Where Is Your Trust?
Sermon
Sermons on the Gospel Readings
Series II, Cycle B
If it was not Jesus who was asking the question, our reaction to the speaker would probably be something like, "What? Are you nuts? There's a storm out here!" Of course the disciples were afraid. They are in an open boat on a stormy lake without a global positioning beacon, life rafts, or the Coast Guard nearby. The lake is big enough that they would have little chance of being able to swim to shore in a dead calm and here the waves are high and breaking over them while they are still in the boat. It is only prudent for them to be afraid. To not be afraid in this situation would be proof that they are not in touch with reality. And yet Jesus asks the question, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?"
Jesus was a master teacher. He used the common, everyday things that people were familiar with to teach them about God and spiritual realities. When he told parables about sheep and seed sowers and fig trees they were probably in sight of the people as they listened. Even though this was a terrifying event for the disciples, Jesus used it to teach them about the things of God. In the midst of a terrible storm, when it seems that all was lost, Jesus calmed them by stilling the storm and then while they could still taste the fear in their mouths he asked, "What are your priorities? Where have you anchored your lives?"
Most of us would like to have the leisure to answer such questions when things are a little less hectic. We would hope to go on a retreat where we could spend time quietly reflecting on the foundation of our lives. We would at least appreciate having a take-home test where we had some time to reflect on the question. But in the calm moments of life, we either avoid asking the hard questions about the meaning of our lives or we too easily come up with some quick, canned answer. When the storms are raging and all seems lost we act and speak out of the truth of where our hearts are centered.
The disciples had been following Jesus and learning from him. They still had not come to the point of fully realizing who he was or what he had to teach them. They are left at the end of the story still asking, "Who is this?" They do not yet understand the truth of the parental, caring love of God that Jesus has spoken of to them. They are still taking in the information but they have not yet made the decision to base their lives on what Jesus has said. They are searching and open, but not yet committed, so that when the storm seems to overwhelm them, they look not to God but to the storm and their own pitiful boat and they are terrified.
This story invites us to consider where we have placed our faith. What is it that we trust enough to base our very lives on? When the storms of life arise, as they always do, where will we look for refuge? Will we find our lives securely founded on the loving grace of our God or will we find ourselves flailing around at sea terrified? Where is our faith?
Most of us have multiple support systems. We have family, friends, colleagues, and congregational members. We have our income, insurance, assets, and social programs provided by the government. These are things we count on to help us when things get tough. These are appropriate things for us to have to help us through difficult times in our lives. We have little patience for people who are having trouble and won't share their needs even with their family and their closest friends. We expect people to seek help when they really need it, and when someone says that they don't carry any health insurance, not because they can't afford it but because they don't expect to ever need it, we think that they are probably not making a wise choice.
There are many places that we look for support for our lives. There is nothing wrong with this and, in fact, there is something wrong with not seeking out places of support when we need it. It is only prudent to have a reasonable amount of insurance and assets set aside for emergencies. It is appropriate to count on family and friends to be supportive and helpful when things are not going well. But as good as these things are they are not foolproof. Insurance coverage that we thought was secure can be taken away. Assets can be lost or quickly used up. Family and friends may not be as helpful and supportive as we had hoped. Jobs are lost. The stock market falls. These may be helpful things but they are not to be trusted as the foundation of our lives.
Most of us who come to church know this. It seems almost silly to bring the question up in a congregation, and yet the question needs to be asked of all of us, "How securely have we anchored our lives in God?" Are we sailing along on smooth seas, sure that nothing can overwhelm our little boat, but with a vague notion that there is a good God out there somewhere who will no doubt take care of us because, after all, we are pretty good compared to some others? Is our trust in God based on what others have told us about how God has taken care of them and we figure that God will also take care of us? Or are we sure that God will be with us no matter what happens in life because we have come to know and trust this God with our very lives? Have we spent time sharing with God who we are and what our dreams and fears are? Have we sat in quiet solitude listening for that quiet, still voice that is heard only in the midst of silence? In other words, is our trust in God based on hearsay or on our own in-depth, ongoing relationship with the God of all creation?
