Sunday Sermon August 9, 2026

Jesus met the disciples in the middle of a storm. What does this story have to say for us in our own faith lives. 

Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33

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Scripture quotations from the COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE. © Copyright 2011 COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Transcript

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The Holy Gospel, according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. But by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, It is a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid. Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, Come. So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me. Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, You of little faith, why did you doubt? When they got into the boat, the wind ceased, and those in the boat worshiped him, saying, Truly you are the Son of God, the gospel of the Lord. So last week, last week we talked about Jacob and how Jacob was alone on the side of the river, and he was afraid because he was thought his brother Esau was gonna kill him the moment he saw him and he was living in that fear, and then he had a wrestling match with God, and we had that whole story. So last week we talked about how God welcomes the struggle. This week it is about how God meets us in our fears, which actually ties back to last week's first reading pretty well, I think, because Jacob was afraid and God stepped into that space of fear. Now, this week, the disciples are afraid. And rightfully so, I figure. So at the beginning of today's reading, it says, Jesus made them get in a boat. That means he kind of twisted their arm. He compelled them, he kind of forced them. This was not a, would you like to go? This was, you know, I'm gonna count to three, and you better be in that boat. One, two, right? So Jesus makes them get in a boat, and it's not clear why Jesus needs to use some level of force here. Maybe it's because they were worried about who's gonna do all the dishes from the picnic of 5,000 people, because this is right after this. Uh, maybe they were uh looking to clean up band-aids or something from all the healing, I don't know. But maybe also because some of them were skilled fishermen, they were reading the skies and they were feeling the winds, and they knew a storm was coming. And they looked at that dinky first century boat and said, Jesus, are you kidding? This is not a good time for a sailing trip. No thank you. Maybe. Either way, Jesus makes them get in a boat, and lo and behold, a storm hits. And I feel like if you are in a dinky first century boat, a storm is a very good time to be afraid. Fear can be a wonderfully life-preserving feeling in your life. If you are afraid of the bear that is charging towards you, that's a good thing. If you are afraid of uh getting struck by lightning when you're the oh tallest thing in a field, that's also not a bad thing to be afraid of. You know, fear can be a good thing. However, it's what fear does that can be challenging. Because the disciples are in this, you know, dinky first century boat, their storm is here, they're watching the waves crash, the wind is against them, which means they can't get back to shore, they're stranded, they're afraid, and they see a ghost. Because that will just add to the fear, right? Because now who knows what kind of ghost they think this is, but probably not a good one. And Jesus sees them in their fear and says, What? I just asked the kids, pop quiz. It's me! It is I, if you want to use a fancy Bible language. And actually, I'm gonna go fancier in the Bible language, because when you go into the Greek, it's not just Jesus going, it's me. It's Jesus going, I am is here. The the Greek has ego a me, and and the way Greek works is you don't actually need both of those. You can get away with one or the other, in short. But the ego a me, I am, shows up in other places. The I am is the name that is given to Moses by God. When Moses says, Who should I say is sending me? God says, I am. Ego a me is sending you. And so when Jesus sees them and calls out to them, he's not just being like, hey, it's me, Jesus, that cool rabbi you've been following. Jesus is walking on stormy waters just as God moved over the chaotic waters at creation. And Jesus says, I am is here. The great I am is here, take heart. Because God is bigger than the storm. And so you would think that that kind of callback would kind of shock the disciples a little bit. They would have some sense of like, cool, everything's gonna be okay, because Jesus has already calmed the storms in Matthew. This is the second time this happens. But they don't. Because fear can change how we hear things, fear can obscure how we interpret information, fear can cloud our vision. And so rather than feeling God's presence with them, instead of responding with peace and trust and hope, they respond through their fear with doubt, uncertainty, and challenge. And Peter, oh lovely Peter, Peter gets a bad rap. He really, I