We know a good deal about the subject in this parish. We know what it is to be unreconciled and we have learnt often painfully how costly reconciliation can be. The reality is that we have lost parishioners in recent years. That is always painful. But for those who have endured the difficult times and strained relationships do not underestimate the power of your witness to the ongoing work of reconciliation and peace which is at the very heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But it was Bishop Jefferts Schori’s intervention in the long and passionately argued debate concerning the Episcopal Church’s response to the so-called Windsor Report, that document produced by the Anglican Communion calling on the Episcopal Church to be more sensitive to the wider communion in its decision-making particularly surrounding the gay issue which so impressed me. For many gays and lesbians in the church and those who support them the gains made through the decision making bodies of our church have not come easily. And here is the Episcopal Church being called on to hold back!

I do not have to tell you of passions present in the debate. Not that these issues are peculiar to the Episcopal Church. Only this week the Presbyterian Church is having a similar debate as are many other denominations around this country and elsewhere. But at the heart of debate in General Convention was the relationship between our church and the wider communion. The bottom line is do we take the communion we have as Anglicans seriously and if so are we prepared to show restraint for the sake of maintaining that communion. Apparently at the 11th hour the current Presiding Bishop showed real leadership by bringing the Convention together in one session at which Bishop Schori herself made an important speech gently urging the Convention to vote for the motion urging restraint in the interests of reconciliation. Her intervention apparently worked and the Convention supported the form of words which had been prepared by Bishop Sisk’s taskforce. This was no small achievement in such a proudly democratic body as the General Convention. What so impressed me was Bishop Schori’s promotion of the principle of reconciliation.

This reflection on the ministry of reconciliation may not seem to tie in with the Gospel. However on reflection the image of the boat in the storm with Jesus asleep in the stern is a very powerful one for the church local, national or international in troubled times. It is precisely when the boat is being tossed about by the waves, when the passengers are full of fear, that there is a need for the still, calming presence, the one who takes charge and brings order out of chaos. For the biblical writers the sea represented the primal chaos which the Creator God had tamed. This is beautifully captured in God’s answer to Job’s questioning which begins “where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” “Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb?” It is this imagery and understanding that lies behind the Gospel passage of Jesus stilling the storm. But there are further references behind the incident. The image of Jesus asleep in the stern calls to mind Jonah who slept through the storm and had to be woken. And remember Jonah was the reluctant prophet who brought about reconciliation with God through his preaching of repentance to the Ninivites. Jesus’ dramatic intervention brings peace and calm in the midst of fear and loss of hope. Jesus is the incarnate Creator God who commands the waves and the sea. He is the incarnate Reconciling God who restores order. This passage is one of four miracles in this section of Mark in which the authority of Jesus is clearly established. The disciples final question sums it all up: “Who is this that even the wind and sea obey him?” The answer which the reader knows is that this is Jesus, the Son of God.

One of the really hard things is to learn to keep a sense of deep calm in the midst of our storms like we see in the sleeping Jesus. When the going gets tough in human community it is all too easy to want to bail out, to secede and form a new group, to put the blame on others or to lose one’s sense if perspective. It is easy to be alarmed and distracted and fearful like the disciples. They assumed from Jesus’ sleep that he did not care for their predicament. “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus diagnosed their predicament in terms of lack of faith. “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” After all they had witnessed the disciples failed the first test.

This faith that Jesus talks about is not some ephemeral thing that vanishes in the face of the first test or the first storm but is rather that sort of faith, abiding faith, that weathers the crisis; that has deep roots that anchor it in the storm. It is a faith which is fed through regular prayer and worship; that is nurtured by scripture and sacrament; that is thoughtful and wise. It is this sort of faith I see reflected in the present Archbishop of Canterbury who in the face of the current tensions and sometimes harsh criticism keeps that calm presence and assurance which reflects deep faith. I think we can be thankful in like way for the ministry of Presiding Bishop Griswold who has weathered the storms again with his calm faith and wise words and has as a result kept people together. From what I said earlier I believe Bishop Jefferts Schori has a gift of faith that gives her a calm center to her life and actions which I am sure will benefit our church.

So today as we reflect on Jesus calming the storm and Paul’s urging us to live out the ministry of reconciliation we pray that we may develop our own faith and be reconcilers and peacemakers as befits followers of the Reconciling God.   Amen

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