake Jesus up saying, “Do you not care that we are perishing? The boat is sinking, and you are fast asleep!” At this point Jesus does two things. First he calms the wind storm: “Peace! Be still!” The story serves to demonstrate that Jesus is the powerful Son of God who is able to overcome the strongest forces. But then he turned to the disciples and said, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” In a very insightful manner Jesus points out that a far more dangerous storm was within them: their fear and lack of faith. Several of the disciples were experienced fisherman. They had charted those waters many times before and had weathered many a storm. Why not this time? It was because of their fear and lack of faith, that all their past experience did not serve them well. Their inner storm rendered them ineffective. That is what the disciples learned that day on the Sea of Galilee. The danger was not outside the boat. The real danger was within their very hearts.
So what can we learn from this boat ride in the storm? I invite you to enter with me into the radical significance of this story because this is what human life is like.
If only the inner storms of our hearts would come at an expected time and not hurt so much. But storms come whether we are ready or not or whether we want them to come or not. There is no known forecasting instrument to alert us. That is the way life is. Everything can be going beautifully, people can be congratulating us; things can be going our way. Then all of a sudden the telephone can ring and everything in our lives can be turned upside down. Medical test results can come back, and quickly we find ourselves in the midst of a storm. It doesn’t take long for the storms to work their way into our hearts—raising fears and apprehensions long forgotten.
This story asks that each one of us look deeply within ourselves to identify what storm or storms are raging there. What is tearing us apart so much that our insides hurt? It could be difficulties with members of our family . . . health issues . . . financial problems . . . Unless we identify them and begin to calm them in appropriate ways; the storm will intensify and cause even greater damage to our lives.
Perhaps the storm within is disappointment, anger, or frustration with the way our situation has turned out in our job, home, personal life, or church. All of these things are serious storms that if left raging, more damage can be caused to our lives individually and corporately.
Furthermore, storms can make us lose our direction. That is the second thing we learn from this boat ride in the storm. We get so caught up in the turmoil and pain of them that we fail to call upon the experiences of the past—of the times when we have felt the strong hand of God upon our lives. That experience is still there, we simply have to reach into our very selves to find it.
What, therefore, is our course of action?
· Pause intentionally and identify the storm. Let us not fear naming it. By naming it, we enter into a serious dialogue with the storm rather than ignoring it, fleeing from it, or wishing it away. The early disciples failed to identify their storm, and it was Jesus who named it so that they could face it squarely.
· We must vow to make every effort to calm the storm—the anger, the disappointment. We must not let it get the best of us. If the storms within control us, then we will lash out desperately which will in turn hurt other persons and the storm becomes more intense.
· Place it squarely into God’s hands through prayer and contemplation asking that it be calmed and controlled. I have heard some people say, “I do not know what to do about my situation, so I have placed it in God’s hands and left it there.” That is not what I mean. God does not relieve us of our responsibility. God merely takes our situation and gives it back to us with a new perspective to work through it together. If God does not fit into your belief system, then you are encouraged to connect with whatever you consider the Source of your existence, and it is by connecting to that Source that we gain the strength to calm even a category five hurricane of the soul.
· We are invited to review our past experiences where we have found storms and identify how we were able to bring calm and resolution.
· Make contact with a trusted friend and fellow believer or a pastor, for God also works through the life of those persons around us with whom we have made connection. Jesus, the Christ, continues to be present with us through these people. Such contact with a person is not for the purpose of stirring up the storm and comparing horror stories and feelings. The purpose of our meeting is to have someone else bear part of the heavy burden and help find the solution so that calmness and equilibrium can be found.
Furthermore, if we do not understand who it is that is in the boat with us then our fear of the storm has the power to paralyze. When Jesus awakened, he rebuked not only the storm but the disciples. “Why are you afraid,” he asked. “Have you no faith?” Let us clearly understand: the promise made to us is that of God’s presence, no more, no less. In the midst of the storm, God will be in the boat with us.
We have two brief corollary stories in today’s scriptures. One is that of the young David who slew the giant Goliath and prevailed. Talk about facing an enormous challenge. David could have had a terrible storm of fear within him, like his fellow countrymen because of Goliath’s strength. But David calmly and simply faced the great opponent and with great confidence in God, defeated the arch enemy of his people. As a result he found not only the approval of the King and the people, but of Jonathan, the king’s son. He found a deep love in Jonathan. The scripture describes the love like this: “The soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” They made a covenant between themselves. When each one of us faces our fiercest storms with confidence in God, we shall find a great calmness and a great love, as great as that between David and Jonathan.
Paul, in addressing the Corinthians Christians, urged them to open their hearts to him and to one another. The Corinthian church had been experiencing a wide division. Some were questioning the authority of Paul as an apostle. Others were accepting him as an apostle. Great pains had been taken to remedy the situation affirming the authority of Paul, but there still remained a group of people who were not pleased. Therefore, he said: “Our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return, open wide your hearts also.” When we open our hearts to one another, we find the support of others so that our fiercest storms will be calmed.
The storms of life may blow about us, but the terrible storms that exist within are the ones that can overpower us. The furious storm outside may be overwhelming but what is going on inside can pose the greater threat to our lives. Our only hope lies in taming—calming—that wild storm. We must quickly realize that the storms that rage within us cannot be cured by ourselves. It takes the power of God's love as embodied primarily in Jesus Christ but also embodied in our fellow human beings who form a community of love and concern. This is who is with us in the boat. This is our only hope of stilling the tempest that can harm our souls and cripple our lives.
Email List
Stay up to date on upcoming events, sermons, and more!