Podcast Summaries

From the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 14, reading from verse 22. Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up to the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the winds, was far from land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning, he came walking towards them on the lake, and when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, 'It's 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.' Peter answered him, 'Lord, if it's you, command me to come to you on the water.' He said, 'Come.' So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?' When they got into the boat, the wind ceased, and those in the boat worshipped him, saying, 'Truly, you are the Son of God.' This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Thank you so much. Lovely. As I said, hello everybody, sorry about my microphone. My name is Jack, as Gemma said, I'm on placement at Trinity, training to be a vicar. It's great to be with you, it's a special privilege especially to be preaching this morning as we welcome Mabel into the big family of God. A special welcome to all of you who are supporting her, and I hope this microphone isn't too loud for Mabel. In this part of the service, as Gemma has said, we're going to think about what the Bible passage means for us today. We started a series last week, as she said, about God's provision for us, who God is and what that means for us. Thinking about the Father's heart in the story of the prodigal son, and what that means for us as people who are totally loved and forgiven and welcomed home. This week, as we think about the story that's just been read, Jesus walking on the water, calling Peter to join him, Peter distracted by the waves and sinking, we'll be thinking about what that says about Jesus and what that says about us as people who are held by God even in the storms of life. Let's pray together. Father God, thank you for your goodness to us. Thank you for this passage. Thank you for Mabel and her family. And I pray that as we gather around your word, that we would know something of your presence with us. Amen. Great, am I staying here, Brian? Can I take this scratchy thing off? Lovely. This miracle is one of Jesus' most famous, I think. Oh, see, I've done a bad thing now, haven't I? Grizzly. Making faces at Brian at the back. This is one of Jesus' most famous miracles, I think. I did a lot of Googling. If there was a pointless episode, which there isn't, which I was sad about, with miracles of Jesus, I think Jesus walking on the water would be one of the answers you'd try and avoid because it's so famous that people would know it. And there wasn't a Family Fortunes round either. Again, I was quite sad Googling. But if there was, I think Jesus walking on the water would have been quite high on the list. So, two minutes. This wasn't in my plan, but it means I can have a little play with my microphone. Which of the miracles of Jesus do you know and which do you think are the most famous? Which ones would you avoid if you were playing Pointless or go for if you were playing Family Fortunes? Go. There we go. This is better, isn't it? I feel a little bit less trapped behind a massive bird. I'm sure you'll have said lots of different ones. You might know loads, you might know not many. I'm sure you might have said Jesus feeding the 5,000, raising Lazarus, healing sick people, turning water into wine. There are lots and lots of famous miracles. I think this might be one of the most famous. I think it might be quite close to the top of the list behind Jesus rising on Easter Sunday. And it strikes me as a similar miracle, maybe even one that's muddled up, with another miracle in Matthew's Gospel. You might have said it, Jesus calming the storm. Both miracles, the disciples are on boats. Both miracles, the disciples go to Jesus because they're in a bit of trouble. Now, in the calming of the storm, Jesus is present but absent. He's in the boat, but he's fast asleep. So the disciples go down, wake him up, he calms the storm. They go to Jesus and he sorts it all out. In today's story, though, Jesus is absent, but he's present. He's not in the boat, he's out on the water, showing his power over creation. And the disciples are terrified, but still, Peter goes to him, even though Jesus is out on the water. And so my question for us today is, what does this say about Jesus? But why does Peter go out onto the water? Surely that is totally irrational. But I think it shows a deep trust in Jesus and something that we can learn from. So firstly, what can we learn about Jesus? Jesus is God, so we need to notice him. That's the first thing. We need to know who Jesus is, where he is, what he's doing. Jesus is God, so we need to notice him like the disciples did as they saw him on the water. Peter can trust Jesus because he knows Jesus has authority. He knows. He's seen him do miracles. And Jesus walking on the water is a sign of that power, a sign that Jesus is God with total control over creation. Now today in our baptism service, this water is a symbol of cleansing and refreshing and newness of life. But in the ancient Near East, the culture the disciples would have grown up in, water, more specifically the sea and the ocean, was a sign of chaos and disorder, the unformed and unpredictable. And you might remember the Sunday school story of Moses passing through the sea with the