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+ + + In Nomine Jesu + + +
This weekend Pastor Galler is away on his second week of vacation for 2015. This morning for our reflection on today’s Third Reading, Pastor Galler edited a sermon that was written by The Rev. Martin P. Measel, associate pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Stevensville, Michigan. Rev. Measel’s sermon was published in the current volume of Concordia Pulpit Resources (25:3), to which our congregation subscribes for the purpose of supplying sermons when Pastor Galler is not available. The edited sermon reads as follows:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
We heard in the Third Reading, “On that day, when evening had come, [Jesus] said to [the disciples], ‘Let us go across to the other side’” (v.35).
Jesus has been teaching all day, again using parables to teach His followers. Remember the parable we heard last week about the seed that grows even though the man does not know how? Or the parable of the mustard seed that is small yet becomes big? That Jesus has been explaining the parables to us is good, because understanding His points otherwise would be hard. I am glad He explained to us, His disciples, that these are parables about faith—the nature and power of faith. As much as Jesus has been out in the hot sun all day, teaching and explaining things, He must be tired. He has got to be mentally exhausted. He is human after all, as well as Divine, and at that time He was not always or fully using His Divine powers. So, that He wants to go across to the other side of the lake and have a break, away from all the people, makes sense. But, it is evening! The disciples might have been asking and saying such things as, “Why do we have to go right now? The sun is already starting to set. I wonder if we should not just wait until morning. But, tomorrow will be another busy day, and I know Jesus is tired and wants to avoid the crowds. I am sure that is why He wants to leave right now.”
“And leaving the crowd, they took [Jesus] with them in the boat, just as He was, and other boats were with Him” (v.36).
The disciples might have been saying such things as, “Good thing the winds seem to be favorable. We have fished these waters for years and know them pretty well. I think we will be able to get across without any problems. That our boats are reasonably large is good. Jesus can find a spot in the back to slump down, lean against a cushion, and rest; that’s good; He needs to. Well, we had better push off; crossing could take a couple of hours, depending on the winds, and we would like to get there while it is still evening time.”
But “a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling” (v 37).
The disciples might have been asking and saying such things as, “Where did this storm come from? These mountains around us cause such sudden crazy changes in weather. ‘Hey, James, John, give me a hand. We’ve got to tighten up the sail and keep a firm hand on the oars and rudder. This wind is really picking up.’ Oh, no! Now the wind is whipping up the waves. The peaks are starting to break right into the boat. ‘Hey, guys, start bailing!’ The waves are getting bigger. We cannot keep up by bailing. The water is coming in faster than we can bail it out. There is nothing more we can do; we do not have any control; we are starting to fill up with water. We are too far from shore. We cannot make it back.”
“But [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’” (v.38).
We might imagine the disciples also saying, “Rabbi, this sudden windstorm arose and whipped up the waves, and we cannot keep up by bailing. How can You sleep through this? Do You not care that we are sinking? We are all going to die!”
“And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (v.39).
The disciples might have asked and said to themselves, “How could this be? Just like that. Instantly. He speaks, and the sea is calm, and there is no wind. Creation itself obeys Him. How can this be? Who is this man?”
“[Jesus] said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’” (v.40).
Jesus might well have said, “I have taught you about faith in all the parables that I just explained to you. I have shown you the power that I have. Yet you still do not understand who I am? You still don’t believe in me?”
“And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’” (v.41).
An uncontrollable storm quickly appeared, and Jesus, with His word, instantly calmed the storm and gave the disciples sudden peace.
The doctor’s appointment is simply a routine check: all the usual tests. You have had them done before, and there have never been any issues. Sure, there are the usual warnings from the doctor about losing a little weight, exercising more, eating more fruits and vegetables. But, there have not been any significant problems. No reason for concern. You do not have any symptoms. You are just going in for your annual visit. The winds are favorable, as it were.
