In Times Of Trouble

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doubt, God's mercy, God's presence, Jesus, Matthew, storms, suffering, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, walk on water

Sometimes it seems hard to believe that we are strong enough to withstand the difficulties that plague us. I’m thinking this morning of the raging fires in California as well as all the people I know who are suffering from trauma or illness from which there seems to be no way out. At these times we might be challenged to go on by sayings like “Cast your cares upon the Lord for he cares for you.” Once in awhile, however, when everything seems so dire, it feels as if God is on vacation, and we wonder if we will survive.

In the gospel this morning (MT 14:22-36) Jesus has sent his disciples to the other side of the Sea of Galilee at the end of a session with a large crowd. He stays behind for some alone time with God up on a mountain. His prayer is interrupted when a storm comes up and he knows that the disciples are in trouble because the wind is against the boat so they can’t go forward. Rather they’re being tossed around and in danger of capsizing. So that they may believe in his power to save them, he appears walking on the water toward the boat. (Stop for a moment and think how you would react to seeing him coming at a time like that.) They thought he was a ghost so he announced himself and told them not to be afraid. Peter wants to be sure so he says, “Lord, if it is really you, command me to come to you on the water.” (Be careful what you ask for!) Jesus says, simply, “Come.” Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking but when his rational mind kicks in he begins to sink and cries out, “Lord, save me!” Of course, Jesus stretches out his hand, catches Peter and they both get into the boat as the wind dies down. “Why did you doubt?” Jesus asks.

When our particular crisis passes, or when the fires die down and neighbor appears to help neighbor, we often wonder why we doubted God’s presence, God’s mercy. But here we are, just simple (or maybe sort of complex) human beings, struggling to make sense of things that sometimes seem too great to shoulder. My sense is that God knows that and loves us all the more for our willingness to call out, “Save me, Lord! I’m drowning!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Attention

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Elijah, God, incredible, Jesus, Kings, Matthew, ordinary, Peter, recognize, storm, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, walk on water

How does God get your attention? How do you pray for God to attend to you? When God shows up, do you recognize and accept how God comes? Today’s lectionary readings hold examples of two such situations for our consideration.

In the first, we have the story of Elijah the prophet on the mountain of Horeb who was instructed by God to leave the cave where he had found shelter in order to encounter “the Lord who will be passing by.” All sorts of wild signs arose: heavy wind, earthquake, fire…extraordinary conditions that might suggest such an extraordinary vision – but no, the Lord was in none of those signs. Thank goodness Elijah was astute enough to recognize the Lord “in a tiny whispering sound” or he would have missed God’s visitation. (1 KGS 19: 9-13) So God might show up anywhere, any time and we need to be ready for the unexpected.

In the gospel, there is also an unexpected event – a storm on the sea – when Jesus is off on a mountain by himself and the disciples are in a boat with waves crashing mightily against it, suggesting it might sink. This time, God sends Jesus walking toward them and they don’t recognize him because he is – like in the Book of Kings – coming in a way that seems impossible. He’s walking on the water. Peter, the impetuous one, challenges the vision that they think is a ghost by saying, “If it’s you, tell me to come to you across the water.” When Jesus says, “Come,” Peter jumps in and does fine until he remembers that he is doing something impossible so he starts to sink. Jesus saves him, of course. (MT 14: 22-33)

So whether God shows up in the ordinary, or in some totally incredible circumstance, we need to be ready and open to accept and respond to what comes to us, even if it calls us to trust what seems impossible, in order to have an experience that is beyond anything we have ever known.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of Wind and Water

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apostles, believe, calm, do not be afraid, enough, fear, I'm here, Jesus, John, terror, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, walk on water

Today the gospel is John’s (brief) account of the storm at sea (JN  6:16-21). One might call it “bare bones” as there are simply the facts that as the disciples were rowing, the wind came up, followed by the appearance of Jesus walking toward them on the water who said, It is I; Do not be afraid – at which point everything calmed again and they rowed on. English teachers might call that a good synopsis as it contains little narration of the heart of the event which seems to me to be the terror  that was most certainly felt by the apostles. The crux of it all, however, were the words of Jesus when he told them not to be afraid. I find it interesting that he didn’t say, “I’ll save you!” or “It’ll be okay!” He simply said, “I’m here” as if (hopefully) his presence would be enough to take away their fear. We might ask ourselves if we can believe deeply enough in that presence in our lives that, when we are faced with our fears, we can rely on God to assure us, “I am here” and to know that for whatever we face, that is enough.

Having Doubts?

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doubt, faith, grace, Jesus, Matthew, Peter, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, walk on water

A few years ago I heard a different interpretation of the “walking on water” incident (MT 14:22-36) where Jesus (who has not been with the disciples in the boat) tells Peter to come to him across the water once they have recognized that it is, in fact, Jesus and not a ghost. Peter, ever the impulsive one, jumps in and starts walking but when he realizes what he’s doing – which is impossible – he begins to sink. After Jesus catches him he asks Peter, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Traditionally, that has been seen as the set-up for Peter’s declaration of faith in Jesus: “Truly you are the Son of God.” Certainly that may be exactly what Matthew intended, but here’s the other idea that I (and maybe you) have heard. What if Jesus is asking Peter why he doubted himself? Walking on water is certainly as outrageous an idea as passing out food to over 5,000 people when you’re starting with five loaves and two fishes – but what if that is the question? Once again, maybe Jesus was asking those he journeyed with to be ready for whatever was to come, totally confident that God would give them the grace, the strength, to do whatever was necessary in each situation. In that case, it would not be a passive “God, take care of this for me” but rather a case of “I can do this – and all things – in the one who strengthens me.”

What if that is still the question and we are the ones needing to answer God in our lives? Why are we still doubting ourselves?