Presented July 19, 2020 by Rev. Jesse Larson
Based on Matthew 8:18-27
It’s nice to be back in Sacramento after taking off the past two and a half weeks to visit family and friends back east. Like everyone, I wish we were all gathered here together in our sanctuary and that this cursed virus was a thing of the past. We are tired of it, but, alas, this virus is proving to be an enduring foe.
I had such a wonderful time with my loved ones—laughing, eating, swimming, boating, even shedding a few tears as we reminisced. While staying at a cabin in central Pennsylvania, we even had a black bear and her four cubs visit our patio three nights in a row. It was amazing. All the while, Coronavirus infections spiked across much of our nation; we were unable to travel to New York as they are forcing Californians and other folks from states with high infection rates to self-quarantine for two weeks. The entire time we were with my parents, we all wore masks and were socially distanced
It was a memorable vacation, to be sure. I came across a new term on Facebook that is very relatable for times like these:
“Coronacoaster”—the ups and downs of a pandemic. One day you are loving your bubble, doing workouts, baking banana bread and taking long walks and the next you are crying, drinking gin for breakfast and missing people you don’t even like.”
Isn’t that the truth!? On the one hand, we are witnessing our world change before our very eyes. So many are re-evaluating our lives, creatively responding to this new normal, and addressing many issues in our society that we had put on the back burner for far too long.
On the other hand, though, hundreds of thousands of people are dying, we are forced to be apart from those we love, and many don’t know how they’ll get back on their feet financially.
As you read through the Bible, there are very few stories that are not set in the midst of turmoil.
Noah survived a flood,
Jacob fled for his life and wrestled an angel,
Ruth left her family,
David and Jonathan went to war.
Prophets were imprisoned just as Paul and Peter were.
The religious leaders sought to destroy Jesus, while the Romans held Palestine as a colony.
In today’s text, Jesus is preaching to a crowd near the sea. Crowds were always following Christ, as he offered such a different reality than what they experienced day to day. Life was hard for these people just as it holds its challenges for every generation, including our own. Jesus offered healing, hope, and salvation to everyone he encountered, and such gifts are truly life-giving.
Those following Jesus at the beginning of his ministry, as well as those of us following Jesus two thousand years later, are still longing for hope, healing, new ways of a being, a brighter future. To this human yearning, Jesus responds, “follow me.”
Jesus acknowledges the chaos of the world when he states that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. It’s as if his work is never ending and that he is needed everywhere all at once. A scribe, who was eager to follow Jesus, first tells him that he must bury his father. Jesus responds by saying, “Follow me and allow the dead to bury their own dead.” It sounds rather harsh, but I believe Jesus was teaching the man, and all of us listening, that in following him, we are offered abundant life. Death, disease, conflict, and pain will always be a part of life, so in order that we won’t be swallowed up by this reality, we must follow Jesus.
It’s easy to be overwhelmed by this world and its big problems. Death never seems to be too far away, and yet by following Christ, we put our precious energies into acts of love and trust that God upholds us in this world and in the next one.
The second part of the story hammers this point home. Jesus and his disciples get on to a boat and head out upon the lake. A great storm arises, and waves are crashing over the ship, but all the while, Jesus was asleep. The disciples scream to him, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” Jesus responds, saying, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” He calms the storm and his disciples are amazed.
Once again, we learn that storms and chaos are very much a part of life—there is nothing we can do to insulate ourselves from frightening experiences—but we can follow Jesus and it makes all the difference. Christ is our anchor in the storms of life and our lighthouse pointing us to a safe passage. We follow Jesus—practicing what he asks of us, living lives of love and mercy, and trusting that in him, death is forever defeated.
Civil Rights icon and representative John Lewis passed away on Friday night. He was a man of deep faith who put his faith into action as he led protests and marches for Civil Rights in the 1960s all the way into 2020. He was beaten and imprisoned and yet he held fast to his faith in Christ and the hope of a better world. Despite facing many intense obstacles, Lewis stated:
"Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble."
Lewis recognized that the struggles of life are with us for a lifetime, but he still encourages us to be hopeful and optimistic.
No matter how bad it gets, nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. In these days of Coronacoasters, may we hold on to this truth and share it far and wide. Amen.
