Service August 9, 2020: SAILING AND BELIEVING.
CALL FOR WORSHIP AND PRAYER.
All: God, our ship is small and your ocean big.
Pastor: When dangers invade our sense of safety and we wonder if God cares, we hear the words:” Do not be afraid.” When we face loss and instability, and our sense of security is shaky, we hear the words: “Do not be afraid.”
All: God, our ship is small and your ocean big.
Pastor: When we experience distress, conflict, and uncertainties hear the words: “Do not be afraid.” When our lives feel chaotic and desolate because of illness, fear, or sorrow, we hear the words: “Do not be afraid.”
All: God, our ship is small and our ocean big.
Pastor: Help us to know, O God, that the one who calmed the dangerous sea is present with us, cares for us, and can calm the stormy waters of our lives. Help us to trust more fully and more deeply in you.
All: We pray in the name of Jesus, who invites us not to be afraid. Amen.
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Gospel: Matthews 14.22-33 22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land,[d] for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind,[e] he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Sermon:
1.slide A Danish theologian once said: “God, our ship is small and your ocean big”
The boat or the ship is a great symbol of life and faith. Sometimes we sail along, quietly, and softly over the beautiful blue waters. Other times we are sailing, and the waves batter us back and forth and reminds us of the forces of nature and life. And sometimes we are in the midst of a storm, where the waves crash in, the winds take over control of the boat, and we are left with our fear…. And our faith. “God, our ship is small and your ocean big.”
2.slide One of the finest symbols here in our Danish Lutheran church is hanging from the ceiling. As a beautiful reminder our church ship or ships are swaying and sailing and constantly reminding us of how we are meant to sail together in unity, in spirit and in hope. To be sailing together, to be in the same boat, to share the comfort and the discomfort of sailing over troubled waters, to be seated row by row to sail in the same directions. And most importantly to leave the steering to God and to trust that he will indeed bring us safe to shore.
3.slide The church ship is a great symbol of life and life as a journey. The church ship goes back a long time in our Nordic pagan traditions and our Christian Religious traditions. And we ad even one more modern component to the symbolism: as these ships also are the bearers of the recent history of Immigration from the Nordic countries to US. It is a great symbol to us as a Danish Church founded by Danish Immigrants, who literally crossed the ocean and the stormy waters to get to the promised land of America to settle and find a new place to call home. As Dr. Martin Luther King once said: “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
When I was a HS student, I once went on quite a stormy sail together with my dad. My parents had and still have a wonderful vacation home on Langeland – a small island in the southern part of DK. We were windsurfing and we were swimming and we were sailing. My dad had a small sailing boat, only for 2-3 persons but with sails to set and manage.
4.slide One murky summer day, my dad and I went on a short sail even if the skies looked like thunder and rain. But we needed to get the small boat sailed from the beach to the harbor, along the coast and the beautiful sandy cliffs of Ristinge Klint. So, we sailed, and it was windy. Quite windy. And when we had sailed around the Klint and were heading for the small harbor of Ristinge, it started to rain, and it started to thunder. We struggled to sail through gusty winds and the threats of lighting and thunder. And then… an especially powerfully wind, blew the sails and the boat tipped – and we were in the water. We managed to get the boat turned around and up sailing again…. And we sighed of relief when we finally reached the shore again and could go home to my mom for coffee and comfort. It can be scary on a boat. It can be scary and dangerous on a boat on stormy waters. And that is where we are today with the Gospel: “When evening came, Jesus was up the mountain alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. “
5.slide And then Jesus walked to them. The disciples were terrified and cried out in fear… but Jesus not only calmed the storm but also the fear when he said: Take heart, it is I: do not be afraid!” “Do not be afraid. It is me.” Jesus boards the boat. The wind ceases and the disciples are perplexed, amazed, and confused. Even if they just witnessed the miracle of the 5 loaves and two fish from last Sunday, they still did not understand or dare to believe who Jesus truly was and is. And then Peter comes along. Peter, this outspoken, faithful, persistent disciple, who often speaks before thinking who confesses his strong faith only to realize that it might not be as strong as his words. Peter who despite his flaws and failures and deceits, was called the Rock upon which the church was built. Peter challenges Jesus: “If it is truly you, then command me to follow you on the water.” Jesus calmly says: “Come!” So, Peter the rock, the firm believer, and the constant confessor, got out of the boat, stared walking on the water towards Jesus. But then he notices the strong wind, the crashing waves and distracted by danger and fear, he begins to sink, sink, and sink, and he cries out” Lord, save me!”
