Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Matthew 14:22-33
22Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.25And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea.26But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
What does it take for us to see God
A teacher was guiding her class one day in a drawing assignment and noticed that one student who normally didn’t pay attention was really engaged. Curious, the teacher approached the six-year-old girl and peered over her shoulder. Wow, what are you drawing she asked. I am drawing God replied the little girl. Oh no, you can’t do that the teacher said, we don’t know what God looks like, nobody knows that. Well, replied the little girl, they will when I am finished.
Sir Ken Robinson shares this story in his TED Talk on schools stifling creativity. How do we see the world, what does it take for us to see God? And then further to trust what we have seen?
Look at the disciples. Last week’s message was about fishermen who responded to the call, specifically Simon Peter. This week, we continue with Peter’s story. How is this fisherman to become the rock of the church – the basis upon which Christ builds the very church? This week, we look more closely at Peter’s faith in the rough waves on the Sea of Galilee.
In Becoming a Blessed Church, Pastor Graham Standish writes, “The modern church has succumbed to treating God as a theological ideal, as an abstract concept, rather than an experience, an encounter, an embrace of One with whom we can have a deep transforming relationship.” I don’t think this is just the modern church. What people know in their heads takes a while to travel to their hearts and to morph into trust and faith.
The disciples had just seen Jesus perform a miracles of healing the sick and then of feeding more than five thousand men plus their children, wives and slaves – so very likely 10,000 or more with five loaves and two fish. They have been active hands-on participants in Jesus’ ministry, partners in the miracles. I think that after all of this they knew in their heads who Jesus was. Yet, as soon as he was out of sight, their faith faltered.
What was it that shook their faith? As fishermen, they would have regularly worked boats, and it would have been common for storms to rise up while they were out on the sea. It was likely something more than that. We often talk about the comforting renewing waters that wash us clean, welcome us in and renew us – the Living Water that is so central to our faith. The Old Testament and ancient world had another side to the water – there is very little black and white, always good or always bad in our lives. Biblical imagery is the same. Water was seen as the chaos that God brought to order in creation. It is also seen as a force to be reckoned with – often representing destruction or evil. The deeps were to be feared. Mastery over water such as in parting the red sea shows God forcing the mysterious powerful other away as an obstacle.
On the other hand, nothing helps me see and feel comfort in our creator quite the same way as he waves of the ocean falling upon the shore, the ebb and flow of the tide. Does it take imagery such as the amazing beauties of creation for us to see our God? Do we expect God to overcome the powerful gale, to calm our storms?
As Jesus came to the disciples, they were likely more comfortable with the waves jouncing the boat to and fro than they were with what appeared to be a ghost emerging from the portals of the deep. Where does our fear come from? Why is ‘do not be afraid’ one of the main biblical messages?
What causes us to fear? We may be more familiar with fear that freezes us than we like to think. This week alone, I have received more than ten emails about COVID 19, commonly known as corona virus. Those wanting to protect me, those assuring me that their businesses were taking steps to keep customers safe, those wanting to manipulate - politicians assuring me their policy approach was safer and more thorough than the other, and yes, those trying to sell me the upgraded way to sterilize my surroundings.
Our session is meeting today to ensure how we as a church best prepare and maintain relationship that is essential to being the church praising and serving together with common sense and faith while not being monopolized by responsiveness and fear.
In a science article from AP News, they looked at how our minds mislead us in the level of risk. The right degree of concern differs from those living in what is already a hotspot to those who are further away. But our emotions and psychological factors get in the way of a cold scientific measure of risk.
Too often hot buttons trigger us and ramp up our worry. Corona Virus is being talked about 7 X 24 by everyone from their angle of expertise or perceived expertise. It seems to be spreading and is surrounded by many unknowns. More stories prevail about the negatives than the recoveries, and our imaginations have had apocalyptic fantasy stories of a huge killer pandemic around for years. What causes us to fear: a feeling of mistrust of the institution or authority in charge, the time delay between infection and symptoms, the unknown, lack of control and inability to guarantee safety. Add to that our emotions and a pervasive message where comfort is scarce. We are drowning in the messages amping up fear.
Now, can we relate more to the disciples in a boat who have been told the devil comes from the deep waters to drag them to the depths of hell? As fishermen, they would have known how to swim or at least been highly unlikely to be afraid of merely falling in, and they have seen storms before. Why were they terrified? A specter, a ghost, walking at them across the water was their trigger story.
Jesus speaks to calm them. He doesn’t tell them to throw all caution to the wind and swim for shore. For us too, God does not call on us to abandon all precautions, throwing out life jackets or common sense. For God does not end the storm but comes to them in their fear. Sitting with them in the boat rather than remaining on the mountain. It is only later that he calms the winds.
