In the Boat Together

In ancient Israel, the sea was most always a symbol for primordial chaos,
and here in our two passages, the sea stands against humankind, a symbol of
the chaos of the world.  In our passage in Job, God challenges Job by asking
who bounds the sea and sets its limits, really reminding Job to trust God.
Jesus does the same in our Gospel lesson.  If the sea symbolizes chaos, then
what does the disciple's boat signify?  Among other things, the disciple's
boat is a symbol of our response to the world of chaos.  And when the storm
hits, as it always does, the disciples in the boat forget all they have
learned with Jesus.  They fall apart and panic, crying out that the chaos
that overwhelmed Job is now overwhelming them.

Will you join me in prayer?  "God, who created the sea from the primordial
chaos, be with us in our little boat today.  The chaos of the world seems to
overtake us, but you are always with us.  Be our guide, our counsel and our
captain.  Guide our little boat when we have lost our way and focus on the
storm instead of focusing on you.  Amen."

If you asked any first century person in ancient Israel about the sea, they
would respond that it was wild, untamable, and always dangerous.  Even more
than the desert wilderness, the sea represented the mythological pandemonium
that always seems to be right outside humanity's door.  If not for our
sociological constructs, the true wildness of the world would sweep us all
away.  The sea was only held within its destructive bounds by the creative
will of God, these ancients thought.  In our passage from Job, God reflects
that the sea is also the womb of life, a new reflection that life can indeed
come from chaos.  But the startling image of the proud waves reminds us that
the chaos of the world is always ready to engulf us.  If we step from our
little boat, we are awash in the chaos of loss and death.

Of course, our parable from Mark expands on this vision of the sea as chaos,
and recognizes the ebb and flow of chaos.  There comes a time when we all
panic, when the turmoil of the world seems to engulf us, and we cry out in
terror.  Even the disciples, four of whom were experienced sailors, are
frightened by this storm.  But the question posed by the disciples leads us
in a new direction very quickly.  Instead of saying, "Save us" like in this
parable in Matthew and Luke, Mark's disciples instead say, "Teacher, do you
not care that we are perishing?"  They ask, "Do you care about us, Jesus?" 

What do you think about the disciple's question?  "God, do you care about
us?"  Isn't this the fundamental question of every relationship?  Here,
early in Mark's story, the disciples are asking the fundamental question
that undergirds every relationship-do you care about me?  Do you care about
me, Jesus?  And Jesus responds first by saving action, and then by asking
two questions.  First, Jesus asks, "Why are you afraid?" and second, "Have
you still no faith?  The Greek word here is pistis, and can be better
translated trust.  Jesus asks, "Why don't you trust God to do what God
promised to do-God promises to always love you!"

Jesus' question about being afraid is really the foundational question for
humanity.  Are you afraid?  The answer, of course, is yes, we are.  As
humans, we are afraid of pain, we are afraid of suffering, we are afraid of
hunger, and we are afraid of death.  The primordial human condition is
fear-and we spend our lives trying to make these foundational fears go away.
Jesus' second question is the response to fear that Jesus offered in his
ministry.  Jesus taught the disciples that the antidote to our human fear is
trust in God's love.  Trust that God cares for us and loves us and will
always be with us in every storm.  Jesus does not promise that the storms
will cease-but he asks the disciples why they have lost their trust in God.
Well, the answer is simple-the disciple's trust was still new and growing.
Their fear displaced their trust in God.  We all have trust that things will
be OK when the weather is fair and the seas are calm.  But come a storm, and
we fly into a panic that all will soon be lost.

So this parable asks us a question.  What is the real miracle here?  Is the
miracle the stilling of a storm?  Storms come and go-just like on Friday
when the storm thundered and blew in and left as quickly as it arrived.  For
me, the miracle is not that storms come and go, but rather, the miracle is
that God loves us, in good times and bad.  God loves us.  Or, more
personally, God loves you.  Here then, is the real miracle: Instead of being
afraid, God will always be with us!  Jesus trusted God, that is, Jesus had
faith that God would watch over him, whether walking through shadowy valleys
or through stormy seas.  In the midst of this huge storm, Jesus sleeps
peacefully in the boat while the disciples scream, "How can you sleep?  We
are afraid!"  When we panic in life, we scream at God to wake up and save us
from our mess.  But Jesus simply responds, "Don't be afraid.  Trust that God
will always love and be with you."  That's the Gospel miracle.

The image of the chaotic sea is an important image for the next four
chapters in Mark, and then as soon as Peter confesses that Jesus is the
Messiah, the sea, that is the chaotic world, immediately fades from the
scene.  Mark's Gospel asks repeatedly, "Who is Jesus?"  Here, Mark attends
to the age-old worry that God does not care about us when things go badly.
Mark also uses this story to remind us that doubts emerge when we are in
crises, so, this story pointedly asks us, 'How do you respond to crises?"
What happens when chaos touches your life?  Do you panic and scream, "God,
do you care?" or do you respond trusting that God will walk with you amidst
the chaos?  We must prepare in calm for when the storm comes. 

What storm is threatening to sweep you away right now?  Illness?  Loss of
your job?  A mortgage that is overdue?  A broken family?  Elderly parents
who are becoming dependant on you?  A wayward child; fear of being alone?
All of these are horrific storms, with real destructive winds and waves that
threaten to swamp our lives right now.  We are in the midst of a
sociological storm of huge proportions, uprooting everything that we once
thought was solid foundation.

But, no matter who you are, no matter which storm in life threatens you,
Jesus says, "Do not be afraid.  Trust God."  In every storm, Jesus asks us
to set our fear aside, trusting in God's unconditional love for us.  The
chaos of life may overwhelm us, but God promises to always love us, walking
with us every step of the way.  We are all in this boat together.  If you
need help, reach out to one of us.  Pour out your soul, grab for help as a
life saver ring, and we will remind one another that God is with us-we can
trust that God will always accompany us.  Reach for help and we will reach
back to you-this is the real meaning of community as we remind one another
that God is with us even if it doesn't feel like it.  Just like the
disciples, we are in this boat together, and the storm is gathering, and
when the storm comes, we will help one another remember Jesus' message: (1)
Don't be afraid, and (2) Trust God!

God reminded Job that he needed to trust God.  Jesus reminded the disciples
that they need not fear anything, showing them that trust in God would save
them from panic in their little boat.  What is God requiring of us?, in our
little boat here at Spring Glen Church?  Learn this now in the quiet time,
so you can remember it when the storm approaches.  This is the Gospel-the
good news:  Love God with all of your being.  Love one another as
yourselves, and do not be afraid.  Trust that God will be with us no matter
what.  And then, our trust in God will miraculously rebuke the wind, and say
to the chaos, "Peace!  Be still."  And God will be with us, in this little
boat together, until the end of time.  Amen.