“When the Storms of Life Are Raging”
Text:
Thesis:
Mark 4:35-41
Storms are a part of life. The good news is that Jesus is with us through
the storms trusting us to use our abilities but able to bring calm when
needed.
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.
When the world is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea;
Thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me.
Jesus has just finished a long day of teaching. He taught a number of
parables/stories to the crowd – about a sower of seed, a lamp under a basket, seed
growing in a field, and the growth of a mustard seed. Then he explained to his
disciples why he used parables and what they meant. It’s been a full day and all
Jesus needs is rest.
So, he gets into a boat with his closest disciples and sets off across the Sea of Galilee.
Immediately he falls asleep on a seat in the back of the boat. The wind picks up until
it’s a full-fledged storm. There’s nothing really unusual about this. Storms come up
quickly on this sea which is set in a deep gorge between two mountain ranges. And,
four of the disciples – Peter, Andrew, James, and John are experienced fisherman.
They’ve sailed through their share of storms. But this is a little different.
Jesus continues to sleep, trusting his disciples. He did his part during the day –
preaching and teaching. Now it’s their turn. But the boat is taking on water and
they’re in danger of capsizing. So, some of the disciples – probably not the fishermen
who are trying desperately to keep the boat afloat – but some of the disciples wake
Jesus with a desperate question, “Don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” And
you know the rest of the story. Jesus calms the wind and the waves. And he
challenges them with the questions – “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no
faith?”
“Don’t you care?” That’s pretty direct and pretty honest. When we’re in a crisis,
that’s often one of our questions. Why are you sleeping? Aren’t we in this together?
Don’t you care that my life is threatened? Can’t you see that my faith might not
survive?
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.
When the world is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea;
Thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me.
Craig Loscalzo tells the story of a couple whose storm was the death of a child. “One
moment they were flying as high as any couple could...The couple had so desperately
wanted to have a family, and had been so full of excitement when they found out that
they were going to have another child. The day Karen was born was special; now
they had a son and a daughter. Her skin was so soft and smooth to the touch. With
rosy red cheeks and beautiful deep blue eyes, she seemed so full of life that the
parents could hardly believe their ears when the doctor came and said to them,
‘Unless Karen is given a blood transfusion immediately, she will not live.’
“...They consented to go ahead with the transfusion. Then again, they were unable to
believe their ears when the doctor came and said, ‘I’m sorry, we’ve done all we can
do.’ Shortly after that, Karen died. Her mother in anger, rage and frustration cried
out, ‘Where is God when you need him?’”
We might ask, don’t you care?
“[Karen’s mother] sat there, feeling that life was all over. Then she thought back four
years earlier to another crisis. She and her husband had been married for six years,
and they desperately wanted children. They were told they would probably not have
any because she had RH-negative blood, but in the darkness of that prognosis she
found out she was pregnant. She gave birth to a son.
“In this moment of darkness, having just found out that Karen had died, the mother
thought back on how God had been with her and her husband four years earlier,
and though she couldn’t feel his presence right then, though he seemed to be asleep
right then, she realized that he was still there. The storm would soon be over. She
said she never could have made it through that difficult time had it not been for her
faith in God.
“So having faith while in a sinking boat with a sleeping Jesus is not easy, but I know it
is possible. Because I saw my mother weather the storm over the death of my baby
sister, Karen; because she knew that God, who had been there before, was still there.”
[from sermon “What Do You Do When You Find Jesus Asleep?”, 1992]
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.
When the storms of life are raging, stand by me.
When the world is tossing me, like a ship upon the sea;
Thou who rulest wind and water, stand by me.
Every one of us here has been battered by the storms of life. One of the common
mythologies of our times is that if we just live right, we will not have any problems
(especially if we’re Christians). There are no storms. There are no surprises.
There is sunshine every day. But this is not true – life is not like that. It never has
been and never will be. Life is difficult – there is uncertainty. There are sudden
violent storms that almost wipe us out. Most of us do not get very far before we find
ourselves in a situation that is beyond our power to handle. If Jesus is not in the boat
with us, we are lost. Deep down we know that major storms and tragedies are
inescapable. We do not survive the storms of life alone.
This morning we will baptize Jacob Dunmire. You know the story of Jacob and his
family. In the midst of their tribulations, it would be easy to ask, “God don’t you care?”
But God does care. Jesus is present in the boat. We do all that we can. Amanda
and Sam and Alex have adjusted their lives to Jacob’s needs. And we have provided
and will continue to provide support. So, when the storm gets to be too much, look to
Jesus for calm – for the peace which passes all understanding. What a joy that we
can finally name what we have known all along – that Jacob is a beloved child of God.
Charles Albert Tindley was born in 1851 to a slave father and a free mother. He grew
up among slaves. But, after the Civil War, he moved to freedom in Philadelphia. He
became janitor of a Methodist church – a job with no salary. Charles felt a call to
preach, but had no education and couldn’t afford one. So he coaxed a local rabbi into
tutoring him. Then he enrolled in correspondence courses and did so well that he got
a license to preach. It qualified him to be appointed by the Methodist bishop to serve
churches.
Eventually he was appointed to the church where he was the janitor, and grew it to
10,000 members – one of the largest churches in the US, a mega-church before
mega-churches , and a multi-racial mega-church at that. Charles Tindley also wrote
music – one of the first gospel writers. One of his songs tells about his struggles in
the storm. It goes by the name of “Stand By Me.” It’s a testament to a faith that can
trust God in the midst of whatever weather life brings.
In the midst of tribulation, stand by me.
In the midst of tribulation, stand by me.
When the hosts of hell assail, and my strength begins to fail,
Thou who never lost a battle, stand by me.
Whatever the weather of life that we face, we can make it because we have a Savior
who will “Stand by me.” Amen