What Are You So Afraid Of?

The Reverend Mark G. Dickson-Patrick, MA

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Read Mark 4:35-41

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“What are you so afraid of?”

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was a TV show that sought to answer that question. “Fear Factor,” with host Joe Rogan, put a cast of contestants through some of their worst fears through a series of challenges, whether that be laying in a bed of scorpions, dealing with a spider bites, or having them jump through vehicles that are on fire. This show often put these folx in difficult situations, and pushed them to the limit and asked them the question, “What are you so afraid of?”

When it comes to me, one of my biggest fears is heights. Up in a high area, looking out and looking down, I imagine myself falling and falling and falling and falling, with no end in sight. I can’t tell you how many times I have woken up and had that feeling where you’re falling, and you just catch yourself. The fear of heights and falling is one of my biggest fears.

In our readings this morning, we encounter a number of different characters going through a number of different fears.

In our first reading, we encounter Job, who went through unimaginable sorrow: the loss of his land, the loss of his home, the loss of his family. What an unimaginable horror Job experienced to lose everything that he has. Job begins to question God, “God, why are you doing this? What are you doing to me? Why, Lord? Why, Lord? Why are my worst fears being realized before my eyes?”

In the second reading, we encounter in Paul’s second letter to the church of Corinth struggles that would be considered for some of us as our worst fears. Paul speaks to the Corinthians about dealing with endurance, affliction, hardship, calamity, imprisonment riots, labors, sleepless nights, and hunger. For some of us, these things are our biggest fears.

Then we come to our Gospel reading today.

The disciples have left everything aside to follow Jesus. Some have left their entire livelihood, with no idea of where they were going, no idea what they were doing, no way to make money, no way to provide for their families. They left everything behind to follow Jesus.

In today’s reading, the disciples are in a boat with Jesus, and they encounter what is one of the worst fears for the fishermen among them. A storm arises, tossing and turning the boat, twisting them up one side and down the other, frightening them that they are going to lose their lives to the sea they provided their livelihood for them, and where was Jesus while they feared for their lives? He was taking a nap.

Sometimes, my dear siblings in Christ, it feels like when we are encountering our deepest fears, whether that fear is a diagnosis, whether that fear is a loss of job or loss of one that we thought we could never live without it feels like Jesus isn’t with us but is rather asleep in the front of the boat. We cry out to Jesus, “Where are you? Don’t you hear us experiencing the storm and crying out to you?” But then, just as he always does, Jesus steps in. Not only does he take care of the problem and ceases the storm in the lives of the disciples in that moment, but he turns and says to them, “What are you afraid of? What are you afraid of?”

And then he asks them a very difficult question to hear. After everything the disciples have experienced with Jesus up until this point, we’re now four chapters into the Gospel of Mark, the ministry work that they have seen, the teachings that they have heard, Jesus says “Have you still no faith?” Do you still not trust that I am with you? Do you still not feel that I am here?

And isn’t that the response the Lord gave to Job this morning? When Job says “Why Lord? Tell me why am I going through this when it feels unbearable?” God says, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” God goes into how God made the earth in metaphorical language, and says to Job, “Tell me who determined its measurements?” We never think of God as being sarcastic. I know I don’t, but this is how the writer of Job has God coming across: “Who determined the measurements of the world?” God says, “surely you know since you’re questioning me. Who stretched the line upon basis and laid its cornerstone?” In laying this all out to Job, God is saying very clearly, “Don’t worry about it. I’m the Creator of the universe, and I’ve got it under control.”

You know, my dear siblings when we see the storm around us while we’re in the boat of life, faith gets hard. We find it easy to follow Jesus when we hear the teachings about being the lost sheep, right? “Jesus came for me, what a glorious thing!” we love to sing, and when we feel the love of Jesus and the biggest blessings, but then we are going along in the boat of life and the storms come up and our greatest fears are imagined. We look everywhere except to the front of the boat, where Jesus is sleeping. We look everywhere: we look to social media for gratification, we look to our friends to give us that feeling of self-worth. We look to others, sometimes things even worse. Meanwhile, Jesus is there, at the front of the boat.

All we have to do is look: look around the boat, and look for Jesus.

So, what are you afraid of? Maybe it’s inviting that friend to church? Maybe it’s telling that family member that you’re praying for them even though they don’t want to hear it? Maybe, just maybe, it’s putting up your hand to serve in some way in your community here in your congregation? Maybe, just maybe, God is asking you to serve a little deeper and starts to rock your boat to make you a little uncomfortable to make a move? Dear siblings in Christ, what are we afraid of? We’re not in this boat alone. Jesus is there, whether we feel him or not, whether we sense that he’s awake or whether he’s asleep. He’s ready to calm the storm and ride with you safely to the other side.

Amen.