Second Sunday before Lent

Revelation chapter 4; Luke 8.22-25

These two readings might look odd when put together at first. But as we look at them we can see that the obvious connection is the Lordship of Christ and of God. Jesus, in the boat, stilling the storm, is seen as Lord and Master of creation. The terror of the disciples in the storm-tossed boat turns to another sort of fear, the fear of God. They look upon Jesus and what he has done with wonder and awe. They were afraid and marvelled at what he'd done; so much so that if nothing else it raises the question in them of who He is. This wasn't the first wondrous act or miracle that the disciples had seen according to St. Luke, from whom we read this morning. But maybe the sheer power exhibited in it caused them to question more deeply; to, as it were, look more deeply into Jesus. In St. Mark's gospel, their question about Jesus rebounds on themselves as Jesus challenges them about their lack of faith.

When we come to the reading from Revelation we are invited to look in on John's vision of heaven. We see God sat upon the throne of heaven surrounded by the 24 elders which may signify the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles. And also we see the 4 living creatures which may represent the 4 evangelists; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Around the throne is a rainbow which we recall from the Old Testament is the sign of God's covenant and promise never again to destroy His creation. And also there are all sorts of dramatic effects, thunderings and lightnings and so on going on, with everyone around the throne prostrating themselves and singing their praises to God. It's a scene of magnificence and might and power and also of endless praise to God and thanksgiving.

And as we look on these two scenes, Jesus and His disciples in the boat, and God in heaven being worshipped eternally, I'd like to turn the stories back on us so that we see that they actually show us very graphically two vital ingredients, two essentials of the Christian life. And they are: faith and worship.

The life of a Christian is first of all a life of faith. Jesus's call to His disciples, right from the beginning, was one that demanded faith. 'Where are you staying?' they asked Him. 'Come and see' was His response. 'Follow me and I will make you fishers of men', was the challenge he put to the fishermen amongst them and they followed in faith, laying down and leaving behind all in which they put their security and stability and livelihood. So faith is a two sided thing. It's a leaving behind and a looking forward. We see that reflected in both Old Testament and New. Lot's wife, failing to leave all behind, looked back and turned into a pillar of salt; St. Paul strained forward to reach the goal. Jesus Himself said that the farmer doesn't keep looking back when he's ploughing but looks ahead. One of the difficulties here is that we don't know what is up ahead, we don't know what the future holds. We often don't know what the outcome will be in our following Jesus. And we don't fully appreciate His power and His purpose for us. Following Jesus is a journey of discovery, of ourselves, our life purpose and of Him. Faith unfolds the whole thing as we move onward.

The result of this is that living the Christian life, being a follower of Christ, responding to His call and challenge can be at the same time or at different times and stages, terrifying, marvellous, boring, painful and serenely joyful. You just don't know, from one day to the next and sometimes from one moment to the next. Maybe that's why so few fully commit themselves to the life-changing journey and process that faith is and demands. I'm sure that's why less and less people are interested in being Christian these days, because the life is so demanding. We tend to look for and buy and expect ease and comfort these days in all our life, and we want it right now. We see those things as a 'right', something that life owes us even. What we and others tend to forget is that the ultimate goal of the Christian life is joy and peace in the Lord. Stuff that we can't buy and isn't easily gained but is nevertheless real and there to be had. And it's not stuff that will fade or wear out or something we buy or hire for a time. Joy and peace in the Lord isn't time-share stuff, it's eternal. But it's gained by and through faith and in no other way.

And the second vital ingredient of the Christian life our readings show us today is worship. Jesus is Lord, God the almighty, King of kings and Lord of lords, to whom we owe everything - our creation, preservation, redemption and all the blessings of life. Every day we show in our life what our things; our possessions and the people in our life mean to us. We go through little acts of veneration as we offer to them our kindness and our love; to both animate and inanimate things. How much more are we as Christians to show our love to God in and through our acts of worship. That's what we come here for Sunday by Sunday and on weekdays too to do. We show our love for Him in our thanksgiving for our creation and preservation and for all the blessings of this life. Our worship of God is both our duty and our joy as our eucharistic prayers remind us. And most of all we thank God for his great love for us shown in His Son Jesus Christ and for the opportunity He gives us in each moment of each day of sharing in His own life. For that is what we are here, ultimately to do, to share in the very life God.

So faith and worship; two active and vital ingredients in our Christian life, without which our Christian life is not a life at all, it's simply an existence. We can have a Christian existence, a life with the label Christian but which has no faith and no love of God in it. And if it's that it's not worth doing. God calls us to be what He always intended us to be, people of faith, people who can't wait to give Him thanks and worship Him; because He has made that the way, the way to eternal peace and joy.