First Presbyterian Church
Hard to Believe What's New
Sermon for September 4, 2005
by Pastor Susan Barnes

Children's time: Matthew 14:22-33

Today I'm going to tell you the story of Jesus walking on the water. I heard this story last month – guess who told it? SpongeBob and Patrick. We were at a Presbyterian camp, and a bunch of youth were doing the sermon. They had a big piece of poster board made up to look like Sponge Bob and one for Patrick. Tell me a little about the cartoon. Where do they live? (under the sea) Is the water salty? Have you ever been underwater? What have Patrick and SpongeBob done underwater that you know are impossible? (cooking, lighting a fire, pouring liquid) Does anything ever float away?

Well, the kids who were telling this story were named Rob and Patty, so really their costumes were SpongeRob and Patty, instead of Spongebob and Patrick. Even though it was a freshwater lake, and Spongebob lives in the ocean, SpongeRob and Patrick talked about the story of Jesus walking on the water toward the disciples. Crazy, huh?

Here's the story they told. At a lake, Jesus had a lot to do, so he sent the disciples on ahead across the lake in a boat. He talked to a crowd of people, trying to say goodbye, and climbed a hill to pray during the night. When he was done, it was just before sunrise, the boat was far away, but the wind was against them. So Jesus started walking out to them.

How do you think they felt? Yes, they were afraid and thought he was a ghost.

What do you think Jesus said? Did he yell Boo? No, you're right, he encouraged them. He said “It is I. Don't be afraid."

Peter tried to show he was brave, and said, “Lord, if it's you, tell me to walk to you.” I think maybe he wanted to know if Jesus was really the son of God or not, and he thought this was a good way to test it.

So Jesus told him to walk to him, and Peter did, until the wind started blowing him. What do you think Peter did? Yes, he was afraid and started to sink, and yelled “Lord, save me!”

The Bible tells us that Jesus reached out a hand to catch him. How could you catch someone just with one hand? Yes, you have to be pretty close, don't you? 1 So Peter was afraid even though he could see Jesus close by.

Then Jesus said "You of little faith, why did you waver?" That means why did he go back and forth, from thinking he could do it, and thinking he couldn't. And then they got in the boat, and the wind stopped, and they worshipped Jesus.

Let's pray.

Listen for the word of God as we read from Psalm 149.

149:1 Praise the LORD ! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.

2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.

3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.

4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory.

5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.

6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,

7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,

8 to bind their kings with fetters and their nobles with chains of iron,

9 to execute on them the judgment decreed. This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the LORD !

This ends our reading of the Psalm.

The psalmist is eager for judgment to come to the leaders of the nations. The pharaoh of Egypt and kings of Israel caused hardship and oppression on most of the people. I think it is easier to say those condemning words in a monarchy. It's easy to blame the king when things go wrong. It's harder in a democratic republic, where we elect our leaders, and the government is us. We Americans bear some responsibility for the decisions of our nation.

Yet our first loyalty is not to our nation, but to God. We follow God's law first.

In the letter to the Romans, Paul writes about God's law. He is writing to the church in Rome, knowing the letter will be circulated to other churches as well. He tells the people how they should treat one another and why they should behave that way.

Now that my son is going to middle school, I had to read the policies each of his teachers has written. Most of the rules were familiar but a couple were new: no braiding hair in class and no WWF-style wrestling in class.

I'm guessing the teacher who wrote this wrote it after having experience teaching middleschoolers. Some rules won't ever change; show respect to others and yourselves is a general school rule As new behaviors come up, new rules are added. As new merchandise becomes available, new policies have to be made. One teacher I know had to make the rule “no fake fingernails worn in class” because about half of the six year old girls had glued on long luscious fake fingernails and enjoyed tapping their newly noisy fingers all day.

So Paul, when he wrote to the churches, took into account general human behavior, but also had experience with the churches, and knew what specific behaviors needed addressing. With all that in mind, listen for the word of God as it is found in Romans 13:8-14.

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself."10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

This ends our reading of God's word.

At the youth convocation in McCall, one of the activities was the ropes course. That's where you have to do simple things like walk across a log, but up about eighty feet high, wearing a harness full of carabiners, ropes, and straps.

