The Only Wet Guy in the Boat

Jesus walking on the water- one of the most believed stories of the Christian faith. What Christian does not resonate with the story, at least at some point in their lives? The images of the storm, Jesus off in the distance, and the waves all around- we can picture them, cant we?

I felt that way this week, can I confess that to you? RCPS announced their school plans, and it really has us at a weird place in our home- Jess, as a kindergarten aid is going to go back to work for 4 days; meanwhile all our boys are 100% virtual. Like so many other parents, we are now stuck in a position to figure out what the next few months may look like, if Jess can go back to work; can we find other child care; what can we do to provide the structure they need... and for many parents, some even sitting in this sanctuary, it feels like another wave just crashed over the side of the boat.

Maybe you feel the same in this moment. Maybe you can relate to the disciples, searching the horizon in terror, trying to figure out who that is calling in the midst of the storm...

And what does Jesus say in the middle of it all? Do not be afraid.

Afraid? What is there to be afraid of, Jesus? The giant waves taller than the boat? The howling wind? The figure walking across the water that looks like a banshee of some variety?

There is a storm going on, and really there are 2. There is the storm on the outside of the boat, and the story on the inside of the boat....

Friends, many times there is little we can do about the storms outside of the boat. Our lives are full of unexpected, unprecedented, unsettling moments that we are completely unprepared for- and many times there is not a lot we can do to alter that storm.

Even look at this story- the disciples, Peter, they could not and did not do a thing to the storm- that was all Jesus. Jesus was the only one who calmed the wind and waves.

What we can do something about is the second storm, the storm that was in the boat. Jesus clearly gives them a choice- do not be afraid. That was their choice to make.

Friends, we must remember that being overwhelmed by the storm outside and allowing it to terror in our lives is our choice.

This is a huge thought for us today- living into the terror, the fear, and the dread of any situation is our choice. When fear comes knocking at our door, we have the choice on whether to invite it in or not.

In the past few years there seems to be a rise in talking about “fear” in the life of the church. Many pastors and faith leaders have began to rethink and reapply fear- some of that I believe is because of the increase in mental illness, chemical dependency, and other things related to fear. Here is the struggle, more and more I hear Christians say that “fear is sin” This is what I like to call a half truth- because it is partially true, but partially false and pretty short sighted, in my opinion.

Fear, at is most foundational layer, is an emotion. Emotions are given to us by God and part of God’s grand design of human kind. Fear is something God programmed into humans to alert us that something needs to change. This is the end goal of all emotions- to alert us of what is happening around us. So, with this understanding, a statement like “fear is sin” is wrong.

Think of it this way- if your teenage daughter is walking down the road in the middle of Harrisonburg late at night and a car begins to follow her, slowly, with a man inside and no one is around- I hope we do not call her “fear” sin. Instead of saying to her- resist that fear because it is sin- I would say that her emotions are probably alerting her that she may be in danger- so get out your phone, find your way to a well light area, get closer to another person if you can. I would beg your daughter to act upon her fear.

Fear is a empowering emotion, it either empowers us to move towards God or away from God. It is the reaction to fear that causes sin to enter our lives. When our fear causes us to embrace the terror around us, or run away from God, isolate from our faith, or abandon the promises of God’s word THEN it is sinful. Think of the first Biblical example of fear- Adam said to God upon eating the apple “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” His fear caused him to hide from God.

Can I tell you, I think Peter gets a bad reputation from this story. Many in church portray Peter as a failure- sinking Pete. He took his eyes off Jesus and ended up knee deep in seaweed!

But here’s the thing, Peter might have had the best response one can have in this moment, he went to Jesus. Call for me, Lord, and I will come. Jesus calls and Peter takes out on the water… think about this for a moment, Peter’s response is the response we are called to have in these moments- push out to Jesus.

Here’s what I love in this story. Peter goes out on the water to meet with Jesus; he consequently gets frightened by the wind and the waves, and that fright causes him to take his eyes of Jesus. But the story does not end there, does it? There is another sentence after that- v33 “And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.

They worshipped him, all the people in the boat. I wonder what it was like after that storm, Jesus standing and looking at all those men---and there was one thing that separated Peter from the rest---Peter was the only wet guy in that boat. Everyone else was bone dry, and there was Peter soaking wet from the water.

Might I contend with you today that sometimes faith means being the only wet person in the boat- the only person to chase after Christ- even when we do not get it all right. Many Christians will live their whole lives timidly in the boat, never taking a chance, never risking the pain or the unknown- sure they never fall, but they never chase after Jesus either. With faith there is always risk involved.

Notice the other huge part of Peter’s faith in this story- Peter takes the steps toward Jesus. Many of us are guilty of this one- we plant our feet firmly in one place and demand that if Jesus wants us he will draw near to us- he will come get us.

Heb 10:22 “ let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies

Heb 7:19 “for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.

Mal 3:7 “ From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.

James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

There is an emphasis placed on this in the Bible- we are to draw to God. At some point our faith transforms, it is no longer just “God if you want me come and get me” but it becomes “God, I need you so here I come”

Sure, we can focus on the fact that Peter fell, he took his eyes off Jesus and got overtaken by the storm. Or, we can remember that sometimes it is better to be the only wet person in the boat, the one who step out in faith and Jesus rescued.