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Blown Away with Good News
New Testament Scripture Matthew 14:26-31a
September 13, 2009
Rev. Dr. Marisa Laviola
Today I would like to blow you away with good news. Today I would like to knock you over with unbelievably good news—with news from our incredible God that can leave you totally unable to ever deny again the incredible all-encompassing love, the forever and the day to day covenant, with our amazing God. Unable to ever deny in your minds and hearts again that with God you need not fear; that God calls you each by name and that you belong to God. That each of us sitting here is precious in God’s sight, is honored, is deeply loved. And that we need not be afraid of anything because our God is a constant presence in every trial and tribulation.
In Isaiah 43, commonly known as God’s love letter, we hear these amazing words: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 4Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you. Do not fear for I am with you.” Incredible news, amazing words!
Has this news blown you away yet? Have these words knocked you over? If not, it’s understandable. It’s very difficult for us humans to take in such incredible words of love spoken here through the prophet Isaiah.
In the fourteenth chapter of Matthew we hear an incredible story: “But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’”
Jesus blew the disciples away by walking on the water of a lake in the middle of a storm. Why would he do such a thing? For show? For effect? We really do not grasp the reason for his maneuver until we get to the end of this passage from Matthew.
After the disciples recover from their initial shock and realize that the one coming toward them is in fact Jesus, Peter decides that he also wishes to walk on water. Now Peter is certainly known for his audacity and self important nature. But here he is a mere mortal, not even Jesus, the incarnate One of God. How silly and how audacious of him to think he can walk on water. But I’m not sure Peter’s motive is to be silly or audacious. Listen again to his words: ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ Jesus, if you are really the one coming toward me, I believe, I have faith, in your abiding love and friendship that you will not allow me to sink.’
I think Peter is ready to trust the incredibly good news that Jesus can be trusted with his very life. I imagine Peter looking Jesus straight in the eye as he gets out of the boat, keeping his eyes fixed on the encouraging, steadfast eyes of Jesus as he begins his foot tread.
But then, his faith in this incredible Jesus is jolted as his gaze is averted by the storm around him, as his focus shifts from the loving gaze of steadfast guidance to the overwhelming anxiety of uncertainty and dread—and he begins to sink down into the foaming roar of the water. He cries for help: “‘Lord save me!’”, as he sees himself sinking below the surface. But he does not sink. He doesn’t even come close to sinking.
The scripture tells us something else that can blow us away if we really take it in. “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him.” Peter becomes overwhelmed by his fears, becomes hyper-aware of his mortality, and taking his eyes off Jesus, breaks the incredible bond of love. But Jesus immediately, immediately reaches out, mends that bond, and catches him.
I believe that’s the reason for Jesus’ maneuver of walking on water in the first place. Not to blow the disciples away with his miraculous, gravity defying feat. But to knock them over with a show of incredible love, of steadfast presence in the face of mortal fear, the assurance that as they, as we, look into the eyes of God, we have nothing to fear. That even when they, when we, avert our gaze and sink into the anxieties and trials of life, as we yell with groaning voices from anguished hearts to Jesus, Jesus is right there to grab us by the hand. We do not sink. We are lifted up by incredible, unfailing love.
In that split moment of catching Peter’s hand, Jesus gives action to the verses in Isaiah: “Do not fear. I have called you by name, you are mine. 4Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you. Do not fear for I am with you.”
The Word surely has become flesh; Jesus words become the sure manifestation of God’s enduring covenant that tells each of us “you are precious, you are honored, fear not, I love you.” Are you blown away yet?
Now why would I today wish to blow you away with good news? I’ve been with you now eight months. This is not the first time I’ve spoken with you about the incredible, unconditional love of God, about the steadfast presence of Jesus in the midst of every trial and every storm.
Yet today is a very special day. Today is a very special day in the history and future of our days together. Today marks a day of covenant. Today marks a day when we seal our covenant with God and one another, you and I. Today marks a day when we invite the Northeast Association of the Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ to affirm our covenant. Today seems an appropriate day to be blown away by the good news of God.
