Sunday, August 7, 2011

Why Do You Doubt?, First Congregational UCC, Rock Springs, WY 8-7-2011

Why Do You Doubt?
By Rev Steven R. Mitchell
First Congregational UCC, Rock Springs, WY 8/7/2011
Based on Matthew 14:22-33


Last week we struggled with the concept of preparing enough food for five thousand plus with only five loaves of bread and two fish. For some of us the idea of a truly physical multiplication of these meager items might seem too impossible, as it goes against natural reasoning. On the other hand, if we look at that particular story as understanding the concept of taking what we do have and trusting it will be the start of something bigger, then the feeding of the five thousand plus is more understandable.
This week, the story that we are studying, seems to be even more unbelievable. You have the disciples once again out on their own, in the middle of the sea and finding themselves in the midst of a storm. Scared half out of their wits, they then see a man who appears to be walking on the water. Of course, it would be very natural for any one of us, seeing this same scene to image that what we were seeing was either a mirage or possibly a ghost walking on the water.
In the midst of this fear, Jesus hears the disciples crying out and so Jesus spoke to them saying, “Hey guys don’t be afraid, it’s just me, walking out here on the water, during this really bad storm, with the strong winds and the waves crashing all around me.” Evidently, Jesus wasn’t convincing enough, because nobody really seems to believe that it was Jesus. After all, it isn’t everyday that you see someone walking on the water. Usually, you would find them swimming at best. What was he wearing, sandals that had little life preservers that inflated, allowing him to be walking on the water. And what keep him from being knocked down by the waves as they came crashing up against his body. No, I think I would rather stick with assuming what I was seeing and hearing was a ghost.
Yet Peter decided to give Jesus a challenge saying, “If you really are Jesus, then command me to come to you, for if you command me, then I too will be able to walk on the water.” Although scripture doesn’t say this, I can imagine that Jesus extended his arm and held out his hand and simply said to Peter, “Come.” So Peter, trusting in Jesus, gets out of the boat, leaving the rest of the disciples on board, watching Peter walking on the water toward Jesus. Peter gets a good distance from the boat, and then he probably starts to think to himself, “What in the Egyptian Dessert am I doing? No man can walk on top of water. I don’t care if Jesus did tell me to come to him, it’s humanly impossible for me to be outside of the boat, walking on water, what am I thinking about?” At which point Peter takes a dunk into the sea, and he probably isn’t a very good swimmer either. As he is bobbing up and down like an apple in a barrel, he cries out to Jesus, “Save me, Lord.”
Jesus reaches out and grabs Peter, pulling him up out of the water. I have a sneaking idea, that Peter was probably saying a few choice words to Jesus, inquiring as to what made Jesus think he, Peter, could possibly walk on water. Then Jesus responds with, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Jesus pretty much drags Peter over to the boat and throws him back in, and once Jesus himself got into the boat, the storm stopped and the sea became calm.
Then scripture tells us that those in the boat worshipped Jesus saying, “Truly you are the Son of God!” So, this makes a really good story line for children in Sunday school or an Indiana Jones style movie, but what could it possibly be saying to us, especially those of us who don’t live by water, who don’t like to get into boats, and have no intension of trying our luck at walking on water.
Have you ever started in a direction and at some point wondered if you had made the best choice? This story talks about our human nature and how easily we can become disoriented, confused, and have the sense that we are lost. It is a story about how at times we don’t recognize God being with us, because God’s presence doesn’t fit into our “perception of reality”. It is a story of how we often decide upon an activity or path and as we get into it, encounter problems or rough times, and we begin to doubt ourselves and then many times stop what we have set out to do, because we don’t have the faith in what we are trying to achieve.
A common scenario for a church would be to embark on an intentional growth program. Everyone decides that being intentional in going out to recruit new members is what the church is being asked to do by God. So, the excitement is there, everyone has studied really hard on how to go out and invite new people into the church. There has to be some new programs started so that the new members will have things of interest to study and learn once they come. Then after about a year or two, the recruiting has paid off, and about a third or more of the church consists of new members.
But then the long term members start to realize that with all these new people, things are starting to change. There are new ideas and new ways of looking at things. Eventually, it becomes obvious that many of these new folks are wanting to work on church boards, which means that those who use to have the main voice in what was happening, no longer had that strong of say in business meetings. The long term members start to panic and begin to act out in behaviors that actually drives away the new members and then one day, the church which started out with a direction from God, finds itself once again sinking, because when the storm of change came, they got scared and lost faith in what they were wanting to accomplish.
I struggled this week with the conversation between Peter and Jesus, particularly over the word “command” which was the word Peter used in order to make sure that the person he was seeing out on the water truly was Jesus. After all, if Jesus is the son of God and he commands, then I will be able to do what he says. I struggled because Jesus simply said, “come”. There was no command by Jesus, but rather an invitation. There seemed to be an inconsistency between the two words. Finally, I figure out what was bothering me. It was a matter of “responsibility” more precisely, self-responsibility.
If Jesus had done what Peter had asked and had “commanded” Peter to come to him, then Jesus was the responsible person for what would happen to Peter. If Peter was able to walk on the water and made it safely to Jesus, then Jesus was the man! If however, Peter went out to Jesus and started to become side tracked and sank as he did, had Jesus commanded him to come out, then his failure to walk on the water would have been Jesus’ responsibility. But Jesus doesn’t command Peter to come out; he invites Peter to join him. In this way, Peter is the person responsible for his own conduct. If Peter falls into the water, it is Peters fault, not Jesus’.
Too often I hear people in their conversations, refer to something that has happened to them as a result of God. It’s not that we shouldn’t be giving praise to God for the good things that come our way in life, but when we use language like that, it is taking away personal responsibility. We so often use this type of language when trying to console someone who has lost a loved one, especially if it’s been in a premature death, like a car accident. We say things like, “It’s Gods will” or “God just needed that person to help them out in heaven”.
God does welcome us, yes, but I cannot believe that God is responsible for that person dying. We say God sent His son in order to save the world – meaning God sent Jesus to die. Yet scripture tells us Jesus, while in the garden of Gethsemane chooses to go down a path that will surely result in confrontation with the religious community and probably death. It was Jesus’ responsibility for this action, not God’s.
Today’s lesson is teaching us about personal responsibility, and what happens when we lose sight of God in our life. God invites us to do many things; it is we who decide to take that invitation. Then when the storm of change comes along, we often get so caught up in the uncomfortableness that our faith wavers and we find ourselves sinking. Then you hear things like, “we really want this church to grow, but God just doesn’t seem to think it’s the right time yet.” It isn’t God who’s not ready.
The story ends by stating that once Jesus get’s into the boat, the waters calmed and the storm stopped. It begins with the disciples not recognizing Jesus, but once they see who he is, and have him come aboard, once Jesus is among them, then the storm stops. Always remember that Jesus is beside you, all you need to do is recognize him, then and only then will the storm stop. Jesus asks each and every one of us at one time or another, “Why do you doubt?” It is a question for all of us to ponder on as we come to the table Jesus has prepared for us all. Amen

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