people of God. Going through the water is a symbol of deliverance. So Jesus walking on the water is showing his power over chaos, power over creation and his power to save. In Isaiah 43, I'm hoping it's on the screen, God says this, do not fear for I have redeemed you. Next slide, please, Gina. Thank you. One more. Yeah, I don't know what happened. Do not fear for I have redeemed you. I've called you by name. You are mine. When 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 flames shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your saviour. When you're in the water, do not fear, God says. But obviously the disciples do because they're people and people are silly, including me. And it's justifiable and especially justifiable when they see Jesus walking on the water. So if we go back a slide, Gina, because I think I've got muddled up. Jesus cries out, take courage, it is I. Do not be afraid. Take courage, it's I. Do not be afraid. And that phrase, it is I, is reminiscent of God speaking to Moses in the burning bush. I am who I am. God defining himself in that moment. So as Jesus is out there on the water, he's saying, look, he's here. I'm God. Jesus is God, so we need to notice him. That fact is central, really, to the Christian faith. If you've come here as somebody who's believed in Jesus all your life or doesn't really know what they think, I think we can agree that believing that Jesus is God is central. Now, I don't know if any of you are watching The Traitors. I am. I love it. We can chat about it afterwards. I've got lots of theories. But the premise of that show, if you're not watching it, is that realistically, all the people in this reality TV programme are treating each other as fairly disposable in order to preserve themselves. They don't mind kicking someone out if it means they're going to be a little bit closer to winning the money. They're going to steal the shield so nobody else can get it. And it's a great TV programme, but it is the opposite, I think, of what Christians believe about Jesus. Rather than everybody treating each other as disposable to preserve themselves, Jesus treated himself as disposable, emptying himself of the status of being God in order to preserve and protect all of us. Rather than being all for himself, like someone in The Traitors, nabbing the shield, he is all for us, coming as a baby, a weak and dependent creature, no offence, Mabel, but it's true, like we have to come into this world in that way. And God chose to do that so that we can...

Depend on God. For the people back then, Jesus is God, means Jesus is far away and powerful, but this God is different. He suffers so that he knows what suffering feels like. That's because I said baby's a week, isn't it, Mabel? I'm so sorry. I get it. I'd have done the same. Jesus suffers. He cries so that he knows what suffering feels like and he's equipped to hold us when we suffer too. Jesus is God and a God that we can depend on. He understands the storms of life and he's right there with us. And that's what the disciples proclaim at the end of our passage. They worship him. So Jesus is God and we need to notice him, but also Jesus is good, so we need to go to him. Jesus is God, so we need to notice him. Jesus is good, so we need to go to him. The reason Peter goes to Jesus isn't just because he's God, not just because he's powerful. There's a lot of powerful people I wouldn't want to go anywhere near, but because Jesus is good. Jesus is the one he can trust. The whole of Matthew's account of the life of Jesus so far is stay with Jesus and it will all be okay. You're in the storm, he'll stop it. The Pharisees are having a go at you, he'll defend you. Everyone else is confused, he'll explain the parable to you. If anything, it's weird that Jesus sends them away at the beginning of this story. But now Peter knows that wherever Jesus is, he's going to go to him, whatever the cost. I'm sure Mabel already has a few people who she smiles at when she realises who it is. Like when Sam or Izzy come close, they go, yes, she goes, yes, it's mum, it's dad. Meg and I have a one-year-old goddaughter called Dorothy. We saw her last weekend in Weston-super-Mare. It was quite sunny, so it means God can do miracles because it was sunny in Weston-super-Mare. And when we first saw her, we were a bit out of context. We were in Aldi. I don't know why that was the first destination stop in our trip to Weston. And she looked a little bit confused at first, being held by her mum Sarah. And then she suddenly realises, it's Jack and Meg. I like Jack and Meg. And she grins at us. And then, eventually, she holds out her hands towards us because she wants one of us to hold her. Now, obviously, as soon as I hold her, she turns around and wants to go back to mum because that's inevitably how it works. But it's the best feeling, isn't it? When a child wants you to hold them, it's a symbol of trust, of knowing that they know you. At one point, I was, she's nearly one, but she's already toddling around. And I was walking around Home Bargains with her. I know, it was a very glamorous Saturday. And as I was walking around with her, she would stop and she would look at strangers and she would smile at them. But she wouldn't put out her hands to be held by them. She'd often turn around and go up to mum or dad and put her hands up. That's an automatic reaction, isn't it, in us as human beings. It's why