Ordinary 12
by Paul Larsen

Mark 4:35-41

The artist Rembrandt once painted a canvas titled, "Storm on the Sea of
Galilee".  If you examine the painting carefully you discover that there are
14 men in the boat.  There are the twelve disciples plus Jesus.  That makes
thirteen.  The fourteenth passenger is Rembrandt himself.  When we read this
Gospel story, we know that like Rembrandt, we are in the same boat as the
disciples.

There are times in our lives when we are beset by storms.  The winds howl
around us and the waves threaten to swamp us and we are afraid.
    Infants and children fear abandonment.
    Young people talk very bravely about wanting to leave home and make it on
their own, but still they fear failure.
    Couples facing marriage secretly fear divorce.
    Parents awaiting the birth of a child are afraid the baby of the things
that can go wrong.
    Middle-aged people are afraid of downsizing.
    Retirees are afraid that they will become physically incapacitated or
that they will run out of money or that they will be stricken with a
dementing disease.

Some people are afraid of heights; others will never enter a cave or an
elevator because they suffer from claustrophobia.  Some dread getting into an
airplane, while others fear meeting new people, and many have a deathly fear
of getting up in front of a group.  There are fears of bats and spiders and
snakes.  There are so many fears we don't even have fancy names for them all.
 But I think the disciple's fear is the one that scares us the most.  I don't
mean the fear of the storm, or even the fear of drowning, but rather the fear
that God doesn't care.  They came to Jesus, who was sleeping soundly in the
midst of this raging storm, and asked, "Teacher, do you not care that we are
perishing?"

When things go wrong in our life, the biggest fear that threatens us is that
God has abandoned us, that God doesn't care what happens to us.  The
disciples wanted to know how in the world could Jesus sleep through the storm
that threaten to capsize their boat and kill them all?  There are times when
we want to know the same.  We are dying here.  There is a crisis in our life,
there is something threatening to undo us and yet Jesus seems to be asleep.
    Where is he in all of this?
    Why doesn't he rescue us?
    Doesn't he care?

When the disciples awoke Jesus, his response was to rebuke the wind and to
say to the sea, "Peace!  Be still"  That is what we want him to do for us.
We want him to calm the wind and still the storm.  We want him to make
everything all better for us.  But that doesn't always happen.

In this story, when the wind ceased and there was dead calm, Jesus said to
them, "Why are you afraid?  Have you so little faith?"

It is kind of amazing to us that Jesus expects us to have faith even in the
midst of life-threatening storms.  We think it is easy for us to trust in God
when things are going well, for then it seems like God is with us and
blessing us.  But in reality it may be just the opposite that is true.  When
things are going well, we can take God's presence and God's blessing for
granted.  We can assume that we are accomplishing everything just fine on our
own.  But in the midst of those storm, when the wind is howling and the waves
are crashing over us and we are overwhelmed, that is when we know our need of
God most poignantly.  It is when we can not help ourselves that we are forced
to trust in God or else abandon all hope.

Years ago, when communism still reigned in the Soviet Union, a Russian
Christian was visiting in the United States.  He asked an American pastor,
"If you Americans faced the oppression and persecution we face in Russia, how
many do you think would still be Christians."  The pastor said, "I don't
know.  But let me ask you a question.  If you Russians Christians had all the
freedom and wealth that we Americans have, how many do you think would still
be Christian?"

Sometimes it is easier to be a believer when we are in the midst of a storm
than it is to believe when sailing is perfectly smooth.  But regardless of
the weather, Jesus wants us to trust in him and in his promise to be with us.

Mary Ellen Clark's storm was a strange physical problem that threatened her
life' goal.  Mary Ellen was an Olympic diver for the U.S. team.  She began
diving as a kid.  Natural talent and tenacious hard work moved her into the
ranks of the country's best competitive divers.  That makes it almost
unbelievable to think that she suffers from a dizzying condition called
vertigo.


Mary Ellen experienced her first attack of vertigo after a dive in a
collegiate meet in Australia in 1988. After plunging into the water, she
suddenly lost all sense of balance and direction.  She couldn't figure out
which way was up.  At the time, she had no idea what was wrong.  As she would
later write, "If you asked a scriptwriter to concoct the worst condition to
afflict a competitive diver, a really imaginative person might come up with
vertigo."  


Because her vertigo episodes were so rare, Mary Ellen didn't visit
a doctor to find out what was wrong.  Over the next few years, she moved up
in the ranks of divers, eventually winning a bronze at the 1992 Summer
Olympics.  But while training for the 1996 Olympics, Mary Ellen had another
episode of this frightening disorientation.  It was then that the doctors
diagnosed her with vertigo.


