Sermon Tone Analysis

*Message*

Life is confusing and hard.

36 years ago Patti, you were pregnant with Jay.

I am sure as you felt Jay kick when he was inside your womb you dreamed of holding him, of smelling the clean, pure little baby smell that only babies have.

I am sure the first time you held Jay after his birth you dreamed of what he would be when he grew up.

Craig, as a father I know it was the same with you.

Placing your hand on Patti’s tummy feeling jay kick and push against your hand.

Already displaying his independent streak.

Did you bend over and talk to Patti’s tummy?

Where you amazed the first time you held Jay in your arms?

Y’all watched him grow.

At 4 years old, Jay battled bad guys saving his mommy and daddy.

As a teenager, his first date.

As a young man, moving out on his own.

Today, you are at Jay’s funeral.

How could this happen?

Your Jay, gone.

Today is a tough day.

One of many tough days that you will endure.

Maybe you have been asking, “why did this happen?”

I wish I could explain why Jay died so tragically and at such a young age..

This is a mystery that can’t be explained.

We are not meant to understand everything.

If we did, that would mean we are as wise as God.

None of us is God.

I can’t explain why this tragedy occurred but I do know this:

/When you lose a parent, you lose your past./

/When you lose a spouse, you lose your present…./

/But when you lose a child, you lose your future./

/A wife who loses her husband is called a widow./

/A husband who loses his wife is called a widower/

/A child who loses their parents is called an orphan/

/But there is no word for a parent who loses a child….That’s how awful the loss is./

As Christians we believe Romans 8:28 which says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

We believe God cares then we find ourselves in a situation where we think God has forgotten about us.

The question is how are you going to handle it now that you find yourself in this situation?

Are you angry at Jay, angry at yourself, angry at God? I want you to know that I think it is ok to be angry for a time at God. Job was angry at God.

He questioned God, but remember, even after his wife told him to, “Curse God and die.”

Job responded, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"

In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Are you going to allow your anger, and hurt to fester and push you away from friends, family and God? */Share my anger at Mr. Depner.

/*I want to read Luke 8:22-25.

One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake."

So they got into a boat and set out.

As they sailed, he fell asleep.

A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.

*“Where is your faith?"* he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this?

He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

During the boat trip Jesus fell asleep.

All of a sudden a squall came down on the lake.

A squall is defined as a sudden, violent gust of wind, often accompanied by rain, sleet or snow or a sudden disturbance or commotion.

This is eerily similar to what you are enduring today.

So, the sea was churning.

The boat was slippery so they could not hold on.

The disciples were being thrown against each other.

They couldn’t see because their hair was hanging in their eyes.

They wiped their eyes in an attempt to see what was happening.

Their clothes were heavy with water throwing off their balance.

*/Describe Fiji experience with high waves/.*

This was a frightening experience so the Disciples woke up Jesus saying, “Master, Master, we are going to drown.”

The Disciples were scared they were going to die.

Jesus then calmed the storm and asked a question, “Where is your faith?”

I ask you the same question.

Jesus expects us to put our faith to work in the most difficult situations.

We should refuse to panic because of our faith.

The boat was being swamped.

Their fear was real.

As believers we have something no one else possesses.

We have the promise that God is with us even when the storm we find ourselves in does not make sense.

Faith can proceed without answers.

We try so hard to piece together what happened Sunday night, and little by little some of those pieces are coming together.

And yet, there are a lot of answers that escape us.

We don't really know what happened in Tennessee, and certainly the answers to the bigger questions escape us: */Why/ *did it have to happen?

And how in the world can we make sense out of this?

There are no answers to those questions.

So what do you do when you don't have answers?

Do you tell God, “You'd better give me one good reason why this has happened.

And if you don't, I'm going to hold it against you.

I'll never trust you again."

No. Faith does something different.

Faith weeps... Faith grieves... Faith hurts...

But then faith goes on from there.

Faith remembers we don't have answers, but remembers that God said he is holy... Faith remembers that God said he is sovereign... Faith remembers that God said he is always trustworthy... Faith remembers that God said he cares for us... Faith remembers that God sent his Son, Jesus, to die for our salvation...

And faith remembers that that God the Son, Jesus, said he is the Resurrection and the life...

And Faith remembers that he said he will never desert us...

He will never forsake us.

He will never leave us.

And I believe that.

And so even though I don't have answers, I will trust him.

I know he is to be trusted, and I will go ahead trusting, even without answers.

That's what faith does.Faith accepts the fact that our life will include tough times, unhappy moments.

In Luke 8 the disciples were frightened.

They were in a storm that they wanted to end.

They cried out to Jesus to save them.

In Luke 9, you will read about these same Disciples being sent out as courageous and effective missionaries.

I think there is a connection between these two events.

God was busy at work in their lives in the midst of that storm.