Batten down the hatches for the storm

 

Reflection 20^th June 2021

Jesus had spent a long day beside the Sea of Galilee teaching multitudes of people about the kingdom of God. Evening was coming on, so Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side.” So, they climbed into a small boat and started across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was tired and fell asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat. Suddenly a furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. Almost panic stricken, they ask Jesus, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” Mark 4:38

Many of us have asked the same question at some time in our lives. A sudden storm arises in our life - a health or family crisis, the loss of a much-needed job or whatever that storm might be - and Jesus seems to be asleep. We want to ask, “Do you not care that we perish?” Of course, he cares. But sometimes he may seem to be sleeping.

Everybody goes through storms at some time or another.  It seems especially true in today’s world. And undoubtedly the pandemic has been a storm like no other for many due to job losses, deaths of loved ones and so on. I read a report published just a few days ago by the Samaritans. They have found that thankfully during the pandemic, over all suicides have not increased as was feared might happen. But the Samaritans note that coronavirus is having a profound effect on the economy. We know that during the previous recession, suicide rates did rise, and those who are hardest hit by economic downturn are also those who are at greatest risk of suicide – i.e. middle-aged men.

William Cowper was a popular 18^th century poet. He suffered from depression. He made four different attempts to commit suicide but each time something or someone prevented it from happening. After the fourth attempt he picked up a Bible and began to read the Book of Romans. It was then that Cowper finally met the God who calms storms, including the storms in his own life. It is obvious that Cowper wrote from these experiences when he penned these memorable words: “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.”

I would add that I am not saying reading the Bible is the solution to someone suffering from the kind of thoughts that means they contemplate suicide. And I would advocate someone in that situation seeking proper help. But God is there during the storm.

I am a fan of the Aubrey and Maturin novels of Patrick O'Brian. They are sea faring tales of Captain Jack Aubrey and his companion Dr Stephen Maturin. They are set in the early years of the 19th century during the Napoleonic wars. In one novel, Desolate Island, O'Brian depicts Captain Aubrey's ship sailing through a violent storm in the South Atlantic, all the while being pursued by a much larger enemy vessel. As the storm rages around the ship cargo comes lose and has to be jettisoned, including heavy cannon. This is very risky. But the sailors know the risk of letting heavy cannon roll around the ship is far more dangerous than the storm outside.

So it is with people. Our greatest danger is not the external conditions that make up our environment but those storms that sometimes rage within.

The worst part is that sometimes during the roughest part of the storm Jesus seems to be asleep. You know what I’m talking about if you’ve been a Christian for any length of time at all. You pray and you pray some more, and nothing seems to happen. You think to yourself, where IS God when I need Him? All of us can look back over our lives and see a series of answered prayers, but all of that is forgotten when we encounter a truly horrible situation. “Why doesn’t God intervene?” we cry out in our distress. “Do you not care that we perish? Do my griefs and heartaches not matter? Is there anyone there who sees and understands?”

‘Do you not care that we are perishing?’ asked the frightened disciples. (Mark 4:38) Every believer goes through a time like that sooner or later.

C. S. Lewis had been married only four years when his wife, Joy, died of cancer. Joy’s death was almost too much for Lewis to bear. He plunged into a deep depression and did the only thing he knew to do; he wrote. His writings were later compiled and published under the title, A Grief Observed.

With Joy’s death, C. S. Lewis’ unwavering faith was called into question. It seemed to him as though God had been wonderfully present in his life until this catastrophe struck. Soon after Joy’s death, Lewis wrote these words: “Where is God? When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be--or so it feels--welcomed with open arms. But to go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become . . . What can this mean? Why is God so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in times of trouble?”

That is a question every generation of Christians has asked. All of us go through storms. At such times it seems as if God is asleep.

But inspirational words of the Psalmist give us hope: “. . . he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you--the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm--he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121

The story in Mark’s Gospel is an affirmation that Jesus does care. When the storms of life are raging, he does care. When it seems, you cannot hold on a moment longer, he does care. When the waters threaten to engulf you, he does care.

The disciples rouse Jesus from his sleep, and he does what only the Master can do. He speaks to the wind and the waves and says, “Peace! be still!” Mark 4:38 And the wind ceases and there is a great calm. Then he turns to the disciples and asks, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” Mark 4:40

The central question in life is not how many storms we encounter. The question is whether we have faith for the storms we will encounter. Sometimes it will seem as if God Himself has forsaken us. It is at such times that our faith will be critical.

The late John Claypool was one of America’s finest preachers. When he was at the height of his popularity as a pastor, his six-year-old daughter, Laura, died of leukaemia. In his book Tracks of a Fellow Struggler, he described how one evening when sitting alone in silence and filled with despair, he realised something. He could either spend the rest of his life mourning the loss of Laura whom he would never see grow up, or he could look back in joy and say, “Thank you, God, for the gift of my daughter Laura and the six best years of my life.” 

John Claypool chose to trust God with his storm. So can we.

(The idea, and illustrations, for this week's Reflection came from Sermons.com - an invaluable source of ideas for weeks when preachers are sometimes are up against the clock!)

