May 22, 2015

“When Jesus got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but (Jesus) he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” The he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.” Matthew 8:23 – 26

“Hold fast to the rudder of faith, that you may not be shaken by the heavy storms of this world. The sea, indeed, is vast and deep, but do not fear for “He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waves.” …the Church of the Lord amid all the seas of the world stands immovable, built, as it were, upon the apostolic rock. The waves pour over it, but it is not shaken.” Ambrose, Bishop of Milan (333 – 397) “For All The Saints”, Volume III (p. 1257)

I was watching the news the other day, and I saw a story about a cruise ship that was caught in a storm with waves towering 30 feet or more – tossing the ship and its contents to and fro. They showed a video link of people on one of the decks of the ship who were trying to get to one place or another, only to have the ship suddenly tilt and the people were tossed or sent sliding in the opposite direction. A piano was sliding back and forth, knocking anything and everything out of its way. A poor woman, sliding from one side of the room to another narrowly missed the piano but slid headfirst into a pole.

My friends, there are going to be days where we feel as if we have been run over by a piano, or slammed our heads into a pole. But Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us. Jesus is the one who picks us up and says “Do not be afraid” – these storms are going to happen but they teach us more about ourselves and our faith than all the calm seas of our lives. Calm seas give us a false hope that life will always be sunshine and smooth water. Our faith in Jesus prepares us for the storms, and reminds us that Jesus is there before the storm, during the storm, and after the storm to pick us up with the promise of life now, and eternal life.

Pastor Dave