She knew that her days as a diver might soon be over.  She tried every
medical treatment available, but nothing worked.  One night, in despair, Mary
Ellen called a friend and poured out her sadness.  This friend simply asked
her, "Mary Ellen, what is the worst possible scenario you can imagine?"

Mary Ellen answered, "That I'll never dive again."

And then he asked,  "Can you accept that?"

Mary Ellen didn't know how to answer that.  After she hung up, she began
thinking about verses 12 and 13 of Philippians 4:  "I have learned the secret
of being content in any and every situation, whether
well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything
through him who gives me strength."  


This is an inspiring and comforting
verse for many of us.  But it sparked in Mary Ellen a very
different question: could she NOT do something through him who gave her
strength?  Could God give her the strength to not dive again and still be
content?  


Mary Ellen credits her parents with giving her the answer.  They
had taught her long ago that her faith in God was more important than
anything else in life.  She knew that she could trust God  whether she ever
dived again or not.  Mary Ellen Clark did overcome her vertigo.  She went on
to win a bronze medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics.  She is in the record
books as the oldest diver yet to win in her event.

Mary Ellen Clark overcame her vertigo by facing up to the worst thing that
could happen to her and accepting it with the help of words from scripture.
That's a good approach in times when we are troubled.  Scripture can show us
the way.  The word and the promise of God can help us deal with our fears.
    
Believers through the ages have taken courage in words like these from
Psalm 27, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The
Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid."
    
The most familiar Psalm of all offers this assurance, "Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with
me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me."
    
The Lord offers this promise in Isaiah 43:1-2, "Do not fear, for I have
redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through
the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not
overwhelm you."
    
Christ's birth was announced with this reassurance to the shepherds, "Do
not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the
people."
    
The Good Shepherd also had a word of assurance for his sheep, "Do not be
afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the
kingdom."  (Luke 12:32)

Those words can offer us comfort and hope because they are not just words,
they are promises from God.  God tells us we do not need to be afraid, for he
is with us and will sustain us.

When we think of the disciples boat out there on the raging Sea of Galilee,
we should also think of the church.  The church has long been compared to a
ship.  The term "Nave", which is a Latin word for sanctuary or worship space,
means ship.  Ships are built for the open sea, for storms and rough waters,
not for sitting in safe harbors.  As the church we are called to go out in
the midst of the storms of life and proclaim the message of peace.  We may
not be able to still the storm or calm the waves, but we can point the one
who can.  We can proclaim the good news that Jesus is in the same boat with
us.  He is there to sustain us and uphold us and give us the strength we
need.  We can trust in him and he calls us to be people of faith.  He calls
us to proclaim his love and power and grace.

When Jesus calmed the storm, the disciples were amazed.  They were filled
with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind
and the sea obey him."  These disciples were the ones who had answered his
call when he said, "Follow me."  They had seen him cast out evil spirits.
They had watched as he healed the sick.  They had heard him preach and teach
about the kingdom of God.  Still they had doubts and wondered who he was.

I think instead of being amazed at their blindness and stupidity, we should
find comfort in the fact that even the disciples doubted once in a while.
They had seen Jesus in the flesh.  They had seen him in action and still they
wondered if he cared about them and if he would save them.

We are not alone when we have doubts.  Even though Jesus was not happy with
the disciples' doubting, he did not reject them.  He stayed with them and
guided them and loved them.

During a flight between New York and Chicago, the captain made this
announcement over the plane's intercom, "Our number four engine has just been
shut off because of mechanical trouble.  There is nothing to worry about,
however.  We can still finish the flight with just three engines, and
besides, you will be reassured to know that we have four bishops on board."
An eighty-six year old woman called the flight attendant and said, "Would you
please tell the captain that I would rather have four engines and three
bishops!"

I am with her.  I am not overly confident in the power of four bishops to
keep a crippled plane in flight.
    I would rather be flying with full power.
    I would rather be sailing on calm seas.
    I would rather not have big problems and crisis in my life or in the life
of the church.

But when those storms arise we can find comfort in this story from Mark.  It
reminds us that no matter how hard the wind may blow or how big the waves may
become, or how threatening the storm is, Jesus is in the boat with us.  What
is more he has the power over the winds and the waves.
    He promises us his presence.
    He shares with us his power.
    He tells us that we need not be afraid for he is our God.  Amen.

Let us pray: O God, we are glad to know that you in the boat with us as we sail the seas
of life.  Assure us that you are still there even when the winds blow, and
the waves roll and we are afraid.  Fill us with faith in your promises so
that we can trust in you and find peace in your presence.  Amen.

(Comments to Paul at paullarsen@CTKNB.ORG.)
Christ the King Lutheran Church

New Brighton, MN