Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 2: 12-17
Gospel Reading: Mark 4: 35-41

Greetings in the name of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ.

As we come together in the Holy Sanctuary of God, we come with the worries and anxieties of our daily lives. Worries about our family, career, education, finances, there are plenty of things to keep us awake at night. Even after striving hard, at times we feel a lack of control that we desire in our lives. The Scripture that was read today from Ecclesiastes highlights this exact feeling from King Solomon himself.

Throughout the Holy Bible – we witness the relationship of God with His people. Despite our imperfections, God has always been true to His promise. Today we will reflect on God’s revelation to us through the LORD Jesus Christ and how we can embrace His strength and refuge to grow in faith and withstand the storms in life as witnesses to God’s presence throughout our life.

I have titled today’s sermon as “Living Faith in Jesus Christ”, which has been broken down into three key points:

1. Affirming Our Faith in Christ
2. Practicing Our Faith in Christ
3. Sharing the Gospel through Lived Faith

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my refuge.” Amen.

Affirming Our Faith in Jesus Christ

The incident of Jesus calming the storm, as we have heard this morning, is well-known to all of us. Apart from witnessing one of the miracles of Jesus, we also find one of the best lived examples of the practical affirmation of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Fearing for their lives, the disciples could have gone to the boatmen – as they were the experts, but the disciples had faith in Jesus more than anyone else. Jesus calmed the storm and people marvelled at “who could this be?” – the one who controlled “even the wind and the sea.” Even as Jesus points out to their still growing imperfect faith, as the disciples only went to Him in fear – still even their imperfect faith led them to the One who could calm the storms. Looking back at the years we have left behind, some of the most threatening times were the ones where we had no control.

We sat and prayed, and looked to the Scriptures for guidance. For many of us, those moments of pain remain as the testimony of how God calmed our storms and how He strengthened us even through the storms. Our testimony also serves as a light to other believers who witness God’s steadfast strength and guidance in our lives.

While we all bear witness to the strength and comfort that we have received from God, in practice – each day we are constantly pulled back into the world of anxiety, regrets, and wavering faith. Anger, impatience, expectations – there are many ways for us to doubt our faith, rely on our wisdom, and eventually feel the same level of restlessness in our lives as we did before.

When you live a life that glorifies God, a life of peace and faith in Jesus Christ – you start to absorb the suffering of the world and become a channel of God’s love, guidance, and blessing to others. You naturally find yourself with a heart that wants to become a channel of God’s blessing, strengthening the Kingdom of God. This is where we start facing increased resistance in maintaining our peace and stability through temptations and our weaknesses.

As Satan tried to tempt even Christ Jesus Himself, we too must always be prepared to protect ourselves from temptations. This brings us to the second point of the sermon…

Practicing Our Faith in Jesus Christ

There are certain trigger points in our journey of faith, they may seem small at first but lead onto a separation from our life of faith:

• Witnessing injustice done to others may cause us to become cynical,
• A car cutting in front of us during rush hour may cause us to become upset,
• When people constantly nag us or when we find something irritable, we may speak harshly.

These may seem to be minor problems, but if this feeling of resentment stays in us – it leads us to act in a way that inevitably leads us to make mistakes creating further suffering to others and also ourselves. To escape the feeling of conviction and guilt, we avoid the guidance of the Holy Spirit that convicts us and soon find ourselves in a state of anxiety and faithlessness. Words of comfort wouldn’t reassure us because during the times of fall, we are more focused on what we want instead of putting our faith in God.

Protecting our lived faith and the peace of God – requires us to confess our sins and weaknesses to Christ, repent (to reflect on our mistakes and to change our way), and reaffirm our faith and hope in Him whenever we feel pulled away from His presence.

The teachings of Christ reveal to us the life we are meant to embody as children of God. However it is difficult or impossible to persist in our faith by following only one teaching of Christ while neglecting the others. It is not possible for us to practice forgiveness and compassion if our hearts are always filled with anger, anxiety, and misery. Since it was not possible for us to reconcile with God on our own, God Himself came down to us in flesh and dwelt among us.

Philippians 2:7 states that Christ Jesus “emptied Himself” (known as “kenosis”)  to cover Himself with the limitations of humanity – living and suffering as one of us to bring us closer to our strive to reconcile with God. Therefore, in order for us to truly become the disciples who not only experience the comfort of God, but also live faithfully according to God’s will – we too must empty ourselves and be filled with the will of God as revealed through the LORD Jesus.

As we learn to protect and strengthen our faith, each day becomes calmer and more stable. We get the peace that allows us to not just rush through the days, but to live them appreciating God’s marvellous creation. Even when the world tries to upset us, we overcome the challenges gracefully and become a light that encourages and guides fellow believers as they witness the strength of God through our lives. Jesus is the Good News of God’s Love for the World. This brings us to our last key point…

Sharing the Gospel through Lived Faith

Our faith is not just as individual believers, but also as the fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ as our LORD and Saviour. As St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12: 27, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

When we witness how God comforts and strengthens us through prayer, Scriptures, and guidance through His people – let our hearts be also filled with His love, so that like the song “Carry Your Candle” we may also shine God’s guiding light Jesus Christ not only through our words, but through our lives, and through the fruits of our work.

We meet different people in and outside the Church. We also naturally form opinions about others that direct how we interact with them. When we dislike someone’s behaviour, instead of considering them rude or unlikable, let us talk to them. Even one word of encouragement might just be what someone needed to start their run, one word of reassurance for a dear friend to help regain their hope. God works through us just as He works in us.

The Church is the fellowship of believers who come together in unity. Throughout centuries, throughout the world, even under persecution – we have come to the sanctuary of the living God, because even a fraction of the Kingdom of God envisioned is more glorious and comforting than anything else the world has to offer. We can buy the most comfortable bed, but it is God who provides us the rest.

Conclusion

From the book of Ecclesiastes, we realise the futility of our own wisdom. We are not in control, however, the Good News of Jesus Christ proclaims to us that He is in control. The one who leads us through this life is steadfast in His love and works in ways beyond our comprehension.

Like the disciples through the storm, when we face anxieties in life about our future – let us always put our faith in Jesus through prayer and our actions. Through our storms not only is the power of God revealed, not only are we strengthened – but we are shown the greatest truth: that the LORD whom even the wind and the seas obey, never leaves us even during the worst storms of our life.

When our faith is tested, let us strengthen our conviction in Christ by identifying and erasing our own will that holds us back from the will of God, so that we may embody the image of God in which we were created.

Through our living faith, let us inspire our fellow believers so that the transforming love and blessing of God not only unites us in spirit and will, but also pours out beyond the walls of the Church – into the world. So that His divine love and comfort each day may become a blessing to us and others.

As we live a life beyond the shackles and anxieties of the world, may we live as the faithful stewards of His creation and become a light, for people to witness – the Living Faith in Our LORD Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Let us look to God in prayer,

Heavenly Father, we come before you with reverence and thankfulness for your comfort, strength, and guidance in our lives.

We come to you with all our troubles and worries, hear us merciful Father, grant us your peace so that we may be saved from the worries and restlessness of this world. Grant us the faith and strength to follow the footsteps of our LORD Jesus Christ who has rescued us from perishing, and has given us everlasting life. And grant us the presence of the Holy Spirit so that we may be guided only by Your will in our lives.

Be with each one of us and answer our prayers as we submit ourselves to Your will. May Your Kingdom come, may Your will be done – and may You be glorified through all that we do.

We ask this in the precious name of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.