This sermon was preached at Glenwood and Canoe Ridge Lutheran Churches, Decorah, Iowa, on October 14, 2018. It’s based on Psalm 124 and Luke 8:22-25, and was offered as part of a special healing service to celebrate the commemoration day of St. Luke. If you’d prefer to listen to it, find it at https://soundcloud.com/stacey-nalean-carlson. The sermon ends with the singing of Storming, a song I wrote. If you’d like to listen to it, find it at https://soundcloud.com/stacey-nalean-carlson/storming.
Psalm 124
1If the Lord had not been on our side, let Israel now say;
2if the Lord had not been on our side, when enemies rose up against us,
3then would they have swallowed us up alive in their fierce anger toward us;
4then would the waters have overwhelmed us and the torrent gone over us;
5then would the raging waters have gone right over us.
6Blessed be the Lord who has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.
7We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
8Our help is in the name of the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Luke 8:22-25
22One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they put out, 23and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A windstorm swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. 24They went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. 25He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”
If the Lord had not been on our side, then would the raging waters have gone right over us, the psalmist declares.
If the Lord had not been on our side, the waters would have overwhelmed us.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
The psalmist has the advantage of hindsight. The storm has passed and Israel has survived. The wind and the raging waves have ceased and there is calm. From that vantage point, it’s easy enough to sing God’s praises. It’s easy enough to believe, indeed, that God is on our side.
But in the midst of the storm, faith can be hard to come by. The boat was filling with water, and the disciples were in danger, even with Jesus right there beside them. In the midst of the storm, they couldn’t declare that the Lord was on their side. They couldn’t sing God’s praises. All they could do was bring their fear to Jesus and awaken him with their shouting: Master, Master, we are perishing.
Where is your faith? Jesus asks his disciples. I imagine he wishes they could trust God as completely as he does, that they could sleep through the storm, hushed and held, rocked in God’s arms.
But they’re human. And they’re afraid.
Jesus doesn’t reprimand them for waking him up and naming their fear. Instead, he provides exactly what they need.
Today, in the midst of whatever storms are threatening to overwhelm us, we come to Jesus seeking strength, and healing, and the assurance that God is on our side. Jesus is beside us in the boat. He hears our cries. He brings the calm we so desperately need. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
I found myself in the Yellow River State Forest this week, as thunder began to boom in the distance and rain started to fall heavily. As I made my way back to the trail head and to the safety of my car, I was thinking about all the strong storms that threaten to overwhelm us—and what we need from God in those times of fear and anxiety. I wrote a song called Storming that I’d like to share with you now. It’s printed on your insert. We’ll listen to it once and then I’ll invite you to sing along.
I pray that you will know—even without the advantage of hindsight—the presence of God on your side in the midst of whatever storms you face.
Storming
I want a gentle rain that comes in time to nourish life.
I want a soothing word that whispers truth without a fight.
I want the journey’s end to be so clear we cannot stray.
I want to know your love, the length, the depth, the breadth, the height…
But instead it’s storming.
And I don’t know which way to go.
Are you here beside me?
I want to trust you’ll lead me home.
I need grace tangible: fresh baked bread and warming wine.
I need your word to claim: You are my precious, lovely child.
I need your promise kept: I am with you. You are mine.
I need to know your peace, the brokenhearted reconciled.
But instead it’s storming.
And I don’t know which way to go.
Are you here beside me?
I want to trust you’ll lead me home.
I know I’m not alone. You’re not going anywhere.
I know what’s broken now will be made whole and beautiful.
I know that death is real, but it will never be the end.
I know the song goes on and dancing feet are powerful.
So we sing through the storming
Until we know the way to go.
You’re right here beside me.
And when you’re with me I am home.