Questions Day16 (2/28/13)

February 28                     

How to handle the storms of life

Matthew 8:23-27

²³ And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. ²⁴ A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.

²⁵ And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”

²⁶ And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm.

²⁷ They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

The geography of the Sea of Galilee -- a low-lying area surrounded by hills -- makes it especially susceptible to sudden and sometimes violent storms.  Lake storms can be swift and terrifying, even to those who make their living on them, like the fishermen disciples here in Mark 8.  Maybe it was their familiarity with what could happen, that fueled their fears.

There are storms in life as well -- storms of weakened health or prolonged illness, storms of job loss or mounting debt, storms of  troubling global events, storms of emotional upheaval, storms created by the normal aging process, the human journey toward death or the grief of losing someone we love. Most of these storms are uninvited. They appear suddenly on the horizon, like dark gathering clouds, and move toward us while we consider what to do.

Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933) was one of the most famous African American Methodist ministers of his era and has been called "one of the founding fathers of African American gospel music."

Tindley's mother died when he was four, and at five he was separated from his father.  He taught himself to read and write by age 17 and moved to Philadelphia where he labored as a janitor at Bainridge Methodist Episcopal Church.  While working at the church he attended night school and took correspondence courses at Boston University School of Theology.

Following ordination, Tindley served several congregations before returning to Bainbridge Methodist Episcopal Church in 1902, not as a janitor but as its pastor.  Tindley inherited a church that struggled with issues of racial division in the midst of growing cultural diversity, economics with the challenge of the dawning industrial age and the uniqueness of being a black man who, in the memory of many was an orphan who worked as a janitor.

Tindley's life is a testimony to both the church and our country.  We know more about the results of his life than his individual struggles.  As a young black man who lost his mother and was separated from his father, I marvel at his educational accomplishments, learning Hebrew from a synagogue in Philadelphia and Greek from Boston School of Theology.

In that journey I imagine Tindley thought the same thing as the disciples, "Lord don't you care?"  The lesson we learn from Tindley is the triumph of his faith.  He wrote both the music and melody to "Stand By Me", Hymn #512 in The United Methodist Hymnal.  The verses reflect his struggles and his trust in the storms of life.  In honor of the life and faith of Charles Albert Tindley (1851-1933), one of the preeminent preachers of Methodism, here are the words to the hymn he has given to us.

When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me (stand by me);
When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me (stand by me);
When the world is tossing me Like a ship upon the sea
Thou Who rulest wind and water, Stand by me (stand by me).

In the midst of tribulation, Stand by me (stand by me);
In the midst of tribulation, Stand by me (stand by me);
When the hosts of hell assail, And my strength begins to fail,
Thou Who never lost a battle, Stand by me (stand by me).

In the midst of faults and failures, Stand by me (stand by me);
In the midst of faults and failures, Stand by me (stand by me);
When I do the best I can, And my friends misunderstand,
Thou Who knowest all about me, Stand by me (stand by me).

In the midst of persecution, Stand by me (stand by me);
In the midst of persecution, Stand by me (stand by me);
When my foes in battle array Undertake to stop my way,
Thou Who saved Paul and Silas, Stand by me (stand by me).

When I’m growing old and feeble, Stand by me (stand by me);
When I’m growing old and feeble, Stand by me (stand by me);
When my life becomes a burden, And I’m nearing chilly Jordan,
O Thou “Lily of the Valley,” Stand by me (stand by me).

Serving the congregation for over 30 years, the church was renamed Tindley Temple Methodist Church in 1924 over his objections.

In the midst of the storms of life, “Why are you afraid?"