In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
“Storms come in all shapes and sizes,” There is a very simple thought that comes across in today’s Bible reading and it is this.
Around this time of the year, I look for two annual signs that the summer season is moving quickly by us—back to school sales and tropical storms that wreak havoc in the Caribbean and Florida coast. Since I was a child, these two events have brought about a child-like feeling within me that says the warm season of summer is coming to an end and we are heading back into a faster season and a colder season. So, each year I resign myself to the fact that the sales are inevitable and everywhere and the tropical storms will soon begin.
So I find it interesting that, every year on this mid-summer Sunday, our Church Fathers have chosen a Bible event to be read that centers around a storm. This story of the storm on the Sea of Galilee is retold in all four Gospels. This means that the early church saw in it a central message to be shared by all future generations of Christians.
The sea has always held a strong fascination for people. It inspires curiosity and wonder, fear and awe, thrills and even challenges. People challenging the sea are the things of the classics. Just think about the great novels we have all read over the years. The sea implies the unknown and the uncontrollable and the unconquerable force of nature. In the Bible it has that same meaning.
But today’s story is about a great deal more than simply the power of Jesus over the forces of nature. This storm stands for the many types of storms that people face every day. The storm on the Sea of Galilee stands for the personal storms we face in our everyday lives. Our storms don’t come with rain or wind. Our storm doesn’t blow through and then disappear. Our storm leaves its mark on our lives. Our storm finds its way into our homes, our work and into the classrooms of our schools.
Our storm brings an illness that can knock us to our knees; temptations we can’t resist; and people we can’t seem to please. Our storm brings grades our children struggle to make; a career we can’t escape; a past we can’t shake; and a future we can’t face. The storms of life look different for everyone, but everyone will face a storm at some point in life.
Today’s Bible story gives us hope for handling these personal storms. The first hope is that storms have limits. However intense they might be, storms will pass. Sometimes we have to wait out the storm and while we wait it out, we are reminded to cling to our prayer life because we are stronger when we stay close to God. Difficult times are not the times to distance ourselves from prayer and the church. Those are the times when we need to stay closer to God in prayer. It is the prayer that gives us the strength we need to make it through the waves and waters of life. Finally, a hope that is revealed in this story is that Christ is with us in the boat of life.
When the waves of life come crashing over our lives, most of us say the same thing the disciples said to Jesus in today’s reading, “Lord, don’t you care about what’s happening to us?” It’s a common feeling to have.
• Why am I in the hospital?
• Why are my loved ones departing from my life?
• Lord, why are you letting this happen?
Storms occur in our lives every day. They are difficult to accept. The hope revealed in this story is a very real hope and one we should all listen to very carefully. In all our storms, Christ is not simply next to us in the boat, He is in our lives and that makes all the difference. When we realize this, we can face down any storm.
Take a moment out of this mid-summer Sunday to think about the storms you face in life and remember that storms are more than wind and rain. Ask yourself, “Are faith and hope a real part of your life?” The next time you face a situation that causes your faith to fade, remember today’s Bible story and cling to the hope He promises. Your God is greater than the storm you are facing. Something for all of us to remember.
Amen.
