The Church of the Redeemer

Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost

August 11, 2002 

        Hopelessness, fear and desperation, those were the feelings the twelve disciples felt that evening as their small boat was being aimlessly tossed about in the storm.  During a time when swimming as a skill was not emphasized and floatation devices non-existent, if one fell overboard or if one’s boat sank, drowning was almost certain even if you were only a few hundred yards off shore.  So as the storm whipped the disciples’ boat, filling it at times with water, and pushed it further and further away from shore with every wave, the twelve felt further and further from God.   To accentuate their feelings of separateness from God even more, Jesus, their rabbi and connection with God was not even physically present as the storm tossed them about. This left little doubt in their minds that death was nearer to them than God.  These twelve would never again feel this level of fear and hopelessness until that fateful Friday when they stood at the foot of the cross and wonder if God had finally abandoned them and all Israel. 

We all live stormy lives filled with crisis, confusion and fear, times of chaos that make God feels so absent and far away that, we, like Jesus on that fateful, Good Friday scream out, “ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” It seems as if we have been experiencing a string of storms these past eleven months starting with September 11^th when via television we all witnessed the worst act of war ever executed on American soil.  Since then, the stock market has fallen, there are many who have lost their jobs and we no clue what our economy will do next.  We continue to live in constant fear of further terrorism and if this is not enough, there is the possibility the United States may enter into war against Iraq.  All of this leaves us feeling uncertain, afraid to hope, and wondering if God continues to be present or if God has simply given up on us and left us to our own devices. It seems as if, we are in that little boat, being pushed further and further away from shore. 

    Luckily, this is not the end of the disciples’ story, for the story of the storm like that of the crucifixion is not an illustration of hopelessness, but of the hope and the assurance that God’s concern for us is constant.  No matter how bad the storms we battle are, God is actively battling the storms with us.  In the case of the disciples, just as their arms were giving out from exhaustion and all sense of hope was gone, the unexpected took place; off to one side of the boat they saw a figure walking towards them.  At first they thought it was a ghost or an evil spirit until to their surprise, it was Christ who the discovered to be walking on the water and who eventually calmed the storm. The twelve would not experience that sense of elation and relief until the day came when the resurrected Lord appeared to them in the locked upper room.   

The same holds true for us, just as we begin to loose hope and are about to give up due to exhaustion God’s presence is revealed to us in ways we least expect it and the storms of our lives is calmed. In the beginning, we may not realize that it is God who calms the storm.  At first, God’s presence may seem to be anything but God. Then, as we look back, it becomes abundantly clear how God became present to us.  After September 11^th, God’s presence was made known to us through the faces and tireless efforts of the rescue workers who immediately went into action searching through the rubble for survivors.  God’s presence was made known to the rescuers through the volunteers at the Seaman’s Institute, who fed them and listened to the frustrations and sorrows of those who did the digging.  To a man who suffered from terminal cancer, God became present through the visiting nurse who stopped by daily to change his dressings and listen to his fears.  For a woman, who after being happily married for thirty years suddenly becomes widowed.  She found that God was present to her through the expressions of love and support given to her by the parents and children at her dance studio. 

All of these are examples that point us towards the foundation of our faith, that no matter how desperate and uncertain our lives may feel; because we believe in a God who calmed the waters for the disciples, because we believe in a God who died on a Friday and rose again to new life on a Sunday, there is always hope.  

In closing, I would like to share the story of a young white Baptist Minister who participated in a preaching contest at his home parish in the Mid-West.  When it was his turn, he got up in the pulpit and for forty minutes preached what he believed to be the sermon of his life.  In the midst of his frenzied talk he had all the people shouting AMEN and ALLELUIA so loud he knew people could hear this crowd’s prayers and praise all the way across town.  Finally, after he had finished his sermon, he walked down the steps of the pulpit and looked over at the old black minister, his senior pastor, and shoots him a look that says try to beat this.  Well the Senior Pastor ascends the pulpit looking undaunted by the feat of the young minister and very quietly begins his sermon.  “Folks”, he says, “its Friday but Sundays a coming.  It’s Friday, but Sunday is a coming.  And over time, the old minister continues to repeat this line until finally he comes to a crescendo still stating, “ It’s Friday, but Sunday, is a coming.”  The young preacher new he had been squarely beaten by the old man in the pulpit, with those seven simple words. 

Yes folks, life is stormy and at times the storms of our lives can be so severe that we find ourselves with out hope, hanging on the cross of life screaming “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.” But no matter how little hope we may feel, there is always hope because it may be Friday, but Sunday is a Coming.  Amen

The Rev. Craig R. Swan

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