WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:04.719 Grace, mercy, and peace be to God our Father, 00:00:05.019 --> 00:00:07.519 the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the Holy 00:00:07.519 --> 00:00:32.609 Spirit. Amen. Because she loved Hawaii, she desperately 00:00:32.609 --> 00:00:36.590 wanted to make me a surfer. And so she went out 00:00:36.590 --> 00:00:39.329 and she bought the coolest surfboard she could 00:00:39.329 --> 00:00:41.350 find. It didn't matter if it was the right size, 00:00:41.469 --> 00:00:43.929 or the right kind, or if it worked the way she 00:00:43.929 --> 00:00:45.469 put it in my eye. She just thought it looked 00:00:45.469 --> 00:00:49.149 cool. So she got a surfer. I had never tried 00:00:49.149 --> 00:00:53.149 surfing before. I had never tried surfing before. 00:00:53.390 --> 00:00:55.869 He finds out that I have a surfer. He says, hey, 00:00:55.990 --> 00:00:57.929 I just got my hand on one myself. Do you want 00:00:57.929 --> 00:01:25.469 to go try surfing? So the next one I have on 00:01:25.469 --> 00:01:28.530 the board takes us over to Cocoa Beach, Florida. 00:01:29.790 --> 00:01:32.689 at the dot home of Kelly Slater, multiple time 00:01:32.689 --> 00:01:35.569 world champion, world famous surfer. We go to 00:01:35.569 --> 00:01:38.969 Cocoa Beach and we start to give it a go. Now 00:01:38.969 --> 00:01:41.329 there's something that they never really show 00:01:41.329 --> 00:01:46.049 in surf movies. And that is getting out to the 00:01:46.049 --> 00:01:48.930 part where the waves break. They don't really 00:01:48.930 --> 00:01:51.109 show that part because it's kind of boring and 00:01:51.109 --> 00:01:53.609 it's awful. Has anybody here ever tried surfing? 00:01:54.189 --> 00:01:56.890 Yeah. The part of like getting out to where the 00:01:56.890 --> 00:01:59.709 waves break. is a nightmare. And we're out there 00:01:59.709 --> 00:02:01.909 and we're just floundering and paddling as hard. 00:02:02.109 --> 00:02:04.290 At one point we were swimming and trying to drag 00:02:04.290 --> 00:02:06.870 the boards behind us, just getting wave after 00:02:06.870 --> 00:02:09.370 wave in our face. It was windy, there was water 00:02:09.370 --> 00:02:11.610 in my nose and my ears and my mouth. It was just, 00:02:11.610 --> 00:02:14.189 it was awful. Right? And we're exhausted. It 00:02:14.189 --> 00:02:16.289 felt like we did this all day long, just trying 00:02:16.289 --> 00:02:19.669 to get out there to even try and catch a wave. 00:02:19.729 --> 00:02:22.129 And of course we come back to the shore. My mom 00:02:22.129 --> 00:02:24.210 has been watching and she has the audacity to 00:02:24.210 --> 00:02:27.469 say, well, you weren't far enough out. You guys 00:02:27.469 --> 00:02:29.030 gotta go a little further. We're like we know 00:02:29.030 --> 00:02:31.370 we have to go further. We can't get there It's 00:02:31.370 --> 00:02:33.389 easy for you standing on the chore to say that 00:02:33.389 --> 00:02:35.810 you try going out there. I think I ate a bunch 00:02:35.810 --> 00:02:40.310 of seaweed I Only tell you that story because 00:02:40.310 --> 00:02:43.909 I relate to old Peter here in our gospel reading 00:02:43.909 --> 00:02:46.689 old Petey who jumps off the side of the boat 00:02:46.689 --> 00:02:48.930 in the midst of a storm and all of a sudden is 00:02:48.930 --> 00:02:51.250 going oh This is a lot worse than I thought it 00:02:51.250 --> 00:02:55.020 was gonna be That feeling of, I'm gonna go, this 00:02:55.020 --> 00:02:59.020 is it, this is the end of me, Lord, help me. 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:02.159 I can relate to that. So today we're gonna be 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:04.819 looking at that gospel reading, looking at that 00:03:04.819 --> 00:03:08.639 story of Jesus, and yes, Peter, albeit briefly, 00:03:08.979 --> 00:03:11.240 walking on water. But before we look at that, 00:03:11.259 --> 00:03:14.740 let's go to our God in prayer. Lord God, Heavenly 00:03:14.740 --> 00:03:18.280 Father, we thank you so much for today. for this 00:03:18.280 --> 00:03:21.439 chance for us all to come here and worship you. 