Pentecost 4, June 20, 2021

Dawn and I just got back from spending a week and a half in the Pacific Northwest witnessing the epic power of two elemental forces the tamer versions of which we all encounter every day.  Wind and water.  We visited Puget Sound – that area around Seattle made up of islands formed by an ocean that invaded the land, the rocky Oregon coast with little mountains emerging from the waters, and the Columbia River Gorge where a mighty river cut through the mountains to carve out a riverbed deep and wide.  One common denominator in all these amazing, beautiful places is the incredible power of wind and water. 

Over time they can shape the geography, carving out deep gorges and creating an ever-changing coastline.  While the force of all this wind and water creates beautiful natural wonders – like waterfalls and rivers and islands and mountains – and makes homes for a diverse wildlife, it also reminds us that these forces can also kill and destroy!  The news provides painful reminders of this fact:  flooding, hurricanes, drownings.

Those who write stories and tell the tales of their histories often recognize the power of wind and water as forces that challenge humanity.  In much of ancient literature, we find a chaotic and turbulent sea impeding heroic journeys as in Homer’s Odyssey.  In modern times we have stories like Moby Dick and Horatio Hornblower that revolve around the threats that the storms and turbulences of the sea pose to safe passage.  These exciting tales tell of humanity’s battles against forces that are often too big to subdue.

In our Gospel today we find Jesus and his disciples facing the threats of wind and water as they journey out on the Sea of Galilee.  Of course, it didn’t start out that way – it never does! – but as they were out on the water “a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.“ At first Jesus seemed completely unconcerned about the storm.  He is asleep in the boat.  The Gospel of Mark even includes the detail about the comfy little cushion Jesus was napping on!  But the disciples are terrified!  Of course they are!  Normally they can navigate these occasional storms, but this one threated to overtake them.  Once Jesus wakes up to what is happening, he very calmly calms the sea.  And the disciples are relieved . . . for now.

For the disciples, the event represents at least one time when, thanks to Jesus, the winds and waves did not get the best of them.  “Not today, Sea of Galilee!” they were probably thinking!  “Nice try, but we’ve got Jesus in the boat.”  But what about the next time?  What happens if Jesus is NOT in the boat during the next storm.  Apparently, these squalls are common on the sea of Galilee.  What will the disciples do then?  Remembering what Jesus miraculously did for them on that fateful day will be little comfort if the same miracle doesn’t happen again!

There is more to this story than just a one-time miracle.  There is a greater comfort and a deeper love revealed here for us.  It’s about more than just wind and water submitting to the divine power of Jesus.

There’s no question we all need the peace Jesus brought to the stormy sea because storms in our life can be quite common as well.  But Jesus does not just show up in our lives to perform miracles when we need them. In fact, sometimes it may feel like Jesus is asleep on his little cushion while we are left to face these storms alone.  Yes, most of the time we have convinced ourselves that we can navigate on our own through manageable squalls.  But when we realize that these dangers can swamp our boats and even threaten to drown us, we can’t rely on just “once in a while” calming of the storms.  We need someone who will get us to the other side.  And that’s exactly what Jesus promises us.

We find this promise and comfort in the story before any of the action takes place out on sea.  The very first sentence that sets the scene for this story today reads like this, ³⁵On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”  See, even before they got into the boat, before the wind started picking up and the waves started lapping over the sides, Jesus had already invited them to the other side.  And he got them there.  He knew – and they probably knew as well – that between one side and the other there may be challenges and impediments.  But Jesus would see them through, and he who was there at the beginning of the passage, would be there at the end of the journey.

We are not promised occasional miracles or temporary peace.  God’s word promises that Jesus himself IS our peace.  He is the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end.  He is NOT just the “Occasional.”  And we have a commitment from Jesus to do more than just silence occasional storms.  He promises a deeper continual presence in our lives.  And the presence of Jesus can calm storms, yes.  But even more importantly, it also calms us.  The presence of Jesus can overcome wind and water, but even better than that, he can subdue our guilt and fears. The presence of Jesus makes us always hopeful for miracles, but it also helps us to trust him and rely on his love for us. From the beginning to the ending.  Even God seems silent or when the miracles don’t happen.

Before we face any troubles, before we even feel the hint in the air that something is coming and it might not be what we want or expect, before things slam into our lives to rock our world and dampen our hopes and dreams, there is Jesus – our Peace, our Comfort, our only Hope.  And he will get us to the other side.  THROUGH the storms.  Because between where we are now and where we want to be or where we end up, there will be challenges and impediments most of which are too big to handle on our own.  But we will never face these alone or with the outcome in doubt. 

When the storm hits – when the challenges to the journey get to be too much – when your peace is shattered by unexpected trouble – when it feels like no one cares and you worry that maybe even God doesn’t care – on that day, Jesus says to you, “Let us go across to the other side.”

Whatever is on your mind this day, whatever tragedy you are in the middle of or whatever tragedy you can imagine, today Jesus says, “My friend, my child:  Let us go across to the other side.  Together.  I have already given my life for you.  I have more to give.  And together we will weather whatever happens between here and there.  And together we will find our way to the other side – safe and sound.