Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 14
Jonah 2:1-9
Psalm 29
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:22-33

You gotta love Peter. At least, I do. He is so very human-- impetuous, and impulsive. You never have to wonder what he’s thinking-- because the first thing that pops into his head, seems to come flying right out of his mouth.

Todays gospel is a perfect example. I mean, picture the scene: there they are, on a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, and it’s windy-- enough that I imagine the waves are tossing the boat round like a cork. Now Peter, and James and John were fisherman, so it’s likely that this is not the first bit of rough weather they’d encountered. In a way, though, that makes it more nerve-wracking, because their experience would made them well aware of what all could go wrong.

So there he is, lashing things down and hanging on for dear life, when he looks up-- and there’s Jesus, “strollin’ on the water.” After they realize he's not a ghost, can't you just hear what Peter's thinking? “Hey, cool!" And then, "Can I can do that, too?”

Yep. "C'mon," Jesus says. So Pete stepped out of the boat, and started walking. Until, as Matthew says, his faith faltered, and he started to sink.

These are the two things for which this gospel is most remembered: Jesus walking on water, and Peter floundering in the waves. And it seems to me that’s where most of the teaching I’ve heard aound this bit of scripture centers: Peter’s perceived failure of faith. But I think we need instead to look at the things he did right. I see two points that fall into that category.

Let's look at where we are right now in the story. When he began to flounder, what didn’t he do? He didn’t give up. He didn’t turn back to the boat. He didn’t splash and thrash about in a wild panic. Instead, he asked for Jesus' help. He knows exactly where to turn when he’s in trouble, just as he asked for Jesus’ help to get out on the water in the first place. That doesn’t sound like a lack of faith to me, at all.

What’s the second thing? Think back toward the beginning of the story. Given the opportunity, Peter was willing to take a chance, to try something illogical, and risky, and foolish. He got out of the boat.

That’s hard to do, isn’t it? We have a habit of getting stuck in a rut; of thinking “the way we’ve always done it” is the way to go. It’s comfortable, and predictable, and safe. The only problem is that not much gets accomplished that way. There’s a trite old saying that applies here, about the one who is not busy being born, is busy dying. Or, as your vicar is fond of saying, the only difference between a rut and a grave is how deep it is, and how long you stay there.

Think about this, brothers and sisters. What is true of a person, is also true of a community, like this church. Rev. Ref. & I chat a lot, and he’s been telling me some good things about this church, and this community: how much he and his family love it here, the welcoming, friendly spirit of this place, the gifts of God that are present among you. And these are wonderful things--- worth living and worth sharing. But still, I would challenge you to consider, as you walk with Christ in this place, what (either in your own life, or in the life of this congregation) you haven’t tried, because it was too risky? Or too expensive? Or perhaps because you’re afraid of looking foolish-- of what people might say?

In Peter, we see a couple of lessons to remember: First, to know that when we're in trouble, we have a loving savior standing nearby, to whom we can always turn. And then, when we are offered the chance to walk on water, brothers, and sisters... to get out of the boat.