I had always wanted to do a ropes course. It looked fun and adventuresome. I hadn't counted on how difficult it would be to climb up the pole. The foot rests were placed just a little more than a comfortable distance apart. I was unprepared for the toll the altitude was taking on my lungs. I had to stop and rest three or four times on the way up. And then I saw the log I had to walk across. It hadn't been planed flat on the top—it was still round. I had on stiff hiking boots. Not a good choice. I knew I couldn't do it.

The very young man in the harness running the ropes course said, “I know you can do it.” I'm thinking, “You are just saying that. How many asthmatic middle-aged women in stiff-hiking boots have walked across this log? I couldn't do it on the ground, much less up here. You say it to everybody.” And then he stretched out his arm, parallel to the log, and said, “Here, you can hold onto me.”

His arm was long, not quite a third of the distance of the log. He held it stiffly. So I held on, and found I could balance after all. I walked across that very small but very long log. I went slowly, and stretched out my arms for balance. All my senses told me what I was doing was impossible and dangerous, even though my brain saw my feet working and my whole body staying balanced above the log. If that log had been an inch longer, I would have fallen. I made it across.

So I have some sympathy for Peter. Walking on the water looks easy from the boat, but not so easy on the water, even when you see Jesus doing it. It's hard to believe something when it is so new and you don't have a reference for it and your senses tell you it's dangerous. It takes time to adjust.

So we have Paul saying to the churches “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.”

When all we know is to go into debt to buy what we want, or curry favor from powerful people, it's hard to change and substitute loving one another. When drugs and alcohol make us feel great and get us through the dullness and horror of life, it's hard to stay sober, even as we see our lives and livelihood crumble. When sex and violence makes us feel alive and powerful, it's hard to believe love is any sort of substitute. When we're used to quarreling and jealousy, it's hard to let go of that and discipline ourselves to be vulnerable enough to love others, and try to act like Jesus.

Letting go of old ways, destructive behaviors, and petty choices goes against our habits and our senses. But that's what Paul says to do.

In the story I told the children, isn't it interesting that Peter believed Jesus could command him, and Peter would be able to walk across the water like Jesus. Jesus said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid,” or more accurately, he said “Courage! I am! Don't fear.” Jesus said “I am,” in Greek, it reads ‘ego eimi.' That's the Greek translation for the word Yahweh.

By saying “I am,” Jesus is letting the disciples know he has Yahweh's power, God's power, over the water. Water is a symbol of chaos. Only gods could walk on water. Jesus, who has just been praying to God, has some of God's divine power. The storm will not defeat him. And so Peter said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” And he did come to Jesus on the water. But when the wind came, he started to sink. Jesus knew Peter was doubting himself, and maybe Jesus too. But Jesus didn't yell at him; he reached out a hand and caught him, and then he said, “Why did you doubt?” The word doubt could also be translated ‘waver,' ‘hesitate' or ‘vacillate.' It describes Peter's feelings of courage and anxiety, of trust and doubt.

When we are faced with an unfamiliar and scary situation, it's tempting to revert to our old ways and familiar habits. We regress to childish behavior. As babies, we got our needs met by crying; as children, we tried to get our needs met by whining; as youths, our task was to learn mature ways to get our needs met, and begin meeting our own needs. Still, crying and whining often win out over maturity.

Peter was trying to trust this Jesus, trying to learn what Jesus taught, but the situation was so unfamiliar and scary, Peter just couldn't take care of himself. Perhaps he should have stayed in the boat with the others just believing and not expecting Jesus to prove himself.

I remember a child told me once, when recounting this story, that anyone who has enough faith could walk on the water. I'm thinking, he's nine years old, that kind of thinking could let him drown someday. So I told him being able to walk on the water didn't have anything to do with faith in Jesus.

This story isn't about whether or not we can defy the laws of physics. It's about whether or not Jesus was the son of God; did he have God's power or not? Can we trust that what Jesus taught was from God, or can't we?

This story took on a new twist this week as I looked at the photos and news stories about Hurricane Katrina. Water is still a symbol of chaos. Jesus still has power over that chaos, and shows us the new way to live. It's hard to believe sometimes, in Jesus' words about loving one another and loving God. It seems like such a small response compared to the immensity of the world's troubles.