We celebrate today and we renew our covenant; faithful church members together, church family with their pastor and teacher, local church with greater church. I pray that we can allow ourselves to be blown away today, that we can allow ourselves to take in, to be filled by God’s amazing love and hope and faith.
And there will be days to come when we will continue to celebrate: in praise and prayer-filled worship, as we welcome new friends and members into our community; as we watch our children grow in grace and knowledge of our incredible God, and as we welcome very soon new children; as we share fellowship together and with others in our community through monthly brunches, women’s fellowship gatherings, the Ham Dinner, the rummage sale, and other opportunities for joyful fellowship. As we continue to share rich ministry though donations to the food shelf and to the benevolence fund, space for the youth of our community, and as we discover new opportunities for rich ministry in Christ. We will celebrate the many facets of Advent and Christmas and the New Year with Epiphany and the entrance of the Christ child, God incarnate, into the center of our creation. Those times we will be filled with the joy of a Christ-centered community, a community that hopes and prays to keep its eyes focused on Jesus.
And there will times when storms will build and threaten to overwhelm, when the lake rivers will roll, times when we will pitch and turn away and avert our eyes or forget to look into the eyes of our Jesus. Personal trials and hardships, family challenges, difficult financial realities in the life of this church, and as with any good healthy faith community, disagreements among faithful church members about our church’s future.
I pray that at those times, we can yell out to Jesus with all that is within us, yell out as Peter yelled out, “Lord, save me, Lord save us.”
And Jesus will immediately reach out his hand and grab us at those times, will lift us up from the stormy seas of life—each one of us in the midst of our personal pains and trials, each one in the face of our faithful endeavors for this church, all of us as we faithfully continue to say, “Lord, is that you? If it is, command me, command us, to walk on the water of our lives. Lord, and when we falter, grab our hands, pull us up.”
Dear Brothers and Sisters of our community of faith, let us own this beautiful gospel message as our own, for as we fix our eyes upon Jesus we can do greater things than we can even imagine. And when we falter, Jesus will reach out and grab us.
Dear Sisters and Brothers of our family of faith, let us own these beautiful words from God as our own:
“I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall
not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
4Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.
“At The Brink”
Psalm 46, James 3:13 - 4:3, 7-8a
September 20, 2009
Rev. Dr. Marisa Laviola
In the past several months I have spoken to you from this place about the incredible love of God that holds us in the midst of every trial and every tribulation. Just last week we talked about the storms of life in which we feel like we’re sinking; and just as we’re about to go under, Jesus grabs us and pulls us up. Even though our hearts may still be heavy with burden, our hand is in the hand of Jesus. And, hopefully, as we hear and experience such love and presence of our God, our faith grows.
But there are some things that happen to us or to those around us, that bring conflicted feelings that swirl around inside of us, that can carry us right to the brink of our faith.
Things and experiences and conflicts, without and within, that move us to ask God, “Where are you? Are you really here? Or is my faith all for naught?”
The Hebrews knew of such things and experiences and conflicts. The Psalm that we read together is certainly a psalm of confidence in God—and yet, it is born of incredible turmoil. It is spoken by a people that literally had their home wrenched out from under them, thrown into exile in a strange land that dominated them for generations.
And they certainly asked the question, “Where are you, God? Are you really there? Or is our faith all for naught?”
In James’ letter to the Christian audience of the first century, he speaks of internal conflicts. For his audience, the conflicts appear to be those of wanting what they cannot have because they ask out of self-centered motivation and then resort to the worst kinds of behaviors. But his message is less about reprimand and more about instruction on why they do not know how to get their needs met.
Most of us know about internal conflicts; wars that go on inside of us when we are faced with difficult choices; wars that go on inside of us when we are faced with difficult circumstances.
The news in our community over the past week can certainly bring about internal conflict; may even bring some of us to the brink of our faith:
The sad news of victims of sexual abuse right here in our town, and the incredible courage of those young boys who came forward in order to save others; and the understandable wonder in us if there are more who will come forward;
The heartbreaking and confusing news of a prominent and beloved member of our community, also accused of being a pedophile, one who abuses children;
The gut wrenching questions in hindsight:
What did we not know that we should have known?