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:23.800 Lord, I thank you for the chance to share your 00:03:23.800 --> 00:03:25.680 message. And Lord, of course, let it be your 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:28.419 message, as I pray every week. Move me out of 00:03:28.419 --> 00:03:30.860 the way. This isn't about me. This shouldn't 00:03:30.860 --> 00:03:34.180 even be from me. This is a chance for the Holy 00:03:34.180 --> 00:03:36.460 Spirit to speak. I submit myself to you, and 00:03:36.460 --> 00:03:38.800 I pray that all who hear this would be willing 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:41.199 to do the same. Pray all these things through 00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:44.990 your son, Jesus, in his name. Amen. A special 00:03:44.990 --> 00:03:48.030 welcome to those of you watching online. It is 00:03:48.030 --> 00:03:52.569 great to have you with us today. So our gospel 00:03:52.569 --> 00:03:55.129 reading is our main text. It's Matthew chapter 00:03:55.129 --> 00:03:58.710 14, 22 through 33. For those of you who are watching 00:03:58.710 --> 00:04:01.090 it separately, that is the section that we're 00:04:01.090 --> 00:04:04.870 going through. I have to tell you, being a pastor 00:04:04.870 --> 00:04:09.379 is a really weird job in this day and age. Because 00:04:09.379 --> 00:04:12.659 I think back to the clergy of days gone by, right? 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:14.719 Where there was like the parish church, and you 00:04:14.719 --> 00:04:16.779 were just kind of the clergyman in the neighborhood. 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:18.699 Maybe there were one or two churches, but by 00:04:18.699 --> 00:04:22.500 and large, the job in the olden days of a pastor, 00:04:22.660 --> 00:04:26.300 a priest, was to just kind of be around, right? 00:04:26.649 --> 00:04:29.889 to be available to people in town to maybe offer 00:04:29.889 --> 00:04:32.310 a sage bit of wisdom every now and then. Their 00:04:32.310 --> 00:04:34.629 focus was, you know, people would come together 00:04:34.629 --> 00:04:36.730 for a worship service and they would deliver 00:04:36.730 --> 00:04:40.889 a little message and that was that. But in this 00:04:40.889 --> 00:04:44.290 modern day and age, where we have competition 00:04:44.290 --> 00:04:47.709 and marketing, where we have social media and 00:04:47.709 --> 00:04:51.750 websites and online giving and staff and human 00:04:51.750 --> 00:04:56.050 resources and 501c3 status and budgets and all 00:04:56.050 --> 00:04:58.949 of those things, the role of a pastor has become 00:04:58.949 --> 00:05:03.149 quite different. And on top of all that, I still 00:05:03.149 --> 00:05:05.949 have to deliver like a 25 -minute speech every 00:05:05.949 --> 00:05:10.240 week. And that speech has to be like... didactic 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:13.540 and teaching. It has to be this inspirational 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:18.319 and motivational Ted Talk. And it has to be theologically, 00:05:18.779 --> 00:05:23.079 academically accurate and inspiring. Every week 00:05:23.079 --> 00:05:26.360 I have to do this. And sometimes I look at the 00:05:26.360 --> 00:05:29.019 assigned readings and I'm like, boy, God, I hope 00:05:29.019 --> 00:05:30.519 that you're talking this week because I don't 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:33.500 know what I'm going to say. But luckily, this 00:05:33.500 --> 00:05:36.899 is not one of those weeks. This week I looked 00:05:36.899 --> 00:05:39.319 at that gospel reading and it was like, yes, 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:42.740 because this is just an amazingly rich story, 00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:45.939 isn't it? It's downright cinematic. You can just 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:48.800 picture it. You can picture the whole scene. 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:51.639 There's conflict and resolution. There's moments 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:54.759 of tension. There's action. This is a movie. 