A, Post-Pentecost 11 Proper 14 - Matthew 14:22-33 Romans 10:5-15 "Faith Boat Afloat"
Getting in and out of boats is difficult. Anyone who has ever climbed into a canoe or
kayak for the first time becomes aware of the instability immediately! If sitting in boats is not easy, standing in
them is even more difficult. Standing in
a kayak is a sure sign that one is about to get very wet. Standing in a canoe is not much better! Even standing in a regular small boat is
problematic, not to mention moving around.
One loses their balance very easily in a boat.
Hopping out of a boat is not much simpler, either at a
jetty or at the water’s edge. Going from
the instability of a boat to the unknown of what’s under the surface of the
shallows can bring a person unstuck.
Once I experienced getting out of an inflatable rubber
dinghy thinking the water was ankle deep.
Awkwardly stepping over the round inflatable edge of the boat one foot
descended into the water while the other stayed higher on the floor of the
vessel. At the point of no return one must
throw their weight from one foot to the other.
The other foot in the salt water had not touched anything solid. The
waves rocked the boat from side to side. Straddling the inflatable side of the rubber
craft meant a moment of uncertainty and lack of control as I couldn’t see what
was under my foot. So, knowing I could
see sand nearby, I presumptuously threw my weight and went to stand up on the
leg in the water.
I can only imagine what this looked like from the
beach. A man in a trendy blue chambray
shirt, cargo trousers rolled up a bit, with sunglasses on and mobile phone on
the belt clip, going topsy-turvy head-over-heels into the shallows of the surf. Apparently, I didn’t see that hole in the
sand!
Total immersed, I stood up quickly, as you do, to see if
anyone was looking. Everyone was looking!
It was holiday time at Byron Bay, the
beach was packed from frolicking families to topless tourists sunbaking, and
all seemed to be watching the inflatable rubber boat come in to make land
fall. Everyone saw me fall, ego first
into the drink! Embarrassed, everyone
watched me walk dripping wet, head down, away from the beach!
The people of God, gathered to hear God’s word and receive
his sacraments, are sometimes pictured as those gathered in a boat, just as
were the disciples on the Sea of Galilee.
We call this gathering, church.
Church is the congregation not the building in which it gathers. In fact, the centre section of the building
where the people gather is called the nave, from the same Latin word from where
we get navy!
The disciples were having a hard time of it in their nave as
they struggled through the night to cross the lake. They were in the vessel having been made to
go without Jesus, while he dismissed the five thousand and went to pray.
Jesus was alone praying while they were alone at sea. It was the last watch of the night, the hours
between three and six A.M. This is restless
time, the witching hours of the night, when one dreams or has nightmares, or
just cannot go back to sleep! Awake, or dreaming
a nightmare, one has their aloneness impressed upon themselves.
So too the disciples as they fought exhausted by the
turbulence all around them. It appeared no
one was around to help them! Then
someone does appear, walking towards them.
“Walking! How can this be?” Terrified they’re spooked by a phantom, an apparition
of calm light walking through the nightmare towards them.
Jesus immediately calms them with his word, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27 ESV) He tells them, “Have
courage, be bold, dare not to be troubled, within themselves, with their
situation, with the wind or the waves, and with him!”
Peter is invited with a single command by Jesus, “Come!”
But on entering the water and seeing the wind and waves he doesn’t trust
Jesus’ word over what is within him, he sinks and sings out to Jesus, “Lord save me” (Matthew 14:30 ESV) Jesus
rescues him from the two-timing faith within himself, saying, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
(Matthew 14:31 ESV)
This is the second time Matthew records the disciple’s
faithlessness on the Sea of Galilee. In
chapter eight Jesus was amongst his disciples in the nave of the boat. While the disciples were nauseated by the
thoughts of perishing, Jesus slept. The
fishermen woke Jesus calling him to fish them out and save them from this
stormy situation.
Little did they understand these were previews of the
greater seismic event of the cross when they would all be faithlessly scattered
in fear. But even before going to the
cross Jesus tells of troubled waters ahead where the church will be shaken.
Jesus tells his disciples, “See that no one leads you astray.
For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will
lead many astray. And you will hear of
wars and rumours of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take
place, but the end is not yet. For
nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be
famines and earthquakes in various places.
All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation
and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s
sake. And then many will fall away and
betray one another and hate one another.
And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased,
the love of many will grow cold. But the
one who endures to the end will be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole
world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:4–14 ESV)
So, we continue to gather in Christ, knowing trouble is
coming, but so too is the end. If it
wasn’t for the Holy Spirit, we would soon forget that Jesus Christ is the
ballast in the boat. We like Peter would
quickly revert and return to trust our own spirit, what we see, hear, and
feel! If it wasn’t for the Holy Spirit, we
would not know Jesus Christ is Emmanuel, God with us!
God the Father’s church is one of Law and Gospel! We are in a community of commandments and
faith. One in Christ, believers gathered
as one by the Holy Spirit!
Jesus is the ballast in the boat, having fulfilled the commandments.
The Holy Spirit gives us our balance in
the boat, having made us righteous with the ballast we need to remain upright
in the Father’s eyes.
Saint Paul paints a picture of those gathered in the nave
of Christ’s presence. Those gathered as church by the Holy Spirit in
faith do not ponder in their hearts, “who
is going to heaven and who is not going to be saved.” When one does this, they expose their double-timing
faith, falling out in fear, and temp finding out just how deep the hole is
they’re presumptuously stepping into!
Wondering who has faith and who hasn’t, immediately
excludes you from faith as well!
Why? Because the only way anyone
has faith, is through hearing the word of faith. While one wonders and ponders, the ears fail
to hear, and the mouth is mute and unmoving!
So, what do you hear?
And from it, what do you believe and confess?
We hear that Jesus is in the boat! Not only that, but we hear he’s the ballast having
borne the burden of fulfilling the commandments and our failure to fulfil them.
Those in church who appear as “good people”, we no longer
believe are going to heaven because of their goodness. That dethrones Jesus from heaven!
Those in church who appear as “not very good people”, we no
longer believe are condemned by their deeds. That brings Jesus up from the dead as if he
was never raised in victory over sin and death. Your sin and death or any other “not very good
people’s sin and death”!
No! Those very
people with which you and I are called together, by the Holy Spirit, are called
to confess with our mouths that, Jesus is Lord, believing he is in the boat,
and we are with him in it. The Holy
Spirit gives us balance in the boat.
That balance is faith, trust in Christ our ballast!
That faith fills our hearts and our mouths so the faithful
confession of those gathered to be forgiven and fed the Word of God, as it’s preached,
prayed, sung, confessed and consumed, will fulfil the full cycle of faith.
Let us persevere in this holy faith feeding faith, even
when we experience trouble and restlessness in the last watch of the night,
seemingly falling out of the boat topsy-turvy head-over-heels. Let us not walk away from the boat ashamed of
the Gospel. But rather let faith empower
faith. Let the Holy Spirit balance the
boat and keep you afloat!
As the Holy Spirit inspires the Romans through Pauls words
of faith at the beginning of his letter to them, let it empower you as you hear
his confession of faith, “For I am not
ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who
believes. For in it the righteousness of
God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall
live by faith.” (Romans 1:16–17 ESV)
It is the last watch of the night! Faith reveals Jesus in the boat. Faith waits for Jesus’ return. Faith hears Jesus say, “Surely I am coming soon.” Faith says, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen”.
(Revelation 22:20–21 ESV)
Those who have ears, let them hear! Amen.
