Peace, Be Still
by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
Mark 4:35-41
June 21, 2015
Are you a worrier? Many people are, but should they be?
The experts say that only 2% of our "worrying time"
is spent on things that might actually be helped by worrying.
The other 98% of our "worrying time" can be divided up as follows:
40% is spent worrying about things that never happen.
35% is spent worrying about things that can not be changed.
15% is spent worrying about things that turn out better than expected.
8% is spent worrying about things that are so petty that they don’t matter at all.
The truth is, we do much better when we fill ourselves with faith rather than fear.
I never developed any skill at worrying,
because my Mom worried enough for the whole family.
Today I invite you consider an alternative to worry,
as we ponder a story about Jesus and a boat ride gone bad.
Please follow along on the screen as we hear from Mark 4:35-41
Scripture-Mark 4:35-41
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving
the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats
with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly
swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves,
Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples,
“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other,
“Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Prayer
Awesome and powerful God, how often have we found ourselves in the midst of storm,
wondering if we are even going to survive?
At times the world around us appears to be a dangerous place:
We read of fires, floods and earthquakes.
We hear of train derailments and serious accidents on the highway.
We are frightened by the thought of gunshots in the shopping mall.
Help us face the storms in our own lives by putting our trust in you. Amen.
Message
There is a well-known story told about John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement.
When John was six years old, his father’s house was burned with all its contents.
As the story goes, John’s father, Rev. Samuel Wesley,
awoke around midnight to a cry of “Fire” from across the street.
Samuel flung open his bedroom door and found his home filling with smoke.
He woke Susanna, his wife, and his two eldest daughters.
He then raced for the nursery where the family maid was sleeping with five younger children.
The maid grabbed the youngest child, Charles, and urged the others to follow her.
The three older children followed, but young John remained sound asleep.
Another child escaped through a small door that led to the garden.
It took a while for the family who gathered outside the house to realize only 7 of the 8 children
made it out of the house and that young John was still in the upstairs bedroom.
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Peace, Be Still
by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
Mark 4:35-41
June 21, 2015
His father ran to the stairs, but they were so nearly consumed they would not bear his weight.
Finally, so utterly in despair, he fell on his knees and commended John’s soul to God.
In the meantime John had climbed up on a chest and was calling from the bedroom window.
Some neighbors, seeing John and with no time to get a ladder,
one man was hoisted on the shoulders of another, and he was rescued.
A moment later the roof fell in, and the entire house collapsed.
In that moment, Samuel Wesley cried out:
“Come neighbors, let us kneel down; let us give thanks to God.
He has given me all my eight children; let the house go, I am rich enough.”
John’s father could have chosen to worry and depair
when he discovered John was still in the burning house, but he didn’t.
Instead, he chose to trust God for whatever the outcome.
Fortunately for John, he was rescued in time, but Rev. Wesley was prepared
to trust God regaredless of the outcome!
If there is one thing we can learn from the story in today’s Scripture,
it is that the storms of life will come,
and those storms do not mean that God does not love you or that God is angry with you.
Jesus, God’s own Son, faced the challenge of a violent storm at sea in a small fishing boat,
yet he remained calm enough to sleep through the storm until the disciples woke him.
How calm are you in the midst of the storms of your life?
Maybe you are not out in boat when your storm comes.
Perhaps you are waiting for your doctor to call with your test results.
Maybe you are trying to decide whether to spend the last of your money
on rent or food or to refill your prescriptions.
Maybe you are trying to understand why your newborn daughter
did not survive the heart surgery that was supposed to save her.
Your storms may not be as life-altering as these,
but we all must understand that we live in material world where storms are inevitable.
So, knowing that the storms will come, if not today then someday,
how are we to live?
In August 1992, a TV news camera crew was on assignment in southern Florida
filming the widespread destruction of the Category 5 storm, Hurricane Andrew.
The camera panned the area where, amid the devastation and debris,
one lone house was still standing on its foundation.
The owner was cleaning up the yard when a reporter approached him and said,
“Sir, why is your house the only one still standing?
How did you manage to escape the severe damage of the hurricane?”
