OPENING SENTENCE- Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his mercy endures forever.
HYMN
GREETING
Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
COLLECT FOR PURITY
Almighty God
to whom all hearts be open
all desires known
and from whom no secrets are hidden;
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you
and worthily magnify your holy name
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
SUMMARY OF THE LAW
Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.”
The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
CONFESSION
God is love and we are God’s children.
There is no room for fear in love.
We love because God loved us first.
Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.
God our Father, we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil,
for the sake of your Son who died for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
ABSOLUTION
May the God of love and power
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by his Spirit
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.
GLORIA
sung by Sue Turner
COLLECT
O Lord,
in your mercy hear our prayers:
and as you give us the desire to pray,
grant us your help and protection;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen
FIRST READING 1 SAMUEL 17.57-18:5,10-16
read by Liz Ballard
On David’s return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armour, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved.
The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. So, Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army. David had success in all his undertakings; for the Lord was with him. When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David; for it was he who marched out and came in leading them.
SECOND READING 2 CORINTHIANS 6.1–13
read by Gill Swales
As we work together with Christ, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says, ‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’ See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute.
We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see – we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything. We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return – I speak as to children – open wide your hearts also.
HYMN
GOSPEL READING MARK 4: 35-41
read by Rev Steven Ballard
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St Mark chapter 4 beginning at verse 35
Glory to Christ our Saviour.
When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.
But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious gospel
Praise to Christ our Lord
SERMON
Storms in our lives come with little, if any, warning and can cause great upset. Storms are no respecters of time, people or place- they just burst into our lives. Look at Christian Erikson last Saturday at the football game between Finland and Denmark. His storm came suddenly and unexpectedly. He suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch and was gone before he was resuscitated by the medical team. His recovery was in part due to the swift action of his team captain Simon Kjaer. He cleared Christian’s airways and then gave him CPR. He urged his team to make a human chain to save the situation from unnecessary media glare. He then comforted Christian’s partner as the medics got to work.
It is only they say in a time of crisis that true leaders shine. The captain’s calm and composed nature in handling a difficult situation with such ease and his ability to act mindfully is sure proof that the Danish team does not have a captain but a real- life leader. He shone as a true leader. The Danish team might not have won the game but they won respect in the eyes of the world as they tended so wonderfully and thoughtfully for Christian Erikson. Over this past year and a half, we have all been hit by the storm of the coronavirus pandemic. None of us saw it coming; it was a bolt out of the blue. It has radically changed our lives. Today we see the disciples hit by a storm, which seemed to come from nowhere, and how it radically affected them. How did the disciples fare in the storm and who stood out as their true leader?
The disciples along with Jesus have had a very hard and challenging day and so Jesus suggested that they go over to the other side of the lake. Why cross to the other side of the lake in the evening, when it will become dark? Primarily Jesus wants to escape from the crowds. The eastern side of Galilee is less populated and it would be easier to find peace and quiet. Jesus intended to teach and train his disciples, especially as they were entering Gentile territory. The other side, the Gentile side of the lake, was unsettling and uncertain and the Jewish people avoided that side at all costs. Jesus has a mission imperative here. Jesus always has his eye to reaching and helping others. Go over to the other side symbolises Jesus’ missionary goal where he will share his love and healing with others. On the other side Jesus’ mission lay in healing a demon possessed man.
The other side symbolises for us a dream to be fulfilled or potential to be realised. However, reaching the other side is not plain sailing. There are often some storms and challenges along the way. Like the disciples, we start out with our dream on calm waters but before we know it, we are in the dark, straining at the oars, up against a huge storm. However, we do not journey to the other side on our own. We are not without help and support. God is with us.
The disciples discovered that they too were not alone and that Jesus was their true leader. Lake Galilee is notorious for sudden storms, and the disciples’ boat was all of a sudden being buffeted and tossed about by the fierce winds and the water was rising higher and higher in the boat. They were sinking. They were struggling at the oars and making no progress. They were scared and well out of their comfort zone, even although some were well-trained fishermen. There were other boats out in the lake too but they were of no help as they were up against it too.