we have emergency contacts in our phones. We have people that we can trust. Peter knows that Jesus is good and that Jesus can hold him even in the storms of life. So he steps onto the water. Peter knows that being out of the boat with Jesus is better than being in the boat without him. He knows that being out of the boat with Jesus is better than in the boat without him. And it's the ultimate act of faith, isn't it, really? It's that step of faith we sometimes talk about. And fear sets in pretty quickly. It's dark, the wind is blowing, the waves are crashing. And as soon as Peter gets distracted, he starts to sink. Now, I'm not an especially sporty person. It might not come as a great surprise to those of you who know me. And I was playing bowling. I mean, actually, even the fact that I've just referred to bowling as a sport maybe tells you the benchmark of where I'm at. I was playing bowling. I went bowling. I don't even know which verb to use. I went bowling with some friends. And I was inevitably not very good at it. And my lovely friend noticed this. I mean, they all noticed it. And what I was doing, and this is what he discerned anyway, is as I was going to throw the ball, who knows, bowl, thank you. Yes, that's the verb. Thank you. Great. See, it proves my point. As I went to bowl, what I was doing is if this was the bowling alley, I was looking at the centre of the lane to try and get it central. And obviously, straight into the gutter. And my friend said to me, Jack, it's sometimes better when you're aiming at something if you look at the thing you're aiming for, which somehow it took me nearly 30 years to grasp in my sporting career. And as soon as I started looking at the bowling pins, I could hit them. It's amazing. Next time you're bowling, try looking at the pins. Apparently, that helps. And I think, however stupid that story is, and however much it highlights my slight inadequacy at sporting tasks, it says something about our relationship with God. If we are looking to God, we're going to be okay. Or at least he's going to hold us when it's not. The writer of Hebrews says as we run this race of life, we look to Jesus, staying in our lane, not getting distracted. Jesus is good, so we need to go to him. And even when Peter does get distracted and he starts to sink, he calls out to Jesus. Jesus is the one who can hold us. Jesus is God and Jesus is good. So that means Jesus is ready to catch us when we fall, when our faith isn't strong enough. Jesus is faithful and has faith to hold us. We can trust him like a child with arms outstretched. We can know him like the disciples did, saying truly you are the son of God. Acknowledging that Jesus is God and Jesus is good means that we have to acknowledge that we're not God. We're not always in control. We're not really ever in control. And we're not always good. But there is always a good God who wants to hold us. Just like how Mabel's family and friends are here today as a sign that they will be with her and for her as she grows up, holding her in the storms of life. It's also a sign that we as a church will do that and that God is already holding all of us. When I think of that image of being held, I will never not think of Mabel being held by Izzy and sleeping beautifully. But there's another image that often comes to mind. It's of a video that did the rounds on social media. There are several versions of it. And it's from a kind of dog rescue charity, I think. And it's a dog who's on the streets, rabid, stray, and it's being rescued. So somebody's kind of going up to this dog with a towel, usually. And the dog's terrified. It's backed into a corner. It can't imagine this is a good situation. It can't imagine that this will end well. This can only be danger. It fends for itself. It doesn't know where the next meal is coming from. And this person, in his kindness, though maybe scary, comes up to the dog with a towel and scoops the dog up. The dog is barking and yapping and growling, and the person is having to hold it still just to let it know that it's going to be okay. And the video progresses. The dog is fed and played with and groomed and washed. It has a bed. It has blankets. It has toys. Someone throws a ball for the dog, and it's suddenly the best thing ever. This dog that's only ever known hurt and everybody and everything against it, hunger, slowly understands what love means. And the video almost always ends with the dog happily panting, having eaten its fill and played and gone for a walk, usually belly up in the arms of an owner, feeling completely safe, completely loved, completely held. There's no attack imminent. It can rest. It's not alone. And that is the offer that Jesus gives to us. If we feel like we're fending for ourselves, if we feel overwhelmed by life, if we don't know what we believe, if we've been hurt by church, if we're suffering or ill or angry, if we can't imagine anyone caring or we can't let anyone close, Jesus is God and Jesus is good. That means he has power to change things and a heart to do just that. That's the centre of the Christian message. That's what the family here believe, the family that Mabel has joined today. And in the same way that even now Sam is holding Mabel close to show his love for her, God wants to hold each of us close to him. Jesus is God. Jesus is good. He came to save and that's what he does. All we have to do is reach out our hands to him. Amen.