June 24th, 2018 When Fear Rules Mark 4:35–41

Two of my brothers are not speaking to each other. It’s been like that for years. Human relationships are complex things. Whether we are talking about lovers, friends, siblings, children, parents or any of the other relationships we have, there is always room for misunderstanding and hurt feelings. How often have we heard the phrase : “If you really cared about me you would…..”:

Call more often!

Apologize for the hurt you caused!

Ask me what’s wrong!

In our relationships with those we are closest to, when our expectations and our needs are not being met, it’s easy to let our fears take over. We begin to interpret everything in the light of “you don’t really care.”

This is the accusation the disciples make to Jesus in today’s gospel passage. “If you really cared about us you wouldn’t be sleeping in the back of the boat while we are here drowning” they say. They have all piled into the little fishing vessel and set off to cross the Sea of Galilee. A surprise storm blows up and engulfs them. They fear for their lives. Now this may be a factual event that actually took place, but it may also have been written for its value as a metaphor for the storms of life, which is something we can all identify with. The fledgling Christian community that this gospel is written for, is struggling to survive. They may even feel they are drowning. The synagogue authorities have either just declared or are about to declare that followers of Jesus are no longer welcome there. Rebel Jewish factions are leading a revolt against Roman rule which leads to the destruction of The Temple in Jerusalem around this time. The Jewish followers of Jesus have every reason to fear for their future.

Last week I talked about the seeds of anger, violence and hatred that are being planted in our world today. In psychology courses we learn that anger is often the presenting emotion that people in crisis display, but if you ask them what they might be feeling if they didn’t feel anger, fear is often what comes up. We get a diagnosis of 3 months to live and we are angry. But just under that anger sits fear of dyeing, fear of what the future holds. Fear can be a dangerous emotion. It can cause us to buy a firearm and be prepared to use it. It can cause us to accuse immigrants of taking our jobs and all Muslims of being terrorists. It can cause me to suspect you simply because I don’t know you. Fear can lead to anger and violence and hatred. The majority of our fears can be classified into three categories:

fear for our lives and the lives of our loved ones,

fear for our livelihoods , our possession and for losing control of these things

or simply fear that we have no value as human beings. Just like the disciples in the sinking fishing boat, we fear that no one in the world cares about us. We are all alone with our troubles.

In today’s lesson the gospel writer is addressing this third fear. “If you really cared about me you would…..”: Much more than a miraculous event at sea, he is telling us that placing our trust in a higher power will bring us the calm we all seek in the midst of the storm. It will save us. We may lose our lives. We may lose our livelihoods, but we should never lose our conviction that there is a higher power and that whatever befalls us we are cherished and valued beyond measure. When we really stop to think about this, we can know that it is true. We are all to be commended for being here today, for still being able to stand upright when we consider all the trials and tribulations we have endured. Life is not easy. We all go through times of suffering. Yet we rise again. We laugh. We make light of our troubles. There is a part of each of us that is quite noble and courageous, made in the image of our creator. And when we feel like our boat is sinking Jesus tells us: hold on, have faith, and have hope.

When I get discouraged, when I’m feeling hopeless : about the state of the world or even the state of my life I like to remember the following words. I first read them in a speech by Martin Luther King jr. but they can be traced back to a document on Freemasonry and before that to Theodore Parker, Unitarian minister in the US. I like to think that they fall right in line with the words and thoughts of Jesus. This version comes from “Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry” 1871 .

“We cannot understand the moral Universe. The arc is a long one, and our eyes reach but a little way; we cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; but we can divine it by conscience, and we surely know that it bends toward justice. Justice will not fail, though wickedness appears strong, and has on its side the armies and thrones of power, the riches and the glory of the world, and though poor men crouch down in despair. Justice will not fail , will not perish out from the world of men, nor will what is really wrong and contrary to God’s real law of justice continually endure.”

I am convinced that the arc of the moral universe tends also towards all that is good, and generous and loving and caring. These are the values Jesus lived for and died for. We must not let the seeds of hopelessness, fear, anger and violence take hold in our hearts and shut them down. I t is only by keeping our hearts open, holding on to hope, seeking out the good in every individual and defending those without voice, that we can do our part towards that bending towards goodness. May it be so. Amen.