“Finding Peace in the Storm” (Mark 4:35-41)

Storms can be scary . . . especially for children.

Dana and I spent a good chunk of our ministry in Nebraska.  Nebraska is considered a part of the “tornado alley”.  Tornado alley runs from the southern border of North Dakota all the way south to the middle of Texas.  This geography got its name because it is the place in the United States most apt to get tornadoes.  Nebraska averages 57 tornadoes a year.  Our family spent a lot of time camping out in the basement while living in Nebraska, and the kids got a healthy respect for tornado sirens.  They learned at a young age that when the sirens went off, everyone was to head for the basement and safety.

Which was fine and dandy while we were living in a large community like Kearney for many years . . . a place where the sirens only went off when there was a threat of tornadoes.  The kids knew what to do.

The problem was when we moved to the small rural community of Cambridge.  There in Cambridge they also used the siren to signal the noon hour.  Shortly after we arrive in Cambridge, on a beautiful, clear day—not a cloud in the sky, the siren went off to signal the noon hour.  No sooner had it gone off than our daughter started yelling for everybody to head for the basement . . . she was terrified.  And, she was mad . . . mad because her mother and I laughed.  But it was no laughing matter to our daughter.  It took us a long time to convince her that there was no threat of a tornado . . . not even a rain shower . . . that it was just the noon siren.  Storms scared her.

Of course, she eventually grew out of it.  Unfortunately, being scared of storms has come full circle on her.  Her two daughters have started fearing storms . . . they can’t stand lightning and thunder . . . and, it is driving our daughter crazy.  Dana and I just smile while suppressing the desire to break out laughing.

Storms are scary.

In our scripture reading this morning we witness how scared the disciples get when a storm blows in as they are crossing a lake in a boat.  The winds were blowing . . . howling . . . and waves crashed over the boat nearly swamping it.  It was a bad storm and the disciples were scared.  Through it all, there laid Jesus—asleep in the stern of the boating . . . just sawing logs and sleeping soundly.

The disciples could not believe it.  They were so scared—they were terrified, so they woke Jesus and pleaded with him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 

I can’t think of anyone who enjoys being woke up from a great sleep, and Jesus was not too happy to be woken up.  He got up, rebuked the wind, and told the waves to be quiet . . . then, suddenly, it was quiet and calm.  Then he turned to his disciples and said, “Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?”

That is probably a fair question for Jesus to ask his disciples.  Prior to this the disciples have witnessed him heal people, he has preached and taught, he has told them parables about the Kingdom of Heaven . . . they have seen it all . . . the miracles . . . the healings.  They have seen the holiness and felt the sacredness of Jesus in their presence.  And yet, when a storm comes along . . . they panic . . . they get scared . . . they fall apart.  Jesus cannot believe it.

It must have been quite a storm.  Remember that the disciples were seasoned fishermen . . . this wasn’t their first rodeo, and they were scared.  They had every right to be scared, and that was not what made Jesus mad.  He was not upset that they were scared . . . he was upset in the way that they handled their fear.  In the way that they handled their fear, they showed a lack of faith.  They didn’t get it . . . even after all they had witness of Jesus’ ministry . . . even after all that they had heard . . . they still did not get it.  They lacked the fundamental belief that “God knows, God cares, God can act.”  Even in the presence of Jesus they did not get it.  Instead they gave into their fear . . . let it over take them to the point that they could do nothing . . . even though the presence of the Holy was with them!

Once again, Jesus shows them.  With a few simple words he rebukes the wind and waves, calms the storm . . . the terrifying storm.  Poof!  Just like that it is gone!  Jesus lets them know who is in control.  If the disciples weren’t terrified before, they are now.  The writer of the Gospel of Mark tells us: “They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’”

Makes one wonder if they get it now. 

As usual, central to this story is the witness of Jesus.  In this story we see Jesus sleeping soundly and peacefully in the midst of a deadly storm . . . not a care in the world . . . sawing logs.  The disciples wonder how he can do that when they are certain they are all going to die.  They forget the secret that Jesus lives . . . God is with them . . . “God knows, God cares, God can act.”  God’s got this . . . echoes of the 23^rd Psalm here, folks.  In their panic, the disciples forget . . . they lose faith.

This is where Jesus wants his disciples to be . . . that God is in control, that God is with us . . . and, if God is for us, what could ever be against us?  Jesus wants the disciples to go from not believing to believing this.  Do you remember what he told his disciples at the start of this journey across the lake?  He told his disciples: “Let us go over to the other side.”  Though it sounds like a simple directive to go from one side of the lake to the other, theologically it is a call to go from having no faith to having faith . . . it is a call to believe.

In such a way, we find peace in the storm.

Storms are scary.  I am not going to argue that they aren’t.  When storms hit we cannot give into our fears.  No, we need to stand firm in what we believe, while at the same time be smart . . . take cover, but do not let our fear and panic take over to the point that we lose faith.  Instead hold fast to faith knowing that you can trust that God holds us all . . . even in the storms.  Especially during the storms.  There is a certain peace that comes in knowing this.  Faith provides this.

Peace can be found in the storm when one relies on his or her faith.  It does not matter whether the storm is one of nature or human made.  There can be peace in the storm if we truly believe that God is with us . . . that God knows, cares, and acts . . . that God will never abandon us.  After the storm, there is the rainbow . . . God is with us.

You know how beautiful the world looks after a storm . . . the clear skies, the wonderful smell, the brightness of everything around us.  Johnny Nash said it well in his 1972 hit song:

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,

I can see all obstacles in my way

Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind

It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-Shiny day.

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone

All of the bad feelings have disappeared

Here is the rainbow I've been praying for

It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)

Sun-Shiny day.

