The one who calms a storm will preserve the church.

I am in a hotel in the middle of a city with about the same population as my entire country. To say that it feels odd is an understatement. And, given that my body is still on NZ time I’m waking up far too early.

But Sydney is not cold. Praise God. And in my short walk towards Chinatown I found an Anglican and Catholic Church. One would be unsure of the nature of these, but in every society — and Australia is more secular than NZ, which is saying something, there is a remnant.

We should not be shocked to find such a remnant, for the one who can calm the storm can preserve a church. It will not be our doing, but Christ’s.

Jesus Calms a Storm

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

(Mark 4:35-41 ESV)

It is worthwhile considering the disciples. These men were not inexperienced with weather and storms: most of them had been fishermen, and they knew the very nature of those waters. When they called to be saved, it was because they judged the boat was going to capsize.

Many of us, who are experienced, fear for the Church now. We see a Pope, who, although popular, appears to have a very loose grasp of theology, hermeneutics, and evangelism. We see corruption wrecking evangelical churches, where greed and lust are not being confronted and disciplined.

And we see the liberals celebrating greater and greater levels of permissiveness, keeping the form of religion while removing the power, in their hope that if they hate the productive and sane sufficiently they will be seen as progressive by the Left, for they worship political correctness rather than God.

And when we look at ourselves we see our flaws: our broken bodies, the wreckage of our vows, the damage done. If we have any conscience left, we are ashamed.

So like the disciples, we call out, saying that this world is about to overwhelm us. We are being defeated: the bishops and prelates have turned their coats and us laity are left holding fast, without any ammunition and no resupply.

We forget that the Battle is not ours to fight but Christ’s. He has already won: this happened about 2000 years ago when three days after being crucified he rose from death. He will have the church as his, and he will purify it. The most damaging thing that the church faces is not persecution: that makes those of Christ more fervent — but approval and prosperity, for those things make us foolish, and unwilling to reform, unwilling to repent.

We become unwilling to be saved: for this world is sweet, and we do not think any further. Forgetting that the sweetness covers evil, corruption and death: it is cloying, and it destroys what discernment we have.

So in all this, remember that the battle is Christ’s, and it is not our duty to win: it is to stand witness. Christ does the work. Our work is obedience, and that is a sufficient burden for any one of us.