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"Take Heart" This passage always makes me think of an old joke--my apologies to those who have heard it. Two hunters with their dogs go out to the marsh to bag some ducks. A flock of ducks flies overhead and the first hunter shoots down a duck and the second hunter shoots down a duck. The first hunter’s dog jumps into the water, swims over to the duck and swims back. The second hunter’s dog, though, jumps on top of the water, runs across the top of the water, picks up the duck and runs back on top of the water. This happens two more times. Finally, the second hunter turns to his friend and says, “You notice my dog there?“ “Yah” “What you think?“ “About what?“ “About my dog, what you think when you see my dog do that?“ The first hunter looked at the second, “I feel bad that you’re dog can’t swim.“ Sometimes people just can’t bring themselves to see a miracle when it’s right before them! The miracle of Jesus walking on the water is a story I tell quite often. I offer it to those who feel, as Peter did, as though they are going down, in danger of submerging under the waves. I was on a boat only once in the dark, with a storm brewing. I’m sure it wasn’t anything like the night the disciples were in the boat. Several years ago, we spent the fourth of July with Dennis and Deanna Kuder back when Dennis was pastor in El Dorado. As evening fell, we set out on El Dorado lake on a pontoon boat that belonged to Deanna’s parents. From the lake, we had a premier view of the fireworks over the lake. When they were over, the sky was very dark. Suddenly, the wind came up and we began to head in toward the docks. But as we motored in, the wind and waves were gathering energy, making it more and more difficult to get into shore. A pontoon boat is great on smooth water, but can be quite turbulent when the waves get choppy. Being from western Kansas, I’m not much for boats and water anyway. And there in the dark, navigating by flashlight, with the wind blowing and the waves slapping at the boat, I got just a taste of what it must’ve felt like to be the disciples. We made it into the marina in minutes. The Disciples experienced the fearful storm all night. Out all night, Matthew says, battered by the waves for the wind was against them. That’s when, in the darkest part of the night, in the fourth watch of the night, a figure comes toward them.
The fourth watch of the night was considered the darkest, most frightening part of the night—the fourth watch is when anything could happen. When Matthew says it was in the fourth watch of the night, he’s giving us a clue. (Ghostly...) Ooooooo. They see a figure coming toward them...could they believe their eyes? It looks as if it’s gliding above the water. “It’s a ghost!” It must’ve looked like a ghost, there above the water, not swimming toward them, but walking there on top of the water. They cried out in fear. “It’s a ghost!” Then Jesus spoke to them out over the water. Remember what he said? “Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.” “Take heart.” Words of comfort and hope. Take heart. Do not be afraid. It’s me. You know me. I am not a ghost. Jesus came and met the disciples where they were. And in that moment, where they were was out in the middle of a storm, batted about on the waves. He came to them, with heart and hope. “It is I. Do not be afraid.” But there’s more... Peter looks into the night, looks at the figure standing there on the waves, and he calls out. “Lord, if it really is you, tell me to come to you on the water!” “Come on,” Jesus says. And Peter gets out of the boat. Swinging first one leg over and then the other. Can you just imagine him, gently shifting his weight from the boat to his feet, just touching the surface of the sea. Ah—hah—ah! And Peter begins to come toward Jesus, walking on the water. But suddenly he becomes afraid. He notices the wind. He notices the waves. And he begins to sink. “Lord, save me!” he calls out. And immediately. Very important words in this story. IMMEDIATELY, Jesus reached out his hand and he caught him! Caught him and held him up! The story provides an assurance that the Lord who comes to us in the midst of great storms had not abandoned us, and will catch us and hold us up, even through the most fearful of circumstances! Then he looks at Peter, and says those words. Now… I’m going to say these words the way I heard them in a number of sermons when I was growing up. The preacher, in a booming voice, full of judgment and scorn would thunder, “Ye of little faith, why did you doubt?” Now, I don’t think that’s the way Jesus said those words. I don’t know for sure, I wasn’t there. But I’ve wondered why Jesus would be so hard on Peter? I mean, Peter at least got out of the boat now, didn’t he? He didn’t say, “Lord if that is you, why don’t you come over here so I can get a better look at you.” He