The Neighborhood Podcast
This is a podcast of Guilford Park Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina featuring guests from both inside the church and the surrounding community. Hosted by Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Fearing, Head of Staff.
The Neighborhood Podcast
"Faith in Jesus, Faith in Ourselves" (November 16, 2025 Sermon)
Preacher: Landon Bryant
Texts: Jonah 1:3-5, 15-17; 2:1, 10 & Matthew 14:22-33
What if the storm outside isn’t the real threat—and the storm inside is? We open with breath and prayer, then move into two sea-soaked stories that refuse to let fear write the ending. Jonah runs from a calling he judges impossible, only to find that God’s presence fills even the places chosen as escape routes. Inside the belly of a great fish, he discovers a hard-won resolve that leads to Nineveh’s surprising turnaround and a reminder that mercy can reach people we’ve already ruled out.
From there we step onto rough water with Peter. After a long night and a contrary wind, Jesus appears walking across the waves. Peter asks to join him, and for a few steps he does what no one expects. The moment the wind takes his focus, he starts to sink—until Jesus grabs hold and asks the question that lingers: why did you doubt? We explore why Jesus “made” the disciples board in the first place, and consider a perspective that Peter’s doubt may have been less about Jesus and more about his own capacity to live like his rabbi. Faith becomes more than belief; it becomes apprenticed confidence shaped by attention.
Across both passages, a single thread holds: where we place our gaze changes what becomes possible. Jonah learns that obedience can open the door to communal renewal. Peter learns that courage grows step by step, especially when the wind rises. Together they invite us to trust God’s nearness and also trust that, by grace, we can take the next faithful step. Listen for a grounded, hopeful take on fear, focus, and the kind of trust that carries you through the waves.
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As is our practice, let us breathe. Breathe in deeply the love of God and breathe out God's love to others. Breathe in God's faithfulness and breathe out God's faithfulness to others. And breathe in God's mercies, breathe out God's mercies to others. Listen to our prayer of illumination. Ground us, God, in the words in the message you have for us this morning. Open our minds to imagine new ways of getting to getting to new ways of loving your kingdom. Open our eyes to see you in our world. Amen. Today our reading comes from the Old Testament book of Jonah. Chapter 1, verses 3 through 5, 15 and 17, and chapter 2, verses 1 and 10. I will be reading from the New International Version. But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down, he went down to Joppa where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. Then he then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each and each cried out to his own God. Then they looked Jonah and threw him overboard. And and the raging sea grew calm. Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. From the inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. And the Lord commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
SPEAKER_00:Our second reading comes from the book of Matthew in the New Testament, chapter 14, verses 22 to 33. I will also be reading the New International Version. Immediately, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on the mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from the land, befaded by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. It's a ghost, they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them, Take courage, it is I, don't be afraid. Lord, if it's you, Peter replied, tell me to come to you on the water. Come, he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, Lord, save me. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said, why did you doubt? And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, Truly, you are the Son of God. The word of God for the people of God.
SPEAKER_02:For those who are new and may not know me, I'm Landon Bryant, and I'll be doing today's sermon. As you all know by now, uh this worship service is about the story of Shona and some things from the book of Matthew. And that's exactly what today's sermon will be about. To begin, I would like you to think of a time when there was something that maybe you knew that should have been done, but was not done. A case just like this happened to Jonah. Now Jonah was tasked by the Lord to go to Nineveh to preach the warning sent by God that if the people of Nineveh didn't quit their evil doings, that they would be destroyed. But Jonah refused. In an act of what some would call fear or disbelief, Jonah fled from the Lord, believing that the people of Nineveh were too evil to change. But God is omnipresent, meaning that He is everywhere. If we flee from the Lord, we won't go anywhere, for the Lord is everywhere. Jonah was swallowed by a great fish and punished for three days and three nights. Jonah was in a state of anger with himself, believing it best if he had never lived. He realized now that the Lord's words shall always be obeyed. But the Lord saw Jonah, and saw that he had indeed been changed. Jonah was spit out by the great fish. He journeyed to Nineveh and preached God's news, and to his surprise the people of Nineveh listened, and they changed their ways, and they were not destroyed. I believe this story reminds us to never stray off of God's path no matter what, but to praise and serve the Lord. Now we turn our focus to a New Testament story. In Matthew chapter 14, verses 22 through 33, Jesus makes his disciples get into a boat and sail to the other side of the lake after feeding the five thousand. Sometimes I find it strange that he made the disciples get into the boat. He didn't request them to get in, he didn't suggest that they get in, he made them get in. And I'll come back to this in a little while. Around six in the morning the following day, Jesus appeared to the disciples walking on the water. The disciples panicked, believing that a ghost walked upon the water. But Peter recognized his Lord, saying, Lord, if it is really you, command me to come upon the water with you. And Jesus did so. Come upon the water, Peter. For a moment Peter walked on the water, but when a wind rolled its way into view, Peter began to sink. Down he went, but Jesus grabbed Peter by the arm, saying, You man of weak faith, why did you begin to have doubt? Jesus asked. He took Peter back to the boat, and the disciples praised Jesus, calling him God's son. Now let me go back a bit and say a few things. I'm going to read Matthew chapter 14, verses verse 22. This is not from the New International Translation. This is from my personal Bible. Right then Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead to the other side of the lake when he dismissed the crowds. When I read that, I think, why did he make the disciples get into the boat? And perhaps he made the disciples get into the boat because he knew what would happen. Because from what we know, Peter was completely unharmed from sinking. So maybe Jesus used it as a lesson to the disciples and to all of us to never stray from the Lord's path and to always have our focus on the Lord. But what do other people believe about this story? I recently watched a Rob Bell video about this beautiful story. Rob believed that Peter sank not because he had little faith in Jesus, but because he had little faith in himself. For Rob believed that the disciples do everything to follow their rabbi. And that's what Peter did. He walked on the water just like his rabbi Jesus. But when the great wind rolled in, Peter sank. Rob believes that Peter sank because he didn't have faith to be like his rabbi Jesus. Curious, I looked up faith in my dictionary, and it means to believe or trust in someone or something. That, along with Rob Bell's belief, just gives an entirely new meaning to these stories. So the message that I give today trust in God and trust in yourself.