“At least peter got out of the boat…” August 10th, 2014 Reinbeck UMC

“At least peter got out of the boat…”

August 10^th, 2014

Reinbeck UMC

“WOULDA, SHOULDA, COULDA.” If only Peter WOULDA kept his eyes on Jesus, he would have made it all the way to Jesus. Peter SHOULDA been more focused on Jesus and less focused on what was under his feet. Peter COULDA been an example of great faith and faithfulness if he had only trusted just a little more.

“WOULDA, SHOULDA, COULDA.”

But then, you could say the same thing about me… and probably about you.

If only he WOULDA kept his mind on what he was doing…

They SHOULDA been more understanding…

If only he COULDA kept his eyes on Jesus, just think that would have happened…

And we can say the same thing about the church! There are many people pointing fingers at the church today. If only you would do this… if only they would do that… if only we could do something else.

There are always plenty of people willing to point out where we fall short of their expectations, or where we fail the Biblical vision, or where we are unsuccessful at being the people God wants us to be.

It is easy to point fingers and say WOULDA, SHOULDA, COULDA.

I suspect the other 11 disciples even did that to Simon Peter.

Peter, if only you WOULDA moved faster.

Peter you SHOULDA walked slower.

Peter you COULDA made it all the way to Jesus

I almost wish they had spoken up right then and there while Jesus was standing there. Because I think Jesus would have pointed right back at them and said, “at least Peter got out of the boat.”

At least peter got out of the boat… and that was no easy thing. Maybe you have heard people comment about sky diving, “Why would I jump out of a perfectly good airplane?” I think we have to ask here, “Why would Peter get out of a perfectly good boat?” especially in the middle of a storm in the middle of the night.

When Peter got out of the boat, it was during a sea storm. Matthew 14:24 tell us that the boat that Peter was in was in a middle of a storm. I have never been on the water in a storm, but I have seen the frightening images from the movie “Perfect Storm.” I also remember that when I was on the Sea of Galilee they explained to us that because of the way the mountains dip down into Galilee, violent storms can sweep into the area with almost no warning. When we think about this story, getting out of the boat is one thing, but getting out of the boat in the middle of a storm with the boat tossing and turning, and the waves crashing, and wind howling is no small thing. But he got out anyway.

Secondly, when Peter got out of the boat, it was dark. Matthew 14:25 said it was in the fourth watch of the night, that means, it was between 3a.m and 6 a.m. when Peter got out of the boat. That is the deepest, darkest, coldest part of the night. I don’t know what they might have had for lamps on the boat, but I am pretty sure that the wind and rain probably put them out. And again, it was storming so the moon would have been hidden by the storm clouds. It’s no wonder they thought Jesus might have been a ghost. Not only was it hard to believe what they saw, it was hard to see anything at all. It was into this darkness that peter stepped when he stepped out of the boat. I am not sure that many of us would have done that. I think our fear might have gotten the better of us while we were still standing in the nice safe boat. In spite of the storm, in spite of the darkness, Peter got out of the boat anyway.

You have to wonder what Peter was thinking. This was no pleasure cruise with a midnight buffet – no, they are being buffeted by winds on the sea – a place the Jews believed to be ferocious and fearsome; where devils, demons and even dragons wreaked havoc with the hapless and helpless. This well-documented fear of water gives us good reason to assume that none but the four fishermen aboard had any reason to know how to swim. Sheer terror had to be the best words to describe them - Can you get any more desperate than that?

 Well, yes. Added to “the perfect storm,” stranded on a ship far from land and taking on water and about to sink one must add the ghastly ghost walking the waves coming toward them to…to do what? Well, the Jews believed that ghosts and spirits were the “welcome wagon,” for the soon to be dead. No St. Peter at the Pearly Gate. They have all been taught a ghost/boogey man/woman/person would come to lead them to the realm of the dead. And while we might chuckle over that one, most of us have not had a near death experience, so we can hardly judge the actions of those who are stuck in the middle of the sea and drowning in the middle of the night.

The 11 disciples who sat in the boat and watched Peter had good reason to stay where they were. Like I said, why should they get out of a perfectly good boat, it was storming, it was dark…

But there is more. I am guessing that each of the 11 had their own reasons.

