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| The Stilling of the Storm, by Norma Boeckler |
The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
Bethany Lutheran Worship, 10 AM Central Time
The Hymn #24 Lord of My Life 3:59
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual Romans 13:8-10
The Gospel Matthew 8:23-27
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 132 O God of God 3:55
Faith Grows from Our Troubles
The Hymn #307 Draw Nigh 3:72
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #649 Jesus Savior Pilot Me 3:80
KJV Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
KJV Matthew 8:23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Lord God, heavenly Father, who in Thy divine wisdom and fatherly goodness makest Thy children to bear the cross, and sendest divers afflictions upon us to subdue the flesh, and quicken our hearts unto faith, hope and unceasing prayer: We beseech Thee to have mercy upon us, and graciously deliver us out of our trials and afflictions, so that we may perceive Thy grace and fatherly help, and with all saints forever praise and worship Thee; through Thy dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Faith Grows from Our Troubles
KJV Matthew 8:23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
We can see from the Gospels that the disciples believed in Christ. They heard His authoritative Word and witnessed His divine miracles. But the nature of faith is also shown in the narratives where the disciples seemed to forget about Christ or let their fears take over.
As Luther wrote, for this lesson, this shows us how great faith is. Those who believe in Christ see and receive great miracles, and they know the source of these signs of God's grace.
A lack of faith is just the opposite. It is not only lacking in the blessings of belief in Christ, but there is a terrible deficit as well. This is not comparing zero with $10 million, but owing $10 million compared to having $10 million.
The person without faith is consumed by fear and addicted to human reason and experience for explaining everything. Worst of all, when God provides, the unbeliever congratulates himself and says, "That's from all my hard worth and cleverness."
But the benefit of unbelief, as Mr. Worldly Wise would say (Pilgrim's Progress) - escaping pain, misery, and martyrdom. Long before there was a Hollywood bragging about all its good works and ultra-righteous behavior in saving seals and whales (but not babies), Mr. Worldly-Wise showed Christian the path to salvation through the Law and outward (man-made) righteousness.
In this miracle, the disciples believed in Jesus as long as things went well. But when the storm came, fear took over and faith flew out the window. Worst of all, Jesus was sleeping.
As Luther explained, God allows us to experience His absence during times of privation and persecution. It is as if Jesus is asleep or has gone away entirely. We can feel tossed into the pit, because this is God's way of exercising and strengthening our faith, training us to be a long-distance runner.
I know a college president who is a runner. One day he approached the steps, very steep steps to the upstairs. With his training and long legs, he bounded up the steps effortlessly. I had to step back suddenly. Most could not do that, very few in my age category - it helps to be younger.
No one likes those times of trial, but they condition us to be stronger for the next one and to leap over those imaginary obstacles we place in the way of God's own work.
I continue to make this plea among Lutherans, who ignore it, and among non-Lutherans, who appreciate it. Everything God does comes through His Word and never apart from His Word.
Lack of faith means not believing in His Word. Those who pray believe in His Promises in His Word. Those who trust in the power and goodness of His Word are necessarily moved to pray. And seeing the positive results, they are even more likely to pray.
My boss said, "I was praying for an English teacher. We had to have one. And suddenly you showed up."
Lacking faith in the Word, people do not broadcast the Word. We do a number of things, knowing the effectiveness of the Word:
1. We give away books about the Christian faith. Angel Joy has been distributed all over, and the rest of the books are free.
2. Every sermon is broadcast on this blog and on Ustream. Few congregations do this although both methods are free.
3. We buy Bibles for people and send them as gifts. Many people do not have a good Bible. Since people have given me Bibles, I share them with those who lack one. One woman said she stole the only one she had from her prison cell.
4. Sometimes I have a chance in a hospital visiting area to speak about the Gospel. Chris often does.
5. The congregation supports all this and does even more, such as sending Christian art around Facebook. I smile when I see it being shared by people I do not know. It is just like the rock tossed in the pond, the waves go out and disappear as the Gospel moves along to other places, unseen, but having its effect.
6. Some are starting to trust in the efficacy of the Word, so they also join in various kinds of broadcasting of the Gospel of forgiveness through faith.
24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
This is not an minor event, since the boats were made for the Sea of Galilee. Whether during the day or night, a storm on a large body of water is terrifying and potentially lethal. The worst part is considering the depths below and the unseen safe shore beyond. Feat makes the passengers think - alone, abandoned, dying together.
