Matthew
14:22-33
God
of our present trouble and promised triumph,
open our eyes to see you in the
midst of our struggles. Open our ears to hear your words of invitation and
assurance. Open our minds to recall your
wonderful works and miracles. Open our
hearts to glory in your name and seek strength in your Word; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Once he took a wheelbarrow full of bricks and amazed the crowd by pushing it effortlessly across the cable, from one side of the falls to the other. Blondin then turned to the crowd and asked, “Now, how many of you believe that I could push a person across the wire in the wheelbarrow?”
The vote was unanimous. Everyone cheered and held their hands high. They all believed he could do it!
“Then,” asked Blondin, “would one of you please volunteer?”
As quickly as the hands went up, they went back down. Not a single person would volunteer to ride in the wheelbarrow and to trust their life to Blondin.
Many people say to Jesus, “Yes, I believe!” If you are among those who say that, are you willing to demonstrate your belief by trusting your life to him? Are you willing to get in the wheelbarrow and to risk everything on your faith? Would you be willing to walk to Jesus on the water and risk it all for Christ? That’s what it means to have faith.
The story of Jesus & Peter walking on the water is a story about the life of faith; one mixed with doubt where many of us find ourselves, including the disciples. The disciples have been at sea all night and find themselves wrapped up in a terrible, violent storm. They are blown to and fro by the gale force winds and tumultuous surf. This morning let us put ourselves in that fishing boat floating upon the stormy seas of life; let us put ourselves in the shoes of Jesus’ disciples. The disciples in the boat had witnessed so much of Jesus’ power; they heard his teachings and prayed his prayers. Now they are stuck. They are professional fishermen who having experienced many a terrifying storm were unable to steer and move against this storm and its prevailing winds and currents. They are stuck in a moment they can’t get out of.
We today have discovered, learned, and invented so many things and ideas, but we still lack the power to do many things that really matter in making the world a better place. We have machines and weapons for making war, but none for making peace. We can listen to whales sing, but we can’t hear our neighbors cry out for help a block away. We are able to put a man on the moon, but can’t put food in hungry stomachs of children.
And in the midst of the storms of life, we see someone across the water. A mysterious figure doing the impossible walking on the water headed in our direction. Many see Jesus as a ghost-like figure; a mirage or a fantasy who cannot relate to us and our problems. Some find Jesus frightening while others want Jesus to go away and leave us alone. The disciples who knew Jesus as well as anyone else didn’t recognize him at first. They didn’t know what to expect from him. By walking on the water he appears to do the impossible. And there are many, like Peter, who wish to copy him; who want to be like Jesus. If Jesus can do it, then certainly I can, too. Peter knows that whatever Jesus commands, Jesus makes possible. Jesus’ commands create miracles. When the command is spoken, Peter gets out of the boat and begins to walk toward Jesus. Pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer analyzed Peter’s response to Jesus’ command citing that, “Peter had to leave the ship and risk his life on the sea, in order to learn both his own weakness and the almighty power of his Lord. If Peter had not taken the risk, he would never have learned the meaning of faith…The road to faith passes through obedience to the call of Jesus.” Bonhoeffer goes on to say, “only the one who believes is obedient, and only the one who is obedient believes. Faith is only real where there is obedience, never without it, and faith only becomes faith in the act of obedience”. [1]
But all too often we slip off track; get distracted; we like Peter become frightened by the wind, begin to sink, cry out to Jesus and get rescued. Our eyes drop for a moment to see the waves churning at our feet. Imagine for a moment you’re a surfer on a California beach, when suddenly a gigantic wave rises and threatens the shoreline. Now replace the surf-board, the sunshine and the sand of the shoreline with darkness, fear and a roaring wind. It becomes one person against the elements. This is often how it feels to bring God’s love and grace into the cold, dark night of the world. It’s at times such as these when we need to hear Jesus’ words, a combination of rebuke and encouragement. When we are ready to give up and throw in the towel, that’s the moment when help is just a step away.
This is what it’s like for each of us as Christian disciples day after day. We all face moments of hesitation and hard struggles of doubt. But he saves you anyway! Many times we struggle to do what Jesus asks us to do because it seems impossible or it’s too hard. But he saves you anyway! How can we think we might be able to develop a serious habit of prayer and study when we’re so frantic and disorganized? How can we imagine living without the sin Jesus asks us to give up? But he saves you anyway!
This story of Peter as the faithful follower becomes overwhelmed by the circumstances surrounding him, who begins to lose his nerve when he discovers the odds stacked against him, but who from Jesus finds a steadying, delivering hand. This is our story. We are called to simply keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and our ears open for his encouragement. May we be ready in mind, body and spirit to do what he says no matter how crazy it may sound. Amen.
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