Stormy Faith
Matthew 14:22-33; with Romans 10:5-15 in b.g (August 7, 2011)
Do you "have" faith?
Let's explore this question. When I was 10 years old I felt that I was very brave. So I decided to take swimming lessons. Now, it didn't hurt my motivation that the swimming instructor for this "beginner's" class was absolutely beautiful. She was 18, blonde, blue-eyed. Her name was Linda. And each day she would do her best to calm my growing fear. For a while things went well, almost "swimmingly". Linda went with us into the water in the shallow end of the pool. For her I gathered up my courage and placed my face into the water. Later, I lay on my back while my swimming buddies held their hands under my back holding me afloat. ... But on the "third day" we moved down to the deep end of the pool. And my fear grew immensely. We stood on the edge of the pool where the water was 10 feet deep. Linda gave each of us an empty but capped bleach bottle. "Jump in!", she commanded. "The bottle will hold you up." And can you believe it, all my friends leaped in. Fools that they were. But not me, O no! I knew better.
Now Linda turned on the charm. She spoke softly, "Come on, Tim, you can do it!" Now, I knew that I could jump from the edge of the pool into the water. But if she thought that I was betting my life on that tiny, flimsy bleach bottle, she could think again!
So, I attempted diplomacy. "How about if you get into the water?", I asked her. "And then maybe I'll just in beside you with this bleach bottle". She shook her head. The charm was beginning to dissipate. We found ourselves at an impasse.
I was paralyzed by fear, filled with doubt both about the powers of the bleach bottle and her promise, that yes, it would keep me afloat. Even if it worked for others, how could I know for sure that it would work for me? Part of me wanted to jump, but I was so afraid that I would drown. So I stood there on the edge of that pool with a deep, deep sinking feeling. I was alive, but paralyzed by fear. My legs only a few moments earlier had worked so well, but now my heart and mind could not move them.
Not that the disciple Peter didn't have faith. He did confess, "Jesus is Lord!" Jesus had even declared that Peter was the rock and that on this "rock" Jesus would build his church. In many ways, Peter did trust Jesus. But we have to know that trust isn't exercised in a vacuum. Nor are relationships fleshed out in vacuums either.
Suddenly Peter is in a storm. It's an amazing storm – wild wind, raging waves. Nor is Peter alone in this storm. The other disciples are with him in a little boat. Their boat is being buffeted, the Greek says, "tortured" by the waves.
Have you ever been in a storm?
There are so many different kinds of storms. There are storms of wind and rain that come up seemingly out of nowhere with a devastating powers that can rip trees out of the ground or break them in half. Such storms can tear roofs off buildings, sink boats and even ships, claiming lives. But there are also other storms that come into our lives. These are storms of illness that blow into our lives or the lives of others. They have names that cause fear to arise in our hearts and minds. Names like cancer, stroke, emphysema, diabetes, Parkinson's Disease. And there are other storms that can grab hold of our lives – storms that come from the powers of addiction or crime. Any and all of these storms can wreak havoc in our lives- bodies, minds and spirits. Then depression, loneliness, worry, anger and despair can wash over us in waves, threatening to rip from any and all the moorings we thought we were anchored to, setting us wildly adrift.
Not only that but there are other storms – storms that arise within the church or our families. There may be intense disagreements over how we should invest our time, our money, our very lives. There may be arguments, passionate disagreements about what actions as followers of Jesus we should take regarding abortion, divorce, genetic engineering, the blessing of same sex relationships – our very understanding of Scripture. Sometimes we find ourselves in the same boat but pulling in different directions, all the while being shoved around by a whole variety of forces. To be human is to experience a whole variety of storms.
Peter could identify. It's not that he didn't have faith. But along with his faith he also experiences doubt and fear. His fear surfaces when the boat is being buffeted by a strong storm. His life, the lives of his friends are being endangered. It's easy to say that we have faith when we are surrounded by people who love us and things are easy or going well. But such is not the totality of our lives.
Peter realizes that he is in a boat of life and death. In that experience Jesus comes to Peter and the others in a way that they were not expecting. Jesus is with them even in that damaging ever powerful storm. For those disciples the raging waters whipped up by the storm embody the reality of chaos and evil around them. Because they are focused on the chaos and the threat of death they don't recognize him right away.
How about us? Do we see the risen Jesus coming to us in the midst of the storms of our lives, when we are caught by rear, when things are crazy, when in reality we may be "sinking" in a variety of ways? Do we recognize him then, now, or are we so focused on the storm or even how we think Jesus/God functions that we don't see that God comes to us? Ah yes.....
But wherever we are, Christ approaches. He speaks. To those early disciples and to all who would seek to follow him, he says in the middle of any and all circumstances, "Take heart. It is I. Do not be afraid!"
It's seemingly easy for him to say this.
Yet, of all the disciples it is the impulsive Peter who takes Jesus at his word. "If it is you, Lord, command me to come to you on the water." Jesus says, "Come!"Peter in trusting Jesus gets out of the boat into those raging waters and begins to move toward Jesus. Peter doesn't just stand there with his bleach bottle beside the pool. NO! Peter leaps trusting Jesus.
Peter, you see, has faith and courage. But even with that faith, doubt remains. In the midst of that faith the reality of the elements around him continue – the wind blows, the waves rise.
And Peter as all rocks do, as any human being would do begins to sin. It is then that Peter both I suspect in fear and faith cries out to Jesus, "Lord, save me!" And Christ immediately reaches out to him. (p)
So, I ask you again, do you "have" faith?
Storms are real. They have come. Others will come. Jesus never promises that we won't experience the storms I have mentioned and worse. But God does promise in Christ through the Holy Spirit that we will not be abandoned. God is and will be with us! Jesus speaks to us in the midst of these most difficult, frightening experiences as He draws near to us, "Take heart. It is I. Do not be afraid."
May God help us to listen, to hear the risen Jesus speaking to us. For, by the grace of God, we can move from the edge of our pools where we have been paralyzed by fear. We can so move, not because the life guard is so beautiful or because we are so skilled or have so much faith, but because God in Jesus promises to be with us. We can, by God's grace be empowered to follow Jesus and lean on Jesus come what may. We are called again and again in our baptism to bear Christ's redeeming word with us into the world.
May we so live, for Christ's sake. Amen.