“Uncertainty Breeds Fear or Faith” Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – August
13, 2017 Centenary United Methodist Church
Psalm 105:1-7; Matthew 14:22-33 This morning we are going to consider what happened immediately
after Jesus spent the day teaching, healing and eating with 5,000
people. Last week, we
learned that Jesus had just heard about the senseless beheading of his
cousin, John the Baptist.
He wanted to be alone to sort out his feelings and to pray.
If there was ever an opportunity for Jesus to say, "Where was God
during this occasion?" this was the time.
However, Jesus never questioned God about what was happening
among people who were still
spiritually asleep. King Herod got drunk at his birthday celebration when he promised
to give his stepdaughter anything that she wanted as a reward for her
sensuous dancing. After consulting with her mother, Salome requested the
head of John to be brought to her on a silver platter. (Matthew 14:8)
Since this was an occasion when Herod's entire court was
celebrating his birthday, the deed was done.
Herodias had her revenge.
She hated John because of the numerous times she and Herod
endured John's public humiliation and condemnation of their
relationship. Jesus got into a boat and rowed it to a place where he could find
solitude. Upon his arrival,
he noticed that a large crowd had followed him on the land.
He took pity on them and began teaching and healing. After they shared the late afternoon meal with each other, Jesus
wanted to pursue his desire to be alone. He dismissed the crowd and
directed his disciples to row their boat to the opposite side of the
lake where he would join them later. Jesus entered into a period of
solitude. According to Matthew, the disciples were far out in the lake when
they encountered one of the fierce storms that appear to come out of
nowhere. Early that morning
while it was still dark, Jesus decided to go to the disciples who were
struggling in the wind. The
disciples became frightened by what they saw coming toward them. The
figure looked like a ghost.
Jesus announced who he was and told them not to be afraid. Peter wanted to get out of the boat and come to Jesus.
Jesus invited him to do so.
However, he became afraid of the strong winds and began to
lose his balance. He called
out to Jesus to grap hold of him.
Jesus did so and then asked him why he was afraid.
Now, of course, the big
elephant in the room that has always accompanied this drama is
whether or not Jesus actually walked on the water. Numerous people have
totally dismissed the Gospel account as nonsense. A number of life's most valuable lessons are missed because
people throw the baby out with
the bath water.
The message of this passage had
nothing to do with people walking on water.
Jesus had just asked Peter a question, "Why is it that when
gale-force winds were blowing
and you lost your balance, you called out for me to save you?"
This question has a timeless quality to it.
Maybe we have felt the same way during moments that produced
insecurity and uncertainty when our faith did not appear to be working
for us. If
we want to grow spiritually, we have to recognize and embrace our fears
by interpreting them as
a warning
that new skills are about to be added to our lives.
A threatening experience may
be our private and personal
wrestling partner, one
that no one else has.
Threatening issues are always our
private tutors that encourage our growth toward character and skill
development. Who cares about the
science of how Jesus and Peter met in the water.
There are Greek words in this Gospel account that can also be
translated that Jesus was walking
near the water's edge where the strong winds had carried the
disciples' boat.
We should not become
distracted by the translation that tells us that Jesus was actually
walking on the water. The point of
the story was that Peter's faith was floundering even though Jesus was
standing right in front of him.
How many times do we find that
our spirits are willing but
our flesh is weak?
We know that everyone dies, but
it becomes a very intense and personal matter for us when death comes to
one of our loved ones. We should fully expect that
our flesh is
weak particularly when threatening experiences are new ones.
I am a pastor that would have been contented to remain in my
small A time came when I was asked to become the next chairperson of
the Board of Directors of a sizeable corporation.
I was asking myself, "Are you
kidding me? Why me?
Isn't there someone infinitely more qualified to do this?"
I knew very little about
Robert's Rules of Order. The Board members were most intimidating to me, e.g., there were
physicians, architects, bankers, accountants, attorneys and CEOs of
companies. I did not sleep
a wink the night before my first meeting.
Fears of failure lurked everywhere.
I had never held a position of leadership outside of the I was standing right where Peter stood and thinking, "Save me,"
knowing that God has always been with me.
However, emotionally, I was a wreck.
Every airline pilot has his or her first maiden flight with an
airplane filled with passengers.
Every surgeon has cautious feelings while operating on his or her
first patient. This
is life coming at us and we have to break through our insecurities and
uncertainties by simply stepping up and dealing with what is in front of
us in the most creative ways that we can.
No one can do this for us.
If we refuse life's calling to us to deal with unfamiliar
circumstances, we put our growth on
hold.
Fortunately for us, God is very
patient with all of us. Maturity,
confidence and faith are not automatic qualities that develop because we
are getting older.
These are skills of spirit that are
forged in the fires of our
fears. They can easily
breed uncertainty, insecurity and hesitancy.
This is perfectly normal for everyone of us.
We only learn how we are
wired when circumstances
cause us to use circuits that
we never knew we had.
