One of the many things I love about the scriptures is that there is always a story inside the story. In today’s gospel, Jesus is in a boat on the sea. A storm comes up and the boat begins to fill with water, and Jesus is sleeping through the whole event. Now, on Father’s Day I have to say that Jesus reminds me of my own Dad at this point. Both of them seem to be able to sleep through anything! At any rate, Jesus is awakened by the apostles who ask, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And Jesus arises, rebukes the wind and commands the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” And you probably could have heard a pin drop. The apostles, who had already witnessed so much, were dumbfounded. And Jesus asks, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

As I read the other gospel accounts of this story, I noted a difference between them and Mark’s version that we just heard. In Luke, Jesus asks, “Where is your faith?” In Matthew, Jesus’ remarks to them seem even more accusatory: “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” But in Mark, I see Jesus conditioning his accusation with one small word. He asks, “Do you not yet have faith?” In the word “yet”, I see the compassionate and caring Jesus. Jesus understands their doubts, doubts that stem from their very humanity. He is not angry or accusatory, the way I read it. He is acknowledging that faith takes time; it takes work, prayer and a genuine effort. And even with all those ingredients, it is still hard to always have faith. Remember what faith is: It is the belief in something in spite of a lack of tangible evidence. Even though they had seen Jesus heal by his touch, cast out demons by his word, and even cleanse a leper, they still had doubts. And Jesus seems to be saying, “I know. Faith takes time.”

So what’s the story inside the story? How do we apply this story to our lives today? The storm is a wonderful, powerful metaphor. Have you been in any storms lately? If you have lost a job or suffered financial setbacks because of our economic mess, you’ve been in a storm. If you’ve been sick, or have lost a loved one to sickness, you’ve been in a storm. If you’ve lost your home to foreclosure and you feel the daily angst of wondering what circumstance tomorrow will bring, you’ve been in a storm. If you’ve struggled through a separation or divorce, or an estrangement from your children or other family members, you’ve been in a storm.

And where is Jesus in all of this? He’s the one who calms the sea. He’s the one who invites us to embrace the difficult times of life, by turning to him in faith. And even when there seems little justification, even when we may doubt or despair a bit, this Jesus of Nazareth, our God, our brother, our friend, our Lord and Redeemer understands and continues to bid us to come to him. He is the way, the truth and the life.

Now, I want to say something to all parents, but especially to the Dads and Grand Dads with us today, about faith. When your children were baptized, you were told that you were to become their first and best teachers about the faith. How do you do that? The problem with being only 10 or 20 or 30 years old, is that your experience is limited. What seems an insurmountable problem to a teenager seems rather simple to those with more experience and gray hair. We pass on the faith by sharing all of salvation history with our children. But most importantly, we can teach our faith to our children by telling them the stories of our struggles and triumphs. Tell them about the times of pain and fear and doubt. And assure them that these are all a part of life. But also tell them and demonstrate in your own life that God has been with you through all the difficulties and has brought you to where you are today. And assure them that you still turn to him when you experience life’s storms. And when they doubt, assure them that you’ve been there as well.

My mom and dad gave me that encouragement, even at times when I almost refused to listen or understand it. But they gave it anyway. And I bless them and thank them today. If you pass on the faith, your children will bless you and thank you as well. And those blessings will increase every time they weather a storm, knowing that our faithful God is there beside them. “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Oh yes he cares, more than we will ever know until the day when we meet him face to face. God bless you all, and to all the Dads and Grand dads, Happy Father’s Day.