The sermon today is the third of three sermons having to do with water. I felt a need to preach about water, and risk, and storms and rescue because these waters we have been in are choppy, the seas are rough, we trying to regain a sense of purpose and stability. We need that stability because people who have sailed with us are no longer here. Some have gone on through death to the church triumphant. Some are homebound and are praying for us even as we pray for and visit with them. And still others have chosen to sail on other vessels; we wish them God’s speed and their return if that is their desire.

There is some music that has been in my head in these last few weeks and months; “In times like these, we need a savior, in times like these we need an anchor. Be very sure, be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the solid rock.”

            “Jesus, Savior, pilot me, over life’s tempestuous seas…”

You’ve heard Douglas Miller sing, “My Soul is Anchored”. The song is an affirmation of the faith to which Jesus called the disciples in the lesson we heard last week, of Jesus calming the sea and the storms of our lives.

“The sea gives both life and death. One can imagine the terrors the sea held for people in the ancient world. Is it any wonder that, for the Hebrews, the sea represented that watery chaos the Creator pushed back when the earth was formed from the void (Genesis 1.6-10)? The sea burst forth by God’s anger with humanity, wiping out every living thing from the face of the earth in the days of Noah, the first sailor…The waters which destroyed were also those which purified and delivered. And when at last we are the recipients of a new heaven and a new earth, the sea, that great, threatening abyss, shall be no more (Revelation 21.1). Even today the sea represents a place of peril, of human vulnerability, the place where would-be sailors are at the mercy of the elements, held safe only by the hands of God” (Interpretation series. Acts. William Willimon. Atlanta . John Knox Press. 1988, p. 182-183).

“But if the storms don’t cease, and if the winds keep on blowing in my life, my soul has been anchored in the Lord” (“My Soul Is Anchored” by Daryl Coley).

From the moment Paul was transformed from a bounty hunter of Christians to a bold preacher and teacher of Christ’s good news, Paul rested securely in the hands of God.  He is a man of faith who once he came to know Jesus as Savior and Lord never wavered. The one who tells us that nothing, “not death, not life, neither angels, or rulers, not things present, nor things to come, not powers, not height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ our Lord” (Romans 8.38-39), knows courage.

His love of God and God’s love for him, his faith in Christ, his sense of purpose does for him what love, faith, and purpose does for us – it helps him not to panic, it helps him to know and to face with courage, that it is possible to ride the rough waves that come and to bring others along. How did he do it? How do we do it? We call on the faith resources that we have and believe that through anger, through tears, through fears, we will reach the shore toward which we are sailing.

But they hadn’t listened to Paul when he told them to delay the voyage. They scoffed when he assured them to take courage, no one will be lost. Rough times will come, but do not be afraid, you will get where you need to be (verses 23-26).

We know that what Paul says is true. Too many of us are here by the grace of God, because we were able to weather the storm of loss, of addictions, of disappointment, of crises of faith, of just plain exhaustion. Did we get good and wet? Yes we did. Did we feel like we were separated from the love of God? Sometimes. Will we ever forget what happened to us? No. Some of the us cannot even put it in the past because we are still in the middle of it. Still the word comes, “Don’t be afraid.”

“So dark today, clouds in the sky. I know it’s alright, ‘cause Jesus is nigh” (Daryl Coley).

The second thing they did was to pray and hear the word to stay on the ship. The sailors sensed that land was near and their intuition proved true as they took soundings. They measured the water, and they knew they were getting close to land. But they weren’t close enough, and this stormy night was too long. They prayed for daylight, for clarity, for proof that they had gotten through that awful night, for evidence that land was really there. And when some of the sailors said that they wanted to check the condition of the ship, when what they really wanted to do was lower a small boat and escape.  They said, “we need to check the anchors, check out how other churches do things, hear that great choir across town. We’ll let down the smaller boats and make our escape.

Paul convinces them to stay. Sometimes the easy thing to do when the waters get rough is to leave. The hard thing is to stay and remember that there is safety in the church when there is danger in the rough seas. Stay on the boat. The waters over there may look calmer, but calm waters can hide rocks, riptides, undertows, and drop offs that cannot be seen from the surface of the water. Pray that daylight will come and pray for what you need to stay on the boat.

“I realize that sometimes, in this life, we’re gonna be tossed, by the waves and the currents that seem so fierce. But in the word of God, I’ve got an anchor, and it keeps me steadfast, and immoveable, despite the tide” (Coley).

How else do we stay alive in the water? There is this third way. We eat. Now, if the waves are high, the boat is pitching, it is dark, and we are afraid, we may be hungry, but food is the last thing on our minds. Paul reminds them and us that in order to live fully, we need to eat. We need food for our bodies to be sure, and we need food for our souls. There is no survival without food for the body. Our souls die without food for the spirit. They may be the same thing, that is why we have favorite comfort foods. Macaroni and cheese, a hot bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, a chocolate dessert, beans and cornbread, fill us up and help us feel good at the same time.  “Eat”, Paul says.

“He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and began to eat. This repetition of the familiar preparation for communion is a source of encouragement for all on board. What is the response of the church in the midst of discouragement and fear? Like Paul, the church takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and begins to eat. ‘What good will that do?’ the world may ask. In this sign of hope in the power and presence of God, this witness to our confidence in God’s will to give us what we need even in the midst of the storm, the church not only feeds itself but witnesses to the world. Communion is the food of confidence shared in the midst of  the storm” (Willimon, p. 184-185).

The fourth way to stay alive in water is to know where the land is and to move toward it. Day breaks, the water is calm, and an island is visible. The sailors head toward the land. Their purpose is clear. They have been in the water for weeks. They have spent too many long nights being pitched all around. It is time to feel solid ground under their feet.

We know. We have struggled a long time, we long for stability and I believe we see the land, and are moving toward it. The land we seek is not a vote or having our way, or working our will. The land we seek is that place where we know God’s will and do it, it is where we know and love God, know and build relationships with each other, and know and do justice. Our solid ground is setting a table big enough for us to make room for every seeker eager for a church home and a community to receive them and love them. Somebody did it for us, we are called to do it for others.

But can we get there? Yes we can, especially if we practice what some of saw in a DVD yesterday. It was a wonderful encouragement to celebrate what is good and successful around here. We can do that, we must do that.

Will there be an obstacle or two? Yes there will, but it will be Ok. Whether on land or water, we are alive in Jesus Christ and so our souls are anchored.

They reach the edge of the beach, and the ship runs aground; they expected that.  But, then the ship broke apart, they didn’t expect that. We expect the church to weather its storms, to be solid forever, after all it was built to last, it is not supposed to break apart. But sometimes it does, and when it does, it is decision time. Paul and his companions made the decision to use what they had to get to land. Some swam to shore, others had to hold on to the broken pieces of the ship. Some of us can swim, others have to grab onto some part of the ship and float and ride with the tide. Some us may have to get to land, catch our breath quickly and go back into the water to help others.

Some of us have the vision of a church renewed and strong and will do all that we can to get us there. Others want to get there, but need to hold on and be carried along. It’s alright and it’s all good. Every body got to land safely. If we hang in here with each other, if we do not get discouraged, if we do not cling so tightly to what used to be that we have not hope in the present or the future, if we trust God to guide us and then follow where God leads, we will get to the land we seek.

We have this church, this ship, this vessel guided by God, captained by Jesus, it’s sails sustained by the Christ. We are not out of the water yet, but thanks be to God, we are alive and if we have life, we have hope, and if hope lives in us, nothing, no thing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, and nothing will be too difficult for us. To God be the glory. Amen.