1.      One may have said, “How do we know that is Jesus and not some demon trying to trick us?”

2.      Another probably said, “Peter thinks’ he is such hot stuff... Look at him showing off like that.”

3.      Another may have said, “Why should we get out of the boat? We have never done it that way before.”

4.      The disciple that was on the board of trustees probably said, “Wait a minute, our insurance says that it only covers us as long as we are in the boat.”

5.      The disciple on the finance committee was worried about what this would do to the budget.

6.      And the disciple who was president of the UMW probably said, “Wait, shouldn’t we have ham sandwiches and a fancy desert before we get out?”

7.      The disciple in charge of youth ministry probably said, “If we turn this into a game maybe more people will get out of the boat.”

8.      The SPRC representative said, I suppose he’ll want to claim that this is continuing education.

9.      Someone probably wondered if this was really the image the disciples wanted to have… after all people already thought they were are all wet.

10.  Someone probably complained that the water was too cold.

11.  Someone else probably had new sandals and didn’t want to get them wet.

I am pretty certain that each of the disciples who remained in the boat, at least in their own mind, had a perfectly good reason for not getting out. They were kind of like James Moore’s book, Yes, Lord, I Have Sinned: But I Have Several Excellent Excuses 

So what about you? Are you a water walker or are you just another disciple with “several excellent excuses.”

·         Jesus doesn’t call us to make excuses. If you are around the church long enough you might begin to think that making excuses is one of the fruit of the spirit. One of my favorite sayings about excuses is that “Excuses are like elbows. Almost everyone has a couple and they are hard to lick.”

It is hard to lick the excuse habit. We live in a culture where everyone from students to parents, to congress and the president are expert excuse makers. Jesus, however, doesn’t call us to make excuses. He simply calls us to respond.

When Jesus called, “come and I will make you fishers of men.” Did the disciples excuse themselves because they were too tired, to busy, to hot, too old, or young, too afraid, too poor, too important, or too uneducated? No, they put down their nets and followed him.

When Jesus said to Nicodemus, “come,” Nicocdemus didn’t offer a top ten list of excuses; he just got up and followed.

When Jesus called Zacheus to come did Zacheus say he needed some time to think about it. No, he got up and served Jesus lunch.

When Jesus said “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden,” he didn’t say after you have had a chance to rest. He says I will give you rest.

When Jesus beckoned Peter “come” from the boat on the crashing waves of the storm tossed sea, did Peter say, “I can’t swim” or “it is too dark” or “after the storm has passed.” No, he got up, stepped out of the boat, and started to walk toward Jesus.

That is the way Jesus wants us to respond to his call. Not with excuses, but with faith and with trust.

·         Jesus doesn’t call us to take it easy. The easy route for Peter might have been to quick shut his eyes and pretend he is asleep. How many of you think you might have at least been tempted to do that when Jesus called you out of the boat?

The truth is that Jesus knew that he was asking Peter to do something pretty difficult. Jesus knew that he was asking Peter to do something kind of frightening. Jesus knew that what he was asking would not be easy.

The truth is that Peter got himself into this. He is the one who said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Peter may have had foot in mouth disease, but Jesus was more than willing to call him to do the hard thing.

Jesus was not asking the disciples to take it easy. He was calling them to do the hard thing. And Peter did. That is the way Jesus wants us to respond to his call, with faith and with trust.

·         Finally, Jesus doesn’t call us to play it safe. The safe thing would have been to say, “Oh, thanks Lord, but I am good right where I am.” The safe thing would have been to say, “ummm how about if you come on in here.” The safe thing would have been to say, “I’ve never done this before, so I would appreciate an ark or at least a raft. But Jesus just says “come!” Come across the danger. Come across the uncertainty. Come across the fear. Come across the storm. Come across the deep. Just come. And Peter did. That is the way Jesus wants us to respond to his call, with faith and with trust.

As for peter. There were no guarantees that he would walk on water.

There were no guarantees that he would even survive.

There were no guarantees that he would become a great preacher.

There were no guarantees that Jesus would rescue him.

There were no guarantees that anyone would ever hear or remember what he was about to do. But he did it. He responded to Jesus with faith and trust.

How will you respond to Jesus’ call to “come?”

How will you respond to Jesus’ call to “follow me?”

How will you respond to Jesus’ call to “be my disciple?”

How will you respond to Jesus call to “Love one another?”

How will you respond to Jesus’ call to “risk everything for him?”

How will you respond to Jesus’ call to “take up your cross and follow him?”

How will you respond?

At least Peter got out of the boat.

AMEN