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Stepping onto the water
SERMON - 10.15am, Emmanuel Church, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Sunday 7th August 2005
Revd. Matthew Vernon
Matt. 14. 22-33
If we had a dollar for every time a priest is asked if they could walk across the harbour or a swimming pool,
• we'd be able to make a considerable donation to charity!
You may have heard of the sign at a clergy conference centre
• like the signs on grass "no walking on the grass"
• next to the pond: "no waking on the water".
And if it's not become a joke,
• we don't really believe it happened – Jesus walking on the water.
In our sceptical, scientific age we think it must be made up.
• Or that Jesus was walking on spit of sand just under the water surface.
For the Christians who first heard the story there would have been no such beating around the bush.
• And not because of the idea of someone walking on water,
• even though it's unlikely they'd seen a trick as clever as that before.
No, the astonishing thing is what the story claims about Jesus.
In the Psalms we hear many appeals like,
• "Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters".
There are other water references too in the Hebrew tradition.
The account of creation in Genesis was influenced by other ancient Creation myths.
One describes how God wrestles with the waters of chaos and defeated the sea-monsters, Leviathan.
And remember how important to Jewish belief is the escape from Egypt
• and how God parted the Red Sea.
God is the one who rules the waters,
• who over comes evil.
So for Jesus to be portrayed in that way can mean only one thing.
If Jesus can walk on water and calm the storm,
• Jesus must be God himself.
The walking on water is not just Jesus showing off,
• but is a demonstration that Jesus was God amongst his people.
That's why the disciples are amazed and say, "It is a ghost",
• and why they worship him saying, "Truly you are the Son of God".
We, 2000 years on, are used to the idea,
• but for them, 1st century Jews, the thought that God might be in a person was astounding.
And to make the point absolutely clear, Matthew has Jesus saying
• "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."
• or to translate it more accurately, "Take heart, I AM".
Jesus uses the God's name:
• the I AM who spoke to Moses from the burning bush;
• the I AM that lead to the authorities accusing Jesus of blasphemy.
It must have been scary for Jackie Pullinger when she started treating drug addicts in the Kowloon Walled City.
For some reason this young English woman she felt called by God to go to the heart of the Triad world and minister to drug addicts.
She has done remarkable work for many years.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer must have been afraid when he spoke out against the Nazis is Germany.
• When he challenged Christians to resist Nazi policies and cruelties.
In the end his struggle cost him his life.
Christian faith has never been a guarantee of protection against danger,
• or an anaesthetic for fear,
• or a release from worry.
If anything, in fact, it makes those things worse!
Faith should make us more aware of reality
• and that can often mean seeing more danger and knowing reasons from concern.
Our faith heightens our awareness of the homeless man in the plaza.
Our faith highlights the conditions that many domestic helpers live under.
Our faith magnifies the inadequacies of the world capitalism that dominates Hong Kong.
Faith often means discomfort!
So when Peter steps out onto the water he is showing us what we can do.
Not to literally walk on water,
• but to take risks.
Risks that by normal, human standards seem ludicrous,
• but by God's ideals are the minimum required.
Speculations that by human standards seem fanciful,
• but for God who challenges our way of doing things,
• who says yes it is possible for there to be peace in the Middle East
• or an end to the war on terror,
• for God these speculations are the norm.
Like Peter the risks mean we may well become frightened and we may start to sink,
• but God has never said we must go it alone.
He might point out our "little faith",
• but he has promised that we will not be overcome.
Faith isn't some strong defence against the storm,
• some solid lighthouse we can escape to and be protected from the wind and rain.
God has promised to be with us and lead us through the storm.
So what are you afraid of at the moment?
What risky venture is God encouraging you to take on?
What cliff edge is God nudging you towards?
Perhaps you've been reviewing your lifestyle and are aware of how to follow Jesus more closely
• requiring a change to your lifestyle.
Perhaps you're feeling the call to a deeper relationship with God
• a longing in your deepest being.
Or perhaps it's something you not even aware of yet.
Whatever it is, don't turn away from stepping out onto the water.
Don't retreat to the safety of the boat or even of land,
• but step out and discover more deeply that God, in Jesus, is with us.
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