God, all that we're needing is who you are.
So God, whatever may be causing us to feel discouraged,
shaken, confused, concerned, worried, afraid,
we ask that your presence, who you are,
would be what brings us our true peace,
not after the storm, but right in the midst.
Lord, we thank you.
In Christ Jesus, amen.
Howdy.
Well, I wanted to let you all know this last week,
we were having the chance to do a vacation Bible school,
and they asked if I would be able to help out
with the opening sequence.
We would have like a short skit
for about five minutes or so each day.
And so each day I was playing a potential treasure hunter,
where I was supposed to be able to put on
everything that was needed and go out there
and find the lost treasure of Pirates Cove.
And every day the children found out
why I am not a treasure hunter whatsoever.
And at the end of the week, they finally said,
Pastor, you should probably go back to your day job
and just be a pastor, which I think is probably okay.
Because in reality, I was over there with no flippers.
I was wearing slippers instead of flippers
and a Batman mask instead of a scuba gear.
And my oxygen tank was actually a seven up bottle,
shoved in a backpack.
And my treasure map had a McDonald's on it.
So in reality is that getting a chance
to have the fun with the kids though,
one of the things that we had to discover
is that there were a lot of things
that needed to be changed kind of on the fly.
You know how that goes.
Where you have everything planned out
and then you realize this isn't quite working out so well
and it needs to be changed fairly quickly.
And that's the thing about VBS was that
the ebb and the flow during the week,
it was trying to make sure that everything
was working well for the kids and for the volunteers.
And the big message was, whatever else may be going on,
make sure the kids hear about Jesus
and make sure they have fun.
Everything else will be okay.
And that was the thing about being there
is that there were so many people helping
to be able to make this a great experience.
But sometimes the director would be helping people
see what to do and the teachers might need to say,
we need to change this or else it won't work.
Or other times the teachers may do something one way
but the director has an overall picture
and needs to say, we need to go this route
for what we're doing this week.
But that back and forth, sometimes what we can end up seeing
is that in the midst of struggle, can we focus
on the joy of what we're doing?
And with that is what I at least was able to find
at the end was that not only was it a chance
that there are now several of these children
that myself and others we've been able to start bonding with
and to share God's love and that they know
Pastor Jason's name, very, very nice.
It was wonderful to hear.
But then also some of the staff too.
Some of the teenagers that hadn't had a chance
to get to know yet.
And so with that is that in the midst of the ups
and the downs was still getting a chance
to see the blessing of what it was.
But you see, that's the thing about life oftentimes
is that we end up seeing storms and uncertainty
and things that can oftentimes bring out
what could be the worst in us.
There is oftentimes the potential
that whenever things do not fit what we were expecting
or whenever we start to feel scared or worried,
we can sometimes end up responding or reacting
in a way that is not what God was wanting to see in us.
See, sometimes whenever something is making us afraid,
it can create anxiety in us.
And so we end up feeling that pit in our stomach,
the one that wakes us up in the middle of the night,
the one that doesn't let us actually enjoy time
with friends and family,
even if we're in the middle of a party,
the one that's sitting there that distracts us at work.
Because the whole time we're thinking,
this is not what I was expecting
and I'm afraid of what might happen.
But even more than the anxiety that we might feel
is that other times it may respond us
to try to take control.
How many times is it that whenever we see things
not going the way we had planned
and our response is how can I take control?
And sometimes we might do it overtly.
We might just go ahead and give people commands
and try to boss around those who might be around us.
But other times we might do it more passive-aggressively.
The times whenever we say or do things
where we're just trying to kind of get
that little extra word in there
or try to make sure that they know I'm not happy with this,
but also I'm still going to do whatever it is I wanna do.
But also then there are the times when we just quit.
We decide it's not going the way we were expecting
and so what's our response?
Nevermind, I'm just not going to do it at all.
What we end up seeing oftentimes is that we become
the worst parts of ourselves
because something has brought out our fear.
But that's what we end up seeing in the disciples there.
You see, they're in this boat
on a sea that they have fished many, many times.
They know this place, they know where they're at,
but they also know that it's fully possible
for a storm to come up unexpectedly.
But what ends up happening here?
They see Jesus over there asleep in the boat.
Now, how do they end up responding to Jesus?
Did they respond by saying,
hey Jesus, we're really, really nervous.
Could you help us feel a little bit better?
Did they respond with Jesus?
We see the storm.
Would you let us know what you would like for us to do?
No, what did they respond with?
Jesus, do you not care that we are perishing?
Isn't it amazing the way that we may come at something
with a loaded question?
How are you even going to respond to something like that?
Yes, I do care that you all are perishing,
but I'm too inept to do anything about it?
Or maybe, no, I don't care that you are perishing.
I really don't care anything about you.
To ask a question like that is not an actual question,
but rather is just revealing
what they themselves are suffering through.
See, at that point is that in the midst of this storm,
their response was to assume the worst about Jesus.
At that point is they are now asking Jesus
not to do what is good and what is right,
but rather is Jesus make us feel better
while we subject you to our anger.
But what could they have been doing?
See, rather than spending time focusing on things
that were different from what they expected,
could they have spent time seeing what God
was actually doing through the storm?
There are a lot of times when, as a pastor,
there are things that are happening in and around
the church all the time.
There are people who work here, people who volunteer here,
people who worship here, people all over the place.
