Peace in the Storm
This sermon can be listened to here
Gate Pa – 20th June 2021 – 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings:
Psalm Psalm
133
First
Reading:
1 Samuel
17:57-18:5, 10-16
Second
Reading: 2 Corinthians
6:1-13
Gospel:
Mark 4:35-41
What I want to say:
explore
the storms in our world and lives today, and what this story in Mark offers us
What I want to happen:
What demonic and destructive powers
is Jesus overcoming, speaking words of peace to?
The Sermon
1.
Introduction:
Jesus was done
He has finished
his offering block teaching
- teach a new way of seeing Kingdom of God at
work:
- using stories about seeds
Heard last two -
last week
-
seed grows
even when we pay them no attention and we do not know how they grow
-
Mustard
seed growing both where intended, and where not intended
teaching and
healing non stop
-
even
family worried and tried take him away
Jesus needs some
time out
-
says go to
other side
Goes to back and
goes to sleep
He trusts them
Experienced
fisherman – know what doing
-
used to
handling fishing boats in all conditions
-
able look
changing weather – go to safety when need to.
But caught out
This storm comes
very fast –
and is savage
so savage
blasting down valley - out hills of Lebanon
intensifying
as it comes
Greek used
describe storm indicates that it is much more than just bad weather
word used – similar used describe
demonic
Story is about
much more than bad weather
Jesus lives in
world everything is controlled by spirits and these are really bad spirits at
work here
use language
links story with others where Jesus is confronted with spirits that seek to
deprive life.
ð Spirits of death
-
Jesus and
evil spirit in Capernaum – chapter 1 (after calling first disciple
-
Jesus
healing demon possessed man (straight after this story)
-
And
several others
So have demonic
storm hammering this boat and other boats that are there
- Disciples begin to loose control
- Panic
- They freeze
- And in their panic
- Wake Jesus
- Demanding
- “teacher don’t you care if we drown?”
2. Our storms
I wonder when we
have felt like that
No shortage of
storms in our world
Spirits that seek
to bring death are at work
- Whether we would use that language or not
·
Covid-19
·
Climate
change for some
·
Housing
shortage and inequality
·
You can
name your own
3. Marks and being in a Storm
Community Mark
writing for lived through existential storm
Jewish rebellion
and eventual destruction of temple
Slaughter
enslavement hundreds thousands Jews
that led to crisis
both within Judaism
- Little Jewish sect – Christianity
Now finding itself
increasingly cast out.
Persecuted as
agnostic
This story
This gospel is
written to people being swamped
Calling out “Jesus
don’t you care if we drown?”
4. Peace, Be Still
To all these
storms Jesus simply says “Silence! Be
still!”
Other translations –
“Peace, Be still!”
And the wind and
waves are stilled!
Turns to us all
and says
Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?”
5. Question Time
All kinds of
questions arise out of this.
- How can Jesus be asleep in this raging storm?
- Does he really not care?
- Why doesn’t Jesus stop all the storms
today?
- When Jesus says, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith
yet?”
o What does he mean by that?
6. Mark again
One themes Mark’s
gospel is that Jesus overcomes the deep and destructive powers of death in the
world
Regin of God was
always about defeating powers of death
- freeing people to thrive in God
=> Sets people
free to live lives in light and love of God
How do we do that
in midst of our storms?
7. Laudate Si
Reading “Surrounded
By Love – 7 Teachings from St. Francis”
- by
Murray Bodo OFM
In it quotes Pope
Francis’s encyclical - Laudate Si
“St Francis shows
us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the
poor, commitment to society and inner peace.
Bodo goes on to describe
inner peace as awareness that God is,
- and that God dwells in all creation
Other 3 flow from
this awareness, this inner peace.
Describes how this
awareness is knowing that
- All that is outside the interrelated life of
the trinity
- Has it ‘s beginning in God
- That interrelating love within God creates all
this is
- Including this world
- And us.
The peace Jesus
speaks of is not a trust that God will fix everything
- That nothing bad will happen
- Really bad stuff happens to good faithful people
It was a trust that
God is
- God dwells in all creation
- Holds all creation in love
- Holds him in love
- Holds us in love.
At some level
When I read this
story
Hear those words
of Jesus – “Peace, be still”
Those words are
as much to all of us as they are to the storm
In the storm disciples
were invited to be at peace, to be still.
In the storms
circling around then Markan community was invited to be at peace, to be still.
In our storms we
are invited to be at peace, to be still.
8. Conclusion
What words do you
hear in your storm as you hear this story?
Does this story help
you live
If so how?
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