The one, who could help, was sound asleep. He was taking a power nap in the stern of the boat, which must have been at this point water free. He was sleeping on a cushion, no doubt tired and exhausted after a hard day’s graft. A cushion was reserved for the captain, the one steering the boat. In this short cameo we see a picture of Jesus’ humanity. He is so tired, so he’s sleeping and yet he’s in control. He is peaceful and calm, unperturbed by the events around him. He had given the command to go over to the other side, and he must have felt confident that he would arrive there safe and sound.
However, the disciples are not so sure. They are completely undone by the storm. It has reached crisis point. They are scared and worried. They fear for their lives. They think that they are going to drown. Things are completely out of their control. So, in a desperate measure a disciple goes and awakens Jesus. He accuses Jesus of not caring: “Don’t you care if we drown?” Why are you allowing this to happen to us?
Like the disciples, we often blame God for what is happening to us. It’s common to attack God’s character and question his goodness when bad things erupt in our lives. Could you not have done something about it? Why me? Others might point the finger and say you must have brought this upon yourself- it is a result of some sin or action in your life. That is not necessarily the case. The disciples were in the storm because God instructed them to go the other side. They are in the storm because of obedience not because of disobedience. So often the storms that come our way are not our fault- we are following what we believe God has asked us to do. We have been obedient and yet we run into a storm.
My guess is that you are in one of three places: you are in the storm right now, you are not long out of a storm or you are soon heading into one. And when the storms come, they are sudden. They come in a split second, seemingly out of nowhere. All it takes is a phone call, a doctor’s visit, an accident, a job loss or a relational fallout. The storms are severe. The disciples think that they are going to drown and some of you might feel that you are going under right now. You may feel that but you will receive all the help you need. Often, we are surprised when storms come but we should not be, as it says in 1Peter 4:12: “Beloved do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” In his book “The Pressure’s Off, Larry Crabb argues that God is not a vending machine dispensing blessings for good behaviour. We need to reject a faith that is filled with a formula that says” if I do A, then God will do B for me”. God does not work like that! His plans may be puzzling and they often include problems but they always come with his presence.
The greatest storm that night was not on the sea of Galilee but in the souls of the disciples. The storm on the sea whipped up a storm of doubt within them. They doubted God’s care, love and power. What they did was to confuse God’ silence, God’s sleeping, with a lack of compassion. They lost sight of how God cares deeply for them. He does care, that’s why he is in the boat in the first place. He is here to show God’s love and, on the cross, they will see the full extent of his care and love. The disciples had already seen much and yet they doubted.
Notice too that Jesus acts immediately, when the disciples show him their stress and concern. He doesn’t hesitate or delay in acting. His action is quick and he tells the wind and waves to be still. This has echoes of Genesis when God said let there be light and there was light. Also, in many ways it is similar to the storm with Jonah. In the Old Testament the sea represents chaos and evil and here we see Jesus has command over nature and control over chaos and evil. He is human, yet divine. God will see us safely to the other side. He came to save us and that night he saved his disciples and the people in all the other boats. He saves us from perishing- he offers us eternal life. We will get to the other side- we will have eternal life. It all boils down to faith. Faith is tested in storms. It is only in the storm that we understand who Jesus really is. We learn most about Christ, when we are in a crisis. Storms are not sent to destroy us but to develop us.
Did this storm develop the faith of the disciples? In a strange way it did, for it caused them to question themselves, when Jesus asked them “Why were you so afraid?” The word afraid here means timid to the point of giving up. Jesus had already promised that they were going to the other side. They had witnessed his power in other settings and he was present with them. What more did they need? Jesus asks us the same question, why are you so afraid? The biggest issue is not that Jesus stopped the storm but that he could not find faith in his disciples. Previously Jesus had told them even a grain of faith as small as a mustard seed could do great things. We need to trust God even when we do not understand the why and wherefores of what is happening. Then we, like the disciples, will see his power to bring peace and calm. The disciples’ faith did increase for they were filled with awe at the power of Jesus. In this crisis Jesus shone as a true leader, as their true leader.
