Stormy Seas

Mark's telling of Jesus' quieting the storm is a story that touches all of us. It is a metaphor for some of the more difficult things we encounter in life. They tend to pop up like unexpected storms and then we try to hang on until it subsides.

I’d like to tell you right now that every time the sea buffets us, Jesus steps forward and quiets the chaos of life. But in the human condition sometimes the sea tossed journeys don’t end as happily or safely as the one Mark describes. Sometimes, the waves just keep coming and driving you into the sand and disorienting you. At such moments, one does well just to hang on. One may even ask, like the disciples, “Lord, don’t you care?” Or, “God, what are you up to here?”

When such waves threaten to swamp us, there will be questions. “Lord, don’t you care that we are perishing?” “What will tomorrow bring?” “Is there any comfort?” “Is there any hope, any way to go on?” These are questions that some will ask freely while others will hesitate unsure whether or not they are supposed to or even allowed to ask them. To put it another way, these are moments when we stare into the abyss. Staring into such places can be paralyzing.

At such moments, we as the church have the opportunity for a powerful witness. It is not a witness that denies the questions or even discourages the asking of them. Instead, it is the witness of abiding with those staring into the abyss – being a non-anxious presence in moments of great anxiety, exhibiting supreme trust in God just as Jesus does in the storm tossed boat. In such moments, we carry the faith of those in distress and even have faith for them when they cannot.

Mark’s story of a sea crossing isn’t so much about coping with the trials and tribulations of stormy seas as it is about salvation. The church as the body of Christ can be a non-anxious hopeful presence because we know that even if the boat is lost, God is not done. Not even the sealed tomb can prevent God from bringing life out of death. We have hope not because somehow God is absolutely in control of absolutely everything, micromanaging history, but because God is with us even when the chaos of life threatens and does swamp us. Even in the face of chaos, we can sleep, not because the danger isn’t real, but because ultimately death is conquered.