Readings for Proper
7B:
Job 38:1-11; Psalm 107; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, Mark 4:35-41
June 22, 2003
The Rev. Mary B. Blessing
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. (Mark 4:47)
This gospel story from Mark is appropriate on this day when we are honoring students graduating from high school, launching them into a world filled with challenges and peril.
The 17th C. Dutch painter, Rembrandt, created an unusual painting of this story, called "Storm Over the Sea of Galilee". He depicts the apostles huddled in a small wooden boat, caught in a violent storm. The fear in their faces shows they believe they are on the brink of death. Rembrandt paints this scene in a very accurate way, showing strong sailor men-the apostles-desperately trying to trim sails, one up at the bow struggling with the lines, another on the port side, and another using all his force to hold the rudder. There are apostles on every edge of the boat, clinging to lines for dear life, worry, doubt, anxiety, fear written all over their faces. And, strangely enough, there are not just 12 apostles plus Jesus, but there in the middle is a strangely familiar, extra "apostle", holding his hand to his forehead, clinging to a rope, fear and anxiety gripping his face. Who is this extra figure? As we look closely, we realize this is Rembrandt himself. Rembrandt painted himself into the boat of peril right alongside the apostles! He shows us that we are like the apostles. Even today we find ourselves caught in the storms of life and our lives are threatened. But, as with the story of the apostles, when we call upon Jesus, who sits calmly in the boat along side us, we discover that God calms the storm, and we are able to ride it out.
What does it mean to ask Christ to be right there with us in the boat? In the life of Jesus of Nazareth, God lived among us as one of us. He was fully human, experiencing every human emotion. Moment by moment throughout his life, Jesus faced the same challenges and choices you and I face. Do you live in fear of challenge, or do you live with a sense of peace as Jesus did? A sense of peace that allows you to welcome and embrace challenge, even life-threatening risk, knowing that God is in charge?
This story of fishermen in Galilee may seem remote to many of us. How many of us will be out in the middle of the sea, tired at the end of the day, struggling to keep a small boat afloat in the midst of an unexpected storm? Is this just a folktale, or a metaphor for life? Or is it a plausible real life story, with significant meaning, even to us today, as Rembrandt suggests. Some of you have heard my story of living through the peril of sailing. But I'm going to share it again, because it continues to be a life lesson in faith. When I was a teenager (about 15) living in San Francisco, my dad decided to finally get the sailboat he always wanted to own. It was a modest, 20 footer, but a fun teaching boat. About a month after owning this little boat, my 16 year old brother and I decided to take it out alone. We didn't even have a car to get to the bay, so we got on our bike and zoomed down to the wharf to check out the wind conditions. It was a rather brisk, clear Spring day. Bob said, "Hey, let's take the boat out. Mom and dad won't mind." I wasn't too sure about it, but Bob had already lived on a large racing boat and skippered a couple races from L.A. to Ensenada. I knew he was experienced, and capable. I truly trusted his sailing ability, so I said, "great, let's go." It was a wonderful, freeing experiencing to be out there on the water, the wind whisking through my long brown hair, reaching for the sun beyond the Golden Gate. Then we Zipped back toward Alcatraz, we had the bay to ourselves. NO one else was out on the bay. It was the best sail of my life-until we attempted to turn back toward the yacht club.
The wind picked up, beating down on us like a giant hand slapping, slapping, slapping. Bob tried to trim the sail, but too much wind kept whacking us down. Waves lapped around the stern filling the boat. Quickly I began to bail out water as fast as I could, using 2 large coffee cans. It was no use. Bob hollered to me to go up to the bow, while he struggled knee deep in water. He assured me we would not sink; this boat had "positive flotation." But more and more water swamped the back of the boat. Our boat was new to us. It had no ship-to-shore radio, and there were no other boats in sight. I began to pray--remembering the story of the apostles with Jesus. Not remembering any details, but remembering that somehow, Jesus was there with them, and he was calm. When he was calm, the apostles were safe. Bob reports that I looked frightened-maybe it was shock, or disbelief, but I remember not fearing my own death. I knew I would be ok, but I was not sure about Bob. He was determined to save this boat at all cost.
As I prayed, I scanned the horizon. There were absolutely no boats in sight moments ago, but suddenly, there in front of us, was an old, stinky fishing boat. It came alongside, a black dog hanging over the edge, and an old Italian fisherman waving a rope, motioning for me to grab the line, and crawl aboard. "Where did he come from?" I thought, my heart relieved. Bob said, "No, don't go on board, just grab the rope and tie it to one of these stays, and he can tow us to shore." I started to do as Bob said, but the old man insisted I go aboard. He seemed to speak no English. Bob, who knew a little Italian, tried to explain his plan. The fisherman indicated he would not help us that way unless I got on board. So I boarded his boat, and threw the rope back to Bob to tie it up. He was captain, and he was not going to leave his boat behind. As the old sailor began to tug away, trying to pull our almost completely swamped boat to shore, the hook broke completely off our boat, and Bob was stuck on board. I hollered to stop. I begged Bob to give up. He had to get on board, there was nothing we could do.
Finally, Bob realized he was defeated. The wind and water beat us down. He came aboard the fishing boat. Just then, the Coast Guard showed up. Just in time to watch with us as our sailboat sank before our eyes. When Bob asked them to put a buoy out to mark the spot, the Coast Guard said forget it. The bay is too deep. There are hundreds of small boats at the bottom, and there is nothing you can do to retrieve it..
As we came ashore, we found a man standing there we did not know. He called to us, and said, "Kids, are you all right? I saw what you did. That was very brave of you to try to save your boat." Apparently he was a fellow who liked to stop by the docks on his way home from work to admire sailboats. He happened to see us out there struggling to get back in against the wind, and saw the trouble we were having. He knew we wouldn't make it, so he went over to call the Coast Guard and issued a Mayday warning. Without his help, the Italian fisherman would not have known to go looking for us. This kind gentleman put our bike into his car and gave us a ride home. We never saw him again. My brother and I were caught short that day. An unexpected wind came up as the evening set in. We were not prepared. Somehow, by the grace of God, we were kept safe. Jesus was not literally there asleep in the stern, but the presence of the God who is in charge of this universe was there to protect us, as we placed our fate in His hands.
Job and our Psalm today point to this recognition that God is in charge of the ocean, the storm, the chaos and the calm. Our role is to invite God to be there with us as we face our limitations. We do not need to fear our death, for Christ has already died for us. Any challenge we may face, Christ has already faced. As we give our lives to God, God gives our life new possibilities. As we surrender our selves utterly and completely to His care, He cares for us. We do not need to be in control, and we may as well give up trying! For by our Faith in Jesus Christ as the one who calms the storms of our lives, we will find peace, joy and a center of hope in the midst of peril.
As our graduating seniors, Kevin, Jen, Becky, David and Ian, will soon discover, there is joy and freedom in moving forward in life, beyond the safety net of home, family, friends and this local church. New possibilities await each of you in the adventures of college, or work, or military training. But I encourage each of you to invite Jesus along for the ride. Always remember he awaits the opportunity to be right there along side you, to encourage, protect, comfort, guide, and bring you peace.
AMEN
| Updated 6/24/03 |
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