Sunday Sermon 20th June 2021

Mark 4: 35-41

Today’s Gospel continues the story of Jesus busy day: he has appointed the twelve, been accused of being out of his mind, given the parable of the sower, the lamp on the stand and the mustard seed, and now we find him in a boat with the disciples crossing to the other side of the lake.

We know that most of the disciples were fishermen, so we can assume that they were used to stormy seas, but this storm seems to have unnerved even them.  They are panicked and yet Jesus is asleep in the boat, not even noticing the storm. 

The disciples wake him and immediately he calms the storm, rebuking the wind and the waves.  For Mark, Jesus power over nature was a sign that God was with him, and that Jesus’s power stretched from miraculous healings to overcoming nature.  Jesus had gone from speaking about God’s power, to demonstrating it.

The demonstration of Jesus power is just too confronting for the disciples, and takes them out of their comfort zones.  It shows them another dimension to his character.

We might not have been in this particular boat with Jesus, but we have all faced out own personal storms.  And dare I say, a storm can show us just how healthy our relationship with God is. 

Theologians believe that we each have a storm theology:  it is what you believe about God when things seem to be going horribly wrong.  Storms in life have the ability to bring to the surface what’s really inside of you.  Perhaps it is as expectation that as believers, we will never face any storms.  Or we believe that God should save us immediately. 

Perhaps we are disappointed when God doesn’t seem to hear our prayers or our pleas for deliverance.  Do we still see God as a good God, or a bad God for not saving us from the trials?

As we know, the apostle Paul faced more storms in life than most of us will ever know.  In our reading from Corinthians, Paul shares what faith is as he shares all the things he has endured for his faith.  We know that he was imprisoned and tortured, we know that he was shipwrecked, that he walked thousands of miles to share the good news, and yet we hear of only one occasion when he pleaded with God to help him, and that was when he asked God to remove the thorn in his flesh.

Scholars believe that Paul was suffering some kind of physical impediment, which he felt was affecting his ministry. 

His prayers were not answered as he hoped: the impediment was not miraculously whisked away; rather, he learned that God’s grace was sufficient for him to cope with whatever ailed him. Paul believed God’s word and continued to minister, certain in the knowledge that God would carry him.

We can be in no doubt that each time we face a storm, we are being tested.  In the letter to the Romans, Paul reminds us that the hearing of God’s Word is intended to produce faith and faith must always be tested. It is not enough for us merely to be able to quote a Bible passage.  We must also be able to apply lessons by faith, and that is one reason why God allows for trials, difficulties, and storms to come into our lives. Storms are the tests and opportunities to demonstrate our trust in God.

Storms can also hit us very suddenly, catching us with our guard down.  And more importantly, storms can cause you to doubt God.

What the disciples don’t know is that this storm is going to be used by Jesus to teach them some incredible things about Himself and about themselves. It’s one thing to learn something about God or yourself sitting in a church service, it’s another thing to learn something about God and yourself when you lose a loved one, you are made redundant, when you can’t afford to pay your bills, when your health begins to fail or when your marriage falls apart. Some lessons can only be learned in the middle of the storm.

Storms can also teach us about God.  With each storm, God is teaching us something about the nature and character of God. Whether we have recognised it yet, we all have a storm theology.

One thing which should be clear to us is that in good times and in trials, we need God. Trials teach us that we are not invincible or wise; trials strengthen our dependence on God.

When we have exhausted all our options, that is when we have the space to allow God to move in.  Whatever our heads may be telling us, we know in our hearts that God is with us.  God has promised never to leave us alone and in faith we believe that.

The Message translation sums up God’s love for us:

It is when we are at the end of our rope, when we think that we can’t hold on any longer, that we find God waiting for us.

AMEN