This awesome otherness that the disciples saw in Jesus made them uncomfortable- it terrified them. It reinforced their humanity and frailty and it highlighted God’s power and sovereignty. “Who is this that calms the wind and the waves? As ever the gospel writer Mark is revealing stage by stage the deity of Jesus, as God’s Son, and opening the eyes of the disciples to the amazing identity of their true leader.
This cameo scene in Mark’s gospel offers hope to us when we face storms in life. Some of us might be facing storms just now- it could be mental health, it could be physical illness, it could be financial, it could be work related, it could be relationships with family, friends or colleagues. These times can be dark; you can feel out of control; you are stressed out; scared and anxious.
So, what do you do when you feel you are drowning? Remember first of all that you are not going through this on your own. Jesus is with you. Jesus is with you in this storm and he cares for us. He has not abandoned you. Jesus in his humanity understands what you are going through and, in his deity, has power to do something about it. He can bring peace and calm into any situation. Remember nothing is too hard for God. Nothing is impossible for God and that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
Jesus will not always calm the storm but he will calm you. He may not change your circumstances but he will change you and he will give you peace in your circumstances. God is the true leader that shines in a crisis. He is our anchor in the storms of life. The chorus of a hymn captures this truth well in the words: “We have an anchor that keeps the soul, steadfast and sure while the billows roll; fastened to the Rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love! May God help us in the storms of life to be grounded and rooted in the Saviour’s love. Amen.
NICENE CREED
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one substance with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son,
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Lord Jesus, you experienced many storms in your life
and throughout you showed such dignity, calm and grace.
When storms come our way, help us to trust and rely on you,
and know peace and calm in our lives.
Calm our fears
and teach us your peace
Lord of all truth and goodness
We pray for those in positions of authority
in the church all over the world,
and in each gathered community
that in all the storms
we may be enabled to hear God’s calming voice
and deepen our trust in him.
Calm our fears
and teach us your peace
Lord of great power and majesty
we pray for those with political and military power,
and all whose decisions affect many lives.
Speak truth into motives, honour into actions
and your vision of peace into every situation.
Calm our fears
and teach us your peace
Lord of all power and wisdom,
we pray about the pandemic,
thinking especially of India.
Thank you for the vaccines we have received
and pray that with generosity of heart
we will share our vaccine resources with other countries,
especially the poorer nations.
Calm our fears
and teach us your peace
Lord of all guidance,
we pray for Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon,
as they determine the best time to open up the country,
and relax the lockdown restrictions.
We pray for the economy
and for those who have been hit the hardest.
We ask that families struggling with debt
will receive good counsel and support.
We pray for those who are unemployed
that a door of opportunity will open up for them.
We pray for those that are homeless
and for people seeking asylum,
that they might have safety and security,
and homes that are adequate and good.
Calm our fears
and teach us your peace
Lord of all compassion, we pray for families
whose lives have been torn apart
as a result of terrorism.
We pray for those countries in hostility and war,
thinking of Israel and Palestine
and also of Syria and Sudan,
asking that they might have security and peace.
As people weather storms at home and abroad
lavish your care upon them,
carry them when too weak to walk on their own,
and bring them peace and calm their fears.
Calm our fears
and teach us your peace
Lord of all healing we pray for those
whose minds and hearts are in turmoil,
whose lives lurch from one crisis to crisis,
for those who find their lives shattered
by illness or injury;
and ask for peace in those threatening storms
and a settling of all anxiety.
Calm our fears
and teach us your peace
Lord of all, we thank you
that in the joys and storms of life,
you are our constant companion,
ready to help and carry us,
wiling to strengthen, guide and lead us.
Enfold us all today in your abiding love.
Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Do not bring us to the time of trial
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
HYMN
BLESSING
The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord:
and the blessing of God the Father,
the Son and Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen
DISMISSAL
Go or stay in peace to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ.
