Mark 4:35-41
“Stormy Weather”
June 20, 2021
Oh, the beauty of Inisheer.
At 3 square miles it’s the smallest of the 3 Aran Islands off the coast of Ireland in Galway Bay where 260 permanent residents live and thousands of tourists converge by ferry to take in the beautiful rocky and green hilly landscape.
Our tour of the island by van made stops at an ancient burial site, the ruins of O’Brien’s castle, the remains of St. Gobnait’s Church dating back to 1100 and what is left of the cargo vessel Plassey that was shipwrecked there in 1960 and the entire crew was saved by island residents. Everything is not in disrepair there – far from it.
The islanders are close knit with wonderful senses of humor and the Irish gift of gab.
The residents’ everyday language is Irish and there are many handcrafts for sale and a few pubs and restaurants as well as a hotel and a primary school and even a very small hospital staffed by one nurse and one doctor.
Once we had filled up on all of that beauty and history, we boarded the passenger ferry to make the return trip to Connemara.
That’s when the sea went wild.
A storm with horizontal rain made our view of the Cliffs of Moher almost impossible.
There were brave souls who stood on the deck for extended periods of time who maybe in hindsight were just trying to avoid the chaos inside the ferry where dozens of us dodged rolling suitcases and tried to steer clear of a number of folks who were, let’s just say, using the bags that the staff kept handing out for the lunches that didn’t stay down.
More than a few prayers were said that afternoon along with plenty of moaning and more than one crying baby while all of us were holding on for dear life and avoiding the water that splashed up over the sides.
All of this made for a trip not to be forgotten.
I’m not even sure that Jesus could have slept through that storm. Of course, unlike Jesus’ disciples on that boat, we were less afraid and more just counting the minutes until that nightmare of a boat ride was over and our feet were again on solid ground.
But we definitely could have used Jesus on that trip across Galway Bay to shout at the wind with those calming words, “Peace! Be still!”
And we should note that Jesus was conked out in the stern of the boat, the place from which you guide the direction of it.
The disciples were upset because Jesus seemed to be asleep at the wheel.
And what is fascinating is that they don’t manage to draw on their own skills and inner strength when they need their wits about them most.
But rather than see this as a show of weakness it is instead a testament to their faith in Jesus.
And awakened Jesus rose to the occasion.
He didn’t try to promise them that there was nothing to be afraid of.
Instead, he wanted to know why they were afraid and where their faith had gone.
What Jesus is teaching on this boat ride is that fear is real but fear does not have the final say.
Fear is a constant in scripture. Some form of “Do not be afraid” shows up 365 times in the Bible – a fear for every day of the year.
Jesus’ own life is bookended with fear.
We hear the angels telling the scared shepherds keeping watch on the night of Jesus’ birth not to be afraid and then the terrified women at Jesus’ empty tomb are told the same thing.
We will have fears throughout our lifetime and what Jesus is trying to assure those disciples is what we need to hear also.
We will hit waves of desperation.
There will be storms to face down.
And what will carry us through to solid ground is the knowledge that God is with us.
We will be changed by the storms of life.
We are finally coming hopefully to the end of the COVID storm that has ravaged our nation and the world. 600,000 of our fellow Americans had their lives taken by it.
Masks and distance and remote learning and lost jobs and Zoom church were all part of this storm.
like Jesus and the disciples, we are heading toward another shore. We will be changed because of the storm and the fears we have faced for the past 16 months.
What’s on the other side? Jesus and his fellow travelers are heading from the Jewish side of the sea to the Gerasene or Gentile side.
What kind of welcome will they receive?
What threats will be waiting for them?
What awaits us on the other side of the pandemic? Will our fears get the best of us?
As church, what fears will we need to rely on faith to get us through these times that have changed us and the sea around us?
Science has provided us with some of what we have needed to be here this morning, in person, face to face. Faith in God is what unites us in our commitment to keep going and continue to make sure we don’t leave any one behind.
The fears we face are real but so is the love – the love of God and the love we have for each other.
We will get to the other side and we will be changed for the better.
The storms of our lives – as children of God, as a society and as a faith community – will subside.
Now is the time to figure out how the other side will be a better place, more like the Kingdom of God that Jesus came to usher in.
The storms will still be with us – new ones undoubtedly – may we release the fears we will face to God’s always present embrace.
Let us then offer up this prayer from John van de Laar titled, “Loving Through the Storm:”
The worst storms, Jesus, are the ones caused
by our fear, when we grow afraid of losing our power,
or we grow suspicious of the power of others,
when we refuse to acknowledge your mysterious authority;
Yet, it’s in the storm that we find our capacity to love.
In releasing our weak claim to power and opening to your reign, we discover a new way of seeing ourselves –
as called and useful and beloved – and the other, whoever they may be – as dignified and precious and beloved.
Here in the storm, Jesus, we need you, and we need each other, and the love you give us to share,
leads us through sacrifice and self-giving to peace and calm, if only we will loose our hold on fear. Amen.
( written by John van de Laar. Posted on the Sacredise.com website.)