How many of you have ever read Kipling’s “Captains Courageous” or saw the great movie with Spencer Tracy, and Lionel Barrymore?
How many of you ever read the book or saw the movie: The Perfect Storm?
Now who knows what historic town is at the center of both of those stories?
Both these books and movies centered on the little fishing village of Gloucester, Massachusetts, famous as the oldest working fishing town in the USA.
There, in Gloucester is a famous monument. It is a bronze figure of a fisherman at the helm of his ship garbed in wet weather gear and obviously in a storm. On the base of this monument are the words from psalm 107; 23:
“Some went down to the sea in ships and plied their trade in deep waters.”
It is a monument to all the Gloucester fishermen who have lost their lives at sea. It might also be seen as a subtle warning to its viewers that ultimately we are not in control of our lives. Something Gloucester fishermen understand.
We hear this morning an account of fishermen. The disciples have just pushed off shore in a boat with Jesus.
Soon after they get out into the lake, a strong wind rushes down out of the mountains that surround the lake and stirs the surface into boiling white caps that threaten to swamp the boat: A perfect storm.
They are doing all they can and still it is not enough. As their last recourse, filled with fear and desperation, they awaken Jesus with the accusation: “Teacher – don’t you care if we drown?”
Now Jesus could have said: “I’m no fisherman—you got yourselves into this, now you can get yourself out”. Or he might have asked a much more interesting question that really goes to the heart of the issue: “What do you want me to do about this! Do you think I’m God?
But, he didn’t. He rebuked the weather – literally telling it to “shut up”! And he got them out of their situation.
But it’s then Jesus turns to them and asks them those piercing questions: “Why are you afraid – where is your faith?
Ouch! If you were in that boat-wouldn’t you feel that?
They knew Jesus. They had been with him. They knew he cared for them and their situation. And they knew he had the power to do something about it. But to those disciples, their life predicament appeared bigger than Jesus.
Aren’t those disciples so like us!
How many times in our live, in the midst of our storms, might Jesus have said those very words to us? Why are you afraid? Where is your faith?
Don’t we deal with the storms of life sometimes as if we believe that we are on our own, that Jesus doesn’t care, or he can’t or won’t do anything about our situation?
We head out on the sea of life, full of expectation. We grasp the helm of our lives believing that we are in full control. We graduated cum laude, or cum lucky-for me. We have our great job, great health, married to the perfect wife, have the perfect kids, smooth sailing ahead.
And then the storms of life come up, as inevitably they will. We lose our job, our spouse is diagnosed with cancer. One of our kids dies: Painful, tragic, life shaking storms.
Consider the storms going on in so many people’s lives today in Charleston, South Carolina.
We use all our energy and skills. The storm rages, the rigging falls, our boat fills, and when all else fails then we turn to Jesus in fear and desperation crying: “Jesus don’t you care if we drown?”
Maybe it is just an American thing, but we somehow believe that we are supposed to be able to handle every situation ourselves – with our skills – in our time and in our way! And make it right.
We don’t like ultimately being dependent on another for help— even God.
But some storms of life are beyond us—and when we realize we are out of control we become fearful – afraid that if we are not in control that therefore God is not in control!
That is where fear trumps faith! Realizing we are not in control – and doubting that God is!
So how do we keep fear from overwhelming our faith?
First we might ask how well do we know Jesus? Is he along just for the ride? Or have we a deeper relationship with him.
That seems to be at the heart of the problem given their response: Who is this man that even the wind and the seas obey him?
If the apostles had spent more time with him, might they have known him better? Would they have responded the same way?
If we spend time with him in prayer, in worship, and reading his word, we would know who he is. That he is our God, our Lord. That he loves us and is always with us as our coach, captain and friend.
When we make decisions, we would first inquire of him – because we know who he is, we want him at the helm of our life -the captain of our ship. That is what it means to have Jesus as Lord.
If we don’t know him well, unfortunately we normally leave him sleeping in the rear of our boat –until we get desperate.
And we should ask–where is our boat heading? What is our destination in life? Is it only for this world I’m concerned, or is there an eternal component? Am I going ultimately where God wants me to go, or where I want to go?
Are my goals in life Godly–biblical? Are they holy? Are my goals, Jesus’ goals?
Are we seeking to know Gods direction, his will, in our life?—or seeking his blessing on what we want.
Jesus is either Lord or he isn’t. He either has sway in our lives or he doesn’t. We can invite him into our boat either as a passenger along for the ride, or as captain
We can only put away our anxiety and fear if we know Jesus and trust him and are assured that he has our best interests at heart – it is an eternal interest he has so it is not focused primarily on how easy or pleasurable life is in the here and now.
Life is not easy – there are terrible storms that come up and surprise us and threaten to swamp us.
But we don’t have to face it in fear. If we accept his grace, Lordship and leadership – and we rest in our trust of him and his plans then we can weather the storm of life – battered probably; wet and exhausted maybe – but getting to our journey’s end knowing that Jesus loves us and cares for us and is with us.
There was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son.
At the very height of his financial and professional success, he and his wife suffered the tragic loss of their young son. Shortly thereafter on October 8, 1871, the great Chicago fire destroyed almost every real estate investment that he had.
In 1873, he scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to give his wife and daughters a much needed vacation and time to recover from the tragedy.
He sent his wife and daughters ahead of him while he remained in Chicago to take care of some unexpected last minute business. Several days later he received notice that his family’s ship had collided with another ship and sunk. All four of his daughters drowned; only his wife had survived.
With a heavy heart, he boarded a boat that would take him to his grieving wife in England.
It was on this trip, in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, passing over the very area that claimed his daughters, that Horatio Spofford composed a hymn.
He wrote:
“When peace like a river attendeth my way
when sorrows like sea billows roll
whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say
it is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control,
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and hath shed his own blood for my soul
it is well, it is well with my soul.”
In a letter to his sister a few days later he wrote:
“On Thursday last we passed over the spot where she went down in mid-ocean, the water three miles deep. But I do not think of our dear ones there. They are safe, folded, the dear lambs, and there, before very long, shall we be too. In the meantime, thanks to God, we have an opportunity to serve and praise him for his love and mercy to us and ours. I will praise him while I have my being. May we each one arise, leave all, and follow him.””
We can face the storms of life if we know Jesus is Lord of our lives and the captain of our ship and trust he will bring us safely to our journey’s end.
Sermon preached by the Rev. Richard C. Marsden
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota, Florida
4th Sunday of Pentecost
21 June 2015