| October 7, 2007
You are welcome to reflect on this message “When the Winds Are Against Us” (Acts 27:4) October 7, 2007 Dr. Dan Ivins, preaching Our text is a simple shipwreck story, about two of God's missionaries in a tough spot. It contains no complicated theological doctrines, just exciting movement and astounding faith. It presupposes that God is, and he stands by his own during most of our Good Fridays. Even though sometimes it doesn't feel like it. It was a “roll of the dice” to sail the Adriatic in the autumn. Sure enough a squall struck a vessel carrying Paul and Luke, who both have some interesting responses. Luke says, “The winds were against us!” And those unfavorable currents continued to blow throughout the chapter, until the ship finally sinks. For two weeks the forces of nature bore down, buffeting them about till they lost their bearings. The sound of the pounding surf told the sailors land wasn't far away. And just at the worst moment, when all seemed hopeless, Paul came out with something incredible. Luke recalls it vividly: “After he had said this, he took bread and giving thanks to God, he broke it and began to eat.”
How about that? Caught in a typhoon. All is lost. So, “Let’s have a picnic!" Communion in a storm. So typical of Paul. The raging winds of controversy followed this spunky servant of God wherever he carried the gospel. But he never once allowed himself to be deterred from his mission. Yeah, this is a stormy world, where life will ambush you in an instant. Innocence gets assassinated by violence; integrity is exposed to ridicule; faith struggles with doubt and good things are wrecked by greed and meanness.
This story reminds us that when going through such times, God's people are not alone: “Last night, an angel of God stood beside me and said, `Don’t be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.'” What a shot in the arm that is! Paul’s courage was bolstered because God was with him, even while all of nature’s constraints stood against him. That vision enabled him to be strengthened during a hurricane. So he celebrated with a communion/picnic!
Ever since Noah built the ark, ships have held symbolic value for the church. That's because a ship carries us through life’s pitfalls. And yet, the sailors on this journey wanted to abandon ship when the storm hit. We’re always tempted to jump overboard when the going gets rough in any endeavor. But “Paul said to the centurion, `Unless you stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.'” All these modern‑day agnostics out there, who believe in God but despise the church, aren’t gonna like this “stay with the ship” stuff. ‘Cause it smacks of “There’s no salvation apart from the Church" (Capital C). Granted, they’re entitled to their viewpoint.
Sometimes it is hard to stay with a church (little “c”), especially when she's going through a storm. Because it can tear you apart. But that’s why I admire for those faithful saints who have endured some difficult days in their church. Yet they “stayed with the ship.” This place wouldn’t be here without them. Because we all know any church is no more perfect than her members. Paul believed in staying with the Church. Otherwise “you cannot be saved.” The Church has guarded our souls, guided our steps, girded our hopes and gifted our lives beyond measure. To be a part of the Body of Christ is to be “on board that ship.” And to stay with it through thick or thin is the best part of valor sometimes.
So its Paul and Luke, in a tiny boat on a big sea, with “the winds against them,” about to go under, and Paul urging them not to jump overboard. Don’t panic. Let’s have a picnic! “And they were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.” When you’re out of control, all you can do is manage yourself. Like our Lord did out on another body of water up in the Galilee, when he “slept through a storm while his disciples worried.” In the face of danger, Jesus takes a nap and Paul has a picnic! What do you do with these two? How in the world can people do stuff like that? It might be because they know wringing your hands at tragedy is like driving a car with the emergency brake on. With the cards stacked against you, facing certain drowning. Everybody else panicking. And yet still manage to demonstrate a constructive way to deal with misfortune! Who doesn’t need that? You’re really onto something when you can function with confidence not just when the sun’s shining, but also when “the winds are against you.” All you can do is rely on your faith. What good is faith if it doesn’t help us through a tough time?
I’ve seen some of the difficulties you’ve faced. Everybody here either has or is facing some kind of gale. So in the tradition of Paul the Apostle, we gather around the communion table this morning, giving thanks and breaking bread in the midst of our own storms. Churches face them. Individuals and families face them. Our bodies break down. It’s a stormy time in our world. We have that in common with the Luke and Paul. Time after time, when the outlook is bleak, somehow God sees to it that we make it to shore. For all those times and much more, we must give thanks at God's Table today. And for the strength that sharing communion together with our sisters and brothers provides us. And for the “good ship First Baptist,” that has and will continue to carry us through many storms.
The story has a happy ending; describing their safe‑tho‑water‑logged arrival at the harbor. Luke writes in the 1st person, as one of the shipwrecked survivors. And gives a detailed account of the experience, noting that they all made it to shore. “The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them might escape. But the centurion, felt obligated to Paul, and prevented them from doing it. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land. And the rest to follow, some on planks and pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.” Staggering, dragging themselves onto the beach, shivering in the autumn wind, drenched and bone‑tired, but alive, all of them! Safe at last in the harbor! And that's how it ends.
St. Paul's Bay, it's now called. A harbor on the northern coast of Malta. And I can't think of a better name for it. Because it underscores the need in every life for some kind of sanctuary. But also recognizing how one of amazing faith turned a tragedy into a triumph.
Jesus was always doing it. “In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” It is both a challenge and a promise. And what all who follow Him can expect. “Tribulation?” Bad weather? Shipwrecks? By all means. But also the “good cheer” of hopefully arriving into the refuge of God.
Dealing with the storms of life is a test of faith. And not everyone arrives at the harbor. Samuel, responded to the call of God quietly from the belly of midnight: “Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.” Isaiah was worshiping in the temple when he saw the Lord “high and lifted up.” Mary's call had to do more with a star than a storm. And some like Paul, arrive in the harbor, riding in on the wings of a tempest. The Samaritan woman, who out of the confused wreckage of her past, found a home in Christ's mercy. Or the dying thief, on black Friday when an eclipse and lightning provided the backdrop for a cross, pleading to the one on the centerpiece, “Jesus, remember me!” A fine day to enter paradise.
This story reminds us that being alive and serving God is more over‑arching than how we feel about it on a given day. There will be good days and bad. We can either be remorseful over what we’ve neglected to do and what doesn’t go right. Or we can be thankful for what does, and try to make something good out of what doesn’t. Life is like a bank account. You withdraw from it when you need it. But you can only draw out what you’ve put in it. For way too many, when it comes time to cash-in, there’s nothing there. They didn’t stay with the ship!
Each day is a gift full of sunshine and shadows -- “that fall on the just and unjust alike.” But opportunities for faith experiences that we’ve stored away ... for whatever may come our way at this time in our lives. This is the Lord’s Day, and we are here in God’s house, our harbor on this hill. The Meeting House, where we fill our souls with faith resources, because we’re reminded how much God loves us. We come from differing circumstances with diverse needs; things we’ve done to ourselves, and had done to us. So for some, worship is an expression of quiet, sure faith. There’s little turbulence at all. For others, it is an extremely rough journey, through sorrow, disappointment, grief, heartache, mistakes and fear. But all of us, no matter what our situation, show up at the harbor to enjoy a picnic, even in a storm! To receive mercy, forgiveness, strength, and hope to carry on. And always we leave with gratitude because we have been nourished by Him who is “the Bread of Life;” who turns our storms into picnics.
Prayer: O God, we pray that your church here and in every other place will seek to do your will as best it knows how. Grant us confidence in the never‑failing presence of the power of Christ, and that we can tap into that power if we will. Renew day by day the life of your people so that we may all serve your purpose, whether in times of ease, indifference or danger. Give us the creativity and courage to respond like Paul when the storms of life come our way. And remind us of it now as we enjoy our picnic in the midst of our own storms. Amen. Back |
