Sermon: Walking Together In the Storm

Thesis: Christ’s authority guarantees that he will provide the strength to bring to completion all that he commands his disciples.

Lectionary: Year A, Proper 14
Gospel Text: Matthew 14:22-33 (ESV)
Sermon Audio: 30 minutes

The original plan was for Pastor Bob to be away on his annual summer solo kayak trip today. I had agreed some time ago to preach for him at the Presbyterian Church today.

But due to rain and winds, the better part of prudence cut his trip short and brought him back into town last night. However, a kayak trip and a few hours afterwards aren’t necessarily best preparation for a sermon so he was grateful to be able to sit with his wife in the pew this morning during the sermon while I spoke.

The overall worship preceding the sermon contained much thematic material about boats, sea, and storms and it was a perfect introduction to what I had selected for today.

As far as the sermon, it focused on how this passage can be seen as a metaphor of the Kingdom of Heaven – it is here already, but not yet in its fullness.

A brief synopsis

The gospel tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven has come, at least in part. But when we take a look at the world, the news headlines, our personal lives, our churches, the state of Christianity, we wonder where that kingdom is. Religion seems so often to be a divider. Is there any value to religion? It is sometimes tempting to abandon it and find something else. What does today’s story have to offer as we struggle with the “already” but “not yet”?

While in the present, partial kingdom disciples receive commands from Christ. In this story they receive the command to take the boat to the other shore. They are physically separated from him, and “demons” may try to take advantage of that to hinder and prevent the disciples from carrying out Christ’s commands. But Christ does not leave his people alone to fight the battles by themselves. He comes, sometimes in rather unexpected ways, to renew courage and strength. Some may ask for and receive commands to “walk on the water” in ways that others don’t, and the sight of “demons” may raise fear. But the cry for salvation is always answered. Together, hand in hand with Jesus, disciples are able to walk in the storm. When Christ and his people are finally united, the kingdom arrives in its fullness, the demonic winds are ceased forevermore and “the other shore” is reached. What Christ has commanded, he has provided all that is needed to fulfill. Not only that but he has demonstrated his complete authority over forces that arise to oppose the fulfillment of his commands.

Christians today need to remember that Jesus walked with Peter in the storm. The storm didn’t calm immediately. But the presence of Jesus was enough to renew courage and faith in Peter. Part of the Christian commission, a command, from Jesus to his disciples is in turn to make more disciples (c.f., Matthew 28:18-20) in the same way Jesus did. A way for Christians to do that is to use the example given by Jesus in today’s story: go to where the storms of lives are and offer helping hands, strength, courage, and faith; and walk with those who are struggling in their trials.

Sermon Prep: Walking on Water

I’ll be speaking at the Presbyterian Church this Sunday. On one-off sermons like these I tend to go to the Lectionary unless there is another topic dear and pressing to my heart. The Gospel Text for this week is Storm on the Sea and Walking on Water.

The first thing I noticed as I read and re-read the passage was how “wind” seems to be personified. It reminds me of the Creation and Flood accounts where “wind” and “sea” (representing chaos) play a prominent part. They are also the raw materials from which the world is created and re-created. So perhaps there is a sermon along those lines.

Fear is another strong presence in this passage. Fear vs. faith is certainly a tried-and-true approach that a sermon can take.

I looked at a number of commentaries, study notes, and notes from preachers, and topics and approaches are all over the map. This diversity makes focusing on what and how to approach this text that much more difficult.

When I am working with a text where a thesis doesn’t immediately scream out to me, or where there seems to be many approaches to take, I often diagram the passage and color code significant motifs that I think I see to try to organize what I think the author may have been trying to communicate. What I give below is what I see in this week’s passage. It doesn’t make it any easier to settle on a sermon approach, but I think it is a start.

Matthew 14:22-33 (ESV)

 

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.

 

23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

 

24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.

 

25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.

 

26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear.

 

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."

 

28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."

 

29 He said, "Come."  So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

 

30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me."

 

31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

 

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

 

33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying,

 

"Truly you are the Son of God."

 

Motifs

• Authority of Jesus
• Spiritual responses
• Alone/together
• Wind
• Personification of wind - demons?
• Jesus' actions toward his people
• Disciples' actions
• Fear

 

 

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