Clear vision…. It’s a wonderful gift! Being visually challenged, I understand the importance of being able to focus clearly on something. You see, when I first wake up, I usually don’t put my glasses on right away. I CAN see well enough to make my way down the stairs….to let the dogs out… and even to put on the coffee.

But one day early, in the morning, I was walking across the living room and saw something brown skitter in front and off to the side of me. I couldn’t see the object clearly, but it looked enough like a spider. I froze in place and screamed.

Afraid I would lose track of that monster on the floor, I couldn’t move. Meanwhile the dogs were whining to go out and were probably wondering about all the noise. When I noticed that the gigantic tarantula didn’t move, I took a wide sweep around it and put the dogs on their leashes. Grabbing my glasses from the counter and one of Bill’s shoes, I gingerly stepped back into the living room.

I wasn’t sure if I was overjoyed or disappointed……it hadn’t moved.

Bravely, with Bill’s shoe in the air, I got close enough to mark my target….and realized…. The huge scary spider was nothing more than a dust bunny that had rolled in front of me like tumbleweed. Not being able to see clearly, my imagination got the best of me.

When the disciples first heard Jesus preach the Good News of God’s kingdom, they saw something in him that made them want to leave everything and to follow him. In a short time, they were convinced that Jesus was the one that God promised to Israel…… convinced that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah who would become king and free them from Roman rule.
Everywhere they went they witnessed Jesus performing miracles - freeing a man possessed by demons, cleansing lepers and healing the sick who flocked to him.

One day when Jesus healed a man’s withered hand on the Sabbath, the religious leaders accused him of being a madman and worse yet, consorting with Satan. Worried about his safety, Jesus’ mother and brothers tried to talk to him….to dissuade him from continuing his public ministry. Nevertheless, through all of this, the disciples maintained the clear vision of Jesus as the Messiah.

Not surprisingly, when Jesus announced that he wanted to go to the other side of the sea, they readied the boats for the journey and set sail. They didn’t see the signs of an oncoming storm.
Because Galilee is a very shallow body of water, the winds often create a monster of the water making even the largest boat vulnerable to destruction. These storms are always unexpected.
The type of boat that Jesus and the disciples used was probably NOT one of the largest boats on Galilee and would have been quite small. A friend who toured Israel boarded such a boat and said that even though the sea was as smooth as glass, as soon as the passengers stepped onto the deck, it began to rock violently.

Knowing this gives us a little perspective about the kind of storm that would have frightened seasoned fishermen. Desperately working to bail out the onslaught of water, the disciples soon realized that they were in imminent danger of sinking. Focused on the storm, the task at hand, and the seriousness of the situation, they suddenly realized that they were missing one set of hands on deck.

Where in the world was Jesus??? Angrily, the disciples awakened him from sleep. Jesus…what are you doing????? We followed you out here… NOW look at what you’ve gotten us into! Can’t you see what’s going on? We are doing everything we can LITERALLY do to keep our heads above water and you’re sleeping!!! Don’t you CARE that we are dying????

They were on the brink of death and they felt alone and they were very afraid.

Awakened by the disciples, Jesus remained calm. With a few words, he took control of the wind and the waves, calming the sea with a show of his power over creation. AND, he revealed the truth about the source of their fear. They had become distracted by the stormy seas and could no longer remember all that Jesus had done and taught. They had lost their focus……..in fact… they had become blind to Jesus who was in their midst and had the power to save them.
Discipleship ISN’T easy! Storms ARE inevitable. While some are products of our imagination, like the giant hairy spider that I saw in the living room - others are real, like the one in our Gospel lesson today.

Christian life is counter cultural. As children of God, we have heard and seen evidence of God’s abundant love for us. We give because God first gave to us and we sow God’s grace because God had mercy on us. Sometimes, the simple act of offering God’s grace and forgiveness CAN become controversial in a community of faith. Controversy often leads to conflict… anxiety…and fear that is formidable enough to threaten a community’s very existence.

A little over a year ago, several of us gathered at the Terkelsen’s for dinner and a meeting of the Church Health Team. Guided by the principals of the Natural Church Development program, we were working on the task of helping to build a healthy congregation by focusing on passionate spirituality. At the time, we had just faced a difficult conflict in the life of our community. The overall picture of health wasn’t very good. The task ahead of us seemed monumental.
As we ate, we talked about the storm that we had faced and the effects that were still rippling through our community. We were afraid to introduce too much change into an already shaky situation. Our BIGGEST fear was that our work would only make things worse. All of us were somewhat pessimistic and anxious that night.

We began to pore over the extensive material that was given to us until one of us found something that helped to calm the waves of fear. It was right there…. in the middle of one of the manuals. A sentence practically popped off the page at us and stopped us in our tracks. It said that to be healthy, a church must expect that Jesus IS present in the midst of the community and that miracles ARE a part of his presence.

Instantly, we knew that if we personally didn’t believe that Jesus WAS present and COULD work miracles, then we might as well give up. We realized that we had spent so much time focusing on the anxiety and the circumstances…. that we had lost our focus on Jesus’ presence in our midst. If we could work to help refocus ourselves and the eyes of our community back to Jesus, we WOULD begin to see miracles. It was a like a weight lifted from our shoulders. Jesus WAS in our midst and we no longer had to bear the burden alone.

The current economic situation in this country is affecting all of us, including the church. Two weeks ago, during our celebration of ministry, the stewardship team began the program with a slide that illustrated our giving in the last year. For me, the ups and downs of the points on that graph seemed to be creating a series of waves symbolizing the appearance of yet another storm. The graph is a snapshot of the reality of our current financial status. But our stewardship team didn’t dwell on it. Instead, it began to focus on Jesus and the work that we continue to accomplish in his name and WILL continue to accomplish when we remain focused on Jesus’ presence in our midst.

Through this storm and many others, I have witnessed God’s love working through you. In the last year, many have been blessed with a sense of new hope and commitment to God’s work in the world. It is evident here through the process of healing and wholeness.
JESUS is in our midst when you meet together in prayer, when you organize tag sales so that a family might obtain affordable and safe shelter, when you invite our children to be full participants in worship, and when you gather to learn about the wonders of God’s grace and love.

To our new members, Sara, Kristin, Laurie, John… and Phillip and Janice and their children Kate, Philip, and Emily…. We welcome you today into this body of believers. You are also a sign of Jesus’ presence in our community.
We are not perfect…..but we have been gathered into this community of faith and united by God’s gracious love for us.
As you declare your faith today, you join with us as we seek to live out OUR faith by offering ourselves to God and being open to following Jesus into the world. The storms ARE inevitable….but Jesus is in our midst with a word of good news that frees us from fear.

A devotion I read recently said it best, and I would like to share those wise words with you today. “God’s Good News is not illusory; it does not deny the fact that we live in perilous times, and it does not attempt to shift our focus to an other-worldly utopia.

It IS the Good News that despite all of the troubles, trials and traumas we face, love endures. The Love of God is steadfast, and it ENDURES forever!

It IS the Good News that all of our suffering is redemptive… which is to say that God uses our pains to produce greater stamina, greater integrity and greater maturity in us.
In God's processes of redemption, bad is exchanged for good.

It IS the Good News that despite all that has transpired to tear us apart, God has gathered us together. And it is our togetherness that gives us strength to face the challenges ahead.” (see note)

This is the promise that God has given to us and that we now share with you - as together, we seek to focus on Jesus who is ALWAYS in our midst. AMEN

note: This quote is taken from one of the UCC's Still Speaking devotional writers. You can sign up for these daily devotions here:

http://i.ucc.org/FeedYourSpirit/Subscribe/tabid/101/Default.aspx