In spite of the fact that Peter brought a sword to a prayer
meeting and used it on an unarmed man, in spite of his denying three
times that he knew Jesus, the Master said to Peter, "You are the
foundation that will support those who follow me." (Matthew 16:18)
Last week was our Council meeting.
There were numerous members that voiced their concern about the
future of our small church-family.
This was a unique moment to ask if we are driven by fear or
faith? If we turn back the
pages of history and look at Jesus and his twelve disciples, Centenary
is miles ahead of where they
were. They were isolated in an obscure part of the world. They were not
located in There was no justice.
Life had not been fair.
For most people at the time, Jesus failed.
However, Jesus knew that it only takes a small spark to get the
fire going. Jesus provided
that spark and let go so God could do the rest. When we are
afraid of failure,
the missing ingredient in our life is what
God can do through our presence in the world. What
was missing in Peter's life was the lack of experience in dealing with
the issue of drowning. When we experience enough moments that evoke our insecurity and
uncertainty, and learn to punch
through the barriers those
moments represent, we develop faith and trust that cannot mature in us
by any other way. With constant practice, we can become invulnerable to
what used to evoke our fears. We have to approach the
sport of living like an athlete that wants to win.
When we treat life like a
game, we always bring our best to the next event even when that
event looks impossible to accomplish.
When our fear of failure looms, we must remember that the Creator
of the universe has our backs.
God knows how to make the
impossible happen. (Matthew 19:26) There are a good number of people who will never believe this
unless they have evidence. The next time you discuss this with doubters,
ask them how Jesus' teachings reached every country and province in the
world in the 21st Century. Jesus did not have a publicist or a marketing specialist.
He did not have access to
social media, YouTube, the Internet, printing presses, a book
distributor, or television and radio with satellite links to the
world. Jesus just stood
firm when he was among people and said: All of you can do
better than this. If you listen to me, I will teach you new ways to
interpret your life-experiences.
They all have a purpose for your spiritual development once you
assign a meaning to them that will encourage you to make choices that
will cause you to grow. Do not underestimate Centenary's reach.
We must remember what God did
with a teacher and a group of men who were flawed.
They had no formal education and they definitely were not very
religious. (Luke 9:54) Right now, what we know about our world is that very few people
are teaching spiritual growth or how to creatively interpret life.
People need to dream bigger dreams, speak with words of
encouragement and become a friend that supports others on their
individual journeys. Currently the world appears to be filled with people whose
profound insights are filled
with criticism, negativity, blaming, slander, false educated guesses and
all manner of personal attacks. They remind us of members of the
Sanhedrin who were threatened by Jesus' message.
There are only a few visionaries among them that give hope,
support and encouragement to those who are attempting to lead. It is our job to step-up and become
the cheerleaders for everyone
we meet. God will do the
rest with results we will not live long enough to see.
We need to learn to look at ourselves as planting seeds for the
next several generations. All of us are grateful to those who paved the way for us.
Now, it is our turn to continue the practice for tomorrow's
world. One of the qualities of
life that separates people is that so many of us show up in our
relationships with our own agenda, an agenda that too often lacks love.
All of us need to remind ourselves and everyone else that we are
one people. Everyone
of us is a daughter or son of our Creator.
The best way to prove the truth of this is to make this
understanding visible by how we live.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER Merciful God, we thank you for surrounding us with treasures that can be
discovered and used by everyone.
Yet those treasures are like a burning bush.
As Moses turned aside to seek your presence, so must we.
It is we who must search for your guidance.
It is we who must desire peace, kindness and compassion when
there are moments when we experience the temptation to respond
otherwise. You designed us for growth while leaving the pace of that
growth up to us.
With
grateful hearts, we come this morning celebrating our faith and our
journey with you.
Amen.
PASTORAL PRAYER Loving God, we are so thankful for our
lives and the beautiful tapestry that can be created when we allow you
to weave the threads of our bittersweet moments into a work of art. So many times,
we become caught on the edges of an experience that we feel is so unjust
and unfair, without ever knowing how that experience might be preparing
us for a more fulfilling future. We are quick to judge our
circumstances without knowing how one piece of the puzzle fits so
perfectly into another, a process that we only recognize through
hindsight. We marvel at how failure can lead to an open door, how
a fractured relationship can lead to one that heals, how a change in our
job status can lead to a remarkable opportunity or how frustration can
inspire our creativity. Help us, O God,
to trust your guidance in how we interpret the unfolding of our lives.
Only when we doubt your presence do we find ourselves blind and lost.
Only when we forsake our trust in you, do we find ourselves seeking
fulfillment in places that cannot provide it. Lord, help us to
be more open to the movement of your spirit. Help us to lead
others to the discovery that they, too, have a spirit that can inspire
them to heights of happiness they have never known. Help us to
remember that if others are ever going to discover what Jesus taught, it
may be up to us to do the teaching. We pray these thoughts through the
spirit of Jesus, the Christ, who taught us to say when we pray . . .
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