The man replied, “I built this house myself, built it according to the Florida state building code.
When the code called for 2x6 roof trusses, I used 2x6 roof trusses.
I was told that a house built according to code could withstand a hurricane.
I did, and it did. It could be that no one else around here followed the code.”
This was a man who understood that storms were coming.
It was nothing personal; it had nothing to do with him.
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Peace, Be Still
by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
Mark 4:35-41
June 21, 2015
Instead, it was about the area in which he lived and the nature of storms.
But, knowing that storms will come, this man did what he could to prepare for them.
He could have chosen to worry every time a storm came around,
but instead he chose to do what he could to be prepared for the time
when a terrible storm would come his way.
Instead of worrying about something he could neither control nor change,
he focused on the things he could control and change
This homeowner was very fortunate that his home survived the force of Hurricane Andrew,
when so many other homes did not.
And, he was very grateful that he had done everything he could to make his home storm-worthy.
Today’s Scripture reminds us that the storms will always come.
We can and should do what we can to prepare for the storms that will challenge us.
However, the truth is there will always be things we can neither control nor change,
No matter how well we plan and prepare for the storms,
we will sometimes still be overwhelmed by them
In those most difficult of times, we need to remember that Jesus is with us in the storm.
The problem for the disciples in today’s story was that he was with them, but he was asleep.
Maybe sometimes you might begin to think that Jesus is asleep when you need him.
Maybe he isn’t really asleep, but you just think he is.
In the case of today’s story, Jesus might have been sleeping because he was totally exhausted
from ministering to the crowds, or
He may have been sleeping because he was totally at peace,
knowing who he was and who his Father was.
In either case, when his disciples called on him, Jesus immediately calmed the storm.
Eleven years ago, just before I came to be your pastor here in Tiffin,
I was in the midst of a storm.
As I was preparing to be ordained, my husband, Kim, was hospitalized with pneumonia,
and ended up on a ventilator at the VA Medical Center in Des Moines.
My parents were scheduled to fly to Iowa from Florida to attend my ordination,
but instead my mother entered hospice care, and died two days later.
So, in the middle of packing up our entire household to move to Tiffin to begin a new pastorate,
I flew to Orlando with our two sons, while Kim remained in the intensive care unit.
When it comes to storms, that time was a tsunami for me.
Have no doubt, never doubt that the storms will come.
Sometimes unexpectedly, sometimes with more warning than we can bear,
the storms will come.
The one good thing I can tell you about my tsunami experience is that
it is only in the storm that we truly understand who God is
Every storm we encounter reminds us that the God who created all things,
remains in control of all things.
We become fearful when the storms of life howl and the waves threaten us
because we think we are in control.
We think we can save ourselves.
We think we can fix the problem on our own.
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Peace, Be Still
by Beverly Marshall-Goodell
Mark 4:35-41
June 21, 2015
We think we have all the answers.
We think it all hangs on us.
We keep one hand on the rudder, just in case God doesn’t know where he is going.
The good news is we are not in control!
This story doesn’t say that if we have Jesus in the boat with us, our lives won’t get rocked.
It doesn’t mean that being in relationship with Jesus promises us perfect health,
a satisfying marriage, a successful career, or a life without cares.
Even as Christians, we are still subject to all the same adversities of the human condition
which others experience.
The message we need to take from this story is that when the storms of life threaten us
we have someone to call on.
We have someone who will help us carry the load.
That someone is Jesus Christ.
Some of us came here today with a storm raging in our life.
Others come knowing friends or loved ones who have a storm raging,
whether that be a health problem, a marital problem, an addiction problem
or even the storm of an imminent death.
We must remember that we are in the same boat with Jesus.
Jesus calls us to hear his words, "Peace! Be still.”
He asks us to not only hear these words, but believe them as well.
Prayer
Holy One, we want to trust you in all things, but it is hard.
When the fear ans suffering are real, we want someone to blame.
Help us accept that storms are a part of life,
and lead us to trust in your presence and love. Amen.
Benediction
When Jesus calmed the storm at sea, he revealed to his followers an important truth:
He is with us even in the storms of life.
May we go forth this day claiming that truth, and living into it. Amen.
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