Pentecost 10B
July 29, 2018
Rev. Brian Henderson-Pastor of
Trinity Lutheran Church,
7210 Lisbon Street
San Diego, CA 92114
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“Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida.” [Mark 6:45a]
Another way to say that is, Jesus compelled them; no He insisted that they get into the boat. He had them get into a boat that He knew would soon be in all kinds of trouble. He had them get into a boat that He knew was headed into a storm that was about to kick up on the lake. But He also knew that when the storm was raging in its fierceness, in conditions that would cause grown men to cry out in fear like children, He would walk out on the water to them. Why?
When all three of my boys were younger I had the distinct joy that I sometimes think only a Dad can truly appreciate; I took the training wheels off of their bicycles and made them learn to ride their bikes. I did it knowing that they would fall, scrape their knees, and maybe even bloody their lips; I did it because I wanted them to experience freedom from fear. I wanted them to learn that they could trust me and their bike. I promised each of them that they could learn to ride a bike without the training wheels. And after a few falls and encouragement from me, they learned that I was right, they could ride a bike!
So why did Jesus compel the disciples to get into that boat. So that they would learn that God keeps His promises! They needed to learn that Jesus would never leave nor forsake them; even when it seemed that He wasn’t with them He really was. He was watching them from a secret location that they were not aware of. They needed to learn that Jesus is the God-man who even controls the wind and sea; why He even controls sickness and disease.
So what things does God compel us to do today?
Well certainly as we pray every day in the Lord’s Prayer, we discover that He compels us to pray for His Kingdom and His will to be done every day here on earth as it is done in heaven. But when we pray those petitions, He is also inviting us to experience His kingdom as He leads and guides us every day of our lives. As Luther taught long ago, God’s kingdom and His will come and are done whether we pray for them or not, but in the Lord’s Prayer we are invited to ask God that they would first come in us and then be done through us.
Now I believe there is a question that begs to be asked; I really must ask it, even if it causes fear. Do you really want God’s Kingdom to take over your life? Do you really want His will to be done in your life?
What if having His kingdom come in your life means that you must admit that He is right and you are wrong? What if it means that you must agree with God and admit that a certain style of living that our society says is ok, is really a sin? And what if agreeing with God about that sin will upset a whole bunch of people who are close to you?
What if having God’s will being done in your life means that you must leave a place of employment, a good job, because it builds and celebrates a kingdom of darkness instead of God’s kingdom of grace? What if God’s will being done in and through you means that He may allow you to become sick with an illness or disease? Do you still have the courage to pray for that will?
You will, if you remember who it is that is with you. It is Jesus, He who sees all things, even things we cannot see or understand. It is Jesus who not only walks on water but controls everything that makes you afraid. And just as Jesus spoke Words of comfort to the apostles in the boat, He speaks Words of comfort to you this morning: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” [Mark 6:50] This morning, Jesus would like you to remember that He has always been with you and He always will be. He promises that He will never leave nor forsake you and no one can snatch you out of His hand.
Dear friends, God’s promises are always powerful and they are always reliable.
In our Old Testament lesson (Genesis 9:8-17), God promised Noah and His family (and all of us) that He would never again destroy the earth by way of a flood. And to be sure that they (and we) would remember that promise and count on it, He placed that promise behind a sign in the sky, the rainbow!
Listen don’t worry about things like how the rainbow is naturally made when raindrops act like a prism and reflect sunlight, breaking white sunlight into colors. That is simply an explanation of how we see a rainbow; we need to concentrate on the why we see it! We see the rainbow because God knew that we needed to have a sign of life, not death. We needed to learn that we could count on His blessing and good will. We need that sign to bring us comfort not fear. We need to remember that God keeps His promises!
That rainbow like all of the other signs that God gives to us, should remind us to thank God and give Him praise for His goodness and forgiving love. Every time we see the rainbow we should remember that God’s anger over our sin has been replaced by His forgiving love that is ours through the cross of Jesus. Through Jesus’s life blood that was poured out for our sins, we no longer have an angry God, but instead we have a loving and forgiving God! And in your baptism, God gave you another great sign; He gave you the sign of that very cross that sets you free.
In your baptism the sign of the cross was made upon your heart and your brow to mark you as God’s own child. You have been sealed with the promise that God through Jesus Christ has won you; He has redeemed you as His very own. And because you are His own, He promises that He will never leave you nor forsake you! But the promise is not just for you it is for the entire world; for anyone who will not reject that Holy washing; for anyone who will simply trust and rest in God’s divine power to do exactly as He says He will do… save you from sin, death, and the devil himself!
An elderly Christian was in much distress as she lay dying. “Oh, Pastor,” she said, “for years I have relied upon the promises of God, but now in my time of death I can’t remember a single one to comfort me.” Knowing that Satan was disturbing her, the preacher said, “My Sister, do you think that GOD will forget any of His promises?” A smile came over the old woman’s face as she exclaimed joyfully. “No, no! He won’t! Praise the Lord, now I can fall asleep in Jesus and trust Him to remember them all and bring me safely to Heaven.” Peace flooded her soul, and a short time later she was ushered by the angels into the light of God’s eternal day.
Dear friends, in your baptism God has given you not only His promise that He is with you and that all things will work for your good and your eternal salvation, but He has also given you a sign.
Whenever you are afraid, whenever you are lonely and unsure of your life, remember God’s promises by remembering your baptism, and then make the sign of the cross and thank and praise God for His goodness! Remember as St. Paul said in our Epistle reading (Ephesians 3:14-21), He has given you everything you need to be strengthened with His power through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. And then remember that wherever the Holy Spirit is, there Jesus is as well. Do you hear that good news? Jesus is always with you living in your hearts by faith. And through that wonderful gift of faith, God gives you peace by assuring you that Jesus is always with you, strengthening and protecting you, just as His Word promised long ago in your baptism, when He first washed you clean. It is that same Word you hear preached to you now, and it is the same Word you will soon receive in our Lord’s meal of forgiveness. Oh, God is so good!
And just as God was with Noah and His family before, during, and after the flood He is with you now. Just as the Son of God was with the apostles before, during, and after the storm on the lake, He is with you now and always will be. He lives in His Word, in the promises it makes about forgiveness of sin and eternal life, and He lives, He dwells within you in power.
Within each of you is the fullness of God; it fills you and if you will trust it, it will well up within you and come out of you like living water. No matter the cost to living out God’s will, He provides everything you need to know that He is with you. As you rest in His kingdom, He is not only protecting you, he is living in you, attracting and inviting others to experience that very same presence of God. And God’s presence not only lives in you, but it also goes before you as you trust His promises of presence and forgiveness and as you speak those promises to others.
Dear Lord may your kingdom come and your will be done in us and through us in Jesus name… AMEN!
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” [Ephesians 3:20-21]
