Sunday Sermon 9th Aug 2020

Matthew 14: 22-36

When I meet people socially and they ask me what my work is, they are usually quite surprised when I tell them I am a priest. If they have had no connection with the church, they are usually even more surprised. It’s as if they know priests exist somewhere, but they are very surprised to actually meet one. A little bit like UFOs or aliens.

And one of the things they then ask is if I have ever had a “proper job”. I don’t know if their perception is that priests are somehow hatched in middle-age, or we have spent our whole lives in cloisters and know nothing of the real world. I used to be a bank manager for one of the big banks, and I was priested alongside a lawyer, a geologist and two businessmen. So yes, I know what the real world is like.

So what is it that makes us think that we can be called to serve God? For me, it is knowing that God calls us, understanding our flaws, our doubts and weaknesses, and still loves us anyway. When we read Scripture, we know that we are not alone with our doubts. We know that Moses didn’t think he would be able to go to Pharaoh and lead his nation from Egypt. But he did.

Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh, but eventually he did. And when Saul began his journey to Damascus, he could never have imagined that he would become known as Paul the apostle. Peter and his friends were fishermen before they met Jesus, and I find it a great encouragement that the Gospel writers tell the story of the disciples as they were, rather than pretending that they never failed or had a moment’s doubt.

The Gospels make it very clear that they were not superheroes. Sometimes they understood what Jesus was about, and other times they failed miserably. Sometimes they had such strong faith, and at other times, their courage failed them. In fact, they were a lot like us, frail humans. The story of Jesus walking on the water is joined in Matthew, Mark and John to the feeding of the multitude which we read last Sunday, but it is only Matthew who tells us about Peter’s attempts to walk on the water to meet Jesus.

In biblical literature, the sea is often represented as the abode of demonic forces, hostile to God. The sea is to be feared. Matthew’s picture of Jesus standing on violent waves amid raging winds, saying to the fearful “I am here, do not be afraid”, affirms the lordship of God over the created world.

God comes to us in the chaos and storms of our lives, whether it is the chaos of uncertain futures, lost jobs, shattered relationships, failing health, Coronavirus, grief for loved ones who have died, or our aging bodies. God is as present with us as with the disciples in their fragile boat.

I love the apostle Peter, because his limitations and failings speak to my own. I once read that Peter is the patron saint of good intentions. He witnessed Jesus transfiguration and saw Moses and Elijah, he makes brave statements of faith and identifies Jesus as the messiah, and yet he runs away when the going gets tough.

And now when he sees Jesus, Peter is confident enough to try to walk on the water like Jesus, only to be overcome by fear and sink, and have Jesus come to his rescue. Peter is torn between fear and faith. He walks in faith and he sinks, he trusts Jesus and he fears the consequences. Peter’s story is a consolation to all of us who recognize ourselves in his life.

Writing of the Easter Mysteries, Beatrice Bruteau writes that “failing is part of the journey”. And it is, we only need to look at our own experiences to realize that. No matter how hard we try, we all continue to fall down at times. Jesus has always called and drawn flawed people. Jesus didn’t seem to spend much time with those people who thought that they were already perfect, like the rich young ruler or the religious elite. No, it is into our very ordinary lives that God reaches out to us.

We would like to be perfect, less bumbling and stronger in faith. But God encourages us to forgive our failures, much as God has already forgiven them. There are times when Jesus asks us to do what seems impossible. How can we ever begin to do the task he’s called us to? Give up the sin which we have been asked to give up?

How can we become prayerful people when we are so easily distracted? What we are called to do – but find so hard to practice – is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, and our hearts open to him for encouragement. We may not be asked to step out of the boat into roaring seas, but as followers of Jesus some things will be asked of us. The writer Fred Craddock puts this into perspective for us.

He writes: “this week, most of us will not launch a ship, write a book, end a war, appoint a cabinet, dine with a queen, convert a nation, or be burned at the stake. More likely this week will present no more than a chance to give a cup of water, write a note to someone, visit a nursing home, teach a Sunday school class, share a meal, tell a child a story, go to choir practice, and feed the neighbour’s cat.” Friends, it is these things are the mark of a true disciple. If we can be faithful and obedient in the small things of life, we can be ready and confident when Jesus asks us to come to him across the waters.

AMEN