Plant those little seeds

 

In his last sermon St David is said to have told his monks to "do the little things, the small things you've seen me doing".

Archbishop Rowan Williams thinks that phrase resonates with modern people because “it reminds us that the primary things for us are the relationships around us, the need to work at what’s under our hands, what’s within our reach. We can transform our domestic lives, our family relationships and to some extent our national life, if we do that with focus and concentration in the presence of God.”

You never know how something you or I might do might affect someone else. The funny thing is that we may not even think that what we did was all that important, but to another person that little thing made a world of difference. Jesus taught us that the kingdom of God is like that.

Now listen to Jesus' words, “^{26 ‘}The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground” Mark 4:26 Now you and I would call that very inefficient farming. A lot of good seed would be lost if we simply scattered seed upon the ground. But Jesus is not giving us lessons in agriculture or gardening. He is telling us about the kingdom of God. And he is saying that the very tiniest of seeds can produce an enormous harvest. 

One June morning 145 years ago, Jean Henri Dunant woke up and opened his window in his beloved Switzerland. He heard an excited babble down in the street and quickly went down to see what was going on. He didn't hear much at first, but he caught the words "fighting" and "war" through all the confusion. Eventually he was able to determine that a war had started in Italy. So, he hastily packed a few things and set out. He wanted to see for himself just what was going on. 

Henri arrived in Italy where he saw soldiers fighting on the side of a hill near the town of Castiglione. It seemed that everyone was shooting at everyone else. He watched as men were hit by bullets, gave horrible cries, and fell to the ground. Henri had never seen anything like this before. He felt that he should do something to help the wounded men. When the fighting stopped at dusk, he went to the nearby town to ask people to go to the battlefield with him. Ordinary citizens: farmers, bakers and tailors responded at once. They spent the night there giving as much aid as they could to the wounded men. 

It was hard for Henri to forget what he had seen once he returned home, so he decided to write down his experiences. He described the horrible sight of battle and men being shot. He also suggested that every country should have a relief society, a kind of emergency aid service to help wounded soldiers. 

It was five years later before the first rescue society was organized in Geneva, Switzerland in 1864. It was called the Red Cross. And soon other countries joined the society. Everyone forgot all about Henri until an article appeared in a newspaper in 1895. In 1901 he was given the very first Nobel peace prize.  

Henri planted a seed that would germinate and help millions of people all over the world. That's the way the kingdom works - great harvests from tiny seeds. That's the first lesson from this parable. But there is a second lesson that is just as valuable. 

And that is that growth is occurring even when it is not evident to us.  Jesus said, “²⁸ The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head” Mark 4:28 It is a mystery; centuries later we still don't know what causes a seed to sprout. So far scientists have not been able to create a synthetic seed and make it grow. Growth is a mystery.

Our task is to plant seeds. We don't know if the seeds we plant will ever take hold, but that should not discourage us. Growth doesn't take place because of our understandings or manipulations; it is God's initiative that brings forth growth. 

It is often easy for us to lose patience and wonder what the use is. We don't see anything coming from our efforts and we can be ready to give up. But wait! The parable of the scattered seed teaches us that just when we are ready to give up some seed will sprout. Just when we think nothing will happen, growth will take place. We need to be patient and not give up, because sometimes growth takes longer than we expect. God works in ways we don't understand, often hidden from view. And we must be patient. 

At one of my previous churches, St Andrews, several people had been talking about starting Messy Church but weren’t sure what to do. I offered to put them in touch with a church that was running Messy Church but they weren’t sure. When I moved to Chippenham, on the day of my welcome service, Messy Church was running at Central. I took two of the people from my former church to meet the team at Central. And the seed sown began to flourish at St Andrews where a successful Messy Church has run for several years now. Sadly, Messy Church finished some time later at Central. Jesus said, ‘²⁹ But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.’ Mark 4:29 But the seed sowed by Central continues to flourish at St Andrews.  God works in ways we do not understand. God's ways are not our ways, and He works slowly but surely to achieve His will in this world. 

Now the upshot of all of this is that great things happen from small beginnings.  Jesus explained that the kingdom of God is "like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground is the smallest of all seeds on earth." Mark 4:31 But from the smallest seed known in Jesus' day grew a large shrub. The mustard seed is only a tiny, tiny speck of a seed, yet when it grows, Jesus tells us, it is, "the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." Mark 4:32 It is hard for us to get excited about this, since we live in an age with all sorts of amazing discoveries, but for people living in prescientific days it must have truly baffled their minds that something so large could come from such a small seed. 

The parable of the mustard seed is a word of encouragement for us. Things might not be what you and I want them to be, but there is still hope. God works in mysterious ways. God is still with us even when our efforts are frustrated because He is the source of growth. Growth often starts out small like a mustard seed and then blossoms into something huge. 

And that is the story of the church as well. Whoever would have thought that from the often inept disciples, the gospel message would spread to all the corners of the globe? Yet you and I are here today because twenty centuries ago a tiny seed was planted. They planted the seed. God gave the growth. 

