Be Peter!

Genesis 37: 1-4, 12-28
Matthew 14: 22-33

Fear makes us do funny things, and by funny things I do not mean laughter inducing. Fear causes us to act out. We say things that are not nice. We treat others with disrespect. We get angry at things we normally shrug off when we’re not afraid. We hide and cower when we’re afraid or sometimes we become paralyzed by our fear.

The passage we read today in Matthew is filled with fear, but it doesn’t end that way. It ends in worship. Trinity is about to begin a whole new chapter in its faith journey and we all know that new beginnings are scary. The fear of the unknown can make us hide away from doing risky things because we want everything to go back the way it was before - before the change.

One of the worst things we can do as a church is to be so afraid and filled with fear that we do not look at change as a chance to try something new and perhaps prosper in unexpected ways, but instead we look at change as something to avoid at all costs because the old way worked just fine. However, Jesus has something to say about that. He tells us that we cannot put new wine into old wineskins otherwise the skins will burst and all will be lost. Instead, we are to put new wine into new wineskins so both will be preserved.

The same holds true for this church. Do not be afraid to try something new. Do not be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to doing God’s work. This year, we had a little girl show us that we can make a difference in a place halfway across the world just by having faith. We raised so much money for the Philippines in one night that I was astounded and I think many of you were as well! We put our necks out and we tried something different and look at the result!

How do we go from fearing change to embracing it as an adventure? Prayer. In the book of Matthew, the author makes it very clear that prayer has a major impact on the things that Jesus accomplishes. Last week, Jesus went away to pray and was bombarded with 5000 people and so he healed them and talked to them, and before they left he fed them. How did he feed them? He prayed over the food and asked God to provide and there were BASKETS of food left over. In the passage we read today, Jesus once again goes away to pray and when morning comes, the disciples see him walking on the water unafraid of the violent winds and the raging sea.  

The only way to be calm in the midst of crisis; the only way to be successful in times of trouble is through a strong prayer life. Jesus tells us that all it takes is a little bit of faith and we can do miraculous things just like he has done. Not because we are suddenly powerful, but because we have invited Jesus into every aspect of our life and this church and where Jesus appears – miracles happen.

How many people are in this story of Jesus walking on the water? It's a trick question in that there are technically 13 people in the story if all the disciples are on the boat. However, as we read the text we see only 3 people. Jesus, praying and walking on the water. The disciples, as one crying out in fear and later worshipping, and Peter calling out to the Lord and walking on the water. We are one church, one body with one mission – to spread God’s loving gospel to all those who have ears to hear it. However, all it takes is one bold person, like Peter, to make significant changes to the course of journey for all of us.

All of the disciples sat in that boat and all were afraid. In Luke it tells us that they knew it was Jesus walking toward them and yet, they were still terrified. These are 12 men who understood that Jesus was the Messiah, but when he did things like this that defied all logic they could not believe. How much harder is it for us, who have not met Jesus face to face and spent three years with him, how much harder is it for us to go out on a limb and pray that it won’t break on us and that we’ll fall to our death?

But that is what we are called to do and Peter understood that on a deeper level than the rest of them. Peter calls out to Jesus and says, “Lord if it is really you, command me to come out to you.” Now, we can do the same thing as Peter does. We can call out to the Lord to tell us where to go and what to do when we’re frightened, but there’s a key point that most of us seem to miss. You see, in this passage, Peter calls out to the Lord, and then he waits for the Lord to reply before he does ANYTHING. He waits!

How often do we wait to have our prayers answered? Sometimes we pray DURING the storms of our life instead of BEFORE them like Jesus did. We pray the way the disciples did, the way Peter does when he begins to sink – we say LORD HELP US! Jesus prayed before the storm ever began, before the wind even hinted at how fast it was going to whip around them and he was able to be the calm voice of reason that says, “Do not fear for I am with you.”

So not only does Peter wait for Jesus to answer him before he does anything, but then when Jesus says to him, “Come”, Peter FOLLOWS Jesus’ directions and steps out of the boat and into the water. We all can remember a time when we knew God was speaking to us and we decided not only to ignore God’s voice, but then to do what we wanted instead. We prayed to God, we heard God and then we did what we wanted instead like stubborn fools.

You see, we fear so many things. We fear not only being forgotten by God, but we fear what God would have us do as well! God does not call us to sit safe and comfortable in these pews Sunday after Sunday. He does not call us to do the same things we were doing 20 years ago! Matter of fact, if we are doing the exact same missions as we did 20 years ago or even 5 years ago – then we are stagnant. We are not listening to the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we are not paying attention to where Jesus is and we are not following our Father’s command to spread the Gospel to every corner of the world.

I’m not saying that there aren’t great things that we can do every single year for all of Trinity’s existence. I’m saying that God calls us to try new things and to expand our horizons and to reach out to ALL kinds of people. Form a prison ministry that offers prayers and bible readings to inmates and clothes for when they get out. Once a month, join up with the UCC church in State College and walk the campus to offer students a chance to learn about God. Get in on Grace’s Kumba stuff and offer to host it here at Trinity whenever needed or form a yoga ministry that offers prayer and meditation along with fitness. Create a praise band and once a month hold a praise worship to reach out to younger people.

Fear and exhaustion hold us captive. Peter may have begun to sink as he noticed the high winds and the tossing waves, but he was the only one of the disciples brave enough to even try to be faithful to Jesus. He was the only one, and as soon as he called out to Jesus, Jesus lifted him up and did not allow him to sink. Peter did not fail. Peter was strengthened by his experience and Jesus may have asked him why he began to doubt, but it wasn’t to chastise him. It was to make Peter think about what he had accomplished before he allowed fear to take over his mind.

What can we accomplish here when we let go of the fear? What have we already accomplished by being brave and bold in a world that tells us to shut up and sit down? I’m leaving here, with the hope and prayer that the next pastor you choose takes you to the greatest heights you’ve ever known, but the only way that can happen is if you allow that pastor to lead you into new places. You’re going to have to do things in new ways. Forget the past. Let it go and embrace your future.

Begin to pray and begin to listen and begin to trust that God has a great plan for all of you. There is so much promise and hope in this church that you could bring a lot of people to Christ by being the loving people you are – but by doing it in new ways. Don’t be disheartened. Don’t be afraid. Trust that God has a great plan for you. Trust God and listen to what God is telling you to do and then DO IT! Do not let fear have you sitting paralyzed in the boat or in these pews. Be Peter, the brash and bold man who dared to walk on water because Christ told him to walk to him! It was Peter that helped all the disciples go from being huddled in the boat, terrified of everything around them, to worshipping God and giving thanks! Be Peter!

Amen.