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IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS: CALMING THE STORM

By Nancy S. Cushman

Luke 8:22-25

March 6, 2016 North Scottsdale UMC

SETTING THE CONTEXT

Our Scripture today is the first of four stories where Jesus performs wonders. These wonders point to who he is for they are things that only God can do. The story takes place on the Sea of Galilee. Let’s get it a sense of the place before we read our story.

Watch film clip from The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus. Session 4 “Calming the Storm” 4:12-start at “So we on a fishing boat” - 4:39 after “not during the daytime, they fish at night.”[i]

Read Luke 8:22-25

THE SERMON

We all know what it feels like to get caught in a storm, don’t we? We don’t have too many rainstorms here in Arizona, but we know other kinds of storms, don’t we? We’ve had phone calls that became a “before” and an “after.” Before things were moving along normally, after a diagnosis, a death, a job transfer everything changes and the calm waters become raging waters.

Following our story today, Jesus and the disciples land on the other side of the lake where Jesus heals Legion. When the Bible talks about crossing over the Sea of Galilee, it is referring to more than moving from one location to another, the west side of the Galilee was the Jewish side and the east side was the Gentile side. The two sides rarely mixed. Legion, was most likely a Gentile, who was tormented by a legion of demons. After healing Legion, Jesus crossed back over and when he returned home he healed a hemorrhaging woman and raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead. The stories address the question the disciples asked, “who is this?” In these four stories we see Jesus do things reserved only for God – controlling the natural world, casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead. He is Emmanual, “God with us.”

The four deeds of wonder were directed toward different groups of people. In the story of Legion, Jesus ministered to a Gentile, an outsider both culturally and by virtue of his condition. In the story of the hemorrhaging woman, he healed a woman who reached out to him. This woman was culturally his neighbor, but she would have been shunned from the community because of her disease. She was unclean. He raised Jarius’ daughter, he ministered to a religious leader who was probably well respected and well to do. And in our story he ministered to his disciples. Jesus is Emmanuel – “God with us;” “us” includes Gentiles, Jews, the demon-possessed, the unclean, women, the upper class and his followers. “Us” includes all.

The passage we read today is one of the rare times in Luke’s Gospel where the disciples are the beneficiaries of Jesus’ power. Usually the disciples are presented as observing Jesus minister to others or they join him in serving others. I think this set of stories makes an important point; scholar Fred Craddock put it well, “The usual posture of the church is serving others in the name of Jesus, but the church also is the recipient of Christ’s ministering presence.”[ii] I think of it in terms of in-reach and out-reach; as Jesus’ disciples we do a lot of outreach serving people outside our church in the spirit of Jesus and there are times we do in-reach providing his healing support to people within the church. It is both/ and, not either/or.

A psychology professor did an experiment in pain tolerance. One of the things he learned through the experiment was that the presence of another person in the room almost doubled the time a person was able to tolerate pain.[iii] It supports that old adage “a burden shared is halved, a joy shared is doubled.” Our story today reminds us that Jesus is in the boat.

This morning we baptized baby Madison. We saw the waters in a totally different light, didn’t we? This water is life-giving. In her baptism, her parents promised to raise her to know Jesus and we promised to surround them all with a Christ-like community. If we are faithful to those promises, she will know that Jesus is with her whether she is drawing from his living water or receiving his comfort in the midst of raging storms.

As Jesus’ hands and feet in this world, as members of the covenant community, we commit to climbing into the boat with each other as well. Sometimes though we feel like we ought to stop the storm and when we can’t, we step back. When people need us the most, our fear of inadequacy pushes us to stay on the shoreline. Maybe we can’t stop the storm, but we can stay in the boat en-couraging the one in the storm. The word en-courage means to literally wrap in courage. Let’s not underestimate the importance of being present and showing our love and the love of Christ to each other.

I was thinking about our in-reach ministries this week, the ways we comfort each other during times of stormy seas.

Our Needle Arts group knits prayer shawls that Pastor David and I give to people. The shawls are knitted with love and prayer and become a tangible reminder to the person that they are loved and wrapped in our prayers.

The card ministry makes hand-made cards once a month and sends them to people in the congregation. Sometimes they are sent to encourage someone, sometimes they are sent to celebrate a joy with someone.

We have an email prayer chain that shares people’s prayer requests immediately with members of the chain.

We have volunteers who organize providing meals for people in times of difficulty.

Members of our Membership Committee call people we notice have been missing church.

I know many of you also send cards, texts and emails on your own. Many of you visit people in the hospital, call people you notice have been missing, offer your support, I call that congregational care. Pastor David and I add in pastoral counselling and care. If you would like to get involved in any of our caring ministries or to find out about others, please contact the church office or check out our ministry groups on our website at http://www.nsumc.com/ministry-groups.html. These are ways we reflect Christ by getting in the boat when the storms are raging.

The hard truth is that being a Christian does not prevent the storms of life. Things that make us afraid happen. As scholar Michael Lindvall said, “As we grow in faith, we come to understand that even though such fearsome things are very real, they do not have the last word. They do not have ultimate power over us, because reigning over this world of fearsome things is a God who is mightier than they.”[iv] As we go through the raging storms, Christ calls us to trust in him. I have spoken often of my friend’s wisdom that we have a foot of faith and a foot of fear and we choose which will take the lead. Our story today reminds us that Jesus is in the boat with us through whatever storm is raging. He is “God with us” calling us to lead with the foot of faith and trust in him. Inviting us to encourage each other.

Let us pray for all those facing a storm:

O God, you are a sure Presence in times of trouble. Some of us feel like the disciples who were caught in their tiny boat in the midst of a mighty storm; we come together to seek your help and comfort. Grant those who are afraid your compassion, comfort them as only you know how, and use our hands to show your care. Healing Christ, keep us aware of your presence, strengthen us with your power, comfort us with your protection, and give us your peace that passes all understanding. Help us all to place our trust in you. Amen.

[i] Adam Hamilton. The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus DVD. Session 2. “The Healing Ministry.”

[ii] Fred B. Craddock, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Luke (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1990) p. 115.

[iii] Kushner, Harold S. The Lord is My Shepherd: Healing Wisdom of the Twenty-third Psalm. Alfred A. Knopf: 2003, p. 106-107.

[iv] Michael L. Lindvall. “Mark 4:35-41 Pastoral Perspective” Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary Year B Vol. 3. David L. Bartlett & Barbara Brown Taylor, general eds. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009) p. 166.