It is one thing to have a vague trust in the police department to keep our neighborhoods safe but it is quite another thing to know the officer who patrols our neighborhood and to know that person understands our concerns about the safety of our community. It is one thing to hope that medical science can take care of our ills and a very different thing to lie down on a surgical table and be confident in the knowledge and skill of our physician preparing to operate on us.
Our trust in God can be based on the teachings of the church and the testimony of others or it can be based on our relationship with God, buttressed and supported by the teachings of the church and the testimony of others. We get to choose which way it will be. We may not have an opportunity to meet the police officer patrolling our area and have a long conversation. Our physician may be too busy to spend as much time with us as we would like. But there is nothing stopping us from getting to know our God and building a solid relationship with our Creator and Redeemer.
If we are going to have a real relationship with God to base our trust and faith on, then we need to make that relationship a priority in our lives. It means taking the time to be in prayer and meditation on a regular basis. Relationships are not built with an occasional meeting and superficial chatter. Real relationships are built as we spend quality time with someone in deep sharing of who we are and of what we dream about and of what we fear. The quality of any relationship can be judged by the amount of conversation that centers on sharing about each other, rather than on talking about others or some situation.
Does our relationship with God reflect a high quality of sharing? Do we really spend time with God or do we just go through the motions of a devotional time if we have a spare minute? Are we really honest and open with God about who we are, about our dreams and our fears? Do we ever take the time to listen to God so that we can know God better? If we are truly to base our lives on our faith and trust in God then we are going to have to develop a relationship that will support that trust. Otherwise, when things begin to get tough our doubts and fears will rob us of our faith and we will be left with nothing to hold on to. God will still be faithful and will still be with us but we may not be able to recognize the divine presence because we know God so little. Our efforts to have a deep, abiding relationship with God is not so that God will be convinced that we are worth taking care of, but rather so that when things get rough in life and we go through the dark times we will recognize the voice of God and God's gentle touch as we are led. Just as an infant begins to know and trust its mother as it learns to recognize her voice and smell and touch, so we begin to know and trust God as we come to know God more fully. God invites us into such a relationship of deep sharing and trust. Let us answer, "Yes," to our Lord.
Jesus was a master teacher. He used the common, everyday things that people were familiar with to teach them about God and spiritual realities. When he told parables about sheep and seed sowers and fig trees they were probably in sight of the people as they listened. Even though this was a terrifying event for the disciples, Jesus used it to teach them about the things of God. In the midst of a terrible storm, when it seems that all was lost, Jesus calmed them by stilling the storm and then while they could still taste the fear in their mouths he asked, "What are your priorities? Where have you anchored your lives?"
Most of us would like to have the leisure to answer such questions when things are a little less hectic. We would hope to go on a retreat where we could spend time quietly reflecting on the foundation of our lives. We would at least appreciate having a take-home test where we had some time to reflect on the question. But in the calm moments of life, we either avoid asking the hard questions about the meaning of our lives or we too easily come up with some quick, canned answer. When the storms are raging and all seems lost we act and speak out of the truth of where our hearts are centered.
The disciples had been following Jesus and learning from him. They still had not come to the point of fully realizing who he was or what he had to teach them. They are left at the end of the story still asking, "Who is this?" They do not yet understand the truth of the parental, caring love of God that Jesus has spoken of to them. They are still taking in the information but they have not yet made the decision to base their lives on what Jesus has said. They are searching and open, but not yet committed, so that when the storm seems to overwhelm them, they look not to God but to the storm and their own pitiful boat and they are terrified.
This story invites us to consider where we have placed our faith. What is it that we trust enough to base our very lives on? When the storms of life arise, as they always do, where will we look for refuge? Will we find our lives securely founded on the loving grace of our God or will we find ourselves flailing around at sea terrified? Where is our faith?
