Romans 10.5-15, Matthew 14.22-33
Aug 10, 2014,Trinity 8, Sutton Montis w. Corton Denham, West Camel w. Queen Camel
She took a leap of faith, Christine, in starting a search for her long-lost mother. [1]
She had had a very happy upbringing with her adoptive parents, good Christian folk in a comfortable suburban home. She’d made a life for herself which now involved two grown-up children, flying the nest, and one grandchild on the way. It was the news about the forthcoming grandchild which reawoke in her a desire she’d always had – to trace her own birth mother. Her parents had always told her that this could be difficult – and could be painful – though they never expanded on that, wouldn’t say more. Christine prayed about it, talked it through with friends, with her vicar, and with their support, finally took the steps to begin her search.
What she eventually discovered was not good news. Her mother was dead, after living a relatively short and very hard life; estranged from her own parents as a teenager she had been in and out of care, on and off the streets; she had to give up Christine at birth to the care system, and died of a drug overdose at the age of 24.
Christine took a leap of faith, but then she fell – into a depression, a time of questioning why her mother had had to live such a hard life, despair that she would never know her mother or be able to help her.
He took a leaf of faith, William, in starting up a new charity. A devout Christian, he’d always been troubled by the church’s squeamishness about anything to do with sexuality, especially when in his daily work, as a police officer, he saw how many people were suffering as victims of sexual crimes – including many men. Knowing his scriptures William felt sure that if Jesus was in his position he’d be reaching out to people who were being abused, but suffering in silence because of the shame attached to their situation. William decided to set up a support group for male victims of sexual abuse – whose suffering was largely hidden from society, and never addressed by the church.
After much research, some training and social work accreditation, William set up a small group, of people referred to him by a police support worker colleague, and those who came found it helpful, that is until the day that one of the group members phoned William to say that his uncle, who was his abuser, had discovered that he had been going to this group, and had badly beaten him.
William took a leap of faith, but then he fell – feeling that he’d failed to put in enough protective measures for those he was trying to help, he went into a crisis of confidence in what he was doing. [2]
You know, every Christian has our Simon Peter moments; those times in life which require a leap of faith. Be it the decision to be baptised – or confirmed – in later years, following a heightened sense of conviction about the rightness of making life a walk with Christ; or be it a decision about a marriage, a career change or a move of home. This goes on right through life, for the journey never stops, there are often stormy waters to manouevre, there are always challenging decisions to face, and if we spend our lives prayerfully attuning our senses to Christ, then over and over again we find ourselves in the same position as Simon Peter in that boat: listening for the voice of Christ, calling him to take the leap of faith to follow where he calls.
Consider those times in your life when this has been the case for you … Consider what is happening in your life now, and if the boat you’re in is currently rocking in choppy waters … Consider these moments your Simon Peter moments, an invitation for you to take a leap of faith.
We usually focus on the subject of today’s gospel reading as the amazing feat of Jesus in walking on the water; we preach about what this tells us of God’s command of nature, or God’s oneness with creation. All of that is true and worthy of our praise. But every miracle of Jesus also has a human face. There’s as great a miracle in what Jesus did for Peter that day.
This is the miracle told another way – Peter took a leap of faith – and though he fell, he did not drown. For Jesus held him. And Peter’s leap of faith illuminates our own Simon Peter moments.
See what Peter does here. He says, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ At a time of testing and of questioning, Peter does what any Christian would do, in prayer, in conversation with others – he seeks to be sure that the next move he makes is going to be a move towards Christ, that it will be a move truly prompted by Jesus.
And Jesus said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. Here is Peter having a Christine moment, when she began that search for her mother, a William moment, when he first invited people to his survivors support group. A you moment, when you … stepped out in faith …
But now see what Peter does next. When he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and [began] to sink. Just as Christine began to sink, after the bad news she received of her mother; just as William’s hopes for the support group sank after he hit a difficult patch. Just as we, sometimes, in these situations, get that sinking feeling, when things get hard, hopes get dashed.
Now, we can be greatly encouraged by Peter – and Christine and William – because although we see them floundering in stormy waters just now, we admire the leap of faith which got them that far. A fear of failure stops many of us even leaving the boat, our sense of vulnerability is stronger than our faith in the Christ who is calling us, so we do not move at all.
But Peter – and Christine and William – did take a leap of faith. And though they fell, they did not drown.
Peter cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ – Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him. And we picture that sodden, shivering mess of a man held fast in the arms of the compassionate one who loves and saves him.
And this is the miracle as Christine now sees it – for with the prayers and the support of her family and church friends she began to emerge from her depression and see her search for her mother in a new light; she began to see her own life in a new light, and with a newly-kindled compassion for those children whose parents have had to give them up to care, she and her husband decided to open their home to foster children, and they currently care for two young teenagers in this way.
Jesus holding Peter fast, whilst all at sea, illuminates William’s Simon Peter moments too. For William was persuaded by the group members – and especially by the one who had been beaten up – not to give up at this first hurdle, but to tighten up their procedures and carry on. Which is what, after prayer and consultation, he did. And that one support group has now become a network of groups throughout their region.
‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame,’ wrote Paul to the Romans. [3] Jesus did not shame Peter for his lack of faith when he fell. Rather, when Peter fell, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. Only after that did Jesus say, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ A gentle reprimand, not a severe reproach, for Jesus is a kindly and compassionate leader of his people.
‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ Jesus did not shame Christine despite the darkness in her family history into which she stumbled; Jesus did not shame William despite the difficult episode which his fledgling support group faced. Rather, when they fell, Jesus reached out his hand and caught them. And increased their faith.
And so, here is the miracle-within-the-miracle we have learned today. That when we take a leap of faith, even if we fall, we will not drown. For Jesus, the kindly and compassionate leader of his people reaches out to catch us. Increases our faith, eliminates our doubts, leads us on. Remember this, in your Simon Peter moments, that:
… ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ … For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ [4]
Prayer
Lord, I recall when I heard your call and took a leap of faith … and when I fell, you held me.
I ask you today, to keep calling me forward, to increase my faith, to help me take that step … in confidence that you again are there to catch me if I fall, and save me.
Amen.
Notes
[1] ‘Christine’ and her story are fictional but I think realistic, and illustrative for the purposes of this sermon.
[2] ‘William’ and his charity are fictional but illustrative for the purposes of this sermon. An entirely unrelated, but actual charity helping men who have been sexually violated and raising awareness of their needs, is SurvivorsUK.
[3] Romans 10.11
[4] Romans 10.11,13
