PENTECOST 8, B – July 26, 2009
SCRIPTURES – Genesis 9:8-17;
Eph. 3:14-21; Mark 6:45-56; Ps. 145
When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and [Jesus] was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
Evening and morning, sunset and dawning,
These are such confident and joyful words.
Did you pay attention to them? Did you mean them as you sang them?
Do you believe that God’s eye observes us, preserves us from
danger, and causes His mercy to shine upon us in wealth, peace,
gladness… and sadness?
What is truly amazing is that Paul Gerhardt could write such confident and joyful words. I have included in the bulletin a brief biography of him, for this Lutheran pastor was a prolific and influential hymn writer. We sing his hymns to this day; 17 of them are in our current hymnal. Read his biography, and you will see what he endured in his life:
q Unemployment. After he graduated from seminary, he waited nine years before finally being placed in a church.
q A 30 year war that devastated and depopulated the country (about 1/3 of towns were destroyed), bringing death (15-20% of the population), disease (the Plague and typhus especially) and economic collapse.
q His first child died in infancy. Ten years later – in the year after he was removed from his church – his wife and four other children died, leaving him to raise his last child by himself.
Still, in spite of all of this he writes:
Take heart, have hope, my spirit, and do not
be dismayed;
How could Paul Gerhardt, while in the midst
of such great suffering, write such joyful and hopeful hymns?
Because, above everything else, he had his eyes on Jesus. Can we,
who are struggling with far smaller but still significant and
difficult problems, sing Gerhardt’s hymns with joy and confidence?
Yes – if we, too, above everything else, have our eyes on Jesus
and yearn for the life He gives.
Today’s reading is an amazing account from
the Gospel of Mark. It’s not just amazing to hear of Jesus walking
on water. Consider the entire reading. It starts with Jesus
sending His disciples away in a boat and then going up on the
mountain to pray. When He finishes praying, it’s night, and the
disciples are several miles out on the sea. Still, Jesus looked
out and “saw that they were making headway painfully, for
the wind was against them.” His vision is not restricted
by darkness or distance as is ours. Such things do not matter in
the least. He sees them! Then, He decides to walk out to them – on
the water! They are getting nowhere, for the wind is strong
against them. It surely must have been kicking up waves. This
seems to have no effect upon Jesus, however. There’s no mention of
Jesus stepping over waves or their breaking against Him; it’s as
if they don’t even exist! The water is calm around Him. He walks
on the sea as if He’s walking on a smooth road! When He nears His
disciples they cry out in fear, thinking they are seeing a ghost.
He speaks and comforts them, and then casually walks over and gets
in their boat. Immediately, the wind stops. Several weeks ago we
had heard of Jesus calming a storm on the sea simply by commanding
it to be silent. Now, He doesn’t need to say a thing. He is above
and over this world. It not only has no effect upon Him; it must
be still before Him. All of creation is submissive to Him and
serves Him!
And, in serving Him, it serves His disciples.
They are safe because He looked out and saw them, came to them,
and joined them. With Him, they have nothing to fear. They, too,
are lords over creation!
Paul Gerhardt believed this to be true for every one of Christ’s followers:
Entrust your days and burdens to God’s most
loving hand;
He believed this because he knew Jesus to be the Maker and Ruler of all creation who looked out and saw us in our need, came to us as a man to help us, and gave His life for us to save us eternally. Such faith and confidence in His mighty Savior strengthened Him to not only endure His trials but to praise God in the midst of them and look forward with certainty to his deliverance. He also trusted that His Savior had a good purpose for the trials he endured, and that that purpose would not fail. This good purpose would not be seen if His Scriptures were considered mere fantasy, or His power doubted, or His love questioned. No, we must never doubt His love or question Him. Instead:
Leave all to His direction; His wisdom rules for you
In ways to rouse your wonder at all His love
can do.
To such faith God will give His strength to endure and His joy to praise until, finally, He gives His eternal victory in Christ. This was not Paul Gerhardt’s hope alone. As he proclaimed in his hymns, it is the hope we all have in Jesus! Let us pray:
Our hands and feet, Lord, strengthen; with joy our spirits bless
