In today's gospel we have the story of Jesus walking on the water. I have read a few interpretations saying that this is a misplaced post-resurrection story, but that may or may not be correct. Regardless if it was the resurrected Christ walking on the water, or if it was the human Jesus walking on the water, it still speaks to us and the Church today.
If you remember from last week's sermon I pointed out that Chapter 14 was moving us from the old into the new and was showing us how to live into the new community that Jesus is trying to create. The kingdom of heaven is like . . . a sower of abundance, an abundant harvest, something small that makes a big change, an unexpected treasure. After hearing what the kingdom of heaven is like, we saw that lived into with the feeding of the 5000 and the abundance of food for those gathered. Whether that was due to a miracle of physics or a miracle of generosity, the kingdom of heaven was present in that moment as all those gathered were both cared for and fed. This is really the first event of Christ's new community.
This new community, though, is about more than healing, feeding, and sharing. This new community is about that . . . the community of Jesus. And this story today is about the Church and who Jesus is.
Four of the disciples were fishermen, and Jesus spent a fair amount of time on the water and talking about fishing. As the Church grew and we started to build places to worship, we used this image as our guide. This is why traditional churches, like ours, are built like upside-down boats – the roof being the hull and the pews/nave (from naval and navy) is the deck.
Using that example, we are the disciples in the boat. Just as Jesus made the twelve disciples get into the boat, he has also made us get into this boat. That's not to say we were forced or coerced, but we have been called to be in this particular boat. Whether you have been an Episcopalian all your life, or you are just beginning to be part of this branch of Christianity, or whether you have been part of Saint Luke's for decades or just a few years or less, you have been called by Christ and placed in this boat.
It's important to remember that we aren't here because we all share the same ideas, like the historical society or other civic groups. We are here because God called us. Like the original twelve, we have been called into this place with all of our differences. In that respect, we are a peculiar people. We have been called into this boat and sent out into the stormy seas of life.
The disciples are sent out across the sea. But there arose a great storm that battered the boat and they weren't able to make any headway. Notice that the storm didn't stop until Jesus got into the boat. If this is a metaphor for the Church, what does that say about us?
We, like the disciples, can find ourselves in difficult times, battered by life's wild, restless seas. Whether that is job difficulties, family life, health issues, death, or any number of other things, we can feel like life is tossing us about. But when we have Jesus in the boat with us, those storms become manageable. I won't say we don't face storms, because we will. But with Jesus in the boat, there can be peace. We need to remember that.
One way to accomplish this is to intentionally put Jesus at the center. Is what we do being done with Jesus in the midst of us? Are we making decisions based on a Christ-centered discernment process? Do we spend time discerning how our actions will reflect the mind of Christ? When we are in the middle of a storm, do we take time to pray?
As an example, we begin and end every Vestry meeting with Evening Prayer and Compline. I got some push-back about that because “the Vestry should be dealing with the business of the church.” My response was to remind everyone that the Church is in the business of prayer and if we tried to do anything without being centered on Christ we aren't the Church. We need to remember that everything we do – from Sunday worship to Vestry meetings to the Harvest Hoedown to everything else – must be Christ centered in order to weather the storm.
Wrapped up in this story as metaphor for the Church is the incident with Peter. When Jesus comes to the disciples on the water, Peter says, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Peter is essentially looking for an easy out. He's looking for Jesus to save him – and only him. He wants an individual miracle. So Peter leaves the boat.
If this story is a metaphor for the Church, then it is reminding us that the new community of Christ only works as a community. This whole thing isn't about individual salvation. Following Christ is much more than saying the magic words and then thinking all is good. We need to remember that we are in this boat together – when one person leaves the boat the community is diminished, and when we leave the boat, we are diminished.
I said this story is about the Church and also about who Jesus is.
For the Israelites, the sea represented chaos. It was uncontrollable and wild. Remember, Matthew, more than any other gospel, works hard to tie Jesus back to ancient Jewish roots, that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Jewish faith. For early readers of this gospel they couldn't help but see God in Jesus. From the story of creation where God controlled the chaos of the sea to Ps. 107:23-32 to the story of Jonah, we see God in control, and controlling, the natural elements. In this story Jesus does the same thing.
And in Matthew's nativity story, he writes, “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel.” This is a mostly accurate translation of Isaiah 7:14 which says, “Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.” Emmanuel means . . . what? . . . God is with us. In the stormy sea, when our boat is being battered by the wind and waves of life, we need to remember Jesus didn't put Peter back in the boat and leave – he got into the boat with them. Jesus is in the boat and God is with us.
This may be a story about the disciples in a boat in a storm and Jesus coming to them walking on water. But in the larger context, this is a story about life, the new community of Jesus, and the importance of remembering to always keep Jesus at the center of why we do what we do. Storms will batter us, but the peace of Christ can keep us from sinking – if we remember to live as a community that keeps Christ in the midst of us in all that we do.
Amen.
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