didn’t say, “Lord if that is you, come fix this storm we’re in.” No--he says, “Lord, if that is you, bid me come to you walking on the water.” And when Jesus says come, by gum Peter crawls over the side and… Think about it. This ghostly figure comes in the darkest, most frightening moment of the night in the middle of a great storm out in the middle of the sea, and Peter gets out of the boat and starts making his way on the rocky waves over to him. Pretty gutsy, if you ask me. But then, he gets out there…and the wind is moving the water quite a bit, and maybe the waves are slapping up on him, and it is after all dark, pitch dark in the fourth watch and all that…and well…who could blame Peter for becoming scared. Plenty of preachers I know have blamed Peter. They’ll say, “He took his eyes off of Jesus and sunk like a stone…” They’ll say, “He lost sight of the Lord and lost his footing on the sea…” And then they say those words… “Ye of little faith. Why did you doubt?” Nah…I don’t think that’s right. Jesus sees that Peter got out of the boat. Didn’t stay holding onto the sides of the boat for dear life like the other 11. No, I’ll bet Jesus was prouder than anything when Peter stepped out. He watched Peter make those first few steps across the water like a new Papa watching his baby take his first few steps. “Hey hey. Looky here! He’s doin’ it. He’s doin it!” And then… Peter sunk. He called out “Lord, save me!” And Jesus was right there. Immediately. Caught him—held him up. Now then…I think Jesus, holding up Peter above the water, says these words like a coach encouraging a player he sees great potential in. Says these words like a coach who knows his player has just fallen, but can and will get up and do it with some encouragement. I think Jesus said those words this way: “Aw…you of little faith, why did you doubt? You were doing it! You were walking on the water! Don’t let your doubts drown you now. C’mon. You can do it! Why did you doubt? I love this story--because it illustrates ultimately, how much people matter to God. That those who find themselves far from shore, batted by the waves and the wind against them.....matter to God. That Christ will come to us, precisely in those moments. Calling out to us.... “Take heart.” Take heart. It is your Lord who comes to your aid. Take heart. It is your Lord who catches you before you go under the terrifying waves. Take heart. It is your Lord who holds you. I know some here know what it feels like to sit in the boat, battered by the waves, the wind against you. Fearful of what might happen next. Take heart. You matter to God. Take heart. The Lord will hold you up, bear you up, in the greatest storms of your life and not let you go. Who will not let you fall under the waves. Take heart. A few years back, Tex Sample told the story of trying to make his way to the Kansas City airport across the Kansas River. As he headed north, the traffic came to a standstill. Way up ahead, he could see emergency vehicles, and assumed there had been an accident. Tex missed his flight, and eventually re-booked on another and arrived at his destination. The next morning, he opened a local paper, and a headline from Kansas City caught his eye. It was the story of what had happened on the bridge. Seems a young man was about to end his life by jumping from the bridge. Rescue teams were called, and they tried to talk the man down. He was distraught and was not responding. They began to harness up a fireman for a rescue attempt. The man became more agitated, and moved out to the edge. With gentle voices, police and firefighters tried to sooth the man and coax him back to safety, all the while firemen in safety harnesses were moving into position. When the man saw a fireman crawl over the railing of the bridge, he warned, “Don’t come out here—I’ll jump!” The fireman slowly continued inching toward the suicidal man. Then, without warning, the man flung himself out into midair. In an instant, I guess you’d say, immediately, the fireman jumped and amazingly caught the man in mid air. And the two dangled from the life lines held tightly by crews above on the bridge. The man began to hit and scream at the fireman. “Let me go! I want to die! Let me go!” And the fireman was heard to scream. “I will not! Settle down! I am not going to let go of you!” This continued as the crews above began to pull the two up toward safety. “Let me go!” the man continued to scream. Blow after blow struck the fireman on his body and chest. “Let me go!” The fireman, in exasperation screamed back… “I’ve got you! I won’t let you go! Till Hell Freezes over I will not let you go.” That’s the sort of grip Jesus has on Peter. Until they are safely back into the boat. That’s the grip that is nearby to catch us, immediately…never letting go. Literally until Hell freezes over. Why did you doubt? |
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