think he's just the voice for everybody. But Peter then calls out to Jesus with what? Um, if you are who you say you are, then prove it. Does anyone remember this lovely gentleman here? He wore a black shirt and he stood over here, and Mr. Dreer was with him, and the guy in the black shirt said, Hey Jesus, if you are who you say you are, go ahead, turn these rocks into bread. Hey Jesus, if you say who you are, go ahead and throw yourself down off the pinnacle and let people catch you, let the angels catch you. Who remembers who said that? Other than Keith. Satan. And so Peter, in his clouded, fear-clouded vision, instead of responding to God's presence in trust and hope and peace, responds with doubt, uncertainty, and challenge, testing Jesus. If you are who you say you are, then you will command me to walk on the water and I will. And Jesus, in all his graciousness, looks at this challenge, sees that tempter's voice coming out of Peter in this moment, and Jesus says, Okay, come. And so Peter gets out and he starts to walk on the water. And then I think as he's walking on the water, as the winds are hitting him, the waves are hitting him, he has this sudden realization, and he goes, Oh, I just tested God. I just asked God to prove God's self to me. How much hubris does that take? And I also imagine Peter is thinking a little bit about those 11 other guys that are hanging out in the boat wait, patiently waiting for Jesus to come to them, I assume. And Peter's going, I wonder what they're thinking of me. They must think I am a fool. They must think I am so hubristic. I don't know if that's a word. So full of hubris. We'll just switch the language. They must think that I am just out of my mind. And so then a new kind of uncertainty and doubt creeps into Peter's heart and he begins to sink. And that's a whole new kind of fear. No longer is it a tossing and turning little dinky first century boat, but it is his body in the water where he is sure to drown. And he calls out the only thing he can at that point. Lord, save me. I got nothing left. I am yours, I am at your mercy. Save me. And so Jesus reaches out and saves him. And again, Jesus then looks at him and says, Why? Why did you doubt? And the doubt isn't the thing that caused him to fall in the water only. The doubt was also that voice in his head that said, You should test this Jesus character. You should test the I am and say, if you are who you say you are, then. Why did you doubt when I said I am here? asks Jesus. Because fear. We have, I'm gonna be bold and say we have all at some point or another been in a space of fear. A space where there is uncertainty and doubt creeping into our hearts, a space where we don't know what's gonna happen next, a space where we are worried about ourselves or someone we love about or love. We have been in spaces of fear. And when we are told that God is with us in our fear, it is easy to be like Peter and to jump in. Well, if God is really here, then X, Y, Z will happen and all shall be well. Instead, the call is when Jesus says, I am is here, the God of creation, the God of Mosak, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of your ancestors, the God of love and grace is here. When we hear that, we respond with acceptance. God is here. And in that acceptance of God's presence, yes, we might still be afraid of the waves that are hitting around us because fear can be a life-saving thing. They should get to shore. But instead of fear clouding our ability to hear God's message of presence, we are able to instead hear it for what it is. That God is stepping into that scary place with us. Jesus does not calm the waters and then walk out. Jesus takes the storm and walks in the storm to the people. So God is with us in the scary places, in the struggles. And the challenge to us is when we hear God say, the great I am is here, we trust. We trust that voice, we accept that voice, and we move into that space of scariness with trust, peace, and hope. Knowing full well that sometimes we're like Peter, and we instead let fear cloud our vision and let doubt, uncertainty, and challenge enter our voices. But don't worry. Even in those spaces, God steps in, reaches out a hand, and says, I am still here, come with me. There is no too late. God is always reaching out, waiting for us to say, Lord, save me. Fear is real. Fear happens. Fear can be good, but what fear does can be bad. So when Jesus says, do not fear, he's not saying go out and walk on the stormy waters just trusting willy-nilly. God is saying, don't let the fear consume you. Don't let the fear cloud the way you hear God's voice in your life. So I don't know what's going on specifically in your moment, in your hearts in this moment right now. But I'm going to tell you now, and you are to hold on to it for whenever the next scary moment pops into your life. God is here. Take heart. And if you need reminders of that, we meet God at this table. We are fed with bread and wine, body and blood. We are welcomed by God into these waters, and we are surrounded by people who regularly tell us the Lord be with you. And also with you. Amen.