Loving God, you are near to all who call upon you and always ready to save and to bless.  Help us to be able to experience your presence and your power at work, especially at those times of our greatest need; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    How often do you step outside of your comfort zone and try something new?  A few weeks ago I was in Edmonton and went to K-days with my friend Joan.  One of the activities being promoted was called “So you want to be an anchor...”  It was put on by CTV News and involved sitting in front of the camera with a co-anchor and presenting a fake news story related to K-days.  If I had been there on my own I probably wouldn’t have tried it, but Joan kept insisting that I had to do it.  So I did – and when I was finished I realized that I was quite literally shaking, I had been so nervous.  So now, somewhere on YouTube, there is a video of me co-anchoring the news.

    My suspicion is that I am not alone in experiencing at least some degree of fear and trepidation when venturing outside of my comfort zone.  It seems that it always takes at least a little bit of courage to try something new, and for most of us it simply seems easier to stick to what we already know.  Yet, at the same time, nothing can match the excitement and the abundant life and the personal growth that come with these ventures into the storm and out of the boat.

    Undoubtedly most of us would perceive it to be far safer simply to stay on the shore – just like it probably seems safer not to go to a youth gathering, or not to go to camp, or not to go to youth group events.  In the same way, it probably seems safer not to change jobs, or not to go to a new school, or not to go to a different church, or not to attempt to make any new friends.

    While there is certainly some safety and stability that comes from our relationship with Jesus, that is never the whole picture.  Instead, it is through that relationship with Jesus that we find the courage and the hope to step out in faith and risk trying new things.

    The thing is that in today’s gospel, Jesus practically forces the disciples to get out there onto those stormy waters.  Jesus makes them get into the boat and go on ahead of him so that he can spend some time communing with his Father in prayer (Mt. 14:22-23).  In doing this, Jesus knows that the disciples are going to have to work hard against the wind.  In fact, by the time that Jesus is coming toward them on the water, the disciples are exhausted and can barely see anything in the darkness.  One of the things about working hard and rowing against the wind is that ultimately it makes you stronger.  However, in that moment, the disciples are both exhausted and terrified.

    It is then, in the midst of their exhaustion and their fear, that Jesus speaks the words that so many of us need to hear on so many different levels.  “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid” (Mt. 14:27).  Take heart – or have courage.  I AM.  There is no mistaking the divine name in the Greek.  It is not only Jesus who is with them, but God.  And so, do not be afraid.

    While we are not really told how the other disciples react to this message of comfort from Jesus, we do hear about Peter’s reaction.  To some, Peter’s request seems to be a rather odd one.  After all, how is Jesus telling him to come going to prove anything?  At the same time, many view Peter’s request as an expression of doubt.  It’s almost as if he wants Jesus to prove that it’s really him.  However, at least one commentator (David Lose) has suggested that when Peter is ready to jump out of the boat, Jesus is actually grinning in the background and thinking something along the lines of, “By George, he’s got it!”  In other words, maybe Peter knows that as long as Jesus is near, he really can have the courage to step out of the boat.

    However, the other thing that we soon learn from Peter is that not everything goes well all the time.  We can talk all we want about courage and stepping out of our comfort zones, but sometimes fear takes over and we start to sink.  Sometimes we suddenly realize that we are way out of our depth and that we need help – now!  And in that moment when we cry out, “Lord, save me!”, Jesus reaches out his hand and catches us, and brings us from death to life.

    The thing is that Jesus always seems to show up at those times when we need him the most.  When we are exhausted and afraid, that is when he comes to us.  When we can feel ourselves sinking and cry out for help, that is when he reaches out and lifts us up.  During those most difficult times in our lives – that is when he carries us.

    There have been at least a couple of times in my life when I have had a really amazing experience of God’s presence and love, followed by a time of crisis and difficulty.  It was almost as if God had given me those experiences to really boost my faith in order to carry me through the difficult times to come.  I also happen to know of a few other people where similar things have happened.  Once again, Jesus seems to show up at those times when we need him the most.

    In Peter’s case, too, do you think he ever thought about those few seconds when he was able to walk on the water?  Can’t you imagine him talking to the other disciples and saying, “Do you remember when I stepped out of the boat and walked toward Jesus on the water?  Wasn’t that awesome?”  Of course, any chance of Peter becoming too self-important was tempered by the fact that he soon faltered and began to sink.  But maybe that little glimpse of the power of God at work through Jesus kept him going in some of the difficult times to come.

    We started today by thinking about stepping out of our comfort zones and heading into the storm or even out of the boat.  But what does that really mean in our life of faith?  Perhaps it means getting up to read something in worship for the very first time.  Perhaps it means sharing what we believe with another person for the very first time.  Perhaps it means daring to pray out loud with other people or going to visit somebody who is sick even when you have no idea what you might say.  Perhaps it means teaching Sunday school for the very first time, or introducing yourself to somebody you haven’t met before – maybe at church or maybe on the bus.

    The thing is that God is always calling us to learn and to grow and to develop the gifts of the Spirit that have been given to us.  For it is in this stretching and growing that abundant life is ultimately to be found.  Sure, it would have been safer to stay in the boat or even to never go out on the water, but they would not have had the same experience of who Jesus is and what his power can do.  In the same way, it is when we step out in faith that we are most likely to see God’s power at work.

    And so, continue to stretch your comfort zone and to grow.  Continue to use the gifts that God has given you, especially when it might seem difficult or scary to do so.  And when fear takes hold of you and you’re tired from rowing against the wind, hear the words of Jesus, not just to the disciples, but to us: “Take heart.  I AM God.  Do not be afraid.”  For the one who commands the wind and the waves delights in bringing us from death into life, from fear into courage, and from despair into hope, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Lectionary 19(A)                                Matthew 14:22-33
August 10, 2014
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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