|
All In The Same Boat
by Reverend Murray Spackman, Vicar.
Sunday 22 June, 2003
Mark 4;35 – 41.
Last Sunday was my birthday! ( Just in case you weren’t aware
of that important fact! ) And the Fifteenth of June signals the middle day
of the middle month of the year- - so we are now half-way through
the year! Already! And
apart from the special seasons of Easter and then Pentecost, our gospel
readings, during the year, have
been – and will continue to be- from
Mark’s gospel. At
the beginning of Mark’s gospel, we read of Jesus inviting a group of
ordinary people to travel with him.
To be a disciple is to be on a journey with Jesus, and also with others
who share in that journey. It is that common journey together which
forms us into a community, a church.
We are only a community of faith as we journey together with
Jesus. This morning I
simply want to take the gospel narrative before us and trace our part
- along with disciples – as we journey together, with others
and with Jesus. I think I have counted six
steps in this journey with Jesus
- Jesus
invites the disciples to join him on a journey.. The whole journey across the lake in the evening, the dark, was
Jesus' idea! What
do you make of that? I,
personally, wouldn’t choose to go out on to a lake in the dark.
Certainly not unless I had every navigational and life-saving aid
available. And remember
– the disciples’ boat wouldn’t have had life-jackets, GPS,
EPIRB, searchlights, spotlights, cellphones, VHF radio, flares, or
even a simple torch. There
was no Coast Guard to rush to the rescue or Westpac helicopter to
pluck them from the lake! Going
out onto the lake in the late evening would certainly not be my
idea.- I don’t know about you?
So it seems to me, that since this was Jesus idea –
it hints at the possibility that discipleship is not necessarily
going to be a peaceful Sunday afternoon social cruise with Jesus on
flat calm sparkling waters around the sandy beaches of the Sea of
Galilee. The fact that Jesus invites us to journey with him
doesn’t imply that we are all going to have safe, calm and
peaceful journeys!
Some of our greatest adventures with Jesus, in fact, will be
in the midst of storms, in the dead of night, when it is dark, and
we are lost – or seem that way - and are even scared to death! Have you ever had one of those “lost”
experiences? – and I don’t mean just physically “lost”.
You probably thought at the time that it was the end. But –
look – you are here today! And we are still journeying together-
and you know more about what it means to trust Jesus today, as a
result of that experience in the storm, than if you had never been
through it. (1).
Jesus invites his disciples to journey with him, in the boat.
Maybe you are on the shore, and still trying to decide
whether you will get into the boat and begin the journey. Jesus is saying to you – come with me – come join us
– and let us travel over to the other side, together. There is something about those few words “ let
us travel over to the other side” - which seem to have a special
anticipation and deeper meaning about them. Is Mark referring, in
some veiled way, to our journey to that “Heavenly Shore”?
I don’t know- but it makes my pulse quicken a little, and I
can’t help thinking about what awaits us on the other side!
When we accept the invitation to journey with Jesus we find
that we are not alone – not only are we with Jesus, - and
he is not too choosey about his travelling companions -
but we are also together, with others. Jesus has
called you and he has called me, and a lot of other unlikely people
as well, to join him on this journey – across to the other side.
(1). Jesus invites his disciples to join him on a journey, in the
boat.
2. There is a storm, a - "great storm." Sailing with Jesus does not mean exemption from bad storms. In
fact, Jesus (at least the story implies this) is the one who invites
us into, even leads us toward, great storms. “Suddenly,
a strong wind blew up and the waves began to spill over into the boat ,
so that it was about to fill with water!” (4:37)
Its bad enough to watch that happen on T.V. to our America’s
Cup defence – but to be in the midst of it actually happening, on the
Sea of Galilee, in a storm, must
have been a lot more frightening.
I remember standing on a lookout on the Golan Heights,
overlooking the Sea of Galilee. At
that point we were about 3 or 400ft above the Lake level. Although it
was a perfectly clear day, and no sign of a storm whatsoever – there
was still an extremely strong wind blowing which encouraged you to hold
on firmly to your camera. A
boat on the lake suddenly gets tossed about like a child’s toy when a
strong wind blows up. And
it isn’t only boats that are in danger on the Sea of Galilee!
To this day, the car parks on the western shore of the Sea of
Galilee have signs warning drivers of what happens in high winds. The
sea can get very rough very quickly and huge waves can swamp cars parked
on what can look like an otherwise safe beach.
That Jesus invites us into, or leads us into storms seems to go
against the popular idea of religion, doesn’t it?
Most people think of religion as a kind of drug
- a spiritual diazepam that calms your fears and subdues your
anxieties ,-or even some form of escapism that keeps you out of the way
of storms so that you can lead a peaceful unruffled life!
That’s not on the boarding pass when you sail with Jesus! We should be quite clear and honest about this too!
I sincerely hope that none of us here today think that because we
have got on board with Jesus in this journey through life that we are
going to be exempt from the storms which assail us! – that our family
wont go off the rails; that we wont get sick; that accidents wont happen
to us or our children; that the share-price wont plummet
or our business fold up. Jesus
doesn’t promise to steer us clear of any of those storms. So we
shouldn’t be surprised if we run into them.