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:57.639 This is a story, right? And it's allegorical. 00:05:57.699 --> 00:06:00.079 They're so easy to see. Well, this represents 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:03.100 that and all that. So there's a lot in today's 00:06:03.100 --> 00:06:07.660 message. So let's get into it. For context in 00:06:07.660 --> 00:06:09.740 terms of what's happening here in the in the 00:06:09.740 --> 00:06:12.899 midst of the story of the narrative of Jesus 00:06:12.899 --> 00:06:15.720 in his ministry if you remember back early in 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:21.480 Matthew 14 Herod had just had a feast where he 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:26.060 murdered John the Baptist and Jesus found out 00:06:26.060 --> 00:06:28.819 about that and was naturally distraught. This 00:06:28.819 --> 00:06:31.379 is his cousin. This is his partner in ministry. 00:06:31.379 --> 00:06:34.839 This is somebody that he was close to And so 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:38.240 it says that He tried to withdraw away from the 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:41.220 crowds, but because He's Jesus, the crowds followed 00:06:41.220 --> 00:06:43.860 Him. They found Him. And rather than getting 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:48.240 aggravated, He had compassion. And in His compassion, 00:06:48.379 --> 00:06:52.139 He continued to heal, continued to teach, continued 00:06:52.139 --> 00:06:55.779 to be there. with and for those people. But, 00:06:56.120 --> 00:06:58.319 and this makes my little introvert heart sing, 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:00.860 eventually he said, all right guys, party's over, 00:07:01.060 --> 00:07:04.680 everybody go home, I need to be by myself. Right? 00:07:04.819 --> 00:07:06.819 That's what we see in our gospel reading today. 00:07:06.980 --> 00:07:09.360 He says, disciples, I don't care where you go, 00:07:09.500 --> 00:07:11.800 just get out of here. It's time for me to spend 00:07:11.800 --> 00:07:14.600 some time by myself, recharge my batteries. He 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:16.699 sends the crowds away and it says he goes up 00:07:16.699 --> 00:07:20.240 to a mountain to pray. And whenever Jesus goes 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:21.759 up to a mountain to pray, that's significant, 00:07:21.899 --> 00:07:23.779 right? That doesn't happen all that often. And 00:07:23.779 --> 00:07:26.360 so this is a moment where He is really recharging 00:07:26.360 --> 00:07:30.100 and connecting with His Heavenly Father. Well, 00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:32.459 in the meantime, the disciples, He sends them 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:35.319 off in this boat, and off they go, and they find 00:07:35.319 --> 00:07:37.600 themselves. It says a good ways away from shore. 00:07:38.060 --> 00:07:40.000 Other narratives that say that it could be as 00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:43.399 far as three miles. The width of this sea is 00:07:43.399 --> 00:07:46.420 about eight miles, so they're about halfway across 00:07:46.420 --> 00:07:48.899 the sea, give or take. And it says a storm comes 00:07:48.899 --> 00:07:52.300 up. Now, in this telling of it, we don't see 00:07:52.300 --> 00:07:54.579 explicitly stated that they were afraid. You 00:07:54.579 --> 00:07:56.680 know, these are skilled fishermen. They spend 00:07:56.680 --> 00:07:58.220 a lot of time, at least some of them are, a lot 00:07:58.220 --> 00:08:00.740 of time on the water, so they probably knew what 00:08:00.740 --> 00:08:03.160 to do. But we know from other instances where 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:05.439 they were out in the sea when the storm blew 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:09.040 up that there is a sense of fear and tension, 00:08:09.339 --> 00:08:13.620 right? But I don't want to skip over something. 