We're in This Boat Together
Text: Mark 4:35-41
Title: We’re in This Boat Together
Thesis: God’s Spirit guides the Church in ministry.
Time: Pent, 2 Sun, B
Jesus spent the best part of the day at the edge of a lake, teaching his disciples about the Kingdom of God. Throughout the day, other people gathered around Jesus, listening to his teaching. So many came to hear Jesus teach, that he finally got into a little boat and went a little ways from shore so that everyone could hear him. Come the end of the day, Jesus was tired. So, he gathered his disciples and they headed across the lake together in a boat to the far shore, where they could get some needed rest.
Looking at Mark 4, the greatest lesson the disciples learned that day wasn’t anything that Jesus said as he spoke to them earlier that day. Instead, the greatest lesson they learned came from an event that occurred as they were out in that little boat, out in the middle of the lake in a bad storm. The lesson they learned was this: What Jesus says he will do, he will do. What Jesus says he will do, he will do.
Here’s the way it happens in Mark 4. Jesus dozes off to sleep as his disciples are rowing the boat across the lake. The next thing he knows, Jesus is awakened from his sleep to a horrendous scene. He hears the rolling of thunder, the dark skies are interrupted with the flashes of lightening. His disciples have the look of terror on their faces as they shake him awake, yelling to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?”
What does Jesus do? Jesus doesn’t yell out in a panic, every man for himself. Jesus doesn’t resign them to victims of a sinking ship, saying he will be the captain who will go down with the ship. No, Jesus is going to teach his disciples that the Kingdom of God has come and that he will do what he says he will do.
Let’s note two things that Jesus does in this teaching session on a small boat in the middle of a lake in the middle of a storm. The two things Jesus does for his disciples back then are the same two things we does in the lives of his disciples today, for you and me. Whenever we feel we are in danger or in some kind of life storm that seems so overpowering and threatening, we can trust that Jesus will do what he says he will do. Listen again what Jesus says in Mark 4:41, “Do you still lack faith after all that you have seen me doing?” In other words, “Where’s your faith?” We’re only four chapters into the Gospel of Mark but already Jesus has performed over five healings and done an assortment of miracles.
The disciples are eye witnesses to the power of Jesus. So what is a storm to the one who can cure the blind and tell the lame to stand and to take of walking. Where is their faith?
Like the disciples, we too are witnesses of all that Jesus has done. There is nothing that is outside of Jesus control. And so whenever we get that look of terror on our faces, whenever we are in some threatening life storm, whenever we cry out for Jesus to save us, the first thing to do is to approach Jesus in faith, trusting that God has given Jesus the power and the authority to intervene on our behalf.
What’s the second thing that Jesus does? Jesus calms the waters, the storm ceases. We are reminded in Mark 4 that to live by faith means that we will go through some stormy situations in life, but the captain of the ship can not only guide us to safer waters, he even has control over the tumultuous waters. Wherever we are, whenever we are going through a tough time, our life captain Jesus Christ can intervene on our behalf. The great benefit to living in the Kingdom of God is that we will never sink, we will never drown as the storms of life drag us down, as we live by faith in Jesus Christ.
In early Christian art, Christian painters used the image of a boat as a visual metaphor of the church. There is one such painting that seems to jump off the pages of the Bible from Mark 4:35-41. In this painting, there is a small boat that is on a perilous lake, with white cap waves. The sky above is grey and black with lightening striking down towards the lake. Painted into the boat are Jesus and his disciples. Jesus has his arms extended to calm the storm. And in one of the top corners of the painting, there is a break in the cloud with the bright sun shining through. For the early church, this painting was a visual reminder of the power God has given to Jesus Christ. There is no doubt that the early church felt they were being tossed to-and-fro and in grave danger. The Roman Empire took a dim view of Christianity, even to the point of persecuting Christians, outlawing their assemblies, and giving to the church more than a few martyrs who died for their faith. The church needed all the reminders they could get that yes, even in great times of hardship, Jesus is still the captain.
