The Pastor's Sermon - 24 June 2012 - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

This written sermon differs significantly from the one I delivered on Sunday. Just prior to the Service, I received word of the death of a long term member of the congregation. This man and his wife had lived in many places throughout Canada and had been instrumental in founding at least 4 congregations. The gentleman was a 20+ year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as well as a former instructor at the Ontario Police College. (Did HE ever have the stories!) I made mention of him and his service to God's church in the sermon, but I can't remember exactly what I said. This was also a Sunday with a Baptism of an infant.

• 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?"
• The story of Jesus calming the sea is one we're all aware of. It is one of those stories in the Gospel of Mark that is full of those little details that can make you suspect that the episode was reported by an eye-witness. The trip across the Sea of Galilee, the talk about other boats, the sudden windstorm which was not uncommon on the Sea of Galilee, and finally the description of Jesus being asleep on “the cushion.” This is not a pillow for comfort, but a part of the boat where the steersman would lean to get leverage for the tiller.
• Mark is able to use these details to covey to us the desperation and fear the disciples felt during that frightening trip. These were veteran fishermen who were frightened by this storm; it must have been a piece of very serious weather. Yet Mark tells us there was a greater terror in them.
• What we also have here is another example of how water, an element so necessary for life can be a terrifying thing.
• We all know how serious a flood can be. We've all seen -either first hand or through the media- how destructive too much water can be, to property, livelihood, and life.
• We also know how lack of water can be equally as deadly. A drought can destroy as thoroughly as a flood.
• Years ago, I assisted in the clean-up after a hurricane caused a major river to flood in a city near where I lived. The water caused destruction and loss of life. It required assistance from far and wide -both skilled and unskilled, paid and volunteer, with military assistance for heavy equipment and law enforcement- to begin the recovery. There was too much water and yet there wasn't enough water; there was little to drink because the water supply had been contaminated and drinkable water had to be carried in. It was a very odd combination.
• So we see once again that water is necessary for life, yet it can be deadly.
• When we see water in the Scripture, we usually see both sides of it, both life and death involved in water. Creation begins with the waters of chaos receding and the order of creation taking its place. Noah and his family come through the midst of the great flood to continue life in the world. The people of Israel are saved and liberated by passing through the waters of the Red Sea that stand like a wall to their left and their right and who fall on the pursuing Egyptians who are trying to return the Hebrews to slavery.
• In the desert around Israel, water was sometimes hard to come by and wells and oases were treasured. Still a sudden rain could cause flash floods in watercourses called “wadis” and the wise traveler or shepherd recognized them and avoided camping in them.
• In the Gospels, water is encountered in many places such as the Baptism of Jesus, a powerful turning point in his ministry. Jesus turns water into wine at Cana, walks on water, and says he will give living water to all who ask. At his crucifixion, blood and water flow from the wound when his side is pierced. Images of water for life and death can be found throughout Paul's letters.
• We've seen water used again today to covey the mercy and the life of God to another person. Water, which can bring death and can also mean life, becomes the means of grace for the Church, the whole Church, not just Maxime, once again.
• The disciples were not nearly as terrified of the storm as they were of the one “that even the wind and the sea obey...” Our reading says “they were filled with great awe” which might be good English but doesn't convey the real meaning from the Greek. The literal Greek says “They feared a great fear”, a terror much greater than they endured in the storm. There is someone greater than all the waters put together here and they know it.
• Well, the one who stilled the storm with a word is at work again today, with the Word and the water. The water has turned from a death-dealer to a life-giver and the Word is alive in our midst.
• In truth, God is able to use anything encountered in life for God's own purpose. Even our sin might be used to show us the height and depth and width of the grace and mercy of God.
• So it's a good thing to rejoice with our new brother in Christ today and with his family. We see once again that the Word is alive, God is in action, and nothing can separate us from God's love in Christ Jesus and there is nothing around us that God is unwilling to use to show us his grace and love.
• I want to end with a brief passage from the book of Daniel, saying again who the elements answer to:

“All you winds, bless the Lord.

Fire and heat, bless the Lord.

Cold and chill, bless the Lord.

Dew and rain, bless the Lord.

Frost and chill, bless the Lord.

Ice and snow, bless the Lord.”