00:08:14.360 --> 00:08:16.480 Why were they in the boat in the first place? 00:08:17.129 --> 00:08:20.430 Because Jesus told them to right Jesus sent them 00:08:20.430 --> 00:08:23.250 in that boat He said you guys go across to the 00:08:23.250 --> 00:08:27.889 other side of shore all meet you there See sometimes 00:08:27.889 --> 00:08:31.730 in our lives We encounter these storms. We encounter 00:08:31.730 --> 00:08:34.529 these moments of trials We encounter these difficulties 00:08:34.529 --> 00:08:39.129 and we think that God has abandoned us We think 00:08:39.129 --> 00:08:42.350 that we have strayed away from what God had in 00:08:42.350 --> 00:08:46.669 store for us But nobody ever said that following 00:08:46.669 --> 00:08:50.330 God would promise sunny days. In this world, 00:08:50.350 --> 00:08:52.669 there will be troubles. But take heart, for He 00:08:52.669 --> 00:08:55.490 has overcome this world. I think back to Psalm 00:08:55.490 --> 00:08:59.509 23, where the shepherd is leading the sheep to 00:08:59.509 --> 00:09:01.350 the greener pastures. But along the way, where 00:09:01.350 --> 00:09:03.990 do they find themselves? In the valley of the 00:09:03.990 --> 00:09:07.679 shadow of death. So if you are in the midst of 00:09:07.679 --> 00:09:10.759 a storm in your life a frustration a difficult 00:09:10.759 --> 00:09:14.179 time know that perhaps you are still following 00:09:14.179 --> 00:09:17.340 God's path Right because if you're in a storm 00:09:17.340 --> 00:09:20.019 on a boat in the water The first thing you want 00:09:20.019 --> 00:09:21.840 to do when a storm comes up is check and make 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:24.679 sure are we still on the right heading? So take 00:09:24.679 --> 00:09:27.320 the time if you're in that storm to go to God 00:09:28.269 --> 00:09:30.490 To seek out his word to go to him in prayer and 00:09:30.490 --> 00:09:32.350 say God I just want to make sure I'm going through 00:09:32.350 --> 00:09:34.529 some stuff right now There's a lot of chaos around 00:09:34.529 --> 00:09:37.409 me. Am I still on the path that you want me to 00:09:37.409 --> 00:09:45.730 be on? But trials They help in some sense and 00:09:45.730 --> 00:09:49.370 that they tighten up our focus Because we don't 00:09:49.370 --> 00:09:53.809 see the disciples arguing about who can row faster, 00:09:53.809 --> 00:09:58.059 right? We don't see James and John, sons of Zebedee, 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:00.340 arguing and bickering about who gets the better 00:10:00.340 --> 00:10:03.960 seat in the boat. No, because they are focused 00:10:03.960 --> 00:10:06.500 on the storm at hand. They are focused on surviving. 00:10:06.580 --> 00:10:09.019 They are focused on getting through this moment 00:10:09.019 --> 00:10:13.980 of fear and trial. See, these trials in our life, 00:10:13.980 --> 00:10:17.120 they have a way of tightening up our focus. Don't 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:19.379 believe me? You ever been lost in your driving? 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:22.299 What's the first thing that you do? Turn down 00:10:22.299 --> 00:10:24.799 the radio, right? That's the first thing you 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:26.899 go, hold on. Jimmy Buffett, you can wait, because 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:28.919 I've got to figure out where I am right now, 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:32.159 right? Unfortunately, for some of us, we are 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:34.360 just driving along, singing Margaritaville at 00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:37.559 the top of our voice, oblivious to what's around 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:40.580 us, and God's going, hey, maybe focus up a little 00:10:40.580 --> 00:10:43.580 bit. Maybe take a look around you. Maybe take 00:10:43.580 --> 00:10:46.600 in your surroundings. Realize what's going on 00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:49.759 around you in life. Tighten up your focus. Sometimes 00:10:49.759 --> 00:10:52.940 trials... can serve to do that. It's also worth 00:10:52.940 --> 00:10:56.360 noting, again, these disciples, they're only 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:59.100 part way on their journey. So if you're going 00:10:59.100 --> 00:11:01.340 through a trial, if you encounter a storm and 00:11:01.340 --> 00:11:03.000 you have checked in and you make sure that you 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:05.220 are following God's path, you've checked in and 00:11:05.220 --> 00:11:08.080 tightened up your focus, then just keep going. 