Central Presbyterian Church (USA)

June 21, 2009

William H. “Billy” McLean

Sermon Title: “The ONE Who Stills The Storms!”

Scripture: Mark 4:35-41

Jesus certainly trusted in the power of stories to Do Something for us!

Having singled out the significance Bible Stories have in our faith, leads me to say,

“Good Stories are worth hearing again!”

When I preached here back on Sept. 21. 2008, today’s story of Jesus Stilling the Storms!” was the story.

Today, you hear a story I never tire of hearing; however,

What I do with it today will be different. Today is Father’s Day not September 21, 2008.

I began “listening” to this story 2 weeks ago while on vacation in Montreat. I was thinking we would be celebrating Father’s Day today.

Two weeks ago, I read an article in USA Today acclaiming the legendary broadcast pioneer Norman Lear who is known for creating some of the most acclaimed and top-rated television series of all time: All in the Family, Good Times, The Jeffersons, Maude, Mary Hartman, On Day at a Time, and Sanford & Son.

Norman Lear is one of the most respected men in the entertainment industry.

I had been thinking and listening to the Story of the ONE Who Stills the Storm and the article went on to acclaim what is believed to be the difference between Lear’s comedys about real life family life and all the earlier family shows, such as Ozzie and Harriet.

When we watched Ozzie and Harriet we saw the perfect family and most of us knew better.

We may have tried to be like Ozzie and Harriet, but trying is all we could do.

Try as we might, we still faced the “Storms of Parenting” and the issues of life.

Rob Reiner, who played Archie Bunker’s Son-in-Law Michael Stivic was quoted in the article on how the Bunker Family broke from all the former Family Shows and how “The Bunker Family” scenes were more like real life.

The article went on to point to how the Norman Lear families broke ground in the depiction of issues previously considered unsuitable for U.S. network television comedy.

The shows tackled issues families face… such as racism, homosexuality, women's liberation, rape, miscarriage, breast cancer, menopause and impotence.

I thought of our story for today and where we are when we hear of the Stilling of the Storm and how, simply put, how some of us hear this story.

We don’t have to have the story interpreted. We hear it and it does speak to the storms or the challenges in our lives.

To illustrate: As a teenager, I sat right where you are sitting but in the old Central sanctuary and heard John Crowell preach on the story of the Disciples Mending Their Nets. I don’t remember a thing John said, but I knew I had some nets that needed mending, and I was helped and encouraged.

So, let’s “re-listen” to the Story of Jesus Stilling the Storm for today, Father’s Day…

The Story goes: The disciples left the crowd and got into the boat and found Jesus was already on board. They raised the sails and prepared to get underway with Jesus sitting there. They “set sail” for the far shore with many boats out there with them.

Suddenly, a terrible storm came up. High winds were pitching and rolling them about. The boat began taking on water, and the disciples were terribly frightened.

In their fear, they began looking around for Jesus.

To their surprise, they found Jesus sound asleep back in the stern of the boat. His head was on a pillow.

The Disciples didn’t hesitate to wake him and ask him,

“Don’t you care (about US)…We’re about to die (at sea in this storm)?”

At that moment, Jesus got up and spoke to the wind, “Be QUIET!;” and next, He commanded the waves,“Be STILL!” THE WIND DIED AND THERE WAS A GREAT CALM!

Jesus asked the Disciples,

“Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?”

The Disciples appear to have ignored his question and then asked themselves,

“Who Is This Man, THE ONE who even the wind and waves obey?”

Having heard OUR STORY of Jesus Stilling the Storm AGAIN, I focus in on where the poor disciples were when they looked at one another and asked

“Who Is this Man, THE ONE Who Stills the Storms?”

Their question is an important question for us too!

It is important to know THE ONE who STILLs the Storms!

The answer to the question the first Disciples asked has been important in every generation.

Put another way, the question was raised in Prison by Dietrich Bonhoeffer prior to his death when in his prison letters he asked and then reflected on,

Who is Jesus Christ for Us Today?

Recently, Professor Andreas Schuele, Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology at Union-PSCE has published a new book drawing on the title of Dr. Bonhoeffer’s reflections. Dr. Schuele has compiled the essays of 15 scholars who each addresses Dr. Bonhoeffer’s question.

Thinking about the question, it is the important question asked in our story of Jesus Stilling the Storm,

“Who is this man, who even the wind and the waves obey?”

My friends, Such a powerful story brings us to question and to need our own understanding of the important presence of Christ among us today. YES, on Father’s Day 2009,

“Who is This One Who Stills the Storms?

Our Question was Dr. Bonhoeffer’s question, Professor Schuele’s question, and now it is ours,

Who Is Jesus Christ for us Today?

To any Father or Mother sitting here today, we would all be pressed should our child of any age ask us this question.

Who Is Jesus Christ for Us Today?

Yes, it is a deep theological question; however, we should not be surprised.

Children, and especially young children, are prone to ask such deep and probing questions.

We, like the disciples, may sit with the original disciples and be disciples of little faith.

Yet, let’s not sit there in silence.

This story is DOING something for US?

What might the story be doing?

The Story may be speaking and touching us as we identify with those poor disciples who never seemed to get it right.

We don’t know if we can answer even a young child’s question.

ALL WE know is:

We know, we want HIM in the boat with US!

On the other hand, we might say we can see the Power of the ONE, we have come to experience and to trust is the ONE who stills the Storms in our Lives.

I think of Bob and Susie Hamlin, members in Trinity-Fairhope who sit as we speak in Children’s Hospital with their 16 year old daughter, Katie, who I mentioned and ask you for prayers for Katie, Susie, and Bob. Susie and Bob know they are in a storm and they are praying and asking God through his Son and Holy Spirit to be with Katie and with them to still the storm they are in.

Turn with me to a different line of thought for Father’s Day and where WE ALL may find a simpler approach helpful.

Thinking about the Hamlins, the story can do something for us without our being able to answer the deep theological question,

Who is Jesus Christ for Us Today?

We know deep down where we turn to when we face such issues as the Archie Bunker Family did.

Perhaps worse than the Bunker Family scene, we know where to turn when the storms involve sudden loss, a devastating illness, or when, a family member struggles with an addiction or recovery from an addiction.

We know where we turn when such challenges continues daily to impact the entire family.

In closing, I hope you hear me say,

We may not be able to write an essay or answer a child’s question about…

Who Is Jesus Christ for Us Today?

BUT, The Disciple’s Question is no longer Our Question.

WE Know The One Who Stilled the Storm for the Disciples to be Our Lord and Savior, The One who stands with us and STILLS the Storms of Life, whatever they me be.

WE can face the fact that, at best, we need God’s Help in one of the most difficult and challenging tasks of life, Parenting and being both a Father and a Husband OR a Mother and a Wife!

Thanks Be To God!