In today’s Gospel Jesus physically calms a storm and then asks the question “why don’t you trust me?”
In the Psalm Gods voice is in the thunder and flattens the
cedars. Now the image of a man telling
the seas to calm and the storm to cease is hard to picture, but if anyone has
seen pictures of mount St. Helen’s we know what flattened cedars look like.
There is a dichotomy in our souls when it comes to
storms. How many are in awe when they
see videos of thunder and lightning or maybe a tornado in a field somewhere in
a distance? How many glue themselves to
the flooding and the storm surge and the spectacle of a reporter in a
hurricane.
There is a sense of safety and awe and beauty when we see a
storm at a distance. We are not affected
by it. I remember when I first entered
the diocesan seminary. It was an old
gothic building built in 1923 and the tower was about 7 or 8 stories high and,
being the explorer I am, I found the hatch that opened to the flat roof of the
tower. We could sit there and see an
approaching storm from miles away with lightning bolts flashing against an
enormous cloud.
It was safe to watch a storm from a distance but when it
lands and the walls shake and the wind howls and the windows rattle, well, our
perception changes. It becomes angry and threatening and we cannot wait for it
to be over, especially if you ever had to sit in the basement listening to the
am transistor radio waiting for an all clear.
Our ancient world
often blamed the storms on angry God’s and yet those same God’s were also
attributed with fertility in many cases.
Why? Because rain brings new
growth and feeds the crops in spite of it being terrifying.
However the Hebrews, from where our Jesus’ tradition and
faith is rooted, “believed that God, without any detriment to God’s majesty,
Makes God’s presence known even through the force of nature…The Israelites
envisioned God as one who reveals God’s self through the sudden and the
unexpected, the terrifying and awesome forces of nature, namely the
thunderstorm and lightning.”[1]
Often storms are attributed to God’s wrathful response, with
an image of a vengeful God. Lord knows
our LGBTQ community gets blamed for every storm, flood and tornado that happens
except when it hits the home of a wrathful preacher.
In article from the religion news.com exactly a month ago
today“(RNS) comes the news that the Baton Rouge flooding destroyed Tony
Perkins’ home and forced the Family Research Council president and his family
to escape by canoe to their RV on higher ground.
Perkins revealed this in a special segment of his
radio show a couple of days ago, describing the disaster as “a flood of near
biblical proportions.”
There are those who have noted some irony
here, since when Hurricane Joaquin threatened Washington last year, Perkins
declared the storm to be God’s punishment for the Supreme Court’s same-sex
marriage decision.
That of course recalled the interpretations of
Hurricane Katrina by Pat Robertson, John Hagee, and Yehuda Levin, as well as
Robertson and Jerry Falwell’s explanation of 9/11, and so on.
These are what’s known in the trade as exercises
in theodicy — justifying bad things as demonstrations of God’s
goodness, omnipotence, and righteous judgment….Perkins, who in his interview
stayed away from any speculation of this sort. The flood, he said,
“is a great opportunity for the Church to minister.” The experience has taught
him “what is important. Sometimes we get too occupied with the other
things of life.”[2]
I hate to say it but Tony Perkins got something right. In the midst of the storm we need to trust
God. Jesus asked; “why don’t you trust
me?” I mean the disciples had Jesus
right there with them, physically with them and yet, in the midst of a storm,
they panicked.
In this day and age as we are seeing more extreme weather,
more storms, more devastation instead of playing the blame game or getting all
justified and righteous we need to see this for what it is. God’s voice is in the thunder and this is our
call not only to minister to others but to the planet herself.
The voice of God could not be any louder, could it? Summer is hotter, fire season is all year
long, hurricanes are stronger, and floods are moving further inland. Yet many do not trust that this is the voice
of God calling all humanity into action.
I am not speaking of just the continued call to service and
monies needed for refugees and victims of natural disasters but the call to
reverse what we can and to try to limit the extent of human damage to the
atmosphere, and the planet.
We have come a long way and, as I pointed out last week,
have even achieved bringing certain species back from the edge of
extinction. I am also proud to say that
our president is doing all he can and has gone beyond the call of duty.
“When he signed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of
2009, President Obama marked the most extensive expansion of land and water
conservation in more than a generation, designating more than 2 million acres
of federal wilderness, thousands of miles of trails, and protecting more than
1,000 miles of rivers. In addition, the President has used his authority under
the Antiquities Act 13 times to permanently preserve some of America’s most
treasured landscapes and waters, most recently designating the San
Gabriel Mountains National Monument in Los Angeles County, one of the
most disadvantaged counties in the country when it comes to access to parks and
open space for minorities and children.”[3]
I know this is a lot about president Obama but he has done a
lot more than most if not all the past presidents for example he also has
created the largest marine sanctuary in the world with a single signature he
created a reserve that ended up “resulting in 370,000 square nautical miles
(490,000 square miles) of protected area around these tropical islands and
atolls in the south-central Pacific Ocean. Expanding the Monument will more
fully protect the deep coral reefs, seamounts, and marine ecosystems unique to
this part of the world, which are also among the most vulnerable areas to the
impacts of climate change and ocean acidification.”[4] Yes this was just one man with a lot of power
but each one of us can seek out ways to make a difference.
Yesterday was beach cleanup day and over 500000 volunteers
in 91 countries got together and well cleaned our beaches. They even had an underwater squad here for
the first time. Last year this effort
800000 volunteers who picked up over 18 million pounds of trash.[5]
We have done a lot around here on the conservation side and
we preach about it a lot but you know I
would encourage you , if you have never done it, take a ride up into the
mountains take a look at what your tax dollars are protecting it is truly
amazing. Take a drive, a slow drive, along
the pacific coast highway and stop, just stop in a remote spot where you have
just you and the ocean. And if you do
not hear the voice of God in the waves, or if you do not see the hand of God in
a mountain sunset you are not listening or looking very hard.
Better yet the next time you see extreme weather or really
feel the heat that seems to never end or simply rejoice at a tiny sprinkle we
got because it seems like it’s all we get.
Listen to what the voice of God is calling us to do. Cry out in anguish and anger and fear then do
something, hear Gods voice in the thunder and answer. We trust you and we shall
act accordingly! Amen.
[1] Norman C.
Habel, David Rhoads, and H. Paul Santmire, eds., The Season of Creation: A
Preaching Commentary (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2011), Digital eBook.
[2] Mark Silk, Tony
Perkins ditches theodicy after flood destroys his home, August 18, 2016,
accessed September 14, 2016,
http://religionnews.com/2016/08/18/tony-perkins-eschews-theodicy-after-home-destroyed/.
[3] the white house
administration, Our Enviroment, 2016, accessed September 15, 2016,
https://www.whitehouse.gov/energy/our-environment.
[4] Office of the
Press secretary, FACT SHEET: President Obama to Designate Largest Marine
Monument in the World Off-Limits to Development, 2014, accessed September 15, 2016,
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/09/24/fact-sheet-president-obama-designate-largest-marine-monument-world-limit.
[5] The Ocean
Conservatory, 2016 daata release, 2016, accessed September 17, 2016,
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/international-coastal-cleanup/sign-up-to-clean-up.html?gclid=Cj0KEQjw0_O-BRCfjsCw25CYzYoBEiQAqO9BDNAEo-Cpl3v_TND4ZE5m00e4KUXwqvmsNd7uOg9EVQsaApYV8P8HAQ.
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