And then you get a phone call after the appointment. There was a spot on one of the x-rays. You have not had any problems, but, just to be sure, your doctor would like to run a few more tests. A windstorm has just kicked up.
And then another spot is found, and it seems pretty serious. They want to do a biopsy, and the waves get bigger and begin to break into your boat: What does this mean? How bad is it? Is there any treatment? Is there anything I can do? Should I start bailing? Would it do any good, or is it too late? Now, yes, whatever it is was caught early. There is a fair chance of success, but that also means there is a fair chance of failure. The future is unknown, and the storm in your life rages out of your control.
In those times, in desperate—or even not-so-desperate—situations, turn to Jesus. He will never abandon you. You have been baptized and sounited to Christ. You are his heritage, and “the Lord will not forsake His people; He will not abandon His heritage” (Psalm 94:14).
Simply with the word of his mouth, Jesus calms the storms of our souls. We do not know what the future may hold, but we do know that Jesus says he will always be with us. He says: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). He is with you forever. He will never abandon you nor forsake you. He will guard you and protect you and watch over you. Therefore, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31). God is on your side, and he will give you peace. In the midst of turmoil, he will grant you peace: “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side . . . then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters. . . . Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps 124:1a, 4–5, 8).
Uncontrollable storms appear in life, and Jesus, with his word, calms the storms and gives us sudden peace.
Everything in life seemed to be going well. You and your “significant other” were doing fine—no major problems or disputes or difficulties. You were enjoying life. The winds were favorable.
Then you get a phone call from the police. There has been an accident. Can you come to the hospital right away? A windstorm has just kicked up.
When you arrive, you find out how bad it is. There is nothing more they can do. And the waves are breaking into your boat.
The funeral service is over. The luncheon is finished, and all that is left are a few people cleaning up. You have a bag with some containers of leftovers, so you will not have to cook for a few days. You have your first moment of solitude since the accident. From the moment of that first phone call from the police, your life and your emotions have been a violent storm, sudden and vicious, raging out of your control. There in your car on the drive home, it first hits you. The storm of activity is now over, but the storm of emotions is just beginning. The storm of death changes everything.
Storms appear suddenly—on the sea and in life. We cannot prevent them from coming, nor can we always respond to them. Our lack of control, and the weakness of our faith, leads to fear. But, even though we cannot control the storms of life, Jesus can, and He did. Most importantly, He calmed the biggest, most vicious storm—the storm of death that you and I deserve on account of our sin. Jesus calmed that storm with His death for us on the cross. From the cross He spoke, “It is finished!” And, as He spoke those words and gave His Spirit, there was sudden peace. In speaking those words, there was sudden peace between God and human kind. In speaking those words, there was sudden peace for us even in the midst of death we may still face as a consequence of our sin. For in that moment of His own death, the God-man Jesus calmed the storm of our deaths and gave us sudden peace.
Jesus continues to bring sudden peace to you and to me even today. In today’s Psalm we cried out the words so familiar from Divine Service, Setting Three: “Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124). The First Reading reminded Job and us Who the Creator is, and who is not (Job 38:1-11). The Second Reading pointed to that Creator’s salvation and how He helps us (2 Corinthians 6:1-13), as He helped the disciples in the Third Reading. In His words of Holy Baptism, that Creator says, “Peace! You are mine.” In His words of individual Holy Absolution, He says, “Peace! You are forgiven.” In His words that are preached, He says, “Peace! I will be with you always.” In His words of Holy Communion, He says, “Peace! You are fed and forgiven, strengthened and preserved.” In all these ways, Jesus today speaks to you and to me words of sudden peace.
This day we have realized that: in the past, Jesus had calmed the disciples’ storm with sudden peace; in the present, Jesus now calms our storms with sudden peace; and in the future, Jesus always will calm our storms with sudden peace. In the inevitable, uncontrollable storms of life, Jesus speaks and gives you and me sudden peace.
Peace be to you in Jesus’s name.
Amen.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
+ + + Soli Deo Gloria + + +