Seaworthy
RCL Year B • Sermon • Submitted
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One of the aspects of this text that has always fascinated me is the fear the that disciples have when the storm comes. I understand that we are told that there was a great windstorm that caused waves to crash into the boat, but there were also at least 4 fisherman on that boat that should have known what to do when a storm arose. If the boat starts to take on water then you grab a bucket and start tossing the water back where it belongs…with the rest of the water and not inside the boat!
Because there were at least a third of them who knew what it meant to be on a boat and probably had experience with boats and storms, it baffles me that the first thing the story tells us the disciples do is wake up Jesus and expect him to do something about it. Jesus was a carpenter not a fisherman. Jesus probably had no experience with storms and what to do on a boat.
In fact, the whole reason Jesus was asleep in the boat was probably twofold:
He was probably exhausted from all of his healing and teaching that he needed to get some rest while he was not in the midst of all the crowds.
He had other people who were experienced with and trained to sail boats so there was no need for him to be awake and attentive to the needs of the boat.
On the other hand, in ancient societies, not just for the Israelites, the sea was considered evil. It was a place of death. The sea is where people went off and never returned. It was a place where, like in our story today, sudden and violent storms arose and ruined a fishing excursion, and possibly ruined boats and equipment. The sea was an unpredictable and violent place and people believed it was a place that evil spirits dwelled.
Since some of these storms came out of nowhere, probably like the one in our story, there was no way to really prepare for it or try to get to shore before it hit, it made the storm that much more intense and scary to the disciples.
Now I can’t know exactly how terrible of a storm it was, but having spent much of my childhood on the beach, it is hard for me to imagine that 12 grown adults could not figure out how to handle a storm especially with 4 of them probably have had experience with storms before.
I grew up on the beaches of Southern California so I spent much of my childhood summers on the beach swimming and playing in the sand. My dad also had a sailboat so we spent time sailing around the ocean and in harbors as well.
I have so many memories of playing and sailing in the ocean that I can’t even imagine being afraid of it. I was taught to respect the ocean and the currents and surges that it produced, and to stay away from them, if and at all possible. I had some difficult times when a wave sucked me under and tumbled me around like a washing machine, but I had been taught what to do from a young age, so the idea of really being terrified of the ocean didn’t really occur to me.
There were times that we sailed through storms that came up even though it was a nice day when we left the house that morning. I also remember playing in the ocean even when a storm showed up as long as there wasn’t thunder and lightning. In fact, we rather enjoyed the beach when it was raining simply because it was unique.
So to try to make a parallel between my understanding of the ocean and their understanding of the ocean doesn’t work out. Maybe your experience with the ocean is similar to how the disciples might feel, but maybe some of you are like me and the idea of water, even when it is stormy, is a place to enjoy. So we have to ask ourselves what is it in our lives that cause us to have fear?
The word for ‘afraid’ that Jesus asks of the disciples in is the Greek word deilos which means, “fearful, timid, cowardly, or craven”. It can also be translated as fainthearted, or worthless. So when Jesus asks the disciples, “Why are you afraid?” he wants to know what is it that has caused them to be cowardly and worthless.
So again, we have to ask ourselves, in our lives, what is it that we are fearful about…what are the things that make us timid and feel worthless? Before you think about that question we have to take a look at the fact that Jesus ties that question with a second question which is about faith. So the question about being afraid isn’t just about fear of the storm, but also about their faith in God and in him.
The question then becomes, I believe, is what is it in our faith lives that cause us fear and to be timid? Does that fear hinder us from doing the work that we have been called to do? Does our sense that we are worthless, meaning we don’t feel we have the skills and talents to do what is asked of us, keep us from engaging in the ways that Jesus has called us to engage in our community of faith and in the community of Kingman?
I know these are some pretty difficult questions to ask and difficult ones to answer, but Jesus has called us to engage in our world on his behalf and there is no question that there are times when we don’t do that because of fear.
I’m not here today to give you answers to those specific questions you might have, but to offer a general promise to you. I’m sure that we have all experienced storms of our own in our lives, both related to our faith, but also the general storms of the craziness of life. There are times in our lives when we feel overwhelmed by the stresses and difficulties of this life and sometimes we don’t know what to do or sometimes we feel paralyzed by it or helpless to change it.
I believe that when we feel that way we often forget one of the most important things in this life. When we experience the storms in our lives and we feel like our boat is taking on water and it is more than we can handle no matter how experienced we are then we need to focus on one thing: Jesus is in our boat.
No matter the circumstance of life, no matter the storm we experience Jesus is in the boat with us. That means that we are never alone in this life. That means that when we feel like there is too much going on in our lives or things just keep going wrong its not just us going through it by ourselves. We have to instead remember that we always have Jesus on our side and by our side.
It doesn’t mean that we won’t have storms in our lives, but it does mean that the one whom the wind and the sea obey is right by our side.
We also need to remember that the boat that we have in this life is not a single little life raft meant just for you and Jesus. The boat that Jesus was on that day held him and 12 disciples. The boat is full of people gathered together. One of the other parts of the story that I don’t think ever gets attention is that the story also says there were other boats with them.
It’s not just you and Jesus on the boat and it’s not just you and your small boat with Jesus, but it is you, Jesus, the rest of your boat and all the other boats who are on the sea with you. For me, personally, that is a great comfort to all my fears and moments of feeling helpless or worthless. To know that I am surrounded by so many people in my journey of life and that Jesus is with me along the way is the most comforting and empowering feeling.
In life, and in ministry do not be afraid, do not feel that you are unable to do the work of God. We have so many people gathered around us that are here to support us in the storms of our lives and we have Jesus who is with us on our boat.
May you find comfort knowing that you are never alone. May you find peace in the storms of your life and come to experience the calm that is a relationship with Jesus Christ our savior and Lord.
Amen.