Text: Acts 27:1, 9-12, 15, 18, 20-22, 39, 42-43; 28:11a, 16, 30-31
About a month ago, I pulled together some of our church leaders for an evening of conversation and planning about where we are as a church and where we are going.
We started with this image from Rooted Good which simply asks – in the stormy seas of this moment, where do you find yourself?
Are you tossed about by conflicting opinions and information?
Are you riding the waves, or crushed by them?
In the midst of the constant change what is helping the most?
We took some time in small groups to share the stories of what kinds of stormy seas we are sailing through in our own personal lives… the loss of loved ones, of relationships, the concern for aging parents, the health of people we care about… not to mention the pandemic, economic uncertainty, and the swirling chaos of misinformation.
So many of these things are circumstances beyond our control… stormy seas we have no power to tame.
I’ve been sailing through some stormy seas personally, myself.
Over the last six months, my spouse and I have been working to get help for some mental and physical health concerns.
It has been a long process, with a lot of appointments and hard conversations and work.
I wish I could say that everything is okay or that we see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we aren’t there yet.
We are still riding on the choppy waves.
And the truth is, I know that a lot of you are, too.
It is hard and exhausting.
In that Wednesday night conversation with church leaders, we shared our stories of stormy waters but we didn’t just groan and complain.
We turned to scripture and read aloud these words from the Apostle Paul:
… We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)
Goodness… We have found ourselves in that place, haven’t we?
Battered by troubles… not sure what to do… thrown down?
As Paul wrote these words, you can see the faith that keeps him going.
You sense the deep trust he has that even if everything is not okay, it will ultimately work out according to God’s will.
The hope of God’s promises… in restoration, in forgiveness, in truth, in the resurrection, help him to keep going on.
And when I read those words, I find just a little bit of the strength I need to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Paul wrote these words to the church in Corinth three or four years before this shipwreck and journey from today’s reading.
In part, he is talking about the cross that he must bear… which last week we named as the consequences we face when we choose to follow Jesus.
As he continues in his letter:
…What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best! (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)
At the end of the Book of Acts, Paul continues to bear that cross, being taken to Rome to stand trial for charges that still aren’t completely solid but boil down to his hope in the resurrection.
He has chosen to follow Jesus… and as Jesus shines through his words and actions, he finds himself facing the same kinds of opposition as his Master.
That itself is enough to bear… but he understood why he was experiencing those difficulties and sees every trial as an opportunity to let Jesus shine through him.
But then there were the other circumstances beyond his control… stormy seas, literally, that could not be tamed.
As our scripture for today opens, Paul is being put on a ship headed for Rome, but as a well-traveled missionary, he knew that it wasn’t safe to travel.
They were late enough into the season that the seas would be too rough for passage.
Much of the early months of the journey were spent traveling along the coastline of the Mediterranean but eventually they must make for open sea.
Paul has enough struggles to deal with – no sense in tempting fate or adding to his difficulty!
So he urges them to winter-over on the island of Crete.
But his guard and the captain of the ship wouldn’t listen to his warnings and chose to set out anyways.
You know, I can’t help but look at this map and think about the countless numbers of refugees fleeing from Syria and Libya who have tried to head north across the Mediterranean to safety.
We saw images of overcrowded and desperate families and even with modern boats many did not survive those rough waters.
Imagine being at sea during the midst of a storm in the most dangerous part of the year with only a wooden boat and sails to protect you.
But Paul knew and trusted that even though danger and trials and storms and chaos surrounded him, God was stronger.
God would rescue them.
God’s promises stand forever.
And so with complete confidence in what God could do, Paul helped the crew to make it through the storm.
It is a miracle Paul and the crew survived.
They found themselves shipwrecked on the island of Malta dependent on the kindness of complete strangers.
But that’s what God does.
Through the difficulties and trials, God shines through.
The Book of Acts seems like it has been building towards a grand climax where Paul eventually stands before Caesar and his story will wrap up with a nice bow.
But that isn’t what we get.
Instead of a trial, we find Paul continuing under house arrest in Rome.
He preaches to the Jewish leaders there, challenging them to open their eyes and ears and hearts to what God is doing.
His door is wide open and without fear, Paul keeps teaching about Jesus.
And then the story ends.
In some ways, it feels like a let down.
We have followed Paul every step of the way of his journey and we want to know what happens next.
But the Book of Acts isn’t a story about Paul.
It is the story of Jesus.
It is the story of how the word and life and message of Jesus travels from Jerusalem… to Samaria… to the ends of the world.
Paul did his part and through ups and downs and good times and bad, he continued to let the Holy Spirit work through him to share that good news.
Now, it’s our turn.
You see, that message continues to spread throughout this world.
Faithful folks carried the good news to right here in Des Moines, Iowa.
We’ve had our share of stormy seas and trials.
We’ve had ups and downs.
We have faced opposition and economic struggles and personal hardship.
But through it all, God has been with us.
And if we turn our hearts and our lives towards Jesus, we experience rescue.
We experience healing.
If we hold on, with confidence, to the hope of the resurrection, we experience abundant life.
It does not mean that the journey will be easy.
It certainly wasn’t for Paul.
And I know that it isn’t for you.
And it hasn’t been for me.
But when we cling to those promises, then as Paul wrote:
… We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken… Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)
And we can keep going, with complete confidence, because Jesus is with us.
Let’s keep telling his story.
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