I saw this image shared on Facebook this week as a reflection on today’s Gospel.
6.slide A hand of somebody going under and the caption: “The other reason Jesus nicknamed Peter “Rock.” Peter was both a rock of faith and human leadership and determination, but he was also a human rock, that when thrown into deep water sinks. Like a rock. Faith and doubt are the two side of our human coin. Like Peter, we confess our faith, we believe, - and still we doubt when danger overwhelm us. Faith and doubt go hand in hand.
7.slide The Danish Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard claimed that to be religious means that we take an existential leap unto the uncertainty of 70.000 fathoms of water. Faith is a choice that contradicts certainty and knowledge. This kind of faith is both a redemption and struggle to try to find solid ground in life. Thus, we as believers must embrace our doubt and dare to take the leap of faith. When we dare to take the leap of faith unto the uncertainty of 70.000 fathoms of water, we must jump catching Jesus by the hand. Then we realize that we are not ourselves masters of life, and we feel that something else is keeping us afloat. A life that is lived by itself, is not a life, Kierkegaard claimed. You need to dare to lose your foothold – to find faith. Life demands a dynamic expression and action. Do not be afraid. 8.slide In these uncertain times of Pandemic, isolation, change and confusion, many of us are afraid. And rightfully so. We should be afraid of the virus that by now has killed close to 160.000 Americans and 700.000 worldwide. We should be afraid when we reflect on the stormy waters of this Pandemic that has killed more Americans than the Vietnam War and like the Danish author Carsten Jensen very powerful compared the loss as two times 9/11 every week since mid-March.
These times are uncertain. These times are stormy waters and we are not sure how to navigate. But as Jesus is reaching out his hand to us, as his voice is reaching us with a soothing” Do not be afraid.”, this Gospel does not call us to be stupid or reckless.
This time calls us to be wise, kind, and humble. Because it is not just about my individual faith but even more about the impact my faith has on our common community and well-being. How we act through a Pandemic, and how we fight for change as we confront systematic racism, - this truly shows our faith.
Our two ships have histories too. Connected by common history and community.
We are still sailing along. We are still seated row by row, side by side, looking towards East, the sunrise and hope. Even if we are not physically seated here in our beautiful church, we are virtually seated row by row, still sailing towards east and together. We are still carried through life by the Golden Hope that God is with us through stormy days and nights and that we will be brought safe through life to the shores of life and light. We are still sailing. And we are still in one boat. A ship, a church, a community, and a country of many different people with different opinions, callings, talents, cultures, ethnicity, and struggles. We need to steady the boat and not stir the waters by selfishness, recklessness, or carelessness. We need to work together as one body, we need to sail together in unity and spirit. And then leave the steering to God.
A beloved Danish song is about sitting in a small boat:
I en lille båd der gynger Sidder jeg og synger Synger om de ting der giver livet værdi Jeg kan ikke få på vandet Men jeg kan så meget andet
I am sitting in a small swinging boat Sitting and singing Singing about all the things that makes life worth living I can not walk on the water But I can do many other things….
Only Jesus could walk on the water and could calm the storm and our storms by the simple words: Do not be afraid. When we listen to this promise, we might dare to believe, to jump and to live and conquer the storms of life together. Like the hymn said:
10.slide Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn, Through the storm through the night, lead me on to the light, take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home. Amen