What did we not see that we should have seen?
What did we not do that we should have done to prevent this tragedy? To identify it early on?
And we may ask, “How can this happen, God? Where are you, God? Are you there? Were you there? And if you were there, why didn’t you stop it? Why didn’t you help us to stop it?”
In our psalm for today, the psalmist speaks of internal conflicts and feelings in the Hebrew people who were wrenched from their homeland and how it felt like the earth itself changed and the mountains shook in the heart of the sea; the waters roared and foamed, and the mountains trembled in the tumult of the waters.
Do some of us feel that way this morning? Do you know of those in our community of faith who feel such? Those in our community of Morristown who struggle with such?
Just about everyone in town is probably asking, “What do I do with this information?” People know Shaun in different ways: as childhood friend, as student, as teacher, as co-worker, as elected city official, as friend. So many feelings and reactions: shock and disbelief, anger and betrayal, sorrow and grief, fear and uncertainty.
James speaks to the people of the first century regarding their very weighty conflicted feelings and how they responded in ways that are not helpful. But James’ words are less about reprimand and more about encouraging folks to take some time to look inside and ponder their struggles. To look inside and to consider that “you do not have, because you do not ask; you ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly.”
There are, no doubt, a myriad of opinions among good folks in our community, who sometimes do not speak their opinions in the kindest of ways, who cannot reconcile the confusing, painful feelings that swirl inside them.
How to reconcile good works with alleged harmful acts?
How to reconcile a school and a town that could not protect the victims or help Shaun?
How to reconcile faith in a God who apparently did not intervene?
Struggles within and among good folks who may weep, who may lash out in anger, who may finger point outward or inward, who may sit and suffer in silence and confusion.
Folks perhaps at the brink of faith feeling more familiar right now with a distant or disinterested God than a God of the psalmist who “is our refuge and strength.” than James’ God who “draws near to us as we draw near.”
How did the Hebrews heal from their experience of exile, their experience of being abandoned by God, their feelings of being at the brink of their faith? If we read through the psalms, we see many examples of people struggling with just that. In Psalm 42, the psalmist cries, “My tears have become my food night and day, and I hear it said all day long: “Where is your God?” In Psalm 102, the psalmist laments, “God, hear my prayer, let my cry for help come to you. . .do not conceal your face from me.” The Hebrew people, at least the psalmists on behalf of the Hebrew people, spoke their feelings freely to God no matter what they were. They spoke hatred, they spoke anger, they spoke confusion, doubt, and feelings of abandonment, all to God.
The Hebrew people spoke and spoke and spoke to their God. And when they were exhausted, they were silent. They listened. They heard the re-assuring voice: “Be still and know I am God.”
How does James instruct the people to whom his letter is addressed to heal from their difficult symptoms of strife and conflict? James encourages them to look within and to discover the feelings and where they come from; to own these as understandable internal strife in the face of difficult experiences.
But to do so with wisdom. To do so with the wisdom that is born from above—to speak to one another with truth, but in gentleness; to speak one’s mind, but with mercy toward the other, with God’s help.
So how do we heal in our community? How do we proceed from confusion, disbelief, painful hindsight, feelings of betrayal and heartache; even wondering if God has been present? According to the psalmist, we talk our feelings with God and one to another until there comes a time when we are silent and still. According to James, we look deep inside and discover and express ourselves, but wisely, with words of gentleness and mercy, recognizing there are others who also hurt and who are also confused, and who also need healing; even if we do not agree with their opinions and views right now. And in the midst of all, we will draw near to God as God draws near to us.
Such healing takes time. Such healing takes intention. Such healing is a process over time and intention. Such healing takes openness to the other, openness to the other’s feelings, openness to seeing the accused as beloved child of God, no matter how much we abhor his behavior; openness to Shaun’s family; openness to embracing the brave victims who are harmed and their grieving families; openness to forgiving ourselves and others; openness to reason, mercy, and peacemaking,.
And it takes knowing that even when our faith is at the brink, if we but be still, we will know of God. When our faith is at the brink, God is near as we draw near.
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