Facing Storms

First reading

Job 38:1–11 “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?”

CONTEXT

Series: Faith Awakened.

Hearing the things Jesus says and seeing what he does in his early ministry, that invite us to know him as Savior and Lord.

This week, our theme is Facing Storms with Jesus.

Mark 4:35. Jesus has been teaching at sea of Galilee. So many people he has been teaching from a boat just away from the shore. It has been a long day of teaching, working miracles, and driving out demons.

TEXT

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, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?””

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

Lord God, let the words of your servant’s mouth and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and Redeemer. Through Christ. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

We can be sold the idea that following Jesus means pathways of sunshine and butterflies all the time. Spirituality = Problem free, everything is easy…

Has that been your experience? Show of hands?

Story about a literal storm that Jesus and his disciples go through:::suggests that storms are unavoidable part of life, and facing storms with Christ may also help us face Christ in a more powerful way.

EXEGESIS 1: Thes storm hits

Powerful ministry.

Teaching - parables, the kingdom of God like a sower and seed, like a harvest that comes in, like a lamp in a dark room,

Healing people - leper, paralytic, man with a withered hand, many with all kinds of ailments.

Driving out demons — setting people free from evil.

At the end of the day. He and the disciples probably tired. “Let’s go to the other side.” A break. And a new chapter of ministry tomorrow.

They just want to get across the sea of Galilee, to rest before the next day of work begins. Setting sail in the night.

A storm rises up.

The hills and the winds could cause sudden storms at sea.

Experienced sailors, yet they thought their lives were at risk!

Taking on water. Sails whipping. Darkness, lightning.

Jesus is asleep in the stern of the boat. On a cushion.

Like a child asleep in the back seat of the car, while parents are jostling about.

Contrast: Experienced sailors, fearing for their lives. Jesus asleep.

Discomfiting to the disciples: They wake him. Do you not care that we are perishing? We are fighting for our lives here!

Care = Grab a bucket! Grab a line!

Do you not care!?

[ He does care. He cares about the spiritual growth of his disciples: THAT is why he is on the cushion asleep. So they can come to him with the question. So they can turn from facing the storm to facing him.]

APPLICATION 1: do you even care?

As said earlier: We can be sold the idea that walking with Jesus solves all our problems and initiates a life of smooth sailing.

Bible is honest: storms hit. They hit Jesus’ disciples even when they are close to him, following his commands, listening to his teaching,

storms hit US Disciples of today.

They hit suddenly.

unemployment; change in health; death.

Storm threaten to undo us. Taking on water of emotions; wind of thoughts; lighting of catastrophizing.

Storms of life cause us to wonder: Jesus do you even care? are you just coming along for the ride, asleep? Are you going to lend a hand here!

If you’ve ever had those kinds of thoughts. I’m NOT knocking you. I’ve been through a share of storms in life.

My prayer at those times sounded like the disciples in this story.

The question: are YOU there? Do YOU care? — IS A PRAYER

To say do YOU care is a prayer. It is addressing Jesus.

Psalms, many of them are storm prayers

Psalm 6:3 “My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord—how long?”

Psalm 10:1 “Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”

Psalm 13:1 “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”

Psalm 44:23 “Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!”

storms come and God waits for a moment to give us the chance to pray.

he gives us a moment to discover something of the greatest importance: where will we turn?

Most basic orientation of the soul: toward Christ or away from Christ.

To turn toward Christ is a sign of God’s presence and that he is about to do something.

EXEGESIS 2: Jesus calms the storm

The disciples go to Jesus. Do you not care that we are perishing.

Jesus got up.

He does not yet speak to the disciples.

He does not defend his being at rest

he does not murmur that they woke him.

He does not assure or console them.

They go to him, he begins to move…ready to act.

Rebukes the wind and said to the sea, Hush, be still!

And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

Dripping of the water. Lapping of the water on the side of the boat. Wind stopped blowing. Glassy water.

ACTIVITY: (Make the sanctuary quiet. One side of sanctuary wooshing wind; other side, clapping of the rain; then I will gesture and all goes SILENT, not even a murmur!)

Then: Why are you so afraid? Have you STILL no faith?

NB: not do you NOW believe?

Rather: Have you STILL no faith…

Asking them to reflect on something: This is NOT the FIRST storm he has calmed.

sight to the blind, calmed that storm. Lame to walk. Drive out demons. cleanses a leper. Heals the man’s hand.

All examples of I CARE and I HAVE POWER TO HELP.