00:11:08.419 --> 00:11:12.940 The green pastures are waiting. It's okay. So 00:11:12.940 --> 00:11:14.659 they're out there in this storm. They're trying 00:11:14.659 --> 00:11:16.159 to, you know, fight through stuff. It's the middle 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:18.259 of the night and Jesus is done with his alone 00:11:18.259 --> 00:11:20.379 time and says, okay, I'm gonna go meet them. 00:11:20.889 --> 00:11:24.750 And I love this. Because he just walks to them. 00:11:25.629 --> 00:11:29.389 He just takes a stroll across the sea. It's so 00:11:29.389 --> 00:11:32.570 nonchalant. I absolutely adore it. Sometimes 00:11:32.570 --> 00:11:34.809 you picture Jesus walking on water and it's like 00:11:34.809 --> 00:11:37.529 this glassy sea. And he's kind of like a water 00:11:37.529 --> 00:11:39.730 bug on the surface. Using the surface tension 00:11:39.730 --> 00:11:41.990 he's good to go. But this is in the midst of 00:11:41.990 --> 00:11:44.169 a storm. There is wind and waves. So he's like 00:11:44.169 --> 00:11:46.289 riding the waves like a half pipe. Right? He's 00:11:46.289 --> 00:11:48.990 going along. And they look out. The disciples 00:11:48.990 --> 00:11:52.039 do. And they go... He's a ghost, which I love 00:11:52.039 --> 00:11:56.620 that moment, right? It's a phantom. And Jesus 00:11:56.620 --> 00:11:59.019 says the same thing that angels say when they 00:11:59.019 --> 00:12:02.600 appear, don't be afraid. And then he follows 00:12:02.600 --> 00:12:07.059 up, it's me, take heart, it is I, don't be afraid. 00:12:08.399 --> 00:12:12.600 Now the power of this miracle is so unique because 00:12:12.600 --> 00:12:16.419 we believe that Jesus, fully God and fully man. 00:12:16.750 --> 00:12:20.470 fully both things. And this miracle so wonderfully 00:12:20.470 --> 00:12:23.169 shows that. Because he's walking on water. This 00:12:23.169 --> 00:12:25.269 is a divine thing. This is not something that 00:12:25.269 --> 00:12:29.269 humans can do, right? Trust me, I've tried. We 00:12:29.269 --> 00:12:32.269 can't walk on water. And so something divine 00:12:32.269 --> 00:12:34.929 is happening here. And yet at the same time, 00:12:34.950 --> 00:12:39.409 how does he get there? He walks. He's using his 00:12:39.409 --> 00:12:42.490 very human muscle. He's using his quads and his 00:12:42.490 --> 00:12:46.389 glutes and his core strength, right? Really proud 00:12:46.389 --> 00:12:48.450 of myself for not going to the easy CrossFit 00:12:48.450 --> 00:12:50.450 joke right now, but I'm just gonna skip over 00:12:50.450 --> 00:12:56.610 that He's using his very human muscles. He's 00:12:56.610 --> 00:12:59.950 walking This is fully God and fully man because 00:12:59.950 --> 00:13:02.710 he's God he could just be like hey God Teleport 00:13:02.710 --> 00:13:05.230 me to the other side of the sea. Hey God, just 00:13:05.230 --> 00:13:08.330 make me pop up in the boat, right? Instead he 00:13:08.330 --> 00:13:11.309 takes his legs his very fully human body and 00:13:11.309 --> 00:13:14.429 has just taken a stroll across this eight mile 00:13:14.429 --> 00:13:21.559 wide see. And He walks to them in the boat where 00:13:21.559 --> 00:13:24.139 they're afraid, where they're dealing with a 00:13:24.139 --> 00:13:29.519 crisis, because He's Immanuel, because He is 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:32.860 God with us, because in the midst of their trial 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:37.419 He is there, He is present, He is ready to offer 00:13:37.419 --> 00:13:43.279 them peace, be not afraid. In your life, you're 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:45.220 gonna be going through some storms at some point. 