Our Focus Gospel reading for this Sunday is Matthew 14:22-33
Following the feeding miracle, Jesus instructed the disciples to return home by boat without Him. Then, Jesus dismissed the crowd himself and went up into a mountain to pray; and by this time the night had come. But sometime later, possibly around the middle of the night, before they could make it across the lake, the disciples were caught in the fury of a sudden storm, and they were struggling against the winds and the waves. Before sunrise, Jesus, walking on the high ground at the north of the lake, clearly saw the boat fighting in the moonlight with the waves. Jesus descends from the hills and approaches the boat. When the disciples see him walking on the water towards them, they’re terrified. “It’s a ghost!”, they cry. They thought the sea was a haunted place, a thin place between the living and the dead, the natural and supernatural. The disciples are afraid because they aren’t keen on drowning. They’re afraid because they lack the tools with which to process what they’re seeing; human beings don’t have the ability to walk on water!
Matthew’s Gospel tells us that Jesus identifies himself to reassure his disciples: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” As far as we know, eleven of the disciples, frozen in fear, say nothing. But Peter proposes a bizarre test. “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus says, “Come.” Peter walks on the water towards Jesus before he started to sink. But then he realizes what he’s doing and begins to drown. “Lord, save me!” he cries. “Immediately,” Jesus reaches out his hand, catches Peter, and delivers him to safety. “You of little faith,” Jesus says to the breathless, soaking Peter. “Why did you doubt?”. Sometimes, in our hearts we hear Jesus asking us, why you doubt me? I have shown you my faithfulness in critical times. Why do you doubt that I am with you? The wonderful thing about Peter is that every time he fell, he rose again and that even his failures brought him closer and closer to Jesus. The Gospel reading for this Sunday touches on familiar themes to us at these times of natural disasters, war, division, uncertainty, but mostly, on the amazing faithfulness of God in Jesus Christ. Come to worship with us online and in person at 2:30 pm and join us as we continue learning from the Gospel of Matthew and the message of God for our lives. See you at worship!
We will be praying for you and your family. Please include us in your prayers as well.
Lord, when the wind and waves of life rise up against us, do not let us drown I fear. Hold out your hand when we doubt, fix our eyes on your grace, and calm the storms in our hearts. Truly you are the Son of God, and in you, we find peace. Amen.
See you at worship!