Rev. Rich Knight
First Parish Church
York, Maine

August 27, 2002

 At times like this we need one another so much. Our family and our friends see us through. What I love about young people today is they instinctively know that. They know that no one should cry alone, and that at times like these we need to huddle and hug and cry together.

 Another tremendous resource for us is faith. I’d like to speak to you this morning on the subject, "Faith in the Storm." The gospels record an incident where Jesus is taking a journey in a boat on the Sea of Galilee with his closest friends.

 You know, the Christian faith is based upon Jesus of Nazareth. He was a person you could relate to - especially those of you on the football team. I played football all throughout my school years. One day my pastor pointed out that Jesus wasn’t like he appears in the church paintings - weak, meek, skinny, not very strong - kind of like a soccer player! But Jesus was a carpenter - he built houses for a living . Have you ever seen the arms of a carpenter? Jesus probably had the build of a middle linebacker. His best friends were rugged guys, too. They were fishermen. So being out in a boat in the middle of the sea was a comfortable place for them.
 Except this one time, when an incredible storm suddenly came upon them. The text says, the waves were sweeping over the boat, the boat was filling up with water, and the men were in great danger. And they were afraid. These tough and rugged men were not used to being afraid, but there they were in the middle of a terrible storm and they were fighting for their lives.

 It’s a story we can relate to today. For what a perfectly awful storm this is. Remember that movie the Perfect Storm? How three storm fronts came together at once off the coast of New England to form the storm of the century - an incredibly rare occurrence.

 Travis’ death is a storm like that - so rare, so tragic. This is not the way life usually works. This is not the way it’s supposed to be. That’s why it’s so tragic. That’s why it hurts so much. Young people, I hope you know that Travis’ heart condition is extremely, extremely rare.

 So too is the death of a child and a teen. I’ve been a pastor for 20 years, and this is the first service I’ve ever done for a child or a teen. This is rare, That’s partly why it’s so stunning.

 Well,  Jesus and his friends are in the midst of a rare, huge, dangerous storm, and the disciples are afraid. It’s no sin to be afraid, especially when your boat is being tossed about in the storm. Grief often feels like fear - the same restlessness, the raw emotion, the need for relief. That’s why we need each other - we don’t want to be in this boat alone. The work of grief is sharing, remembering, talking, reminiscing, laughing and crying together. We have each other in this boat.

 Jesus is in this boat, too. Do you know that the shortest verse in the Bible is, "Jesus wept" (John 11:35)? His dear friend Lazarus died. And strong, rugged linebacker Jesus knelt down outside of the tomb and wept. Jesus knows the boat we’re in.

 Well, that day on the sea, in the midst of the storm, Jesus didn’t weep, he spokes to the storm and calmed it. The winds ceased, the waves receded, and the sea was calm. And then he said something to his friends, something unusual. He said, "Where is your faith?"

 Now, I don’t thin
k Jesus was scolding them. That wasn’t his style. Instead he was coaching them. He was saying, "Take the faith that is in you and put it to work." Utilize it. Call upon it. Depend upon it. Especially in a storm."

 That’s the challenge of today. Take the faith that is in you and put it to work. Faith in one another. Faith in yourself. Faith in life - that life is worth living and there will be bright days ahead. Faith in your future. Faith in God to make things turn out all right.

 There’s a story about a high school football player who took his faith and put it to work. This young man was the second string running back for his team. The boy’s father happened to be blind. They had a special relationship because of this. They talked a lot, and the father had a special ability to sense how his son was doing. Well, a terrible tragedy also happened to this family - the boy lost his father. He died suddenly over the weekend. On Wednesday they had the funeral. Friday night came and the boy told his coach he wanted to suit up and be with his friends, his teammates.
 During the first quarter of the game, the first string running back got hurt. The coach went over to the boy, and said, "Son, you just saw what happened. You’re my second string tail back, but you don’t have to go in if you don’t want to." "No, put me in coach. I’m ready. I want to play," said the boy. Well, they handed him the ball. O his first play he ran 30 yards. On his next carry, he scored a touchdown. He scored again before halftime. During the second half of the game, he scored two more times. He ran for almost 200 yards that night. After the game his coach pulled him aside and said, "Son, I didn’t know you could run like that. If I had known that you’d never have been my second string back. What got into you tonight?" Well, Coach, you remember that my Dad was blind. This was the first game he’s ever seen me play."

 That’s taking your faith and putting it to work.

 I enjoyed watching the Little League World Series these past several weeks. I found myself rooting for the team from Worcester, MA. They turned out to be the second best team in the entire United States. I thought it was neat what it said on their jerseys. Written across the front was, "New England." They represented New England. They represented us. They played for us. They won for us.

 It was a lot like the New England Patriots, after they won the Super Bowl last they went  all over New England with the Super Bowl Trophy. It’s like they were saying, "We did this for you. We won and we want you to share in it. This is for you, too."

 On Easter Sunday, Jesus Christ won a great victory over death. Very early that morning, the strong and mighty One walked out of a tomb victorious. And on his jersey was written, "Travis." He won his victory for Travis. He conquered the grave and defeated death for Travis Mendoza.

 And so last Thursday afternoon when Travis’ heart gave out, Jesus Christ said, "My victory is for you. Let me show you the Father’s House."

 And that is the promise of the Gospel.

Rich Knight