And there are so many times, whenever you see or hear
something and you just have this moment, this, ooh,
why did they have to do it that way?
Ooh, couldn't we have handled things a little bit better?
Ooh, what is it that's really going to happen now?
And oftentimes it's very easy to then spend the whole time
being anxious and afraid of what you're going to hear
and don't even get me started about emails
whenever you never know how people are going to respond
to something where you can't hear their tone
or you don't know where it's coming from.
But to be able to pause long enough
and to see what God may be doing, what's also amazing
is when you realize that God was using that thing
that made you afraid to end up showing you something
even better than you expected.
See, that's the thing about struggling with God's plans,
is that we assume that because it is making us anxious
and afraid that therefore God must somehow either
not be in control or not care.
We think that because something makes us afraid or anxious
that therefore God either can't do anything
or doesn't care enough to do something.
But what is amazing is that those are the times
whenever God is actually wanting to do his greatest work.
See, with this is that we end up seeing that Jesus gets up
and he calms the storm and he turns to them.
Does he say, oh, thank you for bringing that
to my attention.
I didn't realize there was a storm being the son of God.
Or, okay, that one storm kind of got out of control.
My bad, y'all.
I'll catch the other ones later.
How can you have so little faith?
Calming the storm was the second choice.
See, the thing is, is that safety does not come
from either avoiding the storms
or trying to get them to stop.
The safety comes from riding them with Jesus.
Because he knows what we need even before we do,
even when we wonder if he's even paying attention.
Because all their anxiety, this is the son of God
who is here to bring salvation to the world.
Where do you think the safest place is to be right now?
But how do we know for sure that riding out the storm
could have possibly been any better?
The water's getting into the boat.
Isn't that a bad thing?
Well, we actually do have another story
that is quite similar.
See, in the end of the book of Acts,
we end up seeing Paul experiencing the same thing.
But faith changed the script of that story.
See, the thing with it is that instead of spending the time
seeing that the boat that they're in is falling apart
or struggling is that he tells everyone,
don't abandon the boat.
Because isn't that what we are often tempted to do
whenever something has made us anxious or fearful?
Is that we look for ways to get out and to run away.
Or also, they're struggling for two weeks on this boat.
And what does Paul say, go get some food
because you haven't been eating
and you're going to need your strength?
Was Paul telling them everything that was going to happen
for the rest of the trip?
Absolutely not.
It was just what are you needing to do next?
But isn't that where we find ourselves?
Is that we want to know how everything's going to play out
instead of pausing and just saying,
no, do what is here right now,
what God has placed at your feet?
Or even to pause and be willing to say
that God is actually in control of what may be happening.
But what ends up happening at the end of Paul's journey here?
The boat completely disintegrates.
It completely falls apart.
How many people died?
None.
And that's the thing about this is that then Paul
is able to get to where he's going
and not only testifies to all of the guards
and all of the prisoners,
but actually gets to the place where he is now ready
and prepared to stand in front of the authorities in Rome
and to tell them who God is.
Stronger for the storm that he has just endured.
Because that's the thing about this is that
all you're meant to do is to do the task
that is in front of you.
So what is there left to fear?
Because think about it in this way.
What are some of the strongest experiences
that we have in our lives?
Not our favorite experiences,
but what are some of our strongest ones?
The times whenever we have fought with someone
that we cared about and then we were able to resolve it
and be stronger for it.
The times whenever we felt the most heartbroken
only to find love later on.
The times whenever we feel rebuked for something,
we were told that what we did was wrong
only to know what it is to be restored
and to know that now we know how to do something better.
Or the times when we struggle and the struggle itself
is when we find our strength.
It's like whenever you hear about that internet meme
that talks about the butterfly.
And somebody sees the butterfly trying to come out
of the chrysalis and someone comes over
with a pair of scissors and they're trying to make it nice
and easy for the butterfly.
Don't worry, I got you butterfly,
you're really having a hard time.
And then the butterfly can never fly for the world.
The butterfly can never fly for the rest of its life.
Because part of the process of getting the fluids
into the wings is the struggle of getting out of the chrysalis.
It's actually part of the process to prepare them
so that they can fly.
And that's the thing that God knows about us.
God is not always wanting to calm the storm
because sometimes the storm is meant to be the gift.
Because He loves you and walks with you through it.
And you become more of who you are called to be because of it.
Because in reality we know that the outcome is decided.
It's already been conquered.
It's already been solved.
It's already been determined.
So placing more fear into the situation,
it doesn't create any better outcomes.
It only distracts from what God is doing.
And how many times does God have to give us
what second best?
Because we were too afraid of taking the best He had to offer.
Whenever I was reading the Gospel
and I caught myself stumbling through the first line,
let us go across the other side.
And I heard my words coming out as
let us grow across the other side.
And in reality that is the point.
Is that going across to the other side
is the way in which we grow.
So if God can raise His own Son from the dead
and bring salvation to the whole world,
then don't you think that He not only is capable
but loving enough that He can use the storms in your life
to bring about something good.
So whatever it may be right now
that you are facing this summer and beyond,
no matter how anxious or fearful it may make us,
God is still the one in control who still loves you
and still wants your best in the midst of it.
So may we be willing to endure that storm
and to let God show us what He's doing
instead of assuming worst of our loving God.
Amen.