Most of us have multiple support systems. We have family, friends, colleagues, and congregational members. We have our income, insurance, assets, and social programs provided by the government. These are things we count on to help us when things get tough. These are appropriate things for us to have to help us through difficult times in our lives. We have little patience for people who are having trouble and won't share their needs even with their family and their closest friends. We expect people to seek help when they really need it, and when someone says that they don't carry any health insurance, not because they can't afford it but because they don't expect to ever need it, we think that they are probably not making a wise choice.
There are many places that we look for support for our lives. There is nothing wrong with this and, in fact, there is something wrong with not seeking out places of support when we need it. It is only prudent to have a reasonable amount of insurance and assets set aside for emergencies. It is appropriate to count on family and friends to be supportive and helpful when things are not going well. But as good as these things are they are not foolproof. Insurance coverage that we thought was secure can be taken away. Assets can be lost or quickly used up. Family and friends may not be as helpful and supportive as we had hoped. Jobs are lost. The stock market falls. These may be helpful things but they are not to be trusted as the foundation of our lives.
Most of us who come to church know this. It seems almost silly to bring the question up in a congregation, and yet the question needs to be asked of all of us, "How securely have we anchored our lives in God?" Are we sailing along on smooth seas, sure that nothing can overwhelm our little boat, but with a vague notion that there is a good God out there somewhere who will no doubt take care of us because, after all, we are pretty good compared to some others? Is our trust in God based on what others have told us about how God has taken care of them and we figure that God will also take care of us? Or are we sure that God will be with us no matter what happens in life because we have come to know and trust this God with our very lives? Have we spent time sharing with God who we are and what our dreams and fears are? Have we sat in quiet solitude listening for that quiet, still voice that is heard only in the midst of silence? In other words, is our trust in God based on hearsay or on our own in-depth, ongoing relationship with the God of all creation?
It is one thing to have a vague trust in the police department to keep our neighborhoods safe but it is quite another thing to know the officer who patrols our neighborhood and to know that person understands our concerns about the safety of our community. It is one thing to hope that medical science can take care of our ills and a very different thing to lie down on a surgical table and be confident in the knowledge and skill of our physician preparing to operate on us.
Our trust in God can be based on the teachings of the church and the testimony of others or it can be based on our relationship with God, buttressed and supported by the teachings of the church and the testimony of others. We get to choose which way it will be. We may not have an opportunity to meet the police officer patrolling our area and have a long conversation. Our physician may be too busy to spend as much time with us as we would like. But there is nothing stopping us from getting to know our God and building a solid relationship with our Creator and Redeemer.
If we are going to have a real relationship with God to base our trust and faith on, then we need to make that relationship a priority in our lives. It means taking the time to be in prayer and meditation on a regular basis. Relationships are not built with an occasional meeting and superficial chatter. Real relationships are built as we spend quality time with someone in deep sharing of who we are and of what we dream about and of what we fear. The quality of any relationship can be judged by the amount of conversation that centers on sharing about each other, rather than on talking about others or some situation.
Does our relationship with God reflect a high quality of sharing? Do we really spend time with God or do we just go through the motions of a devotional time if we have a spare minute? Are we really honest and open with God about who we are, about our dreams and our fears? Do we ever take the time to listen to God so that we can know God better? If we are truly to base our lives on our faith and trust in God then we are going to have to develop a relationship that will support that trust. Otherwise, when things begin to get tough our doubts and fears will rob us of our faith and we will be left with nothing to hold on to. God will still be faithful and will still be with us but we may not be able to recognize the divine presence because we know God so little. Our efforts to have a deep, abiding relationship with God is not so that God will be convinced that we are worth taking care of, but rather so that when things get rough in life and we go through the dark times we will recognize the voice of God and God's gentle touch as we are led. Just as an infant begins to know and trust its mother as it learns to recognize her voice and smell and touch, so we begin to know and trust God as we come to know God more fully. God invites us into such a relationship of deep sharing and trust. Let us answer, "Yes," to our Lord.