00:13:45.259 --> 00:13:47.580 Again, maybe it's happening right now. And you're 00:13:47.580 --> 00:13:49.620 gonna say, God, why have you abandoned me? God, 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:52.320 why aren't you speaking to me? God, where is 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:55.259 your voice in all this? Send me a sign. Send 00:13:55.259 --> 00:13:57.620 me, change the letters on a road. Whatever it 00:13:57.620 --> 00:14:00.460 is, do something so that I know you are here. 00:14:01.539 --> 00:14:04.100 But remember, when God approaches the disciples, 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:10.759 He walks. So sometimes God puts people in your 00:14:10.759 --> 00:14:14.370 life. to come up to you, to walk up to you and 00:14:14.370 --> 00:14:19.289 say what they need to say. God speaks through 00:14:19.289 --> 00:14:22.889 people, family members, friends, co -workers, 00:14:23.090 --> 00:14:27.509 whatever. Are you willing to listen? Are you 00:14:27.509 --> 00:14:30.669 willing to listen to that very human, very mundane 00:14:30.669 --> 00:14:34.970 vessel that God is using? Far too often we are 00:14:34.970 --> 00:14:36.690 so consumed, we're like, no, no, no, not right 00:14:36.690 --> 00:14:39.129 now. Now is not the time. Don't you see I have 00:14:39.129 --> 00:14:43.389 a crisis here? Sometimes when God speaks to us, 00:14:43.389 --> 00:14:47.690 he just walks up as a human. Okay, now we get 00:14:47.690 --> 00:14:50.470 into what I think is just, it's the most dramatic 00:14:50.470 --> 00:14:54.309 part where you have Peter. Oh, Peter. Jesus' 00:14:54.529 --> 00:14:56.889 favorite pupil, right? Well, maybe not favorite. 00:14:56.929 --> 00:14:58.490 He certainly wasn't a straight A pupil, let's 00:14:58.490 --> 00:15:02.870 be honest. Peter was like, like when you're a 00:15:02.870 --> 00:15:05.230 teacher and you ask a question, the same kid's 00:15:05.230 --> 00:15:07.649 always raising their hand, and you're like, okay, 00:15:07.830 --> 00:15:11.590 anybody, anybody else? Anybody besides... Peter, 00:15:11.889 --> 00:15:13.590 right? Do you guys remember the show Welcome 00:15:13.590 --> 00:15:16.370 Back, Cotter? Some of the older folks in here. 00:15:16.450 --> 00:15:18.049 I remember because of the Nick and Knight, right? 00:15:18.330 --> 00:15:20.370 And Horse Shack. Oh, Mr. Cotter, Mr. Cotter, 00:15:20.549 --> 00:15:22.830 pick me. Like, that's Peter. Like, Jesus, Jesus. 00:15:23.009 --> 00:15:28.950 Oh, pick me, Jesus, right? And so, ever Peter, 00:15:29.090 --> 00:15:32.750 he says, Jesus, if it's you, I see you walking 00:15:32.750 --> 00:15:35.029 on water. Call me out there. I'm going to walk 00:15:35.029 --> 00:15:37.370 to you. And it doesn't say that Jesus rolled 00:15:37.370 --> 00:15:40.299 his eyes, but maybe he did. I don't know. And 00:15:40.299 --> 00:15:43.639 he says, oh, okay, Peter. Come on, come on, Peter, 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:47.460 come on out. And the craziest thing happens. 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:51.360 Peter takes that step over that boat. What are 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:53.139 the other disciples thinking at this point? They're 00:15:53.139 --> 00:15:57.919 like, finally. Good luck, Peter, have fun. He 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:03.019 takes the step over the boat, and it works. We 00:16:03.019 --> 00:16:05.570 don't know how long he walked on water. We don't 00:16:05.570 --> 00:16:07.370 know if it was just for a second, a couple steps. 