The Rev. Carol S. Wedell
August 10, 2008

I wish I had saved the advertisement.  It definitely caught my attention.  At the time, it made me laugh - but it also made me think.  It was in the magazine, The Presbyterian Outlook in the section where churches who are seeking pastors place want ads.  I don't remember all of it, but I sure remember how it began:  "Wanted:  Pastor who can walk on water"..... and it went on from there.  Of course, it was tongue in cheek - a joke.  At least I hope it was! 

Our passage today is the familiar one of Jesus (not the pastor!)  walking on the water. The gospels of Matthew, Mark and John all include this story of Jesus making his way across the water and calming the storm, which tells us how important this story was to the early church. 

Jesus has just fed 5000 people from a bit of bread and fish, and he's bone tired.  He's still recovering from the grief over the death of John the Baptist. So he does something he hasn't done before.  Jesus sends the disciples on ahead of him.  In fact, he more or less orders them to leave and head across to the other side of the sea.  In a rhythm which characterizes his life, Jesus takes time in solitude to be with God, to restore his energy, to refocus his ministry.

Jesus stays in this private place until evening, alone, praying.  But by now, the disciple's boat is out in the middle of the sea, and has been hit by one of the storms that can churn up so quickly in that region.  The boat is taking quite a beating - and so, I would imagine, are its passengers.

Early in the morning - somewhere just before dawn, the exhausted disciples look up and see a figure coming toward them.  They can't see clearly, they are totally worn out from battling with the wind, and if the truth be told, even the veteran fishermen among them are more than a little scared.  When the light is dim and you're sleep deprived, it can be hard to tell if what you're seeing is real or not.

"It's a ghost!" they say, and now they are absolutely terrified. Jesus comes when they don't expect him and even his closest followers do not recognize his presence.  Jesus attempts to calm their fear, "Take heart, it is I!  You don't have to be afraid."

Of the gospels that contain this story, only Matthew includes the next section.  And this addition and what follows clearly refocus the main point. It's helpful to remember that Matthew was written as the church's book.   This gospel was written for the early Christians as they tried to figure out how to go about the business of following the one who had done such amazing things. It was written for Jewish Christians, and so when Jesus says, "It is I" these folks would have heard and recognized the connection to the name of God found in the Hebrew scriptures, "I am."

Peter, trying to figure this whole thing out, as only Peter could do, shouts out, "Lord, if it really is you, then command me to join you in this water-walking business."  Don't you just love him?  And Jesus answers simply, "Come."

It's hard to imagine what may have been going through Peter's head about that time.  Matthew just tells us that Peter got out of the boat and began walking toward Jesus.  He is doing what a disciple does - acting, literally, like his teacher.  But like most of us, Peter gets distracted by everything going on around him, he feels the wind blowing into him, he sees the dark clouds, and his fear returns and takes over.  "Lord, save me!"  And immediately, Jesus takes him by the hand, and catches him, asking, "Where is your faith, Peter?  Why did you doubt?"

When both of them are safely back in the boat, the rest of the disciples understand what they have witnessed.  Matthew tells us that they worshipped Jesus, saying "Truly you are the Son of God."  Mighty powerful words for folks who had been whimpering in fear just moments before.

Now there are numerous ways to approach scripture - many of them valid, depending upon the goal.  When I read devotionally, I read in a different way than when I am preparing to teach or preach.  Certainly it is important to try and understand what the writer was trying to say to the initial audience.  To whom was it addressed?  What was the main point?  What do we need to know about the situation or the time?  Each week as I prepare a sermon, I start with those basic questions.   But then I turn to an essential second question:  where does this text intersect with our lives?  What does it have to say to you and to me today? 

The temptation is to read all of scripture as if it were primarily about us.  It's such a human thing to do!   You know the saying, "it's all about me!"  Yet in Matthew's version of this story, his point is amazingly clear.  This story isn't primarily about the disciples or about you and me.  It's about Jesus, about who he is.  The disciples acknowledge this as they stop in the middle of the sea, and worship him.  You and I acknowledge this as we come each Sunday - not merely, or even primarily to make ourselves feel good or better, but to acknowledge that God is God - and we're not.