But know that when we do – Jesus will be there with us – and others
will be there with us and for us too – our family in Christ. We are all
in the same boat – and we shouldn’t pretend that it’s not
happening to us! (1). Jesus invites his disciples to join him on a journey, in the boat
(2) There will be storms – great storms – and we are bound to
encounter them in life.
3. Jesus is unperturbed by
the same storm that terrifies his disciples.
He is the serene, majestic Lord of the storm.
When
the waves beat against the boat in the storm, Jesus is asleep – with
his head on a cushion ( 4:38). My mind goes back very vividly some 24 or
so years ago when our family were taking our Christmas holidays at a
little camping ground at Pahi, on the Kaipara harbour, not far from
Paparoa. My Vicar’s
warden had a bach close by – and like many of the farmers – also had
a boat. A few times he took us out in the fairly sheltered waters of the
bay, and into some of the upper reaches and inlets of the harbour. And
it was on those sheltered waters that I learnt how to water –ski.
But on another occasion, when some other friends were also there
with us, he decided to take us further out into the Kaipara for a bit of
a buzz. He was used to
boating, and was aware of what his boat could and couldn’t do. I was
not such aware. No sooner had we got around the head – out from the
sheltered bay, than I became suddenly aware of just how choppy the water
was in the open harbour. Terry was delighted. He loved the waves and the swell. I was
terrified. I can still see it happening. I can still feel the
adrenaline. But he was the
captain – and he knew what his boat could do and he knew what he could
and couldn’t do – and he delighted in showing off to us all.
Well, Jesus doesn’t show off – but he was unperturbed by the
same storm which terrified his disciples.
The events and misfortunes of life which terrify us – don’t
terrify Jesus! He mastered the storm of
rejection, of betrayal, of ridicule, of mental agony and anguish,
of physical torture and even death – and on the third day rose
victorious. When we are
frightened, anxious, doubting, uncertain – then too, is the time to
look to the Master. (3)Jesus
is unperturbed by the same storm which terrifies the disciples.
4. The disciples awake Jesus and dare to ask a threatening question, upon which hangs much of our faith in Jesus: “Don’t you
care that we are about to die?”
It’s
a good question, shouted at the height of a storm!
Does Jesus care if we perish?
His
serenity, in the middle of a terrifying storm, is one thing -
but DOES Jesus’ calm extend to the fate of his disciples as
well? I don’t think Mark was retelling this story simply as
part of a travelogue. I think this story is told, in response to the
basic question of faith: Does Jesus care? Does Jesus care if we find
ourselves in hospital with our health, or even life, in the balance? Does Jesus care if we find our family falling apart?
Does Jesus care if we become the victim of some criminal
activity? Does Jesus care
about what happens to our children?
We may not have asked, or even admitted those questions openly,
to ourselves - but when we find ourselves in the midst of a storm –
isn’t that the kind of question we will ask?
And, in the end, isn’t that the kind of question which we need
an answer to? “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?”
1.
Jesus invites the disciples to join him on a journey..
2.
There is a storm, a - "great storm
3.
Jesus is unperturbed by the same storm that so terrifies
his disciples.
4.
The disciples awake Jesus and dare to ask a threatening question.-
“Don’t you care?”
and
5. The answer is : Jesus does care!.
He
arises and stills the raging storm. Jesus not only cares but he also
acts! Jesus is the
one who, when it is dark and all hope seems lost, rises, speaks, rebukes
the wind and the waves, and saves those who, without his care and act,
would surely be lost. When
we are at our wits end – and we find ourselves on our knees – it then
that we discover that Jesus does care!
Sometimes, I believe, Jesus care is shown by
external circumstances suddenly and dramatically changing –
just as they did with the calming of the sea – but in my experience,
Jesus’ care is more often recognised by the stilling of the storm
within. That is no less a miracle; no less evidence that Jesus does
care, and that he is with us!
5.
Jesus wonders why his
disciples are afraid and have no faith in him.
Jesus has been with them for a long time, but they still don't
understand. This sort of misunderstanding and lack of faith is rather
typical, it seems, for disciples in the Gospel of Mark. Yet, despite
their misunderstanding, their lack of faith, Jesus does not desert those
who have dared to travel with him.
He keeps sailing with them. Jesus doesn’t seem to resent the
misunderstanding of even his closest followers. He is (thank God!) not
too choosy about his travel companions!
He keeps saving them, even while they fear that they might
perish. Jesus doesn’t give up on us, even when we doubt Him.
6. The story ends in awe and wonder,-
in worship,- in which his disciples are moved to ask,
"Who is this man? Even
the wind and the waves obey Him!”
and we see that the answer to that question is not explicitly
given. The story does not end with, "This is the Messiah," or
"Here before you is the Son of God." – here is undeniable
proof! Perhaps
Mark doesn’t give any answer here because it is an answer that cant be
imposed upon anyone else, neither, in the end, can anyone else impose
that answer upon us – but can only be received as a by-product
of our time together, with Jesus of and awe wonder, and with one another
- which we call worship. The
answers to our deepest questions about Jesus ('Who is this?")- if
we are prepared to receive them -
most often comes out of what we would normally try to avoid –
that very experience of
being caught in the middle of the storm.
Download
Sermon as MS Word 
Download
Sermon as Acrobat pdf 
|