Having experience with these storms was detrimental, not helpful. When someone knows the stories of lost men and boats wrecked on the shore, the imagination is fired up and fear trumps faith.
25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
Jesus asleep - this seems to be the depth of callousness. But He was letting them be afraid to experience faith vanishing in a second. Thomas Paine would call the disciples sunshine warriors and summer patriots.
The Old Adam in each one of us asks, "How could they be so foolish? They have Jesus, visible, in the boat with them?" But this is also a satire on our fears. We also have the Savior with us through the Means of Grace, through baptism, as He promised, "I am in you and you are in Me, just as I am in the Father and the Father is in Me."
I believe we should always see the failings of the disciples as portrayals of our own weaknesses, and we have less excuse because of historical perspective. And there are many good examples to follow from times past. But they are also warnings - God did not spare His Son, nor did He spare the disciples.
Having faith in Christ means putting ourselves at the mercy of Satan and all unbelievers. Besides that, many wolves are in sheep's clothing, eager to help out and not so eager to show their fangs until the last minute.
Because such an array of forces is bound to be against us, we are going to feel disappointment, betrayal, fear, and despair. Luther's sermons are especially comforting because they remind us that this is the price of belong to the Kingdom. One cannot wish it away or hope for a better deal.
One of my favorite pop authors has penned a book that will be fun to read. He has theorized that those who face the greatest opposition also learn early to achieve more with less. That has always been true in the Christian Church, where those who were deprived of normal comforts, even an income, were strengthened to do more by trusting God.
Luther was a nobody, but he had a PhD from a Catholic school, and that gave him the credibility needed to make a case in the Christian Church.
John Bunyan was put in prison to silence him, which allowed him to preach to the world then and now, through his books.
The founders of the Lutheran Inner Mission (nursing homes, hospitals,etc) were denied a living, so they expanded into charities and created a movement.
Likewise, Loehe was stuck in a tiny rural parish in Germany, so he began around five world missions and founded two Lutheran seminaries in America. Loehe began the Synod that called itself Missouri, but Walther took the credit and erased Loehe and Stephan, the good and evil founders, from LCMS memory.
So clergy today clamor for ease and luxury, titles and honors, as if to say, "Make me less productive, even useless and destructive. I will talk about religious stuff all the time, but I am really too good to bear the cross."
26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Note well - He rebuked them for having "little faith." They had faith, but it was sunshine faith at that time. This miracle was a lesson for them to grow in faith about the goodness and power of God. We can see from their response that they did not yet comprehend His power.
Their greatest temptation came later, when He was arrested. Then they fled, but learned through the Resurrection and after the Resurrection the ultimate lessons about death and eternal life, their world mission, and trust in the Word.
Our emotions can paralyze us and keep us from doing what we should. And the devil is - we cannot control our emotions. They are like a thermometer. We can feel equally thrilled or crushed by something minor. The reaction is instant and easily felt. That is the thermometer at work. But we can adjust the thermostat, our minds, our understanding. We do that by seeing everything through faith, in the perspective of the Word.
I know the loss of our Lutheran friend, Tim Niedfeldt, has caused many to feel stricken and disappointed, faint-hearted and ready to give up. This reaction is ideal for Satan, who enjoys attacking us at our weakest, through our emotions.
I am hoping that many layman will look at his example as a husband, father, and believer, and be bold in addressing the problems of today. Timid Lutherans are not going to do anything except serve the enemy while soothing their own consciences.
Faith does two things. First of all, it gives us a sense of humor. Luther said, "You have as much laughter as you have faith." If you want to try that out, try joking with a church official, whose mood varies between anger, self-righteousness, and revenge. If we know that God has already done all things for our good, that He does all His work through the Word, there is nothing to worry us and keep us from enjoying the blessings He so freely gives us.
Also, faith makes us bold. Who can hurt us? Satan wants to intimidate us into silence and inaction. What if we are criticized? What if something goes wrong? We can use our poor little minds until we conclude that the best thing is to be safe and do nothing, say nothing.
What if we are un-appreciated? If that governed the world, there would be no mothers at all. Mothers do more for others and get less appreciation than any other office. No other role is more important or more depreciated by others - by other women, by many husbands, by society in general. And yet I read the comments of faithful mothers who realize their satisfaction comes not from the Kingdom of Man but the Kingdom of God.
