Calm in the Storm
June 23, 2024 Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church
Psalm 107:23-32 Mark 4:35-41
“The Calm in the Storm”
Melissa K. Smith
Off the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, just northwest of Los Angeles is a beach that is very special to me. It’s my Sanctuary beach. It is a less popular beach that is between two popular beaches, but it is hard to get to. For most of the beaches in Malibu you can park on the side of the highway and walk to the beach, or you can park in their parking lot and immediately access the beach…but not this one. This one is a hike away. It requires you to drive down a hill, park in the lot, and then hike down overgrown trails until you reach the beach. As you step on the beach you are met with a pile of rocks to climb over – and then you are on the sand and on the rocky shore of a beautiful beach. Every time I have gone it has been nearly empty. But every time I have gone to that beach, I have encountered the Lord in beautiful ways.
A year ago, my husband Landen and I found ourselves heading to what I call “Sanctuary Beach”. We were in Los Angeles to celebrate my grandmother’s life, I had just made the difficult decision to step away from my first call, and we found ourselves in the throes of a storm we never could have predicted. We were overwhelmed and felt like the waves of disappointment, the waves of chaos, and the waves of betrayal just would not stop pounding us. So, we went to Sanctuary Beach. We woke up early that morning and drove to the beach – it was dark, cold, and misty – not your typical Los Angeles weather. The water had receded through the night, so we were able to sit on a sandbank surrounded by rocks that usually find themselves underwater – we were in good company with creatures and items that too felt drowned. We brought our Bible and one of our devotionals. And we prayed. Together we prayed that we would experience God’s peace in the midst of the storm.
It was at that moment that we saw the water stop. The waves were no longer moving, the wind was stilled…it stopped. We experienced God calming the sea showing us that he was present in our storm.
In our scripture reading this morning we see the disciples caught in a storm they did not expect, and they are panicking. Jesus’s ministry was gaining popularity – at this point in the gospel Jesus has healed many and taught more. Crowds of people were following him wanting to experience him and learn more about him. His ministry has primarily been in Jerusalem but now he has decided to take his ministry out: it is time to step out of a predominantly Jewish section of Galilee and cross into Gentile land. As far as the disciples know – they are navigating into uncharted territory in more ways than one. So off they went – stepping out of the crowd and into a boat.
Many of the disciples are fishermen – they have spent most of their lives on boats. Simon, Andrew, James, and John were all called by Jesus while they were fishing. They know the sea well – they know this sea well. But as fishermen they also would know that the sea is unpredictable…especially at night.
Growing up in California, I never understood how a storm can just “start” – but now being in Missouri for a few years…it isn’t as shocking. So, as we often have experienced, a storm came rapidly. The passage says, “A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.” Beyond the language, we know this storm was big because it panicked experienced fishermen. And as the storm is raging, Jesus is sleeping. The disciples’ first reaction was fear, and their next was frustration.
Who can sleep through a storm? And the question that the disciples ask Jesus has always felt deeply piercing because I too am guilty of having asked it, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Do you not care that I am suffering? Do you not care that I am scared? Do you not care about my situation? Are you awake? Are you there?
The sermon I would have written before experiencing God’s calming of the sea would have been different than what I am delivering now. I would have focused on the disciples’ reaction and encouraged you to turn toward Christ with your worries and fears. The fact that we have a God who invites us to turn towards him is incredible. And I deeply cherish the gift of lament.
But now I read this passage in a new light. I don’t see Jesus’s sleeping as a form of neglect for his disciples or as a way of ignoring them. I see our Lord sleeping at the stern – at the place that steers the ship. I see Jesus in a position of confidence over the control he has, and I see Jesus preparing to do a big thing. This is the first of many voyages across the sea, and in the Gospel of Mark, each time they cross the sea, healing happens.
I invite you to look at this passage with me in a new light – one that sees the boat from the lessons of the calm sea and the promise of God as our firm foundation. Jesus invites his disciples – the original twelve and all of us – to get into the boat. He says, “Let us go across to the other side.” Jesus is preparing to take the Gospel to the Gentiles – it is a major shift in Mark’s Gospel and a major shift in Jesus’ ministry. It is not what the disciples were expecting, but they got into the boat. However, this is not a narrative about the Gentiles – who is in the boat facing this storm? The disciples. Mark is showing us that the disciples also need salvation. We need salvation too. We follow Jesus, but we still face storms. Each storm serves as an opportunity to assess our relationship with Jesus and to see if our faith is bigger than our fear.
When you are faced with questions about your discipleship – about your willingness to follow Jesus – you are essentially being asked, “Are you going to get into the boat?” As our passage shows us, discipleship…it isn’t a cruise ship. Often it resembles this boat that is caught in a storm. It does not guarantee a comfortable journey or a comfortable life. It does not guarantee that we will know what comes next. But it does guarantee that Jesus is steering the path. Mark was careful to note in his gospel that Jesus was asleep in the stern. He was asleep in the place that controls the direction of the boat. Even when we are scared, do we trust the one in control?