Asking them to notice: has it sunk in?

Why don’t you have faith? Why are you afraid?

APPLICATION 2: Why so little faith?

I have been through many storms with Jesus. Each time Jesus has acted in one way or another. Sometimes immediately, sometimes slowly, but always acted.

Jesus has said to me many times, “do you still have no faith?”

He doesn’t say this to hurt me, but to invite me to lean on my experience with him.

Faith is not just a future orientation…it is the ability to remember the past and Christ’s place in it.

The older you are, longer with Christ, the more experiences of storm you have to remember and call upon him.

Psalm 103. Forget not.

It is natural to feel fear. It is right to go to Jesus in prayer.

And, with experience, right to come to christ with Confidence.

LATIN: Con - with; fides - faith

With faith in Christ. He has shown that he cares and that he has power to help.

He will do something. Because that is who he is, come to help and has power to do it…

EXEGESIS 3: Awestruck

Jesus gives a moment for prayer.

He asks the disciples to remember.

Then goes back to lie down.

The disciples left standing there.

A new fear. Different kind of fear. The disciples are awestruck (afraid).

Disciples: Who is this? that even the wind and the waves obey him?

Answer found in Mark 1:1.

Who is this that even the winds and the waves obey him? Answer: Have a volunteer read this, NICE AND LOUD: Mark 1:1, This is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. THIS IS THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD.

The son of God good news: To calm the storm behind all storms. The storm of sin and death. That is the storm that seeks to sink every soul, and submerge the whole world in darkness.

every storm we experience is an outlier of that central storm.

Jesus calms the GREAT STORM at Gethsemane, the cross, the grave and resurrection.

He had the faith, none of us could have, and braved the ultimate storm.

On the cross

Psalm 22:1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”

In the tomb

Psalm 4:8 “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”

On resurrection morning

Psalm 16:10 “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.”

He is now in heaven and speaks into our storms the word of ultimate victory.

Ps. 2: God says of Christ: I have set my King on my holy hill

Jesus says: In this world, you will have trouble, but fear not for I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

APPLICATION 3: Who is this?

Storms hit. We turn to Jesus.

Jesus acts and asks us to remember his faithful love and power.

We are now faced not with the storm: but with the Son of God.

New, holy fear: not that we should have to go through storms, but that the Son of God has come into the world to bring ultimate salvation.

He has calmed the storm of sin and death that all the storms of this life remind us is raging around us.

But he is here, in the storms, always saying

Romans 8:31–39 If God is for us, who can be against us? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. …in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus …”

He enters those moments, as the One who has died and rose again and calms the great storm.

We are awestruck.

The question in each storm: Who are you? Teach me more about what it means that you are the Son of God. Who brings good news.

I am the Son of God…for YOU.

CONCLUSION

Facing the Storm, becomes facing Jesus.

PASTORAL PRAYER

God of power and might, we come before you trembling with awe for all you have done, are doing, and will do in the grand sweep of time, in the vast swath of creation. God of the storm, hear our prayer.

Wield your power, we pray, against all forces of nature that threaten people, homes, and land with danger and destruction. Strengthen us for the work of rebuilding wherever devastation has visited your people through the work of nature’s rhythms. Speak words of comfort and hope to those who have lost much, or everything, and must begin again. We trust that your will for all people is life and health and peace. God of the storm, hear our prayer.

Wield your power, we pray, against the forces of destruction we have devised and are too quick to use against one another. Dismantle in us the desire for war until we dismantle our missiles and bombs. Open our hands to embrace each other until we cannot close our hands again around the triggers of guns or the timers for bombs. Give us new tunes for that ancient poetry until we all sing of beating our swords into plowshares, our spears into pruning hooks. Bring the day, please God, when there will be no more war of nation against nation. God of the storm, hear our prayer.

Wield your power, too, against the forces of illness and pain that overtake our bodies, our minds, our spirits. Empower us to fight against our addictions. Help our bodies and minds overcome the diseases that threaten our well-being. Ease suffering; bring relief and rest to the weary and comfort to the dying. God of the storm, hear our prayer.

Wield your power over death, our last enemy. Give us courage and hope to trust in your gift of resurrection and new life, the harbor we were hoping for. For the miracles of creation, the miracles of birth, love shared, a chance to begin again, reconciliation, and the miracle of faith, we give you our thanks and praise. We are humbled that you love us and draw near to us, God of power and might. In the name of Christ our Savior. Amen.