How do we put fear in its place?
Jesus joins them in the boat. Our very sanctuaries carry imagery from boats. The area in which the congregation sits between the pulpit area and the narthex is commonly known as the nave from navis the Latin word for ship. This is the same word from which we get navy.
How do you see the sanctuary? Is this our place of safety? Or does fear chase you even here? The boat was full of disciples. They trusted it to keep them safe, but they weren’t pre-occupied with its shape and features. And, Jesus doesn’t focus on the boat.
Are we pre-occupied with the boat to an unhealthy degree? Methodist pastor Mark Ralls compares ships and boats. He says that congregations often get carried away planning as if they were operating a ship much like a cruise ship. We pick our lounger for the day and select our favorite style of entertainment, chose who we want and don’t want to be seated with at dinner and basically count on the crew to run the ship.
Ralls says instead that the imagery we need to keep in mind is our church as a boat. The boat is a working vessel where all chip in, their individual stories and comradery knit them together, all aboard share the same table. The imagery of the boat is even seen as the vessel carrying us to salvation. On this boat all have a job and are an integral part in the functioning and work of the boat. Usually a boat is smaller than a ship and more prone to be a rougher ride braving the waters of life together facing ups and downs. The relationship of those in the boat working together is essential to working and even survival.
Too often we shop for a ‘cruise ship’ church, do we also want a comfortable God?
N. T. Wright in Simple Good News says, “With God – at least, with this strange God of whom the ancient scriptures spoke – the first and most important point was not to understand him but to trust him. The idea that you might begin by looking this God up and down, giving him a cool appraisal, and then, if you understood him and approved of him, you might respond to him, is to deny that he is God at all. If he is our God, our primary role is not to analyze him but to worship him; it is not for us to figure him out but to let him figure us out.”
Are we focusing on figuring out God rather than seeing God in our midst? Do our emotions and triggers cause us to not be the church? What do we have to do to prepare to be the church together?
Thomas Ashbrook says, “It is inadvertently possible to imply that ‘real’ Christians should have attained some level of knowledge, church practice, giving, and so on. However, if we are to become encouraged to embrace spiritual growth, we need to understand that everyone is in process; we have times that feels like growth and times that feel like backsliding.” Our community faith life together must have a spirit of openness and vulnerability that openly acknowledges that we are in process. Even the disciples didn’t have all the answers, especially the disciples even after seeing the miracles in person yet Jesus reaches out to comfort and comes to them across the waters.
Do you have enough faith to step out of the boat
Eager beaver Peter tells Jesus to command him to come to him on the water. Bravely, Peter climbs out of the boat to meet Jesus. He desires to go to God, to serve. Yet he looks around and becomes afraid. Are you Peter today – venturing out of the boat to help others open their eyes? The other disciples aren’t named because as a group – even the group closest to Jesus and his ministry they are looking to a leader to get them started.
I don’t imagine an angry Jesus when Peter began to sink and called out for help but rather a comforting one in the words “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” I imagine the child learning to ride a bike. Sometimes God is holding on to steady us, sometimes giving us a push to encourage us to venture more but not angry when we wobble or fall, still understanding and knowing that the training wheels are for while we try again and again to learn. Don’t let fear stifle your creativity, ride as fast as your training wheels allow. Don’t shroud your imagination, have faith to boldly step out where God is calling rejoicing in him, in our art, in our dance, in our song. Do you trust God enough to take that first step?
In the words of David Lose, “God desires, that is, that we trust that God is with us and for us and thereby live with courage and hope, taking chances, risking ourselves in relationship, seeking the welfare of the individuals and community around us, all the while remembering that even when we overlook God’s presence yet God is always there, sometimes to encourage us to overcome our fears, sometimes sending us out ahead, and sometimes reaching out to grab hold of us in forgiveness, mercy, comfort, and grace.”
When I first moved to Texas, two step was a foreign dance to me. In fact being led by a partner in dance instilled fear that I would injure the feet of my partner or trip up and embarrass or hurt us both. After several dances of seeing nothing other than the floor, I caught on sort of – well enough to know that this odd dance is much like human life. To my amazement with the right lead and a bushel of trust, what feels like walking back and forth in the same place and getting nowhere is really moving me about the floor in a desired direction. We are in a two step with God – even when we step back, we still progress to amazing places if we but out our trust in God and follow the lead. Jesus repeatedly tells us fear not, for I am with you. God is holding us. God is challenging us, encouraging us. Our God knows we are growing, seeking to learn more about God and to follow daily. Our faith may be but little, but even taking that two steps forward and one back gets us out of the boat and toward Jesus working in hope and trust. Amen
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