Since its summer, people are getting to the parks and using the roller coasters. The biggest one in the country is near here and
it goes up 45 stories and ridiculous speeds. Now we know that these rides are just for fun, don’t we? We know that you can’t get hurt? And we know 
that it only lasts for 2 minutes, don’t we? Then we should all be able to get on the roller coaster in New Jersey and have a quick pleasant ride just to get some
fresh air on a hot day, right? Let’s imagine that we’re there
Roller coasters are powerful because they are symbols of our lives. Life is exactly like a roller coaster. Some days are slow as we climb the hill and look around with interest. School is going to have a special project that day and we are looking forward to it. Other times we are racing down towards a turn and we can’t see what lies beyond the turn. Those moments are the screaming times. And if you are older, you aren’t supposed to scream. Sometimes I think it would be better if we screamed more in life. The Bible passage today is all about how God helps us get through those moments on the coaster when the tunnel is coming and we can’t see. If you sometimes get scared with what’s happening in your life, then you are going to meet Jesus’ followers when they felt the same way. And you’ll see what Jesus did them to help them
The disciples have just risked their lives in a sudden storm on the sea. The Sea of Galilee is like Oneida Lake in Syracuse, New York. It is shallow so a storm can produce waves that you would not expect. Waves of 4 to 5 feet are not impossible because the lake is only 50 feet deep. Many smaller lakes in New York are much deeper and Seneca Lake has depths up to 600 feet. So it is with the Sea of Galilee. Even for experienced fishers, a storm with the right winds can blow up waves that will wreck a fishing boat. The disciples are suddenly about to drown in the Sea where they have made their living for so many years. It seems incredible. Its one thing to die in some exotic fashion, but they are about to die on a ride that they had been enjoying.
Of course, we see the rescue of God. And the great question is – if God could rescue them and the wind and sea obey God, then why didn’t God tell the wind and the sea to stay calm to begin with? Does God only have power in limited quantities and then the batteries run down? If you pray when God is already busy, you have to go thru have a crisis before your number comes up to be served?
Or maybe God really wants to teach them a lesson. They hadn’t worked hard enough earlier in the day and God wants to scare them a little. Maybe you didn’t something wrong in your own life and now you feel like God may help, but only after you get a little trouble to pay back what you’ve done.
Is anybody thinking that way? Because I’d have to say that you’re completely wrong. God is trying to help the disciples build their faith. I’m sure everyone here has gone through something in life that was difficult – and at the same time, you were glad it happened? It changed you for the better?
There is a program at Cornell Medical Center that helps victims of 9-11. It’s a virtual reality program. You put on headsets and stand in front of huge screens. Suddenly you are transported to lower Manhattan on a pleasant day and you can look any direction you want. The twin towers are in the picture. You go back for weeks of sessions to live in those moments as much as you want. And then there comes a day when you are ready for more. So suddenly the planes come in and destroy the towers and video from that day is all around you.
And by living through those tapes several times, you start to understand that you survived. 9-11 is tragic but it did not destroy you.
This therapy is already helped a fire captain who was there on that day and has not been able to sleep or enter Manhattan since. It has helped others.
And God is using that same idea with the disciples. They already have seen Galilee on good days when the fish were plentiful. Now, God lets them experience the waves. And they were not in danger at any time even in a dangerous situation.
If you trust God, then God promises you that in all the moments of life, whether on the hill or screaming into a turn – you’re safe. And if you will trust God when the bottom drops out of the ride, then when you slow down and life returns to normal, you will be stronger with more faith. This is the actual promise of God. Even the winds and waves obey Jesus.
This morning, we offer one of the strongest signs of Christian faith, bread and grape to show our desire to incorporate the strength of Christ into our weakness. If you do not receive, please remain in your seats in meditation. But everyone who wants to believe is welcome. Amen.
