Sermon on Mark 4:35-41
Pastor Jennifer Garcia
“Why are you afraid?”
If professional fishermen are afraid of a storm, that seems like a good reason to panic.
But there Jesus was, napping, duringa storm big enough to swamp their boat and scare the pants off the disciples.
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
The disciples were terrified.
But what happened next terrified them even more.
Jesus commanded the sea to be still.
And it was so.
The verbs he used were the same he had used earlier in the Gospel of Mark in exorcisms. This storm was supernatural, even demonic. And Jesus quieted it in an instant.
You might think the disciples should have been overjoyed. They were presumably at least relieved. But they were also afraid. They had been afraid of the storm, but now they were afraid of Jesus.If Jesus could so easily overpower a supernatural storm, he must not have been an ordinary rabbi.
The bottom line of this story is trust. Did the disciples trust Jesus?
At that point, no.
They trusted Jesus enough to follow his instructions to get into the boat, but the great storm followed by Jesus’ apparent command of nature itself shook them.
Who was this that they had entrusted their lives to?
Our reading from Job gives the answer and was maybe ringing in the disciples’ ears as they continued crossing that smooth, glassy sea:
Job 38:8“Or who shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb?—
9when I made the clouds its garment,
and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10and prescribed bounds for it,
and set bars and doors,
11and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?”
Only God, who made the sea, has power to command it.
The disciples had to face the fact that Jesus was not an ordinary, human rabbi. And they were terrified.
But Jesus was patient with them. He didn’t throw them out of the boat or leave them behind once they got to shore or demand instant full allegiance. He continued to slowly reveal himself to them and let their trust grow over time.
Though it scared them in the moment, Jesus did calm the storm. He didn’t let it sink the boat. They all got safely to the other side.
Jesus didn’t just show off his power to command the sea to intimidate people or impress them. He used his power to protect the disciples and save their lives. His power showed his compassionate nature.
And as the disciples spent more time with him, he continued to show them his power and his character by healing the sick, liberating people from demons, feeding people by the thousands, teaching them about the Beloved Community, and ultimately standing up for his message to the point that it got him executed.
And of course, it didn’t end there. After breaking the power of death, he sent his disciples into the world to continue his mission of peace and healing and love.
The disciples who had been filled with fear learned to trust their beloved Jesus and carry on his message.To follow Jesus is to be like him: to use whatever power we have to be compassionate and show God’s love for the world.
Sometimes fear can overwhelm us, though.
There’s a great storm of things to be afraid of in our world today, too.
1. There are wars and violence around the world,
2. the cost of living is increasing,
3. there are natural disasters,
4. it’s an election year, and whoever wins will have a great impact on the future of our country,
5. some of us are navigating diagnoses and changes in our health or that of our loved ones,
6. and this congregation is going through a transition as LSS relocates and we discern how to make up for lost income and steward the resources of our space.
That’s just to name a few local, national, and global storms we are facing.
It’s easy to focus on the storms and forget who’s next to us in the boat.
Jesus showed power and compassion to the disciples, and God will show power and compassion to us, too.
The disciples had glimpsed Jesus’ power already—he had healed people and cast out demons. But faced with the great storm, they forgot the times Jesus had shown power and compassion in the past.
It can be easy for us, too, amid whatever storms we are in right now, to forget the times God has been faithful to us in the past.
Let’s take a moment to think about our life together as a congregation. God has been faithful to this congregation. It was founded more than 80 years ago and is still doing ministry in this place.
Most of you have been a part of this community longer than I have. You have seen the storms this congregation had survived. You have seen the ebbs and flows of life together as a community of faith.
When and how has God shown faithfulness to this congregation?
Fair warning: I’m about to ask for some congregational participation.
Take a moment of silence and think about the times and ways God has shown faithfulness to First Lutheran. What would you share with this group?
When and how has God shown faithfulness to this congregation?
I’ll start us off: this congregation navigated COVID, finding creative ways to worship, and transforming the way we served our neighbors through Caring Hands.
Now it’s your turn: when and how has God shown faithfulness to this congregation over the years?
Thank you.
God is with us in our storms. The Holy Spirit has worked through First Lutheran Church and will again. The Holy Spirit has worked in your life and will again.
I’m pretty good at worrying. In any situation, it wouldn’t take me long to assemble a list of things that could go wrong. This story has been a good reminder for me this year that Jesus doesn’t ask, “What are you afraid of?” but “Why are you afraid?” The disciples were afraid of the storm, but they didn’t need to be because Jesus was with them. Remembering that I am beloved by God helps quiet my perpetual list of worries. The storms are still there, but they become quieter as the voice of God becomes louder.
The storms you are facing might be bigger and scarier than you have ever experienced before, but Jesus is right there in the boat next to you. The one who created the seas will not abandon you—will not abandon us.
God is present in the tools you turn to in your storms: prayer, silence, therapy, friendship, the natural world, and whatever else shows you God’s compassionate nature.
Our compassionate God, who has seen this congregation through many a storm, is worthy of our trust and is present with us no matter what we face.
Because we trust God, we can say to our souls, “Be still.”
May you find peace in whatever you face today, Beloved.