When (Not If) the Storm Strikes
Mark 4:35-41
Rev. Stephen H. Wilkins
June 25, 2006
Georgetown Presbyterian Church
Several years ago the crew from a Japanese fishing trawler was rescued from the sea of Japan. But when the authorities questioned the crew about what had caused their boat to sink, the crew claimed that a cow fell from the sky, struck the boat dead center, shattering the hull and causing the ship to sink within a matter of minutes. When the authorities heard that story, they threw the crew in jail, figuring that they must have been on some kind of drugs or alcohol.
And actually the crew remained in jail for several weeks, until the truth began to unfold.
It seems that the flight crew of a Russian Air Force cargo plane had stolen a cow that had wandered onto the airstrip at a Siberian air force base. Seeing the cow just standing there, the Russian crew had visions of freezers stuffed with fresh beef, and so they led the cow into the cargo bay of the plane. Apparently the crew wasn’t prepared for how the cow would respond in flight, as they were soon to learn the true meaning of "mad cow". The cow went berserk, and was thrashing all through the cargo hold. And so in order to save the aircraft and themselves, the flight crew opened the cargo bay at 30,000 feet, and shoved the cow out of the plane as they were flying over the Sea of Japan.
Upon hearing this story, the Japanese authorities immediately released the incarcerated crew of the fishing trawler.
You never know what you might encounter when you set out to sea.
Trouble on the high seas is as old as maritime navigation itself. And given the geography surrounding the Sea of Galilee, it is not at all surprising that the disciples and Jesus encountered a storm as they made their way across the sea.
Storms happen. But I don’t have to tell you that. The near-daily reminders that hurricane season has officially started is still somewhat of a new reality for me. Up until last year, hurricane watching was a form of entertainment for me, as I could follow Jim Cantore and the Weather Channel into the center of most every hurricane as it struck land. And afterwards, I would say, "Whew, I’m glad I’m not there." Well, now I am quite possibly "there," because the next "there" when a hurricane strikes land might very well be here. Suddenly, I have a whole new perspective on the reality of storms. You don’t need to hear it from me to know that storms are a part of life.
But you know and I know that storms don’t have to be the kind that appear on your local weather station’s Doppler radar system in order to be real. Maybe our storms look like the telephone call that rings in the night, telling us of someone in the family who has been involved in an auto accident. Maybe your storm takes the form of a crisis at home, where a marriage is ready to fall apart. Maybe your storm consists of the harsh words between parents and children. Or maybe your category 5 storm is the diagnosis of a terminal illness.
I don’t need to give you a list – you can fill in the blanks on your own, because every one of you has been struck by one kind of storm or another. They haven’t invented a vaccine that will keep all the storms from striking. It’s just a part of life. Storms happen.
Storms happen, and when they happen, we will respond in some way or another. When the storm hit the boat with the disciples and Jesus, the disciples reacted in a certain way. And when the storm hits your life, you will react in a certain way. And how you react in the midst of the storm will in large part be determined by the way in which you answer the question the disciples asked at the end of the story -- Who is this? Because you see, how you understand and relate to Jesus will be critical to how you react when the storm strikes.
Who is this Jesus that Mark describes for us? In today’s text, Mark reveals at least three things about Jesus that ought to help us understand Jesus and inform our faith.
First of all, Jesus is there, present with the disciples. Jesus said, "Let’s go to the other side of the sea," and then he got into the boat and traveled with them. Jesus is a with-us, present Lord. Never does Jesus call us that he doesn’t promise to be with us and lead us. When Jesus gave the great commission to his disciples, he sent them to make disciples of all nations, and his parting words were these: And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
"I am with you always." In smooth sailing and on rough waters, Jesus is there with you. On steady footing and when your life is snowballing out of control, Jesus is there with you. In plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, Jesus is there with you.
When the storm strikes, Jesus is with you.
Another thing that we learn about Jesus is that he does, indeed, care. The disciples thought Jesus didn’t care. They thought his sleep in the midst of the storm was an indication that Jesus didn’t care. They were terrified, and he didn’t care. Because of their fear, they failed to recognize not only that Jesus is greater than any storm we might encounter, but they also came to the conclusion that Jesus simply didn’t care.