Even for the church today, there are things that happen that make us feel that we are in a violent, uncontrollable storm. We sometimes feel threatened by the world, like we are going to capsize. Looking at church membership and worship attendance records in any mainline denomination will show a dramatic decrease over the past fifty years. We are now told that we live in a post-Christian society, where Kingdom of God values have little or no meaning to society. We have churches that are focused inward on their own needs, rather than on an outward mission of reaching out to souls drowning in sin. Church leaders tell us that we are living in a very challenging time in which to do ministry, in a postmodern society that think and act differently than many people in the church. The churches that do attempt to reach out to postmodern people are left with an identity crisis –do we offer contemporary, traditional or blended worship. Do we dress down, dress up or come as you are. I’ve even heard recently of a nudist colony church, don’t dress at all. But no matter what the church may be going through in our present storm, Jesus is here, still the commander of the high seas. And the promise Jesus gives to us is that his boat, the church will not capsize, the church will not sink. Instead, he gives us the promise that as we come to him in faith, he will calm the waters. Whatever challenges we can name and give words to, we can apply to them the words of Jesus, “Do you still lack faith after all that you have seen me doing?” We can approach our challenges with faith in Jesus.
In thinking about the church as a small boat on a perilous lake, what kind of boat would you say the church today is like? I think ideally the church is like a Coast Guard boat. Coast Guard boats are sent out into stormy waters to rescue people who are drowning. There’s an old song that goes, “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.” As the church, we are to be like a Coast Guard boat, at all times ready to brave the stormy waters in order to rescue those who are drowning.
I believe that the church is sometimes like a battleship. As our society places value on worldly things, rather than on the values of God’s kingdom, we are much like a battleship hurling cannons at an enemy ship. So it is that the church is to provide morals for society. As Christians, through the practice of good ethics, we set an example to the world the difference between right and wrong.
There is no doubt that the church is like a cargo ship. A cargo ship is sent out to provide needed resources so that life can be sustained. We do this in many ways, such as the United Methodist Committee on Relief. UMCOR has ships full of supplies docked in every major harbor around the world and is ready for whatever hurricane or earthquake or other disaster may hit.
And sadly, the church is sometimes like a lazy old fishing boat, sitting out in the middle of a calm lake –no worries, no problems, and no concerns; far away from the cares of the world. But there is one image of the church as a boat that the church has never been, that the church is not currently and the church will never be. And that is this: the church is not a sunken ship.
“I will do what I say I will do,” that is the most important of lessons the twelve disciples learn from Jesus that day when they were out in the middle of a lake, waves crashing up alongside their boat. With their nerves wrecked and stressed out from thinking they are going to drown, their bodies and clothes drenched from the rain, the disciples were in awe as Jesus calmly called out the words, “Peace, be still.” The storm abated. Brothers and sisters, just as Jesus performed that miracle some two thousand years ago, Jesus is still in the miracle-performing business. Jesus still does what he says he will do. Jesus still promises that he is the master of the seas, the captain of the ship.
And that brings me to another, last image of the church as a boat. I believe the church should be like a sailboat. What does it take for a sailboat to move forward? It takes wind. This is where our faith matches up with Jesus pushing us out of stormy waters. God’s Holy Spirit makes possible our ability to see the sun peeking through the darkened clouds; he drives us to the place where God would have us to go.
As the church, we can demonstrate our faith as we say, “Let God’s Spirit blow.” Say this with me in unison, “Let God’s Spirit blow.” [Repeat after each –for children who are starving, for the dream of a new sanctuary, for reaching the unchurched, etc.]
We are told in Mark 5 that Jesus and the disciples make it to the other, far side of the lake. They are now away from the crowds who gathered to hear Jesus teach that day about the Kingdom of God. But, as soon as they step out of the boat, Mark 5:2, “Immediately, a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him.” That’s the reason why we ask for God’s spirit to blow. There is so much we can do in ministry as we have faith that Jesus will clear the way for us so that we can be in ministry to those who need us.
Brothers and sisters, may God’s Spirit blow in your life. Whatever life storm you are going through, have faith that Jesus will calm the storm, believe he will see you through. And together, as his church, may we have faith that Jesus will move us beyond our challenges so that we can be in ministry to those who need to be rescued. Amen.