Sermon for the Second Sunday before Lent

Sunday 15th February

Sermon Preached by Rev Brian Parker

In the Name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Testing discipleship

A few years ago a few friends, about ten of us in all, were out in a boat off the North Antrim coast. The owner of the boat was the captain. He epitomised authority.

He had a thorough knowledge of the boat and how to make her speed through the water and in the right direction!

He also understood people and had each one of us doing different jobs.

As the weather changed he worked out various courses to suit the conditions.

He was skilful in interpreting tide patterns and ‘reading’ clouds and sea.

He had a good pair of hands and when the need arose he was always available to solve any practical problem.

He had an intimate knowledge of the area, the currents and the depth of water.

He was the only person on board who was master of all aspects of sailing and who spoke with authority.

When Jesus invited his disciples to sail ‘over to the other side of the lake’ the disciples had no hesitation about getting into the boat.

They set out and soon Jesus was asleep – a man exhausted by the travelling between towns and villages and the rigours of his ministry.

It’s a very human image of Jesus and its in vivid contrast to the divine power he demonstrated when he later calmed the storm. This was the first nature miracle of his ministry.

The Sea of Galilee became the setting for his authority and power.

It was also the setting for the first real test of his disciples’ faith.

In the sudden storm the disciples, many of them hardened, experienced fishermen were crying out in a panic: ‘we are perishing!’

Jesus asks: “Where is your faith?”

He does not describe them as faithless. His question is more about highlighting how little they have grown in faith and in their understanding.

So far they have failed to comprehend who he is and with what authority he comes amongst them.

It’s highly significant that this test of discipleship is placed in the same chapter as the parable of the sower.

The disciples on the boat are very like those ‘who when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But they have no root: they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away’.

When the test hit them they not only fell away, they fell apart, lost it.

Where is your faith?

They have had their first test and they have not performed well.

Yes, they called Jesus ‘Master’ but they had neither accepted his authority nor believed in his power. Their response to Him was lacking.

Yet, as the parable of the sower shows, the redeeming purposes of God require a response from us that is confident and disciplined.

And as the panic on the boat shows the disciples were certainly only human and as for me, I can immediately empathise with their concerns.

However Jesus saw their reaction as indicative of an immature faith, a faith that lacked the quality of ‘patient endurance’: the kind of character that braces itself and rides out the storm.

Luke depicts the storm as a frightening and uncontrollable threat to life. In the Bible it’s a familiar image– the faith of Jonah and Paul, to name but two, surfaced above such a threat.

Also the psalmist gives an eloquent testimony to his faith in God as the all-powerful authority over the chaotic powers that may engulf people.

“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107.28)

So their relatively short journey across the lake was a learning experience for the disciples. It proved to be a testing time that prompted them to really take a harder, more questioning look at Jesus and challenged them to recognise him for who he was. “Who is this?” they asked.

Christian faith is not a lip service. Not something that we indulge in ‘for a while’. Not a lifestyle that we can enjoy while all is calm and serene in our lives. Not a pleasant trip on an occasional Sunday. Not a churchy thing.

Christian faith is a response to the Word of God revealed in Jesus Christ in all His power and redeeming love.

It is Christ in our hearts and minds, who is manifest in our behaviour and attitudes and in our regular worship.

Where is your faith?

Jesus asks the question of each one of us. He asks with authority and, thank God, with mercy and a willingness to help and guide us.

When Christopher Columbus set off on his historic journey it wasn’t long before the crew were complaining and calling for him to turn back. They realised the mission they were on was going to be tougher than they had imagined.

But each day, day after day, Columbus entered two words in the ship’s log: “Sailed on”.

It is certain in this life that our faith will be tested. The journey demands ‘patient endurance’ and commitment.

But we travel with one who speaks to us with authority, who is our constant guide, the very Captain of our lives.

“And they were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.”

Amen.