SERMON: AUG 10,
2014 1Kings 19:9-18, Matt 14:22-33 The Rev. Laura Adelia
“May
the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”
Have you ever wondered how certain
places got their names? Like, how did the state of Arizona get named “Arizona”? Or the city of Phoenix, “Phoenix”? How did Casa Grande become named “Casa Grande”? More specifically, how did St. Peter’s get named “St.
Peter’s”? Out of all the saints, why did the church
founders choose St. Peter?
As many of you know, a few
weeks ago we held the funeral service here for Meg Bianco. Meg, was one of the
founding members of St Peter’s, in the early 1950s. She was in fact, the last living founding
member and the one who lived the longest, with her passing at age 91.
Before her funeral service, I
met with her son Walter and his wife “Tern” at a Denny’s in Scottsdale, as they
live up there.
And I am always amazed when I
speak with the family, as they tell the story of their family member’s
lives. Walter told me the story of how
Meg and her husband came to the Casa Grande area back in the late ‘40s or so,
to start a cotton farm.
He also described what living
in Casa Grande was like back then. Now
think about this. Imagine what it must
have been like here, some 60 -70 years ago!
It did not sound like it was
for the faint of heart. There was no air
conditioning, there were floods, snakes, scorpions, and the dentist’s office was
located above the town saloon, in what is now downtown Casa Grande! A bit of the wild-west!
Meg and her husband were
originally from the SF Bay Area. One
would have thought they wouldn’t last long here, with the heat and all of
desert life. But they stayed here the
rest of their lives. And not only that,
Meg was part of starting a new church, this church!
And it struck me, as I
contemplated today’s gospel reading, the story of Jesus walking on the sea….in
a storm. Perhaps there is a hint here,
as to why they church founders chose St Peter for the name of this new little
church back in the early 50’s.
We have all heard the
story. Jesus walks on water. But actually, the word is “sea”, not water. Jesus is walking on the sea.
The story begins with Jesus sending
his disciples out ahead of him, to go across the sea to the other side, where
he will meet them later. He then goes to
the mountains by himself to pray. He needed some alone time, some
quiet time, as we all do from time to time!
Meanwhile, the disciples are
in their boat, and the wind kicks up, which in turn, kick up the waves. In other words, they are caught in a storm
at sea.
For those of you that think
in metaphors, you have probably recognized that “the sea” represents something. And, you are right!
In ancient Hebraic thought, “the sea”, especially a
stormy sea is a metaphor for chaos, evil, death, fear, terror, and so
forth.
I know we think of water as
life, especially here in the desert, but in this sense, it is viewed in its
negative & life threatening sense.
Water and the sea can mean death and chaos,
even here in the desert…monsoon storms, floods, downpours…and the wind, well…it
can take the roof off a building, uproot trees, oh yes, and then there are dust
storms…
The disciples in their little
boat caught in a storm are naturally afraid.
And then along comes Jesus, walking on the waves toward the disciples in
their boat. They were even more afraid. And Jesus says, “Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid!”
What are the metaphors here?
Jesus overcomes chaos,
evil and the storms of life. And who has not experienced a storm or two
in life?
Jesus’ presence in the
storm and his words instill courage. For even in the most difficult of times of
life, God is there, with us!
A few years ago I was going
thru illness & unpleasant medical treatments. It was very, very difficult. I was suffering. I met with the chaplain of
the hospital every week, a rabbi. And she
helped me walk thru “the storm”. One week,
I was especially having a difficult time.
She saw I was suffering. She asked
me, “Is
God only in the good times of life? The
easy times? Or in the beautiful places
on earth?” It made me
think. She continued, “God is also
here in the rough times times, too.”
I knew she was right. It helped me as I struggled in that
storm.
But back to the gospel story… it is here where Peter “steps up”. Peter recognizes
that Jesus wants him to accompany him on his walk on “the sea”, and asks Jesus
to command him to come to him.
“Come”, says Jesus. And Peter boldly steps out of the boat & onto
the sea. Peter dares to step out of his comfort zone, and go forth!
At first Peter was actually walking
on the sea, toward Jesus. But then he
noticed the wind and the waves and the storm all around him, he lost his focus,
and he started to sink.
His fears got to him. Hey, we have all been there. Peter cries out, “Lord save me!” And Jesus did.
Now, many a preacher tend to
focus on Peter’s lack of faith here as the point of the story. I present an alternate view for you to
contemplate…
First, there is the image
of Jesus taking time to pray….a reminder
that even in the busy-ness of life, or before any new endeavor, to take time
for quiet & prayer. Elijah found God’s presence “not in the
wind, or the earthquake, or the fire, …but in the sound of sheer silence”.
The image of Jesus sending
the disciples in the boat, on a mission,
just as he send us in mission today.
The image of choppy seas….the reality that when we set forth on Christ’s
mission, we will probably encounter troubled waters.
Yet in spite of challenges,
trials and tribulations, God is there with us…even in the storms of life.
I would be willing to bet
that Meg and her fellow founders of St Peter’s back in the early 1950s
encountered all kinds of challenges. But
starting this little church, in this community…was their mission.
The image of Jesus walking
on the stormy sea, that Jesus and
God’s power and love overcome evil, and can conquer our fears.
The image of the
disciples, who because of their fear at first did not recognize Christ as he
walked toward them.
May we recognize when Christ walks near us, and be
open to ways God may come to us, as the Spirit usually comes in the most
unexpected of ways…
The image of Peter,
stepping out of the boat & onto the water. Peter’s action challenges us,
to dare to step out of our comfort zone!
Peter does not fail, he at least tries!
The image of Peter sinking as he loses focus on Jesus and notices wind and
waves, reminds us that when we are going thru the storm, to keep focus on
God.
The message here, point of
the story is NOT Peter’s lack of faith.
This passage calls us forth, to
dare to step out in faith!
It also shows us that having
faith is not a guarantee that we will not faced “troubled waters”.
The key to faith and fullness
of life is to follow Peter’s example, to dare to step out of the boat. Dare to step out of our comfort zones!
It’s not easy, I know. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.
Yes, being a disciple is
risky and exciting… Getting out of the
boat to walk with Christ is most risky, most exciting, and most fulfilling way
to live!
Let us think and pray on
these things!
Amen!
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