00:16:07.470 --> 00:16:10.049 We don't know if he went a hundred yards to meet 00:16:10.049 --> 00:16:12.009 Jesus where he was, but for whatever reason, 00:16:12.250 --> 00:16:17.669 for a moment at least, it worked. And let me 00:16:17.669 --> 00:16:20.789 remind you, as I said earlier, humans don't walk 00:16:20.789 --> 00:16:25.669 on water. And what happens, why does Jesus suddenly, 00:16:25.690 --> 00:16:27.570 when he starts to sink, what does Jesus say to 00:16:27.570 --> 00:16:33.120 him? Oh, you of little what? Faith. To me, this 00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:35.740 is such a profound statement that our faith that 00:16:35.740 --> 00:16:39.019 we have is the Holy Spirit at work within us. 00:16:39.559 --> 00:16:41.840 Because Peter can't walk on water on his own. 00:16:42.440 --> 00:16:46.500 He's human. He's very much human. But if he has 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:49.539 the Holy Spirit dwelling within him, if that 00:16:49.539 --> 00:16:52.279 faith from the Holy Spirit is inspiring him and 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:54.759 giving him the strength and the power to essentially 00:16:54.759 --> 00:16:57.799 perform a miracle in this moment, It's when he 00:16:57.799 --> 00:16:59.919 lets go of that faith. It's when he starts to 00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:01.820 wave run. It's when that doubt starts to creep 00:17:01.820 --> 00:17:04.539 in and he loses that connection to the Holy Spirit 00:17:04.539 --> 00:17:06.759 that he begins to sink into those waters and 00:17:06.759 --> 00:17:13.039 cry out, God save me. May we have that same connection 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:16.619 to the Holy Spirit. May we have the faith to 00:17:16.619 --> 00:17:21.000 take the step over the side of the boat. Now 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:24.380 it's not lost on me that today's assigned readings 00:17:24.380 --> 00:17:27.180 that the The Romans reading is the one that's 00:17:27.180 --> 00:17:29.460 assigned with this because we see in Romans it 00:17:29.460 --> 00:17:32.440 talks about how beautiful the feet of the ones 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:36.680 who carry the gospel. And the fact that the one 00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:39.579 who takes this step over the side of the boat 00:17:39.579 --> 00:17:44.079 is Peter. The one that Jesus says, upon this 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:48.210 rock I will build the church. Peter, who the 00:17:48.210 --> 00:17:50.529 Catholic Church believes that is where the popes 00:17:50.529 --> 00:17:53.650 are descended from. Peter, who represents clergy 00:17:53.650 --> 00:17:57.230 and called people in so many ways. The ones who 00:17:57.230 --> 00:18:01.289 bring the Gospel. It's not lost on me that the 00:18:01.289 --> 00:18:03.549 beautiful feet are the ones that go over the 00:18:03.549 --> 00:18:08.089 edge of the boat. That walk on water. That step 00:18:08.089 --> 00:18:12.630 out in faith. The question that I have to you 00:18:12.630 --> 00:18:17.670 is, are you called to take that step? Are you 00:18:17.670 --> 00:18:20.190 called to take the step over the side of the 00:18:20.190 --> 00:18:22.650 boat? Some step of faith. Yes, there is clergy. 00:18:22.730 --> 00:18:24.609 There are pastors who have an actual calling. 00:18:24.630 --> 00:18:27.049 You've heard my story. I didn't want to be a 00:18:27.049 --> 00:18:29.910 pastor. That was never my goal. But God spoke 00:18:29.910 --> 00:18:32.970 through people to come to me time and time again 00:18:32.970 --> 00:18:34.750 and say, this is what I want you to do. And I'm 00:18:34.750 --> 00:18:37.630 not going to argue with God. So there is an actual 00:18:37.630 --> 00:18:40.450 divine calling. But God also has taught us about 00:18:40.450 --> 00:18:43.569 the priesthood of all believers. That each of 00:18:43.569 --> 00:18:46.880 us have the capacity to share the gospel. And 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:48.480 maybe it's not that you're called to preach. 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:51.240 Maybe you are. Maybe you are. Maybe it's time 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:56.359 you look into something like that. But you are 00:18:56.359 --> 00:19:02.579 called to live out grace. You are called to share 00:19:02.579 --> 00:19:06.140 the good news of Jesus Christ. You are called 00:19:06.140 --> 00:19:09.859 for your life to be a testament to the faith 00:19:09.859 --> 00:19:13.980 that is within you. Are you called to take that 00:19:13.980 --> 00:19:17.960 step? of talking to your neighbor, of talking 00:19:17.960 --> 00:19:21.759 to your sibling, of having a tough conversation 00:19:21.759 --> 00:19:26.619 with your kids. Are you called to step out of 00:19:26.619 --> 00:19:29.779 the boat? Now, don't lose sight of the fact, 00:19:30.359 --> 00:19:34.240 11 disciples stayed seated, right? 