Are there some tiny seeds that we could be planting? Some word of love, some act of encouragement? Some little thing? Is there some ministry we could be involved in, realizing that from the tiniest seed great growth can come? The kingdom of God is like seed scattered on the ground. Have you some seed that you could scatter today?  

Post script. Last autumn, my wife dug up some of our front lawn and scattered wildflower seeds. Through the winter it was bare. In early spring small plants appeared that looked like weeds. In fact from my study I'd see people walking past, looking at the "weeds" and obviously thinking "Why aren't they weeding?" Whereas now

So you wanted a King .... be careful what you wish for

 

Reflection Sunday 6^th June 2021

There is a piece of advice that comes right out of one of our readings today. The advice comes from the prophet Samuel who says, "Be careful what you wish for ... you just might get it!"

The people of Israel came to Samuel with what was probably not an unreasonable request. They wanted a change in the way they were being governed. In years past, they had followed the lead of those judges whom God had appointed, of whom Samuel was held in highest regard. But now, these "judgeships" were being passed from father to son just as monarchies go from kings to princes. And, as is often the case, the current crop of Israelite "judge-princes" was not the best. In fact, Samuel's own sons, Joel and Abijah, judges in Beer-Sheba, fell into that category; under their administration, "justice" was no justice at all — it was for sale to the highest bidder. No wonder the people came with their request. "Appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have" 1 Sam 8:5

The Philistines may well have been the "other nations" in the back of the elders' minds. The Philistines were Israel's biggest enemy at this time, and they had a king. The Philistines lived on the coast, and were successful traders, controlling the highway between Egypt and the fertile crescent. They had a highly organized military with iron weapons. In contrast, Israel was poor and disorganized — a loose confederation of tribes, still stuck in the bronze age. They had some iron agricultural implements, but no iron weapons, and no blacksmiths. Could it be that Israel, poor, rural, and technologically weak, was tired of getting kicked around and wanted to emulate the rich, urban, technologically advanced Philistines? "Appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have"(v. 5).

Samuel was not pleased. As might be expected, he was personally insulted. His leadership was being called into question. And the leadership of his sons. But to the prophet's credit, his first response is not to lash out, but rather to offer prayer.

The Lord's response is gentle. "It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you" (vv. 7-8). Then God says something interesting: "Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do" (v. 9).

"Warn them." That is one of the prophet's jobs. Someone has likened the prophet to the canary that miners take down in the mine with them to detect poisonous gas. The canary is a warning. Prophets, in ancient Israel and in the modern world, are like canaries in that they have a heightened sensitivity to our moral atmosphere. If there is poison in the air, the prophet knows it. No one else may have seen anything wrong, but the prophet has — thus, the warning to act before it is too late.

This is what Samuel does. In spades! Be careful what you wish for you just might get it! "This is what the king who will reign over you will do" Samuel says (v. 11). You want a warrior king, one to lead you in battle? Fair enough but guess who will be driving the king's chariots and riding the king's horses into the fray. Your sons! Guess who gets to be the king's infantry. That's right, your sons again! And, of course, the king, as commander-in-chief, will need some subordinates — generals, colonels, captains, and lieutenants. Who are they? That's right, your boys.

That is not all, of course. The king does not dirty his hands. He will also need tenant farmers to plough his fields and reap his harvest. He will need workers to manufacture his weapons and rolling stock. Who will they be? Whom do you think?

Oh, and don't forget, a king lives like ... well, a king! How does he manage? "He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your men servants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves" (vv. 13-17). Still want a king? Get what you wish for.

We know what the people answered. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations ..." (v. 20). And God said to Samuel let them have a king. Let them get what they wish for.

Perhaps Israel's greatest mistake is captured in that one sentence: "Then we will be like all the other nations." To this point, Israel had been special, unique. And this had been God's intention — Israel was not to be like the rest of the nations; they were to be a light to them. Israel's security did not reside in political stratagem or military might, but in Yahweh, who embarrassed the powerful Egyptians at the Red Sea, who provided and guided in the wilderness, who brought them victorious into the promised land. They and they alone could have shown the nations of the world that power comes from God and God alone. But no. "We want a king over us." They opted for a different sort of power. Be careful what you wish for you just might get it!

Israel got their king. Down through the centuries that followed, some of their monarchs were good, but most were not. More battles were lost than won. There was a period during which the whole nation was carried off into exile. Finally, almost 2,000 years would go by without a homeland to call their own. Even to this day, long after the departure of their last kings, Israel's land is in dispute. They came to Samuel wanting new leadership, a new form of government, a king to be like everybody else. What's that you say? Be careful what you wish for?

I try to keep close to my heart the words of another prophet Micah.

⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly^[a] with your God. Micah 6:8

Micah’s words that echo so much of Jesus’s teachings, especially in the Sermon on the Mount.

There are prophets today that in different ways pick up on the theme of Micah. They warn us about the dangers of climate change; they warn us of the dangers of not helping developing countries getting Covid vaccine; they warn us of increasing levels of poverty and inequality in our own country. Do we listen to the prophets today? Do we become prophets ourselves and speak and practice justice and mercy?  Or do we sit back and get what we wish for – with all its consequences?