The Rev. Jimmy Abbott
Matthew 14:22-33

I had never experienced anything like it. This summer, I stood there at the bottom of Death Valley. The Badwater Basin. The lowest point in North America. And it’s wild – it’s hot, it’s one hundred and something degrees but you’re not sweating because the sweat immediately evaporates; literally not a cloud in the sky, the glare from the salt flats is blinding. Then you look up at the mountain next to the flat and you see a sign, way up there. It says – “Sea Level.” Two hundred and eighty two feet below. I waved to all of you from down there. 

But perhaps the most extraordinary thing, is that there’s water down there. Even then, in July, in Death Valley, in the scorching heat, standing at what feels like the surface of the Moon, there’s water. And not far from that spot, there’s another, larger spring of water. Geez – so much water that they have a hotel and a restaurant and a golf course and a pool. In Death Valley. Because water is life.

We know this. It’s water that has shaped the culture, the geography, and the economy of our island. Humans, as a species, as a civilization, have always gathered around water. Every major city around the world is built on water. From the largest ports to cities on rivers to little hamlets at the bottom of Death Valley, human life revolves around water. Because water is life. 

As it has always been, and as it was for Jesus and his disciples. The Sea of Galilee was the cultural, economic, and agricultural engine for the region in which Jesus was doing his work. It’s where fishermen like James and John, Peter and Andrew made their living. It’s where Jesus gathered great crowds to teach them about the kingdom of God, and it’s where Jesus broke bread for the five thousand. The Sea of Galilee is the source for the Jordan River as it runs down to the Dead Sea – the Jordan River, the very waters in which Jesus was baptized. The Sea of Galilee stands as a marker, as a sign of how God was blessing the people with abundance, with meaning, with new life.

But water, as it has always been, is also dangerous. That spring in Death Valley, it’s undrinkable – the Badwater Basin is a fitting name. And we know all too well the devastation that water can cause. And even for experienced fishermen like James and John, Peter and Andrew, sometimes the water that gave them life was also the thing that made life dangerous. That night, Jesus had sent them on ahead in the boat so that he could get some time to pray alone. So disciples put out to sea in their boat. They are far from land, straining at their oars, battered by the wind and the waves. The water is also dangerous. 

And that’s precisely where Jesus comes in, walking on those stormy waters. First, they think he’s a ghost. Then, Peter cries out, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28). Imagine that – Peter knows exactly how dangerous the water is. Peter knows just how quickly a man can sink below the waves, he knows just how precarious it is to spend a night in a boat on a stormy sea. For him, the boat would have been safety, protection – something he knew, something he grew up around. And yet, Jesus calls to him. Calls him to that danger.

It’s that moment, that moment of decision between safety and danger, that we live in day by day. All too often we hear that if only we follow Jesus, then our lives would be full of blessing, and good fortune, and happiness, and everything will work out. I’ll tell you right now, that’s a crock. Don’t believe it. Following Jesus is dangerous. It means getting out of the boat. It means leaving what you know, it means leaving safety and security behind. Following Jesus means that you will have to give up your old life. Following Jesus means that you will have to pick up the cross and follow him. Following Jesus means removing yourself from the center of your life and put the Lord God there instead. Following Jesus is a threat, a threat to your old life of sin and idolatry.

But as we know, the very thing that is a threat, is also a blessing. Sure, Jesus calls Peter to step out of the boat, but that’s so Peter would be closer to Jesus. That’s the most amazing blessing of all. Sure, following Jesus means giving up the old life and going to the cross; but only because the Living God is giving you a new life through the empty tomb. Following Jesus means forgetting about safety and security, but that is a blessing, because you don’t have to be so worried anymore. Yes, following Jesus means that you will have to love your neighbor as yourself; and yet even that is a blessing, because in the Church, the Spirit of God gives you new neighbors, a new family; through those dangerous and blessed waters of baptism you are given friends in Christ who will love in ways you would never have thought possible. Following Jesus, though it is dangerous, is a blessing, because you will receive grace and mercy and forgiveness beyond all measure.

Make no mistake. This is who God is. Blessing and threat. God is the One who created all things and called them good. But God’s blood will boil at the sight of injustice. The Lord Jesus loves everyone just as they are, sure. But Jesus also wants to take our hearts of stone and give us hearts of love. We are all still works in progress. The Holy Spirit is a fire, that burns up and a fire that cleanses. The Living God is both blessing and threat.

I would imagine that for each of you, in some aspect of your lives, this is the decision you are facing right now. And as you look forward, you see the good things and the hard things. You’re having to make a decision about your job, about when it’s time to retire; you have to decide what to do with your family, it’s about trying something new this year at school. I don’t know what it is, and I can’t promise you that the path is easy. But what I can promise, is that even when you fail, Jesus will be there. Even as he was for Peter when he failed. And maybe that’s the whole point – we’ve got to get out of the success or failure mindset. Those are not Christian words. It’s about faithfulness. It’s about our faithfulness to God, but more than that, it’s about God’s faithfulness to us. That Jesus reaches down and pulls Peter up, even at his weakest moment. That’s the grace of God.

So there you stand with Peter – with one foot in the boat, and the other foot on those stormy waters. The way back into the boat is the life of fear and worry and all the illusions of security; a life of loneliness and despair. What seems like safety is actually a threat to the fullness of life. The way forward onto the water, the way to Jesus, the way that looks like danger, will actually bring you closer to the God who already loves you more than you can imagine.

It’s time for us as individuals, as a church, as a society, to step out of the boat. And to trust in Christ, knowing that no matter what happens, God will be faithful.