11 disciples 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:36.140 stayed in the boat, and it doesn't say anything 00:19:36.140 --> 00:19:39.980 that they were wrong. So maybe you're not called 00:19:39.980 --> 00:19:41.700 into that step, but you know what you should 00:19:41.700 --> 00:19:46.319 do? Support the one who takes the step. Support 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:49.619 the one who is sharing the gospel. Because you 00:19:49.619 --> 00:19:52.019 don't see them like grabbing his cloak and pulling 00:19:52.019 --> 00:19:54.740 him back. You don't see them heckling him like, 00:19:55.039 --> 00:19:58.079 hey, Peter, you sunk down. What a fool. You don't 00:19:58.079 --> 00:20:00.640 see that. I would hope that they're cheering 00:20:00.640 --> 00:20:04.640 him on. If you're called to be in the boat, that's 00:20:04.640 --> 00:20:07.539 okay. Just be supportive because people need 00:20:07.539 --> 00:20:11.269 to hear the good news. People need the feet to 00:20:11.269 --> 00:20:15.710 carry it out into the world. But challenge yourself. 00:20:16.829 --> 00:20:19.049 Am I telling myself that I'm called to be in 00:20:19.049 --> 00:20:22.130 the boat because I'm scared? Or because I'm actually 00:20:22.130 --> 00:20:27.109 called to do that? If God is calling you to take 00:20:27.109 --> 00:20:30.730 this step, be bold enough to trust. Let the Holy 00:20:30.730 --> 00:20:38.250 Spirit inspire faith. Be not afraid. But no matter 00:20:38.250 --> 00:20:42.339 what, As you go through the storms of this life, 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:44.640 as you feel the boat shaking underneath you, 00:20:44.779 --> 00:20:47.279 as you see things happening time and time again, 00:20:47.460 --> 00:20:49.200 and you're laying awake at night and you're saying, 00:20:49.319 --> 00:20:52.640 God, where are you? Listen for the gentle whisper. 00:20:53.859 --> 00:20:56.599 Listen for the people that God sends to walk 00:20:56.599 --> 00:21:03.160 up to you and give you a word. Know that God 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:08.769 is with you. He is Emmanuel. He walks across 00:21:08.769 --> 00:21:11.710 that sea. He will pass over waters to get to 00:21:11.710 --> 00:21:14.250 you. He walked across the water and then walked 00:21:14.250 --> 00:21:19.289 up a hill called Golgotha. He walked up to a 00:21:19.289 --> 00:21:22.410 cross carrying his own method of execution so 00:21:22.410 --> 00:21:26.849 that we can be set free. So that we can know 00:21:26.849 --> 00:21:29.049 that the storms that we are going through are 00:21:29.049 --> 00:21:31.910 temporary. Because we have been given entrance 00:21:31.910 --> 00:21:35.670 into heaven by the price. that Jesus paid by 00:21:35.670 --> 00:21:39.130 the debt that He fulfilled that we racked up. 00:21:39.930 --> 00:21:43.829 That is the gospel of our Lord. He knows you. 00:21:44.809 --> 00:21:46.490 He knows what you're going through. He knows 00:21:46.490 --> 00:21:49.390 where you are in the sea. He knows the storms 00:21:49.390 --> 00:21:51.730 that you've already survived. And be proud of 00:21:51.730 --> 00:21:54.289 that. And He knows the storms that are yet to 00:21:54.289 --> 00:21:59.329 come. And He loves you. Oh, He loves you so much. 00:22:00.509 --> 00:22:03.230 It's my prayer that you would be courageous enough. 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:07.240 and have enough faith to take this step. But 00:22:07.240 --> 00:22:14.279 no matter what, know that God is with you. He's 00:22:14.279 --> 00:22:18.519 walking up to you because He loves you. But share 00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:22.640 that love with everything we have. Amen? Amen.