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Sermon – With Waves Underfoot
Matthew 14:22-33; Psalm 77
Farmville Presbyterian Church
12/31/2023
I have always liked Simon Peter, and it really has nothing to do with our shared name, but I do find him to be the most “human” of the disciples. What I mean is that we encounter him in both the good and bad times. We see his strengths and weaknesses. We are able to relate to him, and we are able to learn from his experiences and mishaps. Today’s Gospel lesson from Matthew is no exception.
This is perhaps one of the more memorial misadventures of Peter. Matthew’s version of this story about walking on the water, unlike Mark’s version, includes Peter’s attempt at the miracle of faith walking. Therefore, it is safe to assume that Matthew is trying to bring something to light beyond Mark’s story. Matthew needs for us to see something through Peter’s experience on the Sea of Galilee. But before we can come to what that might be, we need to know the context.
The Sea of Galilee is not a small body of water. Granted, it is not nearly the size of one of our Great Lakes…the shoreline is about 31 miles long, and the lake is up to 8 miles wide. In places it is even up to 150 ft deep. Moreover, it is surrounded by high land – not going to say mountains, but land high enough to create the perfect environment for sudden and violent storms like the one we see here. Imagine a bowl. The great fishing enticed plenty of people to take the risk of sailing on it. This is something that nearly half of the disciples would be personally familiar with. We know that several of them, including Peter, were fishermen and knew the water and the danger. I expect they even knew people who had drowned in that sea.
So the disciples are traveling across the sea. Jesus compelled them to do it. That word “compel” is only used two other times in the gospels, so it is a word that should call our attention. Jesus needs for this to happen, so he compelled them to embark and sail to the other side while he dismissed the crowds and prayed privately. They started during the day, but the storm hits and begins to batter the boat. The Greek actually says “torture” the boat. Anyway, the boat is really having a time of it, and it is now dark, as dark as it can be. We are told that it is the 4th watch, between 3 and 6 AM, when they somehow see Jesus walking on the water, but the disciples had been battling the storm for a good while without sleep, in the dark. The waves, the wind, and the darkness make this about as scary as I imagine it gets, but to see their teacher walking to them on the water – that put them over the edge. Only God is able to overcome nature like that. Surely it must be a ghost, and they scream. Immediately, Jesus tries to calm them. He tells them to have courage and not fear, as courageous as they can be in their present situation with their boat about to capsize and their beloved teacher standing on the water before them. I am unsure how comforting his words would have been.
But then Peter does something that boggles any rational mind. He answers Jesus and says, “if it is you Lord, call to me to come out on the water.” And Jesus does.
Here is where we might be able to figure out what Matthew is about in this story. He has painted a wild and scary scene, and he has Peter going out to Jesus on the water in the midst of storm. Be clear – the storm is still happening. The rest of the disciples are doing their best to stay afloat, and Peter gets out and walks out to Jesus. What drove Peter to such absurdity?
I see a disciple of our Lord Jesus acting out of love and devotion without really thinking about what is going on. I don’t see someone trying to show off or prove he is the best disciple (which is sometimes the case). This is faith. Peter was able to step out of that boat and walk within arm’s reach of Jesus by being focused solely on him. Once he turned his gaze to the wind and waves, however, he began to sink, but he was successful as long as he was focused on Jesus Christ. Think about that. This to me is an example of great discipleship. Matthew is showing us what it means to have the kind of focus on Christ that Peter had. He had the singular focus of faith in the middle of a violent storm. Out of love and devotion to Christ he was able to step out of the boat, taking one step after another with waves underfoot, and walk on water.
It is no secret how much I love Psalm 77. I love it on many levels. It is honest and real in the struggles of the psalmist. The song writer is struggling with doubt and fear in desperate ways. I shared this same psalm with Carolyn as she laid in the bed in her final weeks, but it is just as appropriate for anyone who finds themselves caught in the storm of life – real storms in real life.
Life has a tendency to break people, to push us past our natural human limits. Despite what you may believe, the Bible does NOT actually say you will never be pushed beyond your ability or that God never gives you more than you can handle. In truth, it is common for us to know challenges beyond our ability to handle. What 1 Corinthians 10:13 actually says is that, “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” God will not let you be tested beyond your strength BY YOURSELF or ALONE. God would never call you out on the water without help. God would never call you to cross the Red Sea without help. God would never call you to face the excruciating struggles of this life without help, because without help – we would certainly fail.
This is the beauty of Psalm 77. It is a love letter to God’s help and a memorial to God’s goodness and faithfulness in a time of personal crisis. Peter was at a crisis, also, so much so that stepping out of the boat with Jesus seemed like a better idea than staying in.
We still have waves today, here and beyond this community. The storm is raging in so many places so often that we lose sight that there is even a storm happening. Every week, there is another calamity, sometimes a literal storm. Sometimes it is right here. We have known waves in our history in Farmville.
First, we have to keep our focus. Our eyes, the eyes of our hearts, have to remain on the only one worth following. In order for Peter to notice the waves, he had to take his eyes off of Jesus. Then and only then, did he begin to slip. While we have a Christ focused and centered ministry, two things will happen: we will reach beyond ourselves and what we think we can do, and we will be faithful in our work. If either one of those things is not happening, then we have turned out gaze away from Brother Jesus.
Second, we must be open to those who are struggling wherever they may be. We have been a giving and supporting church in the past. We need to continue this ministry. We saw tremendous compassion and hospitality this last week with Carolyn’s service, but we need to build on the ways we can invite the community to our hospitality through missions. One idea is to provide regular mission dinners for different local needs. We must push forward into 2024 and never back down. Step out of the boat. We have done it before, and we can do it, again.
Lastly and as we stand on the threshold of a new year, we need to rejoice. We have made it to the close of another year in God’s faithfulness. We have found God’s provision and grace and faithfulness, so we need to rejoice. It is hope that carries us and thankfulness in love. You know Peter was elated to be out on the water. You know the Israelites were amazed beyond words to be crossing through the water with God. Do we know how happy we are to be here today with our brothers and sisters in the faith? Do we know how good it is to be in faith together as we set our eyes forward on Christ Jesus and step out into a new year? Even with waves underfoot, especially with waves underfoot, we can walk with confidence and joy.
This has been quite a year, and we have no idea what next year has in store, but we do know without the shadow of a doubt that we do not walk alone. Churches that are focused on Jesus know their ministry and are not afraid to follow, even if they have to get their feet wet. Where will we find ourselves? We will either be in the boat or out on the waves. To God be the glory. Amen.