I had the privilege to be with Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska on Sunday June 23, 2024. Thank you Pastor Tobi White for the invitation and to the whole congregation for the warm welcome. It was a beautiful day to be together as God’s people- filled with baptism, communion, wonderful music in worship, and then a very deep, vulnerable and even heartbreaking Bible Study conversation following worship. God was truly present and it was a gift to be with the congregation. Early on in the service I shared words of greeting from Bishop Johnson and the whole synod, as well as words of gratitude for the congregation’s ministry through mission share and as part of the whole church. What follows is the majority of the manuscript that I preached from, based on Mark 4:35-41 with reference to 2 Corinthians 6:1-13. The congregation uses The Inclusive Bible translation, so I tried to incorporate that in preaching.

Grace and peace from God in Christ, who is with you, for you, and who loves you. Amen.

Out On the Water
Have you ever had an experience on the water where you learned something about yourself? You know, whether out swimming, tubing, boating, fishing, kayaking or canoeing? Well, let me set the scene for you. I am not originally from Nebraska. I actually grew up near the water in Western Washington state, in a town west of Seattle. So gospel stories like this one hold a special place in my heart. Anyway, today I am reminded of an experience of being out on the water.

It was mere days before my soon to be wife Allison and I were to be married, and we had the bright idea to go and take one of my family’s two-person kayaks out for some time on the water. If you know anything about kayaking, it requires teamwork, working in tandem and in two-person kayaks especially, require give and take. Otherwise, you’re not going to get anywhere very fast. Well on this particular day, we went in literal circles for a while. So much so that I am sure I heard the seals laughing at us. We both wanted to lead. That doesn’t exactly work in a kayak. It could have been the end of our relationship. But thankfully it ended up being some of the best real-life marriage counseling experience both of us have ever had, and hey, we’re both in ministry now, so that’s something too.

Diving into the Gospel
I start there, because there wasn’t a storm that day. But Jesus might as well have been saying, “Peace! Be still!”[1] Or, “Quiet! Be calm”[2] to both of us. To take a breath. To calm down. To talk and be present. To be grounded in God’s deep and abiding love and promises.

This week we find ourselves on a boat in the gospel story. Jesus says to those disciples he loves, “Let’s cross over to the other shore.”[3] But the disciples didn’t know what they were about to find themselves caught up in. It’s kind of a common theme for them really. Jesus seems perfectly comfortable sleeping and riding out the waves on his cushion in the stern. But he was probably the only one. When the wind rises up on the waters, there is only so much you can do. At best, you’re going to go with it. At worst, you are probably going to fight the wind in vain and nature will win, as nature always does. Unless Jesus has something to say about it.

The disciples wake him up. They are terrified. They ask Jesus, “Teacher, doesn’t it matter to you that we’re going to drown?”[4] The fear is palpable. Fear we too might know from riding out our own storms.

Storms like those which have been so frequent in Eastern Nebraska this year it seems. Storms with wind gusts pushing 100 miles an hour or more. Storms with inches upon inches of rain in places leading to flooding. Storms with tornadoes that have left their paths of destruction. Storms which have left households and families to face the daunting journey ahead of rebuilding. The fear is real. But these aren’t the only storms we have faced. Perhaps you too have faced a different kind of storm? A storm of an uncertain diagnosis. A storm of a beloved family member facing a daunting path forward. A storm of anxiousness as one wrestles with their deep truth about who they are, and whether they can be open and honest with those they are closest to about it. A storm of uncertainty around where will our next meal come from. A storm of anxiety about what will we do next?

It’s probably easy to find ourselves in this gospel story this week, if we’re honest. We all have those moments of deep concern and despair. The moments where all we can do is to trust that by taking cover from the storm, we’ll be okay. The moments when we can’t do anything but drop to our knees in prayer. The moments where we truly turn toward God, because we can do no else. Moments like the disciples found themselves in on the boat that windy and stormy night.

We know the rest of the story though. We know that Jesus does what God can only do. God rebukes the wind, and there is calm finally in the sea and the storm ceases. We can hear Jesus clearly say to the storm and to us, “Quiet! Be calm!”[5] Three simple words. But words which are full of presence and promise. Words that are then followed up by Jesus’ own question to those with him that moment on the boat, and to all beloved children of God since, “Why were you so frightened? Have you no faith?”[6] I believe this was a rhetorical question. Jesus knows the fears that his beloved were feeling. He knows that. He’s both truly human and divine. He knows the experience of fear is real. But he is also trying to help us know that even when we might find ourselves in those darkest moments of fear, worry, and uncertainty. We are not alone. God meets us where we are at and walks with us always.

We know the rest of the story of what is to come too. We know that through the disciples’ walk with Jesus, they will travel together even to the point of death on a cross. And even when they see their friend Jesus on the cross, the disciples still won’t have it all figured out about what Jesus is up to and what all this means.