The disciples abruptly woke Jesus up and the text says, “He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Who then is this? This is Jesus Christ – the son of God who is fully God, fully human. He’s human – he’s asleep. But he is divine, he is God – the wind and the sea – they obey him. Jesus calms the storm. He is bigger than the storm and he can calm the storms in our lives. It means there will be storms. And we don’t know when we will experience the calm or how we will experience it. But who is this that even the wind and sea obey him? It is Jesus the Christ – the anointed son of God who came into this world to save this world.
Calm can be disorienting. After the chaos of the storm, the calm can be deafeningly quiet.
Psalm 107 beautifully demonstrates what life in the calm of the storm looks like. It begins in praise – “O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever.” And then the psalmist recounts a journey through the desert. They were hungry and thirsty, they cried out to God and God delivered them. As Peter read for us today – the psalmist writes of a storm and God calmed the storm, he calmed the sea. The psalmist proclaims, “Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.” When you are in the storm – or navigating through a desert like our ancestors did for forty years – turn to the Lord. When the Lord delivers you, when he brings peace and calm, praise the Lord. Thank the Lord. Continue to turn toward the Lord.
When Landen and I were on the beach and God calmed the sea, we praised him. Our personal storm was still swirling, but we were reminded of God’s sovereignty over all and his power over the storms. And we held on to that. We found deep hope in that. Perhaps you find yourself in the midst of a storm – or maybe you know of someone who is caught in a storm. We must proclaim the gospel – we must remind our brothers and sisters that our God is a God who can calm the seas. Our God is a God who saves us. He is not sleeping and ignoring our concern. He’s at the stern of our ship, ready to lead. To live a life in the calm we must turn to one another, be willing to step into the storms of each other’s lives and remind one another that God is in control, that God can calm the sea, and that God is faithful.
When we step into the boat of discipleship, we are not guaranteed calm seas. It’s a narrow road - it won’t be easy. But Jesus is in charge. He is at the stern. He is with us in the storms. And our God saves us.
Are we willing to stay in the boat, even in the midst of the storm, knowing that Jesus is at the stern and is the God of all? Are we willing to preach the gospel? To tell our brothers and sisters about God when we are in the calm, and they are navigating the storms of life?
Jesus asked the disciples, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” Let us build up our faith in the periods of calm so that when the storms strike, we will not be afraid. Jesus is in control. He is our God.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church
Psalm 107:23-32 Mark 4:35-41
“The Calm in the Storm”
Melissa K. Smith
Off the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, just northwest of Los Angeles is a beach that is very special to me. It’s my Sanctuary beach. It is a less popular beach that is between two popular beaches, but it is hard to get to. For most of the beaches in Malibu you can park on the side of the highway and walk to the beach, or you can park in their parking lot and immediately access the beach…but not this one. This one is a hike away. It requires you to drive down a hill, park in the lot, and then hike down overgrown trails until you reach the beach. As you step on the beach you are met with a pile of rocks to climb over – and then you are on the sand and on the rocky shore of a beautiful beach. Every time I have gone it has been nearly empty. But every time I have gone to that beach, I have encountered the Lord in beautiful ways.
A year ago, my husband Landen and I found ourselves heading to what I call “Sanctuary Beach”. We were in Los Angeles to celebrate my grandmother’s life, I had just made the difficult decision to step away from my first call, and we found ourselves in the throes of a storm we never could have predicted. We were overwhelmed and felt like the waves of disappointment, the waves of chaos, and the waves of betrayal just would not stop pounding us. So, we went to Sanctuary Beach. We woke up early that morning and drove to the beach – it was dark, cold, and misty – not your typical Los Angeles weather. The water had receded through the night, so we were able to sit on a sandbank surrounded by rocks that usually find themselves underwater – we were in good company with creatures and items that too felt drowned. We brought our Bible and one of our devotionals. And we prayed. Together we prayed that we would experience God’s peace in the midst of the storm.
It was at that moment that we saw the water stop. The waves were no longer moving, the wind was stilled…it stopped. We experienced God calming the sea showing us that he was present in our storm.
In our scripture reading this morning we see the disciples caught in a storm they did not expect, and they are panicking. Jesus’s ministry was gaining popularity – at this point in the gospel Jesus has healed many and taught more. Crowds of people were following him wanting to experience him and learn more about him. His ministry has primarily been in Jerusalem but now he has decided to take his ministry out: it is time to step out of a predominantly Jewish section of Galilee and cross into Gentile land. As far as the disciples know – they are navigating into uncharted territory in more ways than one. So off they went – stepping out of the crowd and into a boat.
Many of the disciples are fishermen – they have spent most of their lives on boats. Simon, Andrew, James, and John were all called by Jesus while they were fishing. They know the sea well – they know this sea well. But as fishermen they also would know that the sea is unpredictable…especially at night.
