Storm at Sea~an interregnum looms up

A ship on a stormy sea:

Luke 8:22-25

When I was younger I always used to wonder why it was that ships in former times used hammocks for sailors' beds. Surely I told myself that the sailors would be even more sea sick when they started moving backwards and forwards.

I never gave it another thought, until recently when talking with Kate our Lay Reader, about earthquakes. She said that in her experience abroad, she remembered seeing wires start to move first in a quake, but really, it was the ground that was moving ; rather like hammocks being used on board ships. They stayed still and it was the boat that moved.

Of course, in a flash I then realised the truth of what she was saying.(it's only taken me 30 yrs to work that one out) It suddenly seemed so obvious! It just never occurred to me, being a land person, and not a sailor.

In psalm 46 it tells of God being our refuge and strength, a sure and ever present help in time and trouble. And even though the earth might give way, or the mountains quake and fall, and the waters roar, God is present, and we must be still and trust in him, be like hammocks, and know that He is God. Even though there is a flurry of confusion and chaos around us.

It must have been like that in the fishing boat in today's gospel reading. It was caught up in a ferocious storm, the kind that whips up very easily on the Lake of Galilee, because of its geographical location.  Quite often, violent gales sweep down without warning there.

We can only imagine the confusion and chaos on board.

 Here were hardened fishermen who had years of experience of storms on the lake, and even they were terrified, it was such a malevolent storm!

Perhaps they were shouting at each other without being able to be heard,

… there may have been arguments, and orders ignored, because of their panic,

…they may not have worked as a perfect team in the chaotic sound and violent movement of the wind, which was almost capsizing the boat.

  And where was Jesus in all this? He was still, he was calm, he was fast asleep.

 So they woke him up and like the Word of God at the Creation of all time, he spoke to the elements and immediately, they obeyed. “Peace Be Still!”

He had been with them for a short time, healing, performing miracles, yet here, in one amazing moment, their eyes were opened to an astounding truth. Why had they not realised before now?

But now that their own lives had been in mortal danger, and they had seen his hand at work

they begin to ask one another,

"Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him"

From raging storm to millpond in a matter of seconds, the storm had been silenced.

I wonder if Psalm 107 entered any of their minds:-

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,

And He brought them out of their distress.

He stilled the storm to a whisper;

The waves of the sea were hushed.

They were glad when it grew calm,

And he guided them to their desired haven.

It is so easy to lose sight of God when we're confused or in trouble. Like the disciples finally turning to the sleeping Jesus, we try all other solutions first, and God last of all.

Having only just entered an interregnum, many of us must admit to feeling a sense of mourning, of having lost the 'first mate' of our boat.

We may even admit to feeling stunned, cheated, confused, 'panicky' almost.

Some of us with certain responsibilities may even feel as though we're lost at sea, drowning even. Some are bound to feel tense or like a ship becalmed. Others may still be still looking to search for our leader, to contact him, or be reassured by him.

But if we think about it, the leader of our boat is not a human one. He has been in our boat all along, and all we have to aim to do is find our stillness in him. We must rest in him; snuggle up to him.  Jesus, He is our captain.

We must not try too hard, we must trust.

We must work as a team, for our boat will not sink with him aboard.

We will come through our worries and doubts.

We will see the stormy waves of confusion settle, if we seek God's will in all we do together.

We're not going to drown, even though from time to time we may find ourselves a little off course, or squabble amongst ourselves, get irritated with each other or worse.

Jesus trusted in those who actually sailed that small fishing boat. Each disciple had been given a gift of being part of a management team. Jesus wouldn't have gone to sleep on a journey at sea if he had no confidence in those who steered the boat.

Jesus has given each one of us a special part to play, too. He trusts in each one of us, and its up to us to do our best with the gifts we've been given, and to encourage one another.

It's not up to one person to steer a course. The responsibilities should not belong to one person. We are the church!

We are the body of Christ!

Storms will happen, and there will be storms ahead. That fishing boat was not lying safe in a harbour somewhere. It was on a journey, riding the waves.

(Show poster* which shows the words, Boats are safe in a harbour, but that’s not what boats are for!)

So, too, we are on a journey.

Let the boat toss all it likes, let the storms blow, Jesus is in our boat.

So let our hearts and minds be still.