But there is hope. The storm will pass. The sun will come out again. And we’ll be able to respond. Just as those on the boat were filled with fear and awe as the wind ceased on the waters, we’re invited to see what comes after the storm passes. We’re invited to experience being filled with awe at the beauty of the rainbow, or the way God’s people come together after storms to check-in on neighbors, to help each other out, and together to get things cleaned up and hopefully “back to normal” or even better than before. Such a response is what it looks like to cultivate love as God’s people. It’s love and stewardship in action. And whenever we see these signs and hear these stories, we too might be filled with a sense of awe and gratitude for God’s love made real, and even wonder with those first disciples, “Who is this, whom even the wind and sea obey?”[7]

Where Stewardship Comes In
To such a question, and to witnessing God’s love made real, we are invited to respond. And our response is our stewardship. But what does this old churchy word of stewardship actually mean? For some, stewardship is everything one does after they have come to believe in Jesus. For others, it’s about being present and attuned to the needs of others. For me, it’s this and more. And I always start with the psalmist. The psalmist begins in Psalm 24, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.”[8]

The earth is God’s. And all who are part of the earth, are God’s. Everything is God’s. You are God’s own. I am God’s own. And all that we have, and all that we are, are God’s own too. The “all” in this psalm carries weight. It’s not that God owns some, but God owns all. And all means all here. Everything that makes you the unique person and Child of God that you are, is God’s. Your time, talent, treasure, assets, and finances of all kinds. Your lives, health, bodies, hearts, souls, and minds. Your passions, strengths, vocations, gifts, relationships, ideas, dreams, stories, and even your questions. All that is yours, is really God’s. And all of creation that surrounds us, and which God entrusts into your care in the beginning of Genesis, is God’s too.

All of this and more, is God’s. And God chooses to entrust some of it into our care. God does this because God wants life to go well for God’s people. Because God wants to be in relationship with us. And because God hopes that we might live lives of deep meaning and purpose, in part through caring for our neighbors through all that God entrusts. God does this and so much more, for you. God in Christ will go to and through the point of death on a cross to bring life. God will go looking for you and bring you home. God does as only God can do, bringing life, hope, and salvation. All of this is pure gift and grace we could never earn or deserve. And that is Good News. News like the Apostle Paul writes, “Now is the acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation!”[9] News which we are given which then invites a question.

Our Joyful and Grateful Response
How will we respond? That’s the stewardship question. How do we, or how will we respond? Do we respond by just going through the motions, seemingly unchanged? Or do we respond by saying thank you to God, and by being so moved with joy and gratitude for what God has done, will do, and promises to do for us, that we can’t help but give our thanks and praise? Do we respond through the Spirit moving in and with us, that we even join in with God in some of God’s on-going work here and now, the work of the Kin-dom of God today?

That work that is made real through our lives, vocations, and all that we are. This is what stewardship is all about. It’s the response of living life as a steward forever changed by God’s love, and forever growing as a disciple. Forever singing God’s praise in hope and trust.

It’s the response of being so moved that when we see and experience things like a storm suddenly being calmed, that we notice it and wonder what God might be up to. It’s the response of intentionally leaning in, and stepping up, as part of God’s work. It’s the response of following Jesus wherever he might be leading, and doing so as we truly take hold of the abundant life which God alone provides.

What Might God be Up to and Inviting Next?
Our Saviour’s, I know you get this. You respond all the time. You are a deeply faithful and generous faith community. One who embodies your understanding of mission as to “Walk with Christ and Neighbor, Healing Brokenness Together.”[10] You do this through education hour experiences after worship, and numerous Bible study opportunities. You do this through your support and partnership with Bridges to Hope, Feast Prison Ministry, and Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministry’s annual Quilt Auction. You have done this, this past week through your congregation’s participation with Vacation Bible School, and you will this week through Confirmation Camp. You do this too, as you are a Reconciling in Christ congregation.

As a congregation of God’s beloved, you take this week’s gospel story to heart. You proclaim the good news by answering those first disciples’ question, “Who is this, whom even the wind and sea obey?”[11] Through your words and actions you point to God. You do so believing and trusting that God not only walks with God’s own, God meets us where we are at. No matter the storms we might be facing, God is with us in them. Our Saviour’s, you profess that God is for you and for all as we will hear again in the blessed sacrament of communion in a few moments. And you proclaim through all that you do that God’s love is real and is for all- something we will celebrate and witness through Elsie’s baptism this morning. Through all of this, I wonder, what might God be up to and inviting you all to be a part of next? I suspect it will be more of the work of walking with Jesus and our neighbors, together healing brokenness. But what that will look like, we’ll just have to see.

So people of God, thank you for being who you are and for responding as faithfully as you do. Keep doing what you are doing. Keep growing. Keep serving. Keep being curious. God is up to something here, with, for, through, and in you. Keep joining in. When Jesus says, “Quiet! Be calm!”[12] take that as an invitation to breathe and ponder. When we see the wonder of God’s love made real, take time to give thanks and sing like we will, in just a moment, “No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging. Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?”[13] And be reassured that all of this work that you are a part of, is not work you do alone. For we do it as we respond to Jesus’ call and invitation. Knowing that God is with us, for us, and loves us. Always. Thanks be to God. Amen.

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References and Citations:
[1] Mark 4:39, NRSV.
[2] Mark 4:39, The Inclusive Bible translation. Our Saviour’s uses The Inclusive Bible translations for its reading of scripture in worship.
[3] Mark 4:35, The Inclusive Bible translation.
[4] Mark 4:38, The Inclusive Bible translation.
[5] Mark 4:39, The Inclusive Bible translation.
[6] Mark 4:40, The Inclusive Bible translation.
[7] Mark 4:41, The Inclusive Bible translation.
[8] Psalm 24:1, NRSV.
[9] 2 Corinthians 6:2, The Inclusive Bible translation.
[10] The congregation’s mission statement as found on the congregation’s website: https://osllincoln.org/.
[11] Mark 4:41, The Inclusive Bible translation.
[12] Mark 4:39, The Inclusive Bible translation.
[13] From the hymn, “My Life Flows On in Endless Song,” by Robert Lowry. As found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2006), 763.