Growing up in California, I never understood how a storm can just “start” – but now being in Missouri for a few years…it isn’t as shocking. So, as we often have experienced, a storm came rapidly. The passage says, “A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.” Beyond the language, we know this storm was big because it panicked experienced fishermen. And as the storm is raging, Jesus is sleeping. The disciples’ first reaction was fear, and their next was frustration.
Who can sleep through a storm? And the question that the disciples ask Jesus has always felt deeply piercing because I too am guilty of having asked it, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Do you not care that I am suffering? Do you not care that I am scared? Do you not care about my situation? Are you awake? Are you there?
The sermon I would have written before experiencing God’s calming of the sea would have been different than what I am delivering now. I would have focused on the disciples’ reaction and encouraged you to turn toward Christ with your worries and fears. The fact that we have a God who invites us to turn towards him is incredible. And I deeply cherish the gift of lament.
But now I read this passage in a new light. I don’t see Jesus’s sleeping as a form of neglect for his disciples or as a way of ignoring them. I see our Lord sleeping at the stern – at the place that steers the ship. I see Jesus in a position of confidence over the control he has, and I see Jesus preparing to do a big thing. This is the first of many voyages across the sea, and in the Gospel of Mark, each time they cross the sea, healing happens.
I invite you to look at this passage with me in a new light – one that sees the boat from the lessons of the calm sea and the promise of God as our firm foundation. Jesus invites his disciples – the original twelve and all of us – to get into the boat. He says, “Let us go across to the other side.” Jesus is preparing to take the Gospel to the Gentiles – it is a major shift in Mark’s Gospel and a major shift in Jesus’ ministry. It is not what the disciples were expecting, but they got into the boat. However, this is not a narrative about the Gentiles – who is in the boat facing this storm? The disciples. Mark is showing us that the disciples also need salvation. We need salvation too. We follow Jesus, but we still face storms. Each storm serves as an opportunity to assess our relationship with Jesus and to see if our faith is bigger than our fear.
When you are faced with questions about your discipleship – about your willingness to follow Jesus – you are essentially being asked, “Are you going to get into the boat?” As our passage shows us, discipleship…it isn’t a cruise ship. Often it resembles this boat that is caught in a storm. It does not guarantee a comfortable journey or a comfortable life. It does not guarantee that we will know what comes next. But it does guarantee that Jesus is steering the path. Mark was careful to note in his gospel that Jesus was asleep in the stern. He was asleep in the place that controls the direction of the boat. Even when we are scared, do we trust the one in control?
The disciples abruptly woke Jesus up and the text says, “He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Who then is this? This is Jesus Christ – the son of God who is fully God, fully human. He’s human – he’s asleep. But he is divine, he is God – the wind and the sea – they obey him. Jesus calms the storm. He is bigger than the storm and he can calm the storms in our lives. It means there will be storms. And we don’t know when we will experience the calm or how we will experience it. But who is this that even the wind and sea obey him? It is Jesus the Christ – the anointed son of God who came into this world to save this world.
Calm can be disorienting. After the chaos of the storm, the calm can be deafeningly quiet.
Psalm 107 beautifully demonstrates what life in the calm of the storm looks like. It begins in praise – “O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever.” And then the psalmist recounts a journey through the desert. They were hungry and thirsty, they cried out to God and God delivered them. As Peter read for us today – the psalmist writes of a storm and God calmed the storm, he calmed the sea. The psalmist proclaims, “Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.” When you are in the storm – or navigating through a desert like our ancestors did for forty years – turn to the Lord. When the Lord delivers you, when he brings peace and calm, praise the Lord. Thank the Lord. Continue to turn toward the Lord.
When Landen and I were on the beach and God calmed the sea, we praised him. Our personal storm was still swirling, but we were reminded of God’s sovereignty over all and his power over the storms. And we held on to that. We found deep hope in that. Perhaps you find yourself in the midst of a storm – or maybe you know of someone who is caught in a storm. We must proclaim the gospel – we must remind our brothers and sisters that our God is a God who can calm the seas. Our God is a God who saves us. He is not sleeping and ignoring our concern. He’s at the stern of our ship, ready to lead. To live a life in the calm we must turn to one another, be willing to step into the storms of each other’s lives and remind one another that God is in control, that God can calm the sea, and that God is faithful.
When we step into the boat of discipleship, we are not guaranteed calm seas. It’s a narrow road - it won’t be easy. But Jesus is in charge. He is at the stern. He is with us in the storms. And our God saves us.
Are we willing to stay in the boat, even in the midst of the storm, knowing that Jesus is at the stern and is the God of all? Are we willing to preach the gospel? To tell our brothers and sisters about God when we are in the calm, and they are navigating the storms of life?
Jesus asked the disciples, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” Let us build up our faith in the periods of calm so that when the storms strike, we will not be afraid. Jesus is in control. He is our God.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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