Water Walking -- Matthew 14:22-33

I love watching storms.  You can ask Anita.  She has had to fuss at me through quite a few.  During our first hurricane, Fran, at 2 am I was standing with the backdoor of the parsonage open, with the wind blowing pine needles, leaves, and branches straight toward us, just watching the storm.    I hung out under the carport during parts of both Floyd and Isabel, as I do for almost any lightning storm that I can.  Even though I fell asleep right before Arthur made land fall while we were at Atlantic Beach (after Fran, Floyd, and Isabel—Arthur seemed like a mere summer storm to me), the next morning I went and spent an hour walking on the beach in the back end of the winds.  In fact, one of the first DVD’s we bought was Twister and Blu-Ray’s was The Day After Tomorrow. Like I said, I love watching storms…

I’m not too sure that any of the Twelve did though.  Jesus had spent the day teaching and healing—then when dinner time came around, he took five loaves of bread and two fish, and catered the largest church supper I’ve ever heard of, feeding five thousand men, plus all of the women and children that were gathered there on that hillside.  He began dismissing the crowds.  While He was sending folks off, Jesus told the Disciples to get in the boat and head on over to the other side of Sea of Galilee, that He would meet up with them later.  (Now, I’m figuring that by this time they knew not to question Jesus, because my first response would have been, “if we take the boat, how are you going to get anywhere?”)  Anyway, after Jesus sent everyone off, Disciples and crowd as well, Jesus went off to pray.

So, as we read, the Scriptures shift from Jesus, alone on the mountain praying, to the Disciples in the boat, probably midway across Galilee’s waters, when a sudden windstorm popped up and began rocking the boat with wave after wave.  You reckon that James and John asked Peter why he didn’t check The Weather Channel or the National Weather Service Marine Forecast decided to set sail? ;) Seriously, though, it probably wouldn’t have done any good, even if they had had the service back then, because in the Sea of Galilee was known for it’s sudden, unexpected windstorms.  So here are the Twelve, sailing across this waters in the middle of the night when this storm erupts.

The Disciples were most likely watching this storm as it fiercely rocked their boat.  We know from other accounts in Mark and John, that the storms at sea frightened the Twelve, despite the fact that four of the Twelve were fishermen.  So as they held on to the sides of the boat and whatever else they could grip to keep from being washed overboard, someone saw something through all the rain and lightning.  It was a figure walking across the water in the middle of the storm…heading straight from them.  Someone cried out, “It is a ghost!”  Then everyone started screaming…we don’t know what they were screaming.  For all we know, the screams could have ranged from anything from “Lord help us!” to “Get out of here you spirit!”

Then the “ghost” spoke, “Don’t be worried…it is no ghost…it is me…Jesus.”  Hearing this Peter, always quick to speak, said, “If that’s really you Jesus, command me to walk to you on the water.”

Jesus looked at him and simply said, “Come.”

Imagine Peter, eyes locked on Jesus, shift from his normally impulsive self to a very cautious man.  I picture him gripping the sides of the boat tightly, never taking his eyes off of Jesus, slowly slide one leg across the side of the boat until it touched the water, then the other; then, still supporting his body weight with his arm strength, cautiously let go of the sides of the boat until he found himself standing on the water.

Peter, out of the boat, began walking across the water toward Jesus.  Then, evidently a strong gust of wind blew through, and Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the storm.  Immediately he began sinking.  Peter took his eyes off Jesus, looked at the storm, and started sinking.  One more time, Peter stopped looking at Jesus, looked at the storm, and suddenly found himself sinking.

That’s how it works when we take our eyes off of Jesus, we sink.

That’s what happened to me this week.  I started watching a storm and became entranced by that storm—not a storm around here, but one that was happening in Portland with General Conference.  Some of you knew about my concern as our denominational body met in its regular quadrennial meeting to set for the polity of our denomination for the next four years, the concern that our denomination would follow the way of some other denominations and find itself splitting as a result.  What I ended up witnessing as I followed it last week and this week was a storm that as I watched it left me first disheartened and sad and then later frustrated and angry…and I realized I was sinking.  Let me tell you, I wasn’t disheartened, sad, frustrated, or angry about any of what was being passed or not being passed.  While I am concerned about our theology and our polity, and was pleased sometimes and displeased at other times when those actions, it was the storm of how many people, people who are brothers and sisters in Christ, were acting toward those who didn’t agree with them.  If you don’t agree with someone and your eyes are still focused on Jesus (rather than the disagreement or yourself), you stay afloat…if one or both of you take your eyes of Jesus, you sink.  Like I said, I got caught up in watching this storm…and began sinking…letting my being caught up focused on that storm rob me of time where I should have been focused on my family…it robbed me of time focused on the congregation and community…it robbed my focus on being able to start work on today’s sermon. 

What storms are we walking through?

Maybe it is a storm of illness or chronic pain…maybe we’re trying to walk through it, maybe we are walking alongside a family member going through the storm.  Focused on this sickness or pain, we find ourselves sinking deeper and deeper, into depression and hopelessness.

Maybe it the storm of family conflict…maybe family members fighting, maybe we ourselves are involved in the conflict.  Focused on the conflict, we can find ourselves sinking deeper and deeper, into anger, frustration, sadness, and alienation from the ones we love.

Maybe it is stormy at work, or trouble finding work…difficulty getting along with coworkers, conflicts with supervisors, business is in decline, or seemingly unending unemployment…Focused on these storms, we can find ourselves sinking deeper and deeper into hopelessness, bitterness, and depression.

Maybe it is a stormy battle with an addiction…if we are focused on how hard it is to overcome those cravings…if we keep staring at those things that seem to be calling us to give in…we will find ourselves sinking deeper and deeper into the addiction and further and further away from family and friends and everything we care about.

Maybe it is the storm of fear…we encounter those storms everywhere we turn…and if we focus on those fears…whether it is simply the fear of height or the fear of water or as complex as the fear of taking the risk of a relationship or the risk of trying something new or the fear of what might happen…we will find ourselves sinking deeper and deeper into fear…for that storm feeds on itself…

Late Friday I realized I was sinking.  I made the determination to stop focusing on the storm and refocus on Jesus, (like Peter crying out “Lord, save me!” and slowly found myself rising out of the depths of that anger, frustration, and sadness and back above the stormy water…refocused on Jesus and those that Jesus has placed around me and the work He has called me to do.

My sisters and brothers, if our focus is upon Jesus and not the storms, we will find ourselves able to walk through any storm that rages around us…no matter how loudly the thunder rolls…no matter how hard the wind blows…no matter how wet the rain is drenching us…no matter how high the waves raise over us…we will be able to walk through the storm on top of the water…and we will not drown.

And the most wonderful thing about Jesus, my friends, is that if we are in the midst of the storm, and we have taken our eyes off of Jesus, and we find ourselves sinking and drowning, we have only to call out like Peter, “Lord, save me!” and we will find him taking us by the hand and lifting us up and stilling the storm.  He will bring into our lives that peace which is beyond any peace that this world can provide…as He gives us the assurance that there is no storm that can blow away His love for us and His ability to save us…

Praise be to God.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.