When the world changes so fast we don't have a reference for it, it's hard to trust in God's grace and power.

Here is “A letter after Hurricane Katrina,” dated September 1, 2005:

To Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

What, then, are we to do in the face of such a monumental, heart-wrenching catastrophe?

The following is an excerpt from an email message from the Reverend Jean Marie Peacock, Vice-Moderator of the 216th General Assembly (2004):

We are safe and arrived today [8/31] at the home of my parents where we will be living until we can return to New Orleans. From newscasts it appears that it could be weeks or months before we can return. We have seen overhead shots of our neighborhood where the water is at the rooftops, and we suspect that is true of our home and that we have lost everything. The congregation that I serve [as associate pastor] is in the Lakeview area, one of the first to be inundated with water after the levy broke. We suspect that many from our congregation, who live in the neighborhood, have lost everything and that the church is filled with water….

Jean Marie and her husband Peter's ordeal is but one of countless stories emerging from the unimaginable devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Even four days after the storm, we still have yet to know just how many lives, homes, and livelihoods have been lost in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. It sounds as if the situation may become increasingly dire as the threat of major diseases rises due to a shortage of clean water and sanitation. The poor and disenfranchised have been hit especially hard because of their lack of resources to go anywhere else. One news commentator describes it as “disaster on top of disaster on top of disaster.”

Many Presbyterian congregations in the region took a direct hit from Katrina. Because of the nature of this disaster and the difficulty reaching affected communities, it will be some time before we know the exact number of churches that have either been damaged seriously or destroyed completely. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) teams are in the field and will send back reports as soon as they can. At this point we are aware that thirty-six churches in New Orleans alone are underwater.

It certainly appears that the predictions of Hurricane Katrina going down in the history books as one of the greatest natural disasters to hit the United States are coming true.

As you might expect, Presbyterians across the country are already hard at work in a variety of ways to help meet very basic needs. On the national level, PDA immediately directed $500,000 to the relief effort. In addition, they have issued an emergency appeal, setting before Presbyterians a goal of $10 million.

How can you help? First, please go to the PDA Web site at www.pcusa.org/pda . (You have some information in the bulletin on how to send in money. Also, the bulletin board by the north door has a lot of information on it.)

The emergency relief work today will give way to the long-term rebuilding efforts in the months and, no doubt, years to come. Presbyterians will be there, offering concrete help and restoring hope to those who, at present, cannot possibly imagine coming out on the other side of Katrina. We cannot answer why such tragedies happen. What we can do is speak with the sure and certain conviction deep in our souls that God is present in the midst of the pain and panic, and that God will continue to be present each and every hour. God's faithfulness will endure.

The Psalmist wrote, “Our soul is waiting for God, our help and our shield” (33:20, Psalms Anew ). And, when Jesus was with the disciples during the time leading up to his crucifixion and resurrection, he told them, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14:27). It is this abiding peace of Christ, which passes all human understanding, to which we cling during times like these.

Jean Marie had more to say in her message:

There is much uncertainty in our lives right now, as for so many. The loss of life all along the Gulf Coast breaks our hearts. In the midst of this catastrophe, we feel your support and prayers and the strength of God's presence with us.

We ask you to join us in prayer for those who have lost loved ones and much more; for those who are still stranded in devastated areas; for Jean Marie and Peter and all the members of our Presbyterian family who have been directly affected; for relief workers; for the many, many women, men, and children who are nameless to us, but deeply precious in the eyes of our gracious God, whose lives have been changed forever.

Thank you for what you have done, are doing, and will do to help in the aftermath of Katrina. Most of all, thank you for the ongoing, faithful work and witness to the gospel you make each and every day in the name of Jesus Christ.

