Lord, Save Us...

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

13 August 2017

Text: Matthew 14:22-33

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

Remains of a "Jesus boat," similar to what the disciples would've used.

+ INJ +

Last Sunday afternoon, we were in Seattle, staying with my uncle and aunt. For me and many others, Seattle usually calls to mind cool air and clear mountain views, but while we were there, the Pacific Northwest was experiencing record heat and stifling smoke from wildfires.

We were excited when my uncle and aunt said we’d been invited by their friends to spend a few hours on their boat watching the Blue Angels fly overhead. We met up with their friends and hauled snacks and drinks down to their ski boat, and then, we were off, almost instantly cooled down by the wind across the water.

As we traveled, the water was a little choppy, but nothing we hadn’t seen before. A little while later, and we were in the area where other boats were also gathering. There was a party atmosphere – people were listening to music and dancing; smaller boats were weaving around, launching surprise attacks with water balloons – we reciprocated with our small arsenal. It was fun, and I felt myself relaxing, ready to enjoy the afternoon.

And then…

It began as a flutter in the very pit of my stomach. A few minutes later, the full-on effect of sea-sickness hit me. I moved to another area of the boat, where more air could hit my face. I stared at the horizon as much as I could, trying to get my bearings, trying desperately to will my stomach into settling down.

Someone suggested that swimming would help me feel better, and so I sat toward the back of the boat in my bathing suit, not yet sure about getting into the water. The boats around us began to close in. Two of them had competing music blaring from their speakers, and my nausea was overwhelming. Desperate, I dove off the swim platform, letting the cool waters wash over me, soothing me and helping me feel a little bit better.

Once the Blue Angels began their show, I climbed back up onto the boat, and the nausea returned, full force. As we oo-ed and ah-ed and covered our ears, I began to pray fervently for relief.

Relief finally came later on, when we arrived back to shore – in fact, almost immediately after we got back to their home. Everything settled back down, eventually, once I had my bearings again. And so, I chuckled this past week when I saw the Gospel reading for today, remembering this recent experience as I read again about the disciples being out on their boat, battered by the waves.

They’ve just had the experience of feeding the five thousand, and then Jesus dismisses the crowds and sends the disciples away in the boat so he can have some time alone. Presumably, the disciples assume that Jesus will meet up with them later on.

Their boat ride is less than idyllic because they are fighting the wind, but they don’t fear the waves – many of them, after all, are seasoned fishermen. What they fear is the ghost that seems to be heading toward them, walking on the water. Except – this isn’t a ghost – it’s Jesus, and he quickly assures them that he is there, with them.

Peter – who’s known for being impulsive – wants to know for sure if this is really Jesus. Jesus tells him to step out of the boat and onto the water, and Peter does just that.

So there’s Peter, walking along, making his way to Jesus, and then…he notices the strong wind, and he gets scared. Right as he’s sinking down is when he calls out for Jesus to help him: “Lord, save me!” Peter’s cry is a cry of panic but it is also a cry of faith – for he knows that Jesus can save him.

And Jesus does save him, and Peter is safe in the boat again, and the disciples are in awe of what they’ve just seen. They worship Jesus and acknowledge that he is the Son of God. Once they land on the other side, they’re back to the work of ministry. Jesus has shown them once again who he is, and that they are very much in the hands of a loving God.

This story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water appears in three of the four gospel books. It’s good for us to remember that these gospel books were written for communities of Christians who lived in the First Century. So when I see the same story in more than one gospel book, I pay special attention to that story.

To the earliest Christians, this story was fairly important. For them, persecuted as they were for their faith in Christ – some of them even killed for their faith in Christ – this story was a reminder that at times, we are in safety and security, and at other times we are not, but no matter where we find ourselves, Jesus is right there.

So it is on account of our faith in the presence of God that I can say this: Jesus was most certainly present with my clergy colleagues and other brothers and sisters in a church as they prayed, worshiped, and heard God’s word on Friday evening in Charlottesville, Virginia. Outside, hundreds of white nationalists began to surround that church, so that those inside were told by police to stay put for their own safety.

As the weekend went on - Jesus was most certainly present as my colleagues and other brothers and sisters marched in counter-protest to racism yesterday, singing songs of love in response to the chants of hatred shouted by the neo-Nazis assembled in Charlottesville. And Jesus was most certainly present with police, paramedics, and others who responded after a man plowed his car into a crowd of anti-racist counter-protesters, killing one and injuring many others.

“Lord, save us…” indeed.

As Christians in the 21^st century, we certainly don’t face all of the same trials that the early Church faced. However, we face do trials of our own. You can probably start a list in your own mind – maybe even to a point of feeling overwhelmed. And the trials we face aren’t only our own, individually, for we share communal burdens with others, too – as family members and friends, as coworkers and classmates, as neighbors and citizens and as Christian people.

This story of Jesus saving Peter out of the waters helps us remember that wherever we find ourselves, we are very much in the hands of a loving God. It is the hands of God that hold us when we are feeling adrift. It is the hands of God that steady us when we are deeply unsettled – so unsettled that we can’t seem to find balance or equilibrium.

In those moments, we can cry out to Jesus as Peter did: “Lord, save me!” And there Jesus will be, reaching out to catch us.

Amen.

+ SDG +