Don’t you feel that way sometime? Don’t you feel as if Jesus is asleep at the helm while we’re being tossed about on the stormy waters? Why did he let this happen to me? Doesn’t he even care about me? Don’t you feel that way sometimes?
But Jesus does care. Notice in the scripture that it’s not the storm that awakens Jesus, but the cries of the disciples. Jesus may sleep in the midst of the storm, but never does Jesus ignore or sleep through our cries as we lift our prayers to him. How many of you who are parents know what it’s like to be able to sleep through a thunderstorm, only to be awakened by the sniffle or cough of your baby? You attune your ears to the things that really matter. That’s what Jesus does. Jesus, who is at peace in the midst of the storm, is not bothered by the storm. But when he hears one of his little ones cry out to him – that will not go ignored. Jesus does care.
And third, Jesus not only cares for his people, but he has the power and ability to act upon his care. Jesus cares for his people when the storm strikes, and he has the power and authority to confront even the greatest storms that strike.
When his disciples arouse Jesus from his slumber, he gets up, looks out over the sea in front of him, and he commands the storm to stop. And then all is calm. Even the wind and sea obey Jesus. I love the way Eugene Peterson translates this story, when he says that the "wind ran out of breath."
The wind ran out of breath! The same wind that can capsize cruise ships, the same wind that can cut a path a mile wide through Oklahoma City, the same wind that can tear off the roof of a house or snap trees like toothpicks – the wind ran out of breath! It met its match in Jesus Christ!
Do you see what that means? It means that Jesus is Lord over all creation. It means that there is no situation that is so out of control, so chaotic, that Jesus cannot resolve. It means that there is no problem that you will encounter that is beyond the scope of what Jesus can conquer. It is the realization that nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It means that when the bottom falls out of your life, when the storm strikes, you need look no further than Jesus Christ to get you through. The wind loses its breath, the sea becomes smooth as glass, the storm loses its punch.
I love the 46th psalm, which we read earlier this morning. It’s one of my favorites. I love it because it doesn’t mince words about the turmoil that often surrounds our lives--the image is of one’s world crumbling on all sides. But in the midst of the turmoil, the psalmist declares that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. In the midst of everything that might assail us, we are called to be still and consider who God is.
The 46th Psalm was one of Martin Luther’s favorite psalms, as well. The story goes that Martin Luther, and his longtime friend Philip Melancthon, would often find themselves under attack by people in the church, because Luther’s teachings were splitting the church and undermining its authority. And so they would have to go from village to village, hiding and trying to stay one step ahead of the officials that were persecuting them. And as they traveled along between hiding places, Luther would turn to Melancthon and say, "Come, Philip, let us sing together the 46th Psalm." Luther’s most famous hymn is "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," and it has as its basis the 46th Psalm.
One of the verses of the hymn goes like this: And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, // We will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us. // The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him; // his rage we can endure, for lo! His doom is sure; One little word shall fell him.
One little word. . . Be still! Quiet!
Who is this man? Even the wind and waves obey him.
My friends, how you know Jesus will determine how you will respond when the storm strikes.
When William Bennett put together his Book of Virtues several years ago, he included a poem by James T. Fields, titled "The Captain’s Daughter." It goes like this:
We were crowded in the cabin,
Not a soul would dare to sleep --
It was midnight on the waters,
And a storm was on the deep.
Tis a fearful thing in winter
To be shattered by the blast,
And to hear the rattling trumpet
Thunder, "Cut away the mast!"
So we shuddered there in silence --
For the stoutest held his breath,
While the hungry sea was roaring
And the breakers talked with Death.
As thus we sat in darkness,
Each one busy with his prayers,
"We are lost!" the captain shouted
As he staggered down the stairs.
But his little daughter whispered,
As she took his icy hand,
"Isn't God upon the ocean,
Just the same as on the land?"
Then we kissed the little maiden,
And we spoke in better cheer,
And we anchored safe in harbor
When the morn was shining near.
When the storms of life strike you, what does your faith look like? Does it look like the faith of the captain, as he cried out, "we are lost", or does it look like the faith of the little daughter, when she asked, "Isn’t God upon the ocean, just the same as on the land?"
When -- not if, but when -- the storm strikes, what does your faith look like? And which is larger in your eyes – the storm, or Jesus? Because how you answer that question will determine how you will weather the storm.
Amen.