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SERMON:
“Stepping Out, Taking Risk” There
are two levels to the story in our Gospel today; the level in which we see Jesus
as the stiller of the storm; as the one who brings peace to those who sail
through life in the boat called the church and the level in which we see Jesus
as the one who bestows power; as the one who calls to his followers - to those
who are willing to step out of the safety of the boat - "come to me” and
who supports them when they do so. It
is this second level to the story that I want us to think about today, the level
at which we see Jesus as the giver of power to those who, as a part of Christ
church are willing take a chance. Think
with me on the whole episode of Peter and his trip out upon the water.
Think with me of how he was willing to risk all on the word of his
master. We
hear in the gospel story that the disciples have been commanded
by Jesus to take a boat and go before him to the other side of the By
evening Jesus was alone, praying and the disciples were far from shore, being
battered by wind and waves. They
struggle almost
all night against the storm that is crashing down against them, and they
struggle successfully, until near dawn they see an apparition they see someone
or something walking across the water towards them and they are terrified and
quite naturally given the circumstances, they cry out in fear. Immediately
Jesus, for it is he who is walking upon the water, responds to the disciple's
fear with the words, "Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid." Peter
answers Jesus first saying "Lord if it is you command me to come to you on
the water." And Jesus answers by saying "Come".
And Peter climbs over the edge of the boat and puts his feet upon the
water, and begins to walk towards Jesus. Now
some people dismiss the miracles recorded in the bible as simply
tall tales. They claim that the
stories of healing and of resurrection
and of walking on water are but symbols for other things. I
don't agree with these people at all, I don't agree that these things
never happened because I know that miracles occur, that people do get healed,
that the dead are raised; and that many other marvelous, unexplainable things
occur when people call upon the Lord. Even
so most of the miracle stories in the bible are symbolic in that they teach us
things about life and about faith even as they tell us about the marvelous
things that Jesus and the disciples did. And the story of Peter walking upon the
water towards Jesus is one of these. It
shows us what can happen when we respond to the call of Jesus, it shows us how
we can triumph over the forces of chaos and meaninglessness, it shows us how,
when we take chance on the word of Jesus, his power lifts us up and allows us to
weather the storms of life and do something new. Think
about it, Peter did not need to get out of the boat. He
did not need to venture forth upon the stormy waters.
He could
have simply stayed where he was and waited for the Lord to come to him.
He could have sheltered himself in the safety of the boat in the
knowledge that everything would be okay now that the Lord was coming to him and
the other disciples But
he did not. Instead Peter took a chance. He asked the Lord to bid him to come to
him, He asked the Lord for the power to meet him in the middle of the sea. Here
is courage indeed, the courage to venture forth into danger and to do what the
Lord has said can be done; the courage to risk taking a step that does not
really need to be taken, simply because the Lord tells him it can be taken. Most
people suffer from a lack of boldness, a lack of courage even Christians suffer
in this way. Given
the choice between continuing in a situation where, despite the burdens and the
dangers that are all around, there
is a reasonable degree of safety, and venturing out into a new and unknown
situation, where the dangers seem even greater and where there is no apparent
safety net, most
people will elect to stay put to stay where they are. Thus
it is that women will stay in a home where they and their children
are being abused rather than walk out and try to find a new life. Thus
it is that men will work for years in a job that is slowly destroying their
health and happiness, rather than risk their homes
and their security by returning to school or starting their own businesses. Thus
it is that teenagers will not speak to someone whom they are attracted to
because they are afraid of botching up, afraid of being laughed at and rejected. Thus
it is that people who have had dreams of traveling around the world or of doing
something else very special will stay where they are and allow their dreams to
wither and die. What
have we been afraid to do? What
have we postponed because we dreaded the possible consequences? Who
have we avoided because we did not know what to say to them? Where
have we refused to go because we feared what might happen there? What
goal have we hid from because we have felt inadequate? What
dream have we let wither and die? Sometime
we need to get out of the safety of the boat.
We need to say to the Lord, "Lord,
if it is you, bid me come to you." I
am not saying here today to go out and take a wild chance on the
first thing that comes along, but I am saying, if you have a
dream or if you are in a situation where wholeness and happiness are elusive and
you hear the master calling to you to take a chance if you see that you can do
something to help someone else or simply feel that God is calling you to change something
in your life that seems unchangeable, risk it. Peter
though he did not need to, in the absolute sense of the word
need, got out of the boat and upon the bidding of the Lord,
walked upon the sea. And Peter did well, his faith held him up the power of
Christ held him up, and he continued to do well until he forget about that power
that he had called upon, he did well until he focused upon the danger he was in, till
he looked at the strong wind and the waves and became afraid. Then
he began to sink. When
we take a risk, when we venture out upon the bidding of the Lord to do something
new, or simply to fulfill what we believe our calling is, it is very important
that we remember to stay focused on our goal, to trust that God will see us
through despite
what is happening all around us. A
helicopter pilot who flew from an aircraft carrier in the Pacific
told this story.
"I was flying the helicopter back to the ship when a
blinding fog rolled in. Flying
at a low altitude, I knew
that a single mistake would plunge me and my crew into the
ocean. Worse yet, I was
experiencing a complete loss of
balance - which is common for pilots flying by
instruments. This loss of
balance - known as vertigo -
was so bad that despite the instrument readings I was
certain that I was lying on my side.
For 15 minutes I
flew the helicopter by its instruments, fighting the urge
to turn it according to my feeling. When
we finally broke
safely through the fog, I was deeply thankful I had being
trained to rely upon my instruments rather than on my
feelings. That
is what people who live by faith do, they remember that feelings can be
misleading, but the truths in God's word are reliable, trustworthy, and
consistent. When
we believe and act on these truths, we eventually break through
the fog and experience the fulfillment of divine promise. Peter,
when he is overcome by fear, when he starts to walk according to his feelings
instead of by the instruments of faith, begins to sink.
His risk looks as if it has failed but, as our
story shows, it does not fail. Pete
sinks but as he sinks Peter remembers from whence his help comes and he cries
out - "Lord! Save me!" And
Jesus reaches out his hand and catches him.
That is what the Lord does when we risk as well; it is what he does when he bids
us come to him over the dangerous waters. When we step out, when we take a
risk to come closer to God, and then falter...the hand of Jesus reaches out to
us and lifts us up. All we have to do is remember and focus on Christ once
again. Jesus
says to Peter after reaching out to him to save him, he
says, and I believe he says it gently, he says
"You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When
we take a risk for the Lord, when we dare to do what is right, when we decide to
go an extra mile, a mile that we need not walk but which Jesus tells us we can
walk, he is near to us to help us. We
do not need to doubt the outcome. We
do not need to fear the adversity we encounter on the way. All
we need to do is keep focused on Jesus, to look to where our help comes from.
All we need to do is ask for the help we need and trust that it will
come. Like
Peter who stepped out of the boat and walked on the water towards the Lord who
had called him, we too can step out, and we really ought to step out, to respond
to the Lord who bids us come to him. When
we do power flows, when we do marvelous things happen, when we do we discover
new things about our world and ourselves. We can risk, because we have a
powerful Lord watching over us. We can trust, because we have a forgiving God
caring for us. We can step out because we have a God who is sure to save. Amen.
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