On November 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the largest carriers on the Great Lakes, found herself in the worst storm to hit Lake Superior in more than thirty years. She had sailed the lakes for seventeen years when the storm with wind speeds of 80 miles per hour and gusts of 96 miles per hour and with waves running thirty feet high struck the mighty ship. Shortly after 7:00 pm in the looming darkness the Edmund Fitzgerald's long hull bent, then bent further, then snapped like a broken bone. Her two great pieces foundered momentarily and began their tragic descent some 500 feet, settling 170 feet apart on Lake Superior's bottom. Some say that the breakup happened in ten seconds. One instant she was plowing through waves as high as a three-story building, the next she was gone.
During his ministry, Jesus encountered a sudden storm one evening while crossing the Sea of Galilee with his disciples. Given the much smaller size of their boat and of the Sea of Galilee compared to the Edmund Fitzgerald and Lake Superior, the storm was just as dangerous for Jesus and his disciples. Storms can strike fast and hard on the Sea of Galilee. This one was of such proportions that the disciples were afraid for their lives – even the veteran fisherman in the group who had no doubt navigated many harsh storms on the Sea of Galilee.
Matthew says this terrific storm blasted them “without warning.” Luke calls it a “squall,” which literally means “a hurricane wind” that came down on the lake and swamped the boat. Matthew uses the word “earthquake” to describe the storm. It was as though the lake was being shaken.
I have seen storms come up like that in people’s lives and in the church. One day everything is going fine when without warning a storm hits. Sometimes the storms are personal, but they strike at the heart and soul of a congregation because of the nature of the storm and who it strikes. I have seen this happen when a leader in the church or a member of a leader’s family falls into sin and the entire church is affected. Other storms can be congregational in nature when a major disagreement erupts in the church or a physical calamity strikes. Whether it is personal or congregational, the storm can make it feel like the entire congregation has been shaken.
When the storm struck the Sea of Galilee that night as Jesus and his disciples crossed, Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat – but he had not left them. When they awakened him, Jesus instantly calmed the wind and the water. Just as suddenly as the storm appeared, it disappeared. Here is a compelling thought: the storm did not disturb Jesus, but the unbelief of the disciples did. He said to them, “Where is your faith?”
The disciples should have known Jesus could calm the storm. At this point in his ministry they had already see him perform several miracles. He had touched an “untouchable” leper and healed him, healed a centurion’s servant without even going to his home, and raised a widow’s son from the dead.
If we have followed Jesus for any length of time, we have seen him do some amazing things. Yet in the midst of the storms that disrupt our personal and congregational lives, we do not always believe that Jesus is there in the midst of us. We think he is asleep, not in the boat, but at the switch. Our faith falters, and we wonder if he will wake up. Then he stands in the midst of us and calms our worried souls. He can and does act to bring stability to our lives and the church.
When he calmed the storm that night, the disciples were once again amazed at what he did. People were constantly amazed at what Jesus did. Just read the Gospels again, and notice how often the word is used. The disciples said, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
Who is he, indeed! He is the Master of the universe and the one who loves us deeply. When a storm hits your church, he is the one you need to turn to. He is the one who can calm people’s lives and empower the church to carry on her mission no matter how terrific and threatening the storm is. The next time a storm threatens your church, allow him to work. Then watch in amazement and say, “Who is this? He calms the worst of our storms.”
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