Look all around, there's nothing but blue skies

Look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”  There is peace in the storm . . . Jesus shows us the way.  Believe!  Amen!

“Discovering Faith in a Pair of Bulls” (Mark 4:26-34)

As the young family was leaving church, the daughter was telling her parents about her Sunday school class: “Today in Sunday school we learned how Jesus loved to teach about a couple of cows.”  The mother smiled and said, “I think you mean ‘parables,’ sweetie.”

Because I like “word play” humor, one of my favorite cartoon strips—Funky Winkerbean, had a strip in which the class was being given a vocabulary test in which they had to define certain words.  In the strip there is a student who happens to be a “jock” and he is pondering over a word . . . “parable.”  In the next frame of the strip we see him writing furiously his definition of the word.  In the last frame we are given the opportunity to see his answer . . . “A pair of bulls.”

Get it?  A pair of bulls . . . a couple of cows!

Personally, I think that it is funny in its cleverness . . . but, when it comes right down to it, describing parables and what they mean is not easy.  In fact, it can be downright difficult and frustrating.  Our reading this morning tells us: “With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.  He did not say anything to them without using a parable.”  Which, we are led to believe by the writer of Mark’s gospel, that they had a hard time understanding.  The writer goes on to state: “But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.”  Apparently, parables are not as easy to understand as they sound when shared.

Yet, Jesus uses them all the time.

In our reading this morning, he shares what biblical scholars call “Kingdom parables”—parables about what the Kingdom of God is like.  He tells the parables of The Growing Seed and The Mustard Seed.  The first is about how a sower scatters seeds and nothing else, and all by itself the grain grows until it is big enough to harvest.  In the second, he tells how the mustard seed—the tiniest of all seeds—grows into the largest of all garden plants—big enough for birds to perch in its shade.  These describe for the listener what the Kingdom of God is like.

Sounds simple enough.  We all get it, right?  We understand the parables meaning, right?  It is as clear as mud . . . who are we to admit that we don’t quite understand . . . that we don’t quite understand how either of these parables relate to God and God’s kingdom.  That’s a part of human nature.  We would rather wink and shake our heads as if we understand, rather than admit that we have no clue what Jesus is talking about.  It is not “black and white” in its explanation . . . it is not concrete and literal.

Karoline Lewis, Associate Professor of Preaching at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, states that parables are not simple linear interpretive exercises in reasoning . . . like one plus one equals two.  Parables are not designed that way.  She states that in its root meaning para means alongside, and bole comes from the root ballein which means to throw or cast.  Thus, a parable is something that is thrown alongside something else—they run alongside of each other like two parallel lines that will never meet.  To understand one must use a back and forth dialogue between the two—the interpretation lies in a mutual, reciprocal, even circular motion.  It is not a simple one plus one equals two is the end result . . . no, the understanding comes as they run side by side. (Dear Working Preacher blog, June 7, 2018)

In these two examples Jesus provides specific parables to which the listeners are to imagine the nature of and truth about the kingdom of God.  He is suggesting that by speaking in parables is a means by which to make sense of things, as being a way to be in the world, and to operate in the world.  Through parables the listener is offered a lens through which certain concepts of faith or a means of glimpsing God’s activity in the world.  They point to a reality of life . . . that there are often aspects about our lives, God included, that only make sense in parable, states Lewis.  In a way, then, we might even say that parables are necessary for making sense of life.  (Dear Working Preacher, June 7, 2018)  

And, guess what . . . since we all go through and experience life differently, the odds are pretty good that none of us is going to see parables exactly alike.  We are going to interpret them differently as our lives are different and we experience life differently.  Plus, what we think they mean today probably is not what we are going to think that they mean tomorrow.  We are constantly growing and changing as we journey through life, and our experience of God changes as we change and grow in our faith.  Thus, we do not always agree.  Because of this, parables are tough to explain.

Parables are simple word stories that help us make sense of ourselves, our world, God, and God’s presence in the world.  Parables help us to understand.  Everyone loves a good story.  Since the beginning of time the human race has used stories to help us understand . . . that is how we explain things . . . make sense of things. 

Which does not always happen. 

Jesus did not tell parables for explanation but for exploration.  Jesus was not looking for answers.  No, what Jesus was looking for was engaging the imagination . . . engaging the heart.  Jesus was not looking for certainties of faith, but instead he was looking for discoveries about how faith works.  And, through his example, he asks his followers to talk in parables . . . to tell stories to engage the imagination . . . the heart; to open up discoveries not about faith, but how faith works.  Jesus invites his followers to become storytellers.

As I said earlier, everyone loves a good story.  We all have stories to tell . . . about life, about God, about life with God.  When asked about our faith we may not be able to put it in precise theological words, but we can tell a story that conveys its meaning.  We begin by saying, “God is like . . .”  From there we open the imagination of others, touch their hearts, and share the Good News of Jesus in such a way that it allows others to experience God in their own lives.  They get glimpses of the Holy . . . glimpses of the Kingdom of God . . .

I am not sure that any of us can really explain why it would happen.  It is kind of like that seed that is thrown by the man . . . it just happens . . . it grows.  No one knows why it grow, but it grows.  It grows beyond what anyone could ever imagine . . . like a tiny mustard seed, it grows to be the largest of all the garden plants.  We can’t explain it, but it is amazing how the words of a simple parable . . . a simple story . . . can change not only our lives, but the lives of others.

Jesus asks us to be storytellers . . . asks us to share parables.  Jesus asks us to do this because something happens in the telling of parables and stories . . . for us and those who are listening.  So, go forth and teach about a couple of cows . . . get yourself a pair of bulls.  Be a storyteller.  Amen.