Loving God, while we often look at what we don’t have or what is missing, you continue to reveal your abundant blessings to us.  Teach us to trust you for all that is needed, and to cast out fear with your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Today, there are a number of things in the gospel that speak to us about life as a person of faith.  We hear about the need for prayer and solitude.  We hear about stepping out in faith and trusting in Jesus.  We hear about overwhelming need where God provides more than enough.  And we hear about fear in the midst of chaos that gets transformed into faith.  While we might not walk on water or feed thousands of people, we still learn an awful lot about life as baptized children of God.

    When Jesus hears that John the Baptist has been beheaded, he needs to go and spend some time in prayer.  He needs to be strengthened through time spent praying and listening to his heavenly Father.  However, when he tries to withdraw he encounters a throng of people who all need his attention.  He has compassion on them, and heals them, and feeds them, and only then does he send them away.  Then he finally manages to spend some time on the mountain in prayer.

    Jesus reminds me of a mother or father whose children are always in need of something.  Haven’t you had times where you desperately need some prayer time or some alone time and yet there are others who need your attention?  Jesus was no different.  There was no way that he could continue to do what he did without going to God for a refill.  We have the same need as people of faith.  Without taking time for worship and for prayer, we simply don’t have the power to be the people whom God has called us to be!

    At the same time, we have a lot to learn from Jesus’ interaction with his disciples.  The disciples look around, and what they see is a ridiculously large crowd who all need to have supper.  Their solution is to send them all away so that they can go buy something for themselves.  However, Jesus shocks them to the core.  “You give them something to eat,” he says.  They don’t need to go away (Mt. 14:16).  “Seriously, Jesus?  There’s no way we can feed all these people.  We just have five loaves and two fish!”

    And so Jesus shows them how it’s done.  He lifts up the loaves and the fish, looks toward heaven and gives thanks for God’s abundant gifts.  Then he breaks the loaves, gives them to the disciples, and they serve them to all of the people.  There turns out to be so much food that there are twelve baskets full of leftovers at the end.  How many times do we see scarcity even though God has provided abundantly?  The problem is not God’s providing, but human dividing!

    We tend to have what some people have called an attitude of scarcity.  We tend to focus on what we don’t have rather than on what we do have.  We tend to assume that we won’t have enough.  We also tend to think that there’s really nothing we can do.  However, when we listen closely to the message of this gospel, we are invited to give thanks for what we have and to share it, and God will yield the increase.

    As for being in a boat that is rolling around on the waves and being beaten by the wind, aren’t there times when it feels like we are working hard but not getting anywhere?  And aren’t there also times when fear is added to the mixture?  There are acts of nature and storms that can produce fear.  There are times when we might fear for the safety of a loved one.  There are times when we might be afraid that everything we know is slipping away from us.

    However, into the midst of any of those situations, Jesus comes to us.  “Take heart.  I AM!” (Mt. 14:27) In other words, God is here.  God is here in the midst of the chaos and the storms.  God is here in the midst of our fears.  And God says to us, “Do not be afraid.  I have power over all of these other things.”

    Sometimes, though, even these words are not enough for us.  Sometimes, we’d really like to see some proof – kind of like Peter!  Peter, it seems, is the only one who is bold enough to say what the others are only thinking: “Is that really you, Jesus?  Seriously?  You’re able to walk on water?”  And so Peter asks for some proof.  “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water” (Mt. 14:28).  There is possibly nobody more surprised than Peter when Jesus tells him to come!  And for a brief moment in time, Peter walks on the water, too.

    However, it doesn’t take long before Peter’s attention is no longer focused on Jesus, but on other things.  Perhaps he says to himself, “Look at me!  I’m walking on water!”  Perhaps he simply becomes aware of the wind and waves.  Whatever the case may be, suddenly he is filled with fear, and sinking, and calling out to Jesus for help – “Lord, save me!”  It is a cry of desperation, but it is directed to the right person.  Jesus reaches out his hand and catches Peter, and both of them step safely into the boat.

    One thing that I have noticed over the years is that it is very difficult to be focused on Jesus in faith and in love and also filled with fear.  There are many things in this world that can make us fearful, but a number of antidotes to fear are taught in the Scriptures.  “Perfect love casts out fear” is one of the simplest antidotes (1 Jn. 4:18).  Bringing everything to God in prayer with thanksgiving is also named as the pathway to the peace of God which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:6-7).  In the same passage, having our hearts and our minds on Christ is also mentioned.

    Ultimately, it is faith that is the best antidote to fear, and it’s good to take note of the many places in the Scriptures, including today’s gospel, where we hear the words, “do not be afraid” (Mt. 14:27).  In this case, they are afraid of the wind and the waves and sinking and a possible ghost sighting.  However, once Jesus is in the boat, all is calm, and all is well.  At that particular moment in time, they believe in him, and they worship him, and they confess Jesus as the Son of God.  However, as we will discover next week, they have no idea what this actually means.

    In the end, as we think about our experience as people of faith, there is much in today’s gospel that rings true: The need for prayer and solitude in the midst of the constant needs of others; The tendency to see scarcity rather than God’s abundance; How easy it is for fear to take over; Wanting to see some proof at times; Crying out to Jesus for help; and having those moments in time where all is well, and we know for sure who Jesus is, and we are able to worship and to give thanks.

    The secret, at least in Matthew, is to stick with Jesus, and it is entirely likely that we will witness some pretty amazing things.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Epiphany 5 (NL 1)                                Matthew 14:13-33
February 8, 2015
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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