That's important for us to remember as we turn to a second theme, for they turn out to be intimately connected.    The second theme is really still about God, but in a different way.  The connection is found in the word fear.   You know that kind of pit in your stomach that won't go away, the tightness in your chest that can literally make it hard to breathe?  Sometimes when I'm afraid, I actually feel nauseous. It is a powerful force in our lives, in our culture, in our world.  Whether it's the abysmal housing market, the rash of burglaries in our area, or the increase in date rape, you and I are surrounded by a culture fed by fear.

It's human to be afraid in the face of danger.  And fear is not confined to the early hours of the morning.  Fear controls far too much of what we do or don't do.  Turning on the television generally doesn't help. Fear of financial security may dictate career choices or confine our reactions to the needs of others.  Fear in our relationships may cause some to cling and others to run away.

There is not one of us here this morning that does not know something about fear, for it follows us throughout our lives.  We know what it's like to be anxious - about the start of a new school year, about our relationships, about the rising cost of fuel and food, about the stability of our jobs.  Like Peter, like all people, we are easily overwhelmed by our fears.

Joan Chittister, in her book, The Gift of Years, notes, The task of every separate stage of life is to confront its fears so that it can become more than it was.  For the young, it is overcoming the fear of functioning alone.  For the middle aged, it is dealing with the fear of failure.  For those of us who have moved beyond the middle years, it is learning to cope with the fear of weakness. When fear rules, we panic, and may literally forget to breathe or may think that we have run out of options.  Helplessness may overtake us.  Any of you ever been there?

Sometimes, perhaps even often, there are good reasons to be afraid.   Caught in a small boat in a big storm might well be one of those times.  But as I was thinking about it this week, it struck me:   fear can be a gift.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  Fear may actually be a gift.  For in those darkest moments when our heart is pounding and our mouth is dry, we come to the knowledge that we cannot do it on our own.  If we let it, our fear can cause us to cry out like Peter, "Lord, save me!" and know that Jesus' hand will be there, reaching out to lift us up. We remember the first theme - God is God; we're not.

We are not called or asked to stand alone when the waves of life threaten to overtake us.  We are invited to reach out our hand to the one who can calm the storms, and keep us safe when the wind is fierce.  If we let it, fear can remind us of our own limitations, and about the One who has promised to be there with us. Those moments of overwhelming fear can be the moments that get us ready for a new understanding of who God is and what God wants to do with our lives, moments when we are open enough to encounter the living God.   Remember - this is first and foremost a story about Jesus.  Only secondarily is it about us.

Those of us who choose to follow Jesus, as Peter did when he stepped out of the boat, will undoubtedly face another whole set of fears - for clearly following Jesus is not easy.  Jesus doesn't call us because we can walk on water, (although with God's help, who knows?)  but because we know that it is only by God's grace at work in us that we can do anything.

Carol J. Cook recalls a scene in the middle of C. S. Lewis' second chronicle of Narnia, Prince Caspian, when the four children from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe return to Narnia, several centuries later in Narnia time.  (For those of you unfamiliar with the books, it is important to know that the lion, Aslan, is portrayed as a Christ figure.) In their attempt to find their bearings in such an altered landscape, the children become hopelessly lost in a wild forest until Lucy, the youngest, spots the great lion, Aslan.  Lucy tries to persuade the others that he is with them and providing them direction.  However, since none of the others can see him, they ignore her and continue traveling in the wrong direction.  Aslan comes to Lucy again and challenges her to follow him by herself even if the others will not believe her.  The others grudgingly follow her and one by one are able to see Aslan for themselves.  In speaking to the older sister, Susan, Aslan says, "You have listened to fears, child.  Come, let me breathe on you.  Forget them.  Are you brave again? (Lectionary Homiletics, Vol. XIX, Number 5, p. 19)

Fears will return.  God knows that.  But we always have the choice of handing them over, of remembering that we do not, cannot control the world.   When we let the breath of the Spirit breathe on and through us, God, not fear, has the last word - and we too can be brave again - at least for today.  And as any one who has gone through any 12-step program knows, we can never live any further out than this day alone.  "One day at a time."

Angelo Roncalli, better known as Pope John XXIII, was the leader of the Roman Catholic Church during one of the most tumultuous periods of that church's history. It is said that when he went to bed at night he would say to himself, "But who governs the church? You or the Holy Spirit? Very well, then, got to sleep, Angelo."  (as told by Thomas Long, in a sermon on this passage).

Whether early in the morning or late at night, let us hear Jesus' words: "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."