SPEAKER_00: Well, we arrive on this Saturday, and the gospel has a line that's perhaps very easy to pass over.
SPEAKER_00: It says, It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
SPEAKER_00: That's the moment.
SPEAKER_00: Not the miracle, Jesus walking on the water.
SPEAKER_00: That line.
SPEAKER_00: Because that's where most of us live at some point.
SPEAKER_00: Doing what we're supposed to do, moving forward, trying to be faithful, and yet it feels dark.
SPEAKER_00: It can feel lonely.
SPEAKER_00: It can feel like Jesus hasn't shown up.
SPEAKER_00: The disciples are in the boat, in the middle of the sea, the wind is against them, and Jesus is not there.
SPEAKER_00: And then things get worse.
SPEAKER_00: The storm builds, the distance grows, and now not only is he absent, they're afraid.
SPEAKER_00: That's real faith.
SPEAKER_00: That's day-to-day.
SPEAKER_00: That's what we struggle with.
SPEAKER_00: We're talking about our daily lives.
SPEAKER_00: Not when everything is clear, but when it's dark.
SPEAKER_00: And he hasn't come yet.
SPEAKER_00: When we haven't felt his presence, when we don't see him, we don't feel him.
SPEAKER_00: Now hold on to that because the first reading we see something very different.
SPEAKER_00: The church is growing, people are coming, but there's a problem, real tension.
SPEAKER_00: People are being overlooked.
SPEAKER_00: There's frustration.
SPEAKER_00: There's division.
SPEAKER_00: What do the gospel what do the apostles do?
SPEAKER_00: Well, they don't panic.
SPEAKER_00: They don't try to do everything themselves.
SPEAKER_00: They respond with clarity.
SPEAKER_00: What do they say?
SPEAKER_00: They say, We need men filled with the spirit and wisdom.
SPEAKER_00: We need structure.
SPEAKER_00: We need order.
SPEAKER_00: We need people who will step up and lead and govern.
SPEAKER_00: And what happens?
SPEAKER_00: The church doesn't fall apart.
SPEAKER_00: It begins to grow.
SPEAKER_00: And that's important because both readings show us something we don't always expect.
SPEAKER_00: Even in the presence of God, there can still be moments of problems, pressure, and uncertainty.
SPEAKER_00: The disciples are in the storm.
SPEAKER_00: The church is dealing with tension and division, and yet God is still at work.
SPEAKER_00: So if we go back to the gospel out in the darkness, in the middle of the storm, what happens?
SPEAKER_00: Then suddenly they see something.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus walking towards them.
SPEAKER_00: But they don't recognize him right away.
SPEAKER_00: In fact, they're afraid.
SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes when God shows up in our lives, he doesn't look the way you expect.
SPEAKER_00: You thought he would fix everything immediately, that all the answers would be there.
SPEAKER_00: You thought that the would calm everything in your life, all your anxieties, frustrations, disappointments.
SPEAKER_00: You thought it would be very clear that Jesus is now in your life.
SPEAKER_00: Instead, he calms in the middle of it.
SPEAKER_00: And then he says one simple thing.
SPEAKER_00: It's I.
SPEAKER_00: Do not be afraid.
SPEAKER_00: Not I'll remove the storm right away.
SPEAKER_00: Not I'll make everything easy for you.
SPEAKER_00: Just I am here.
SPEAKER_00: And that's enough.
SPEAKER_00: And the moment they receive him, they arrive.
SPEAKER_00: The journey is completed.
SPEAKER_00: And that's the key.
SPEAKER_00: Not that the storm disappeared, but that his presence changed everything.
SPEAKER_00: So here's the question for you today.
SPEAKER_00: What do you do when it's dark?
SPEAKER_00: And it feels like God hasn't shown up, that you can't feel his presence.
SPEAKER_00: Do you stop?
SPEAKER_00: Do you lose trust?
SPEAKER_00: Do you assume he's not there?
SPEAKER_00: Do you go back to your old habits?
SPEAKER_00: Or do you keep rowing?
SPEAKER_00: Do you keep moving?
SPEAKER_00: One foot in front of the other.
SPEAKER_00: Keep believing.
SPEAKER_00: Just because you don't see him doesn't mean he doesn't already doesn't mean he's not already on the way.
SPEAKER_00: And sometimes closer than you think.
SPEAKER_00: So don't give up in the dark.
SPEAKER_00: Don't walk away in the storm.
SPEAKER_00: Don't assume absence when he's about to speak.
SPEAKER_00: Because sooner or later every disciple's, every disciple hears it.
SPEAKER_00: It is I.
SPEAKER_00: And in that moment, everything changes.
SPEAKER_00: Not because life gets easier, but because you realize, oh wait, I'm never alone.
SPEAKER_00: I haven't been alone.
SPEAKER_00: And that's what allows you to keep going, to keep trusting, to keep living your faith, a real faith, a steady faith, a faith that is grounded.
SPEAKER_00: Even when you can't see the shoreline, not yet, he does.
SPEAKER_00: And he's already leading you there.
SPEAKER_00: So trust in the Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Seek your eyes on his presence even when you can't feel it.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.