 

In Christ's abiding peace,

Rick Ufford-Chase
Moderator of the 216th General Assembly (2004) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Cliff Kirkpatrick
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

John Detterick
Executive Director, General Assembly Council, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

In Romans, Paul speaks of how to live. “Love your neighbor as yourself, live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

When we are anxious about a disaster, it makes us do useless things. One pastor told me a parishioner asked her “Why can't I send them these six cans of corn?” The answer is that it's a pain in the behind to organize and distribute canned food when it comes in tiny boxes from individuals. PDA's information said “ During Hurricane Andrew bulldozers needed to be diverted from the recovery process to bury the tons of donated clothing because it created a vermin and disease hazard. Let's learn.” 2

And so Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has offered suggestions on how to help with disaster relief. Money remains the most flexible help of all. It's easy to transfer to those in need. The Medical Benevolent Foundation is collecting Health Kits and Hope in a Box Kits, with clear directions for assembling and sending. They have empty warehouses ready to store them and people who know how to distribute them.

It might not satisfy our immediate anxiety to write a check, or plan on assembling a kit. But helpful disaster response isn't about relieving our anxiety. It's about meeting the needs of people who are trying to survive.

The disaster is almost a week old; most of us have moved out of our numb disbelief into another emotion. Many of us are pretty angry. A friend of mine in Arkansas told me the people in her congregation have been snippy all week, and she herself yelled at a church member. And so they gathered today for Sunday School, to talk and pray about their response to the hurricane.

This was a new situation for all of us. It was hard to believe at the beginning of last week that things could be as terrible as they were. But it seems that every day we are learning that in New Orleans, Mississippi and Florida, it's worse than the day before. It's hard to not to waver in our faith during this unfamiliar and terrible time.

The traditional interpretation of Matthew's story of Jesus and Peter on the water is that the boat represents the church. One theologian said, “What if the message of this text were ‘If he had had enough faith, he would have believed the word of Jesus that came to him in the boat as mediating the presence and reality of God'? Faith is not being able to walk on the water—only God can do that—but daring to believe, in the face of all the evidence, that God is with us in the boat, made real in the community of faith as it makes its way through the storm, battered by the waves.” 3 And now, I have this image that even when we are afraid, Jesus reaches out a hand, and says, “Here, you can hold onto me.”

Pastoral Prayer

Holy God, we know what it means to miss New Orleans. All her people are scattered or scattering, rescued, or rescuing.

We'd pray for the whole city, O God, but our prayers aren't big enough. So this morning, we focus on praying for the Presbyterian churches in New Orleans: for Berean Presbyterian Church, for Canal Street Presbyterian Church, for Carrollton Presbyterian Church, for First Presbyterian Church, for Gentilly Presbyterian Church, for the Korean Presbyterian Church of New Oreans, for Lakeview Presbyterian Church, for Peace Presbyterian Church, for St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, for Third Presbyterian Church, and for Woodland Presbyterian Church. We pray for their pastors, working for the safety of their congregations, for the deacons and elders who serve the members, trying to fulfill their vows of spiritual leadership when the congregations cannot meet in the familiar sanctuaries. We pray they will find space to worship you this morning, that in their grief you will reach them with your spirit of comfort and peace.

We pray for the churches in Baton Rouge who are sheltering so many people. Give clarity and wisdom to their pastors, session, and deacons as they make decisions on how best to respond to the many people in need in their city. Send them patience, generosity, and grace. In times of crisis, emergency, deprivation and trouble, it is easy for us to become irritable and demanding. Keep us all from being anxious so that we can serve you with open hearts and clear minds.

We pray for those who are grieving for their flooded communities, for their neighbors who fled the city, or who died in the city. May you help them find new communities to welcome them.

We pray for all those, O God, whose grief has gone unnoticed in the face of this catastrophe, who have experienced crises and deaths this week unrelated to Hurricane Katrina,

I pray for all the little girls named Katrina who are having a hard time this week. May their classmates be understanding and kind.

I pray for all of us who want to help, to do something but are constrained by distance and ability. We know the hurricane inflicted disaster upon disaster upon the poor, those with no money for cars or gas or hotels, who tried to ride out the storm in the city, who now have no place to go. Money seems such a poor substitute for hands-on labor, food, and water, but it is the most efficient contribution we can make. Be with us in our frustration and anxiety. May it strengthen our resolve to help and keep us generous. Amen.

1 I appreciate Pastor John Murphy's interpretation of this passage at our Snake river Mission Area's youth Convocation “At the water's edge with Jesus” August 7-10, 2005, Camp Ida-Haven, McCall, ID.

2 pcusa.org/pda website

3New Interpreter's Bible, VIII, p. 329-330.