Context of "Covid-19 Preaching" series: In the summer of 2020, while the world was still grappling with Covid lockdowns and the murder of George Floyd, as the as the calls for justice that arose from that, I was stranded in Kansas City, KS, trying to figure out "online ministry." Before Covid, every seminary student had the opportunity to spend a school year or a summer at a church, observing a pastoral mentor and their congregation. I had a congregation, Lordship Community Church, in Stratford, CT, but I had never set foot in the building, and was ministering to a congregation while halfway across the country. These sermons are the product of those strange, trying times. I have to believe there was some providence in the "Unraveled" summer series that the pastor had chosen. The series was picked before Covid-19 threw the world into chaos. What timing! This was the time and place to preach on faith and doubt, to travel with Peter and dive into Job's suffering. The world was unraveled, and we were picking up the strands.
Why? How? These are roots of questions that underly the curiosity and doubt that drive a human search for answers and certainty. In the chaos and confusion of the unknown, answers and explanations are the tools that we use to create a world that is less scary and uncertain. However, despite our best efforts, sometimes the order that we create comes crashing down and leaves us submerged in the dark depths of the unknown. At the risk of being presumptuous, I wager that we are in such a time. Fortunately, we are not alone.
In the reading today, we find Peter and the Disciples in their own precarious situation. While Jesus was praying on the mountain, the Disciples were buffeted by waves and fierce winds as they attempted to cross the Sea of Galilee. Without their leader, the Disciples were left to fend for themselves as they weathered a storm in a modest fishing boat. The Gospel of Matthew does not reveal the emotions that the Disciples were feeling during the storm, but in Mark’s and Luke’s recounting of this story (Luke 8:22-25 & Mark 4:35-41), they state that the Disciples proclaim they are perishing. If this recounting is to be believed, then we can only imagine how relieved and astounded the Disciples were, when they witnessed Jesus walking towards them, on the water. In Matthew’s account of this event, Peter is so excited to see Jesus that, once he confirms it is indeed his Lord walking towards him, he hops into the water and begins to walk towards Jesus. All goes well for Peter until he feels the “strong wind” blow. This is the critical moment where things turn for the worse.
In a move that is reminiscent of Wiley Coyote running on air until he looks down, Peter manages to accomplish the impossible until he registers the reality of his surroundings. I do not know what went through Peter’s mind at that moment, but I would guess it was some variation of the classic “why?” and “how” that fuel doubt. As soon as Peter experiences this moment of doubt, he lives up to his name and sinks like a rock. Without faith, Peter is not the rock of the church, the foundation of Christianity; he is just a rock dropped in deep water. Through doubt, a man who strives to do the impossible will be confined to what is deemed possible. Through faith, possibilities emerge from the impossible. The road that one takes, whether walking on water or land, is defined by the choice to invest in faith or seek security in doubt.
The story of Peter’s walk on the water is a reminder of the real power of faith in the midst of uncertainty, fear, and the impossible. As followers of Jesus, we can believe that, as the Son of God, Jesus could do the impossible, and do so without a battle of doubt and faith. After all, if Jesus is the Son of God, there should be no limit to his power and potential. However, Peter is not Jesus, and is certainly not the Son of God. Peter is a human, a being of imperfection and flaws incapable of the perfect faith and life that Christ lived. Yet, despite his humanity, Peter accomplishes the impossible for just a moment…only to be drawn back to his human limitations when he succumbs to doubt. Despite a moment of power, we are reminded that Peter’s feat did not come from his own abilities but derived from faith that placed Jesus above reality. When Jesus rescues Peter from the water, this lesson is revealed in the simple question, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Let us ponder this. Why did Peter doubt?
Before Peter sank with doubt, he was fortunate enough to witness two miracles in one day, the feeding of the 5000 and Jesus’s walk on the water; the only miracles that are featured in all four Gospels. Somehow these miracles were not enough to compel Peter to have faith beyond doubt. And so, the question repeats, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Did Peter need to see more miracles? Did Jesus need better disciples? Is it too much to ask a follower to have faith beyond doubt? Those would be interesting questions to ask Jesus, but, in this context, I think they are beside the point. Such questions ignore the purpose of Matthew recounting Peter’s failure.
The story of Peter sinking is our opportunity to individually examine our faiths, as we struggle with our own doubts. Like Peter, we struggle to be more than our imperfection as we look to our Savior but hesitate to take the step towards him. In this story, Jesus’s question to Peter is directed to each and every one of us, asking, “Why did you doubt?”
In our journey towards Christ, we have to acknowledge that doubt never goes away. No amount of science or exploration will provide the certainty necessary to know whether or not Christ or God exist. Faith is not the stock market, you cannot hedge your bets by putting a toe towards Christ. It is an all or nothing commitment. Or at least that is the intent of faith. The reality of faith is less cut and dry. Truly, faith is not easy. It does not always make sense, sometimes it seems impractical, and there are times when it seems to have little value when compared to immediate necessities such as food, water, shelter, and security. You can’t eat faith. You can’t buy it or sell it.
In the human world, faith seems to lack a place at a table that is dominated by the logic and reason that make life comfortable and sensible. What use are logic and reason when the sense of yesterday is erased by the chaos of today? Where are science’s miracle cures for our global pandemic, where are the jobs to stabilize our economy, when will we be able to gather without fear of infection, where is the peace, order, and justice when those entrusted to enact peace, order, and justice become those who oppose it? Truly, this is a time of great doubt, and rightfully so. However, it is also a time for great faith.
Have you had doubts lately? Do you find that hope, peace, love, and justice are more difficult to imagine when the world seems to be spinning out of control? Maybe it’s enough to make you ask, “Where is God, where is Christ?” Or, maybe you find it is easier to pray, maybe you feel more connected to God and Christ. I cannot know how all of you, and the rest of God’s children are handling these unparalleled times, but I can hope that faith offers the strength, comfort, and security that can feel absent when we feel like the disciples, powerless on a fragile vessel, battered by the fury of nature.
I cannot ask you to ignore the pain and confusion of the present, but I beseech you to look towards the promise of Christ. If like Peter, you find yourself stumbling and sinking, fearing that you will not surface again, look up to the hand that Christ extends to you. You are not alone, you are loved. The darkness of the depths and the swelling of the sea cannot last, the sea will be still again, life will find a new balance, we will survive. With our eyes directed at Christ, we look towards the Kingdom and Glory that we long for, but remains unseen. With each prayer and passing day we hope to become the faithful who are more than our doubts. And
When we are overcome by doubt, when our faith fails, we have community; we have one another. From the chaos of today, we will build on Christ, in solidarity with one another, to craft the tomorrow that we long for. On this path towards that distant tomorrow, remember that Jesus does not expect us to be perfect, or to escape lows, if that was so, he would have let Peter sink.
Even when we doubt, even when we fail, Christ extends a hand. Living in faith, we become the extended hand that Jesus offers to Peter, the reaffirmation of a faith and love that is stronger than doubt. Just as Peter was not expected to pull himself out of the water or make it on his own, we will overcome these trials by offering our hands and hearts to our neighbors who are submerged.
I ask that you join me in praying for those who are sinking in despair, debt, depression, drawn low by oppression, made feeble from hunger, made weary from being overworked. Lord, we pray that you will raise us from the depths and bring us to safety when we are in peril. Let no soul be forgotten or overlooked, let all of your lost lambs be returned to the flock. Watch over us and give us the strength and courage to have unyielding faith. May we be brought to Christ so that we may sing praises to your glory, mercy, and justice that endure without end. Now and forever.
Amen.
Comments