Rocking the Boat

**Some of my readers who are not familiar with the events to which I am referring to will find this article helpful.  The crime committed is about 7 miles from Fairview.

http://www.kcci.com/news/agents-crime-scene-team-investigating-death-at-rural-home/33679114

Mark 4:35-41

Jesus Calms the Storm

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

For me, the hardest part of every sermon that I write is coming up with an introduction.  When I sit down to organize my thoughts for the week, I know where I want to take the sermon but I often struggle with where to begin.  This week has been especially difficult.  When I heard of the shootings at the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, I knew immediately that this was where I would start.  I was devastated to hear what had gone on in a house of worship.  However, I could distance myself from the tragedy.  The events rattled me.  I questioned how a person could do such a thing but the events of that night did not change who I am or how I approach my faith.  I could distance myself because this is my coping mechanism.  Many of you are probably in the same boat.  Whether intentionally or not, we remove ourselves, our thoughts, our emotions from tragic events and move on with our lives as if nothing has really changed.  As often as things like this happen, we have to do this in order to keep ourselves sane.  We have to, or having faith seems next to impossible.  With all that being said, something happened Friday morning that I cannot remove myself from.  The death of Shirley Carter has shaken me to the core.  I am afraid in a way that I have not ever been afraid before.  I worry about things that I have never worried about before.  I haven’t locked the doors on my house or truck ever and I have began locking both.  My heart aches for Shirley’s family.  I want answers so I can put my mind at ease so I cannot imagine exactly how the family feels.  This is by far the closest to such a heinous crime that I have ever been and it has changed me.  I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to say about the scripture I had chosen but everything has changed.

I so badly want to tell you that Jesus will calm the waves of your life but then I think about the families of Charleston and the Carters’.  And if they were sitting right in front of me, could I say such a phrase and mean it literally with 100% certainty?  I don’t know... The disciples panicked and asked Jesus, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”  In so many words, I can see families of tragedy asking Christ the same thing.  God, don’t you care about us?  Can’t you see what we are going through?  How can you allow this to happen God?  Is this part of your will?  Put yourself in the shoes of the woman who watched her son bravely stand in the way of bullets so that others could survive and then lay in his spilt blood.  How do you not question absolutely everything.  How do we not scream at the top of our lungs, “God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you letting me drown?”  So badly I want to tell you that Jesus will rebuke the winds and waves of our lives and everything will go back to normal.  So badly I want to tell you this is all part of God’s plan.  

But I can’t... And I won’t.  This type of thing does not happen in rural Marion County.  We can distance ourselves when it happens in Detroit.  When it happens in Charleston, SC.  Even when it happens in Ames and Coralville we can still distance ourselves.  But not when it happens in our backyard.  Not when it happens to one of the kindest, hardest working people I know.  I want to tell you that things like this happen so God can use it to make us a closer community of believers but then I think how that would sound to me if that was my mother, daughter, wife, aunt or grandma.  The families of Charleston have shown us that God’s love and grace can emerge from such tragedy and that is great.  It truly is a blessing that they are able to take that and bring that community together despite all the trappings of race.  An African American church welcomed a troubled caucasian kid into their Bible study with no questions asked and look what happened.  And given the same situation tomorrow, they will do the same thing.  In my opinion, despite the love and forgiveness those great people have exhibited, there is no way that such an event is the will of God.  The stealing of a life cannot ever be a part of God’s plan and we do more harm than good when we tell people that it is.

We want to know and understand the will of God.  We want to know why things like this happen.  We think knowing will bring some sort of comfort.  I would say that knowing the will of God does not answer as many questions as it leaves.  The age old question of “why do bad things happen to good people” cannot simply be answered by saying that it is the will of God.  God, who is full of love, grace, mercy and glory, would never willingly allow this to happen.  If, in your mind, think that saying this takes away from the power of God please listen to what I am about to say.  God does not will these things to happen.  He gives us a choice.  He has given us a choice from day one as to how we choose to live this life.  In that choice is freedom.  There is love.  And there is grace.  In giving us a choice, God gives us that freedom.  It is not God’s fault things like this happen.  It is ours.  And it is ours not simply because we are human.  It is not because of original sin.  It is not because Adam took a bite of the apple.  The people who do things like this do so for any range of reasons: race, prejudice, hate, frustration.  Some are mentally ill and heavily medicated.  But God is not punishing us nor is He pointing His finger and choosing whose life will end.  That is not the will of God.  

The will of God is love and grace.  Anything outside the realm of those words, or any twisted interpretation of those words, is not.  After calming the storm, Jesus asks the disciples “Why are you so afraid.  Do you still have faith?”  This morning, Jesus very well could be asking me the same question.  Maybe asking you if you still have faith.  And we may struggle to find the answer.  We too may be asking, “Who is this?”  I cannot offer you definite answers or direct insight into the will of God but know that even the wind obeys God.  Jesus was among the disciples.  He walked with them.  He ate with them.  And he still does so today.  William Barclay says it beautifully, “When the disciples realized the presence of Jesus with them the storm became calm.  Once they knew he was there fearless peace entered their hearts.  To voyage with Jesus was to voyage in peace even in a storm.  Now that is universally true.  It is not something which happened once; it is something which still happens and which can happen for us.  In the presence of Jesus we can have peace even in the wildest storms of life.”  

I know that what happened Friday most likely has you rattled.  I know that it may have you asking questions.  If you are half as distracted as I have been since then you may not have heard much of what I said this morning.  That is ok.  I understand.  But please hear this: be there for another and share God’s love and grace as best as you can.  Know that Jesus is with you even during the wildest storms.  Amen.