Freeville/Homer Ave. UMC's - Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - 08/10/14 Sermon - “He's the one who walked on water!"

Sunday 08/10/14 Freeville/Homer Ave UMC’s

Sermon Title: “He’s the one who walked on water!”

Old Testament Scripture Lesson: Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b

                                            

New Testament Scripture Lesson: Romans 10:5-15

Gospel Lesson: Mathew 14:22-33

Today is the Ninth Sunday after the Feast of Pentecost. On the day of the Feast of Pentecost, the disciples and the other early Christians were gathered in an upper room. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit moved like a mighty wind, they all spoke in different tongues or languages, and they then went forth proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. On the day of the Feast of Pentecost, the Christian Church was officially born.

This morning however, I am going to talk about yet another of Jesus Christ’s miracles. Last week, we heard the story of the “Loaves and Fish,” or the “Feeding of the Five-Thousand,” or “The Feeding of the Multitude.”

Yet this morning we have in fact, two miracles in the narrative or story of Mathew’s gospel. These two miracles are, one that Jesus walks on water, and two that Peter also briefly walks on water to, before he sinks into the water.

This morning’s miracles from Mathew’s gospel are then ones of pure faith. For when we are asked by God to do something that would otherwise be impossible, we must fully have faith. You see miracles often happen when there is a full and an abundant faith, and miracles often fail when we have little faith, or doubt, or fear.

In reading from the Psalm 105 from this morning, the Psalmist writes in 105:1-3, “O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.”

Knowing and believing fully in God’s deeds, God’s power, and God’s presence, is to have full faith and trust in Him.

The Apostle Paul supported this idea, when he told the church in Rome, or the Romans, about faith. In this reading from the Book or Romans from this morning, the Apostle Paul discussed the importance of faith. The importance of our hearts being in the right place with God. The Apostle Paul told the church in Rome to, not just to “confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord,” but “in your heart” believe “that God raised him from the dead.”

The other thing that the Apostle Paul asserts, is that faith in Christ is for all people, not just some. For as Paul said in 10:12-13 “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” So therefore, God, Jesus Christ, is for all people.

In today’s gospel of Mathew story, Jesus and the apostles had just feed the massive crowd with the five-loaves and two-fish. Mathew writes in 14:22, “Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.” When Jesus had fully dismissed and dispersed all of the crowds, the gospel says that, “he went up the mountain by himself to pray.”

Now remember the Apostles were told to “get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side,” which is the Sea of Galilee. Yet Jesus prayed upon the mountain for so long, that when he finished the gospel says, “he was there all alone.” Further the boat with the disciples that had went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, is no longer on the shore. The gospel says that “by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them.

At this point by the way, it is probably somewhere between 3:00 am to 6:00 am in the morning. It was dark, there were no flashlights, or lights of any kind with the disciples. All they had was the moon and the stars.

Then suddenly they see a figure walking on the water towards them. They can’t quite make it out, and “they were terrified.” In fact, the gospel then says that they said, “It is a ghost!” They all had great fear. At this moment Jesus then said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

So you see, the disciples realized that it was not a ghost or a spirit that was on the water, it was Jesus that was walking on the water.

The Apostle Peter, being often too bold, often being someone who would jump without thinking, and often being someone who would speak before thinking said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” I would like to think that Jesus had just a little grin of his face at this point, and then he tells Peter “Come.”

Peter then gets out of the boat, his faith and his trust in Jesus at first is solid. He is focused on the Lord, and the gospel says, “he started walking on the water, and he came toward Jesus.” Then the gospel says though, that he began to sink in the water. When this happened Peter shouted to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” You see, for if only for a moment, Peter walked on water.

Jesus then reaches his out to Peter, and says to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Then Jesus and Peter went back to the boat, and the wind and waves ceased. Everyone who was in the boat then said to Jesus, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

So what is the point of this miracle, this story in the gospel of Matthew from this morning? While I believe that this was a true miracle, some would argue however that this is just a story to increase our faith.

The reality though is, all throughout the gospels, while Jesus taught us how to love, how to forgive, and how to have entire new way of being, what he really desired, what he really wanted, was faith. When we have unshakable faith as people, and as the church, watch how God can use us! Watch how this church and this community can be transformed! It is transformed by God working through us, but God’s fullest work will occur when our faith and our trust is completely in Him.

We then had two miracles this morning. One was that Jesus walked on water, and the other one was that, if even for a moment, Peter walked on the water, until he took his eyes and his heart off of Jesus.

When have we taken our eyes and our hearts off of Jesus, off of God? What has happened in our lives and in the lives of others, when we have taken our eyes and our hearts off of Jesus? Off of God?

For many of you that know me well, you know that I often don’t bring a lot of politics and the current news into the pulpit, but the events that have been occurring in the country of Iraq in recent days have been heavy on my heart. For many Christians are being killed, displaced, or forced to pay a tax, just to stay alive. Yet the Apostle Paul tells us in the Book of Romans from this morning, that God is big enough for everyone, and that Jesus loves us all. If we get to a place then, were we are willing to kill innocent people, harm the helpless, and oppress God’s children, then I wonder are our eyes and our hearts focused on Jesus? Focused on God?

It perplexes me then, that people who claim to be followers of holiness and righteousness, can sink, like Peter sank this morning, so low in fact, that they are willing to kill and do awful things to innocent people.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus calls us to holiness, not the sword. If we are defending ourselves that is one thing, but to brutalize, oppress, and even kill innocent people, to me this is to take one’s eyes and heart off of Jesus, off of God. This is when we sink in the water.

So family, my brothers and sisters, I end this message this morning with a quote. This quote is from St. Therese of Lisieux. Here it is, “I know God. He is a father, a mother, who in order to be happy must have his child upon His knee, resting on His heart.”

With this said, if we keep our eyes and our hearts focused on Jesus, on God, we can do big things, but when we take our eyes and our hearts off of Jesus, off of God, we sink. We become capable of doing awful and sinful things. So keep your eyes and your heart focused on Jesus. Amen.