To The Other Side

Sunday, August 7, 2011

I spent one full day at the hospital last week. And there is nothing like spending one full day at a hospital to get just a glimpse of human suffering. One day in one hospital is nothing when we consider all the hospital and emergency rooms in every hospital in every place...when we consider all those who live with mental, emotional, and spiritual challenges. When we consider the state of the world – and the plain old everyday life stuff. And every congregation, every community has more than their fair share…and the weight …the enormity of human suffering is unfathomable.
How do human beings get through this stuff? Sadly, not everyone does…but is there anything that might help? Some would point to this scripture as the answer, and the thousands of sermons that have been preached that tell us that in order to get through the storms of life, we must………….Keep our eyes on Jesus. Don’t take your eyes off him. No matter how bad the circumstances of life get…as a matter of fact the worse your troubles are, the more important it is to stay focused on the Lord. Don’t doubt, don’t question, don’t worry, don’t fear… don’t be like Peter – fasten your gaze upon the master of wind and wave. Never look away.
Yes, we know that – we already know that we are to trust Jesus = and that is the advice we give to all those who suffer, why it’s what we tell ourselves when we are in the midst of crisis….problem is we are not very good at it. We get distracted, we keep on worrying, we get overwhelmed by all those troubled waters that keep slamming us up against the break wall. We already know what we are supposed to do…blame it on the human condition -- but the honest truth is it’s just not all that easy. One author writes, “Truthfully, having one more cheerleader tell me from the pulpit or from the chair in his or her office to give it to the lord and leave it with the lord…and stop worrying, stop talking about it, and never give my problems a second thought…..well, it just doesn’t help at all – if anything it only makes me feel horribly worse, because I cannot do it. … and that makes me think I’m even a bigger failure and there is something wrong with me and my faith. And what I don’t need when I’m scared and worried and upset and concerned and in the middle of a crises = so big I can’t even think straight – what I don’t need is to feel worse than I already do.”
Peter had it good. When he started to sink, Jesus was right there with him – and he reached out his hand and caught Peter. There are times when every single one of us need to be caught. We’re trying to keep our eyes on Jesus, we’re trying to tread water, we’re trying to be faithful and trusting. But sometimes faith is shaken to its very core. But Jesus isn’t physically here to grab us up out of those rough waters of life.
Ya know what I like best about this passage? It’s likely that this is where the early Christians got the image of a boat to symbolize the church. When Peter was in trouble – it was in the boat with Jesus where he found safety. And so it is that when we are in crisis, this boat of a church is where we find our comfort and safety and hope.
At least that is what the church is supposed to be. A wise woman once told me that the church should be the one place in the world, where everyone is safe – the one place free of gossip and judgment – the one place without plain ol’ meanness – the one place where no one should be ridiculed or made to feel ashamed or less than anyone else in the pews. A place where every sinner can hold his or her head up and do it with dignity = because all have sinned and none is perfect – and that should make all the difference in how we treat one another. Ah yes, Church if only it could always be that safe harbor in any storm. At church we are to be here for one another…and because we are the church that is what we are to be for everyone else out there. If for no other reason, than there is enough human suffering in this world, and the church doesn’t need to cause any more.
Did you notice that our reading this morning started out, ‘immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side.’
Ya know what they did on the other side – they ministered to more people. This boat of a church in which we sit, to which we belong – that’s our job – to minister to the people. To shoot out our hand and catch them so they don’t get swallowed up by life. To sit with them in their suffering, in their fears, and in their pain. To walk with them through the crisis…to get those who are hurting on to the other side – where they are healed and well and whole once again. In this boat of a church, with Christ in our midst, knowing that all things are possible with God…knowing that is our calling…knowing that is our commission…that’s what disciples are called to do.
How do human being get through this stuff? Is there anything we can do to help? Yes, there is – be the church.