Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

I just have an idea that today’s Gospel, one of the source verses of today’s “Great Hymn of the Faith,” is one of those sections of God’s Word that all of us here today need to hear in our daily lives but also one of those sections of God’s Word that most, if not all of us, struggle with in our daily lives. One person I know particularly well has struggled with these verses lately. She’s not here with us today in worship but I believe would be pleased to know that her recent wet-foot experience in life might help others.

Some of you noticed, some of you have asked, some of you know that in June my sister Julie and Baby Luke joined Historic First Lutheran. The reason is that her church hurt her very badly. It’s the same church where she has taught in their Lutheran school for 12 years. She was terminated in June. The reason was not that the school was having financial problems. The reason was not a decline in student attendance for next year. The reason given her was that she “was not supporting the mission of the school.” After 12 years.

Losing one’s job, especially a long-term job, is sadly not something that is unusual in today’s economy. There’s a lot of that going around. And I know there are others here today who know exactly how it feels to be in Julie’s position. What has been particularly trying for Julie is not only the loss of a job, and having a 15-month-old baby, and losing her insurance along with her job, but also the fact that Christian schools and churches are exempt from paying into unemployment insurance so that she cannot file for those minimal benefits that help carry many people through a crisis like this.

That happened about six weeks ago and let me tell you, I’ve seen a difference in my sister. Always a person of faith, I can tell you that early on Julie felt as if she had sunk into the sea of life up to her knees. That’s only natural when your legs are knocked out from under you. But I had a chance to talk at length with Julie about a week ago and I could tell from her voice and from the words I heard coming out of her mouth that her legs and feet had dried off, that she again had her eyes fixed firmly on her Savior, that doubt had decreased in her life and that she was again enjoying dry feet.

Today’s sermon is not just about being unemployed. It’s about all of us who find ourselves in those unexpected seasons of life and find that our feet are wet because of our response to those unexpected storms of life.

Don’t forget that most of Jesus’ disciples were seasoned fishermen when they submitted to Jesus’ call and followed Him. The sea was no stranger to them. So while Matthew mentioned that there was a storm at sea, he doesn’t mention any fear on the part of the disciples until they see something unusual, something that shouldn’t be there. No fear was mentioned until they saw what they thought was Jesus walking to them on the water. Then Matthew says they were terrified. Then Matthew says they cried out in fear. Then Jesus had to call out to them, “Take Courage. Don’t be afraid.”

Isn’t that interesting? How many of us are just like that? No matter what life brings against us, we seem to tough it out. We put on a good show for ourselves. We put on a good show for others. As one television commercial says, we “never let them see [us] sweat.”

It seems that the fear died down a bit in the boat, but some doubt remained. And Peter, true to his usual form, said “Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come to You on the water.” Jesus only had to say one word – “Come” – for Peter to jump out of the boat. None of Peter’s fellow disciples had a chance to grab onto his tunic. Peter’s brain didn’t get a chance to catch up with his feet until he was walking on the water, just like Jesus. Only then did he say, “Hey! Wait a second! I shouldn’t be able to be doing this.” Only then did his eyes look around and size up his situation. Only then did fear grip him again. Only then did he realize he couldn’t do it himself. He let Jesus see him sweat as he cried out for help. Only then did Jesus reach out and catch him. Before that Peter was sinking in the sea of life, with wet feet to top it all.

I believe we all probably struggle with the storms of life, just as did Peter. I believe that whenever any tragedy shakes our boat in an unusual way, we go into automatic mode. We size up the situation. We simply do what we think needs to be done. We try to convey no weakness to anyone. Only later do we come to our senses and realize we need help. We need more than help from family and friends, as great as is that help and support. We need help from Jesus. But we don’t always call out as quickly as did Peter. Sometimes we’re too stubborn. Sometimes we’re too proud. Sometimes we’re too embarrassed.

But when we do stop and call out to Jesus, He responds the same way every time. He responds the same way He did with Peter. He doesn’t chastize us first. He doesn’t remind us that if we had first turned to Him we may not be as wet as we are. He doesn’t let us linger even a little longer in our storms of life, deriving some strange pleasure from our struggles. No, when we stop and call out to Jesus, He reaches out and catches us.

That’s the change I’ve seen in my sister as last week she said, “I know God’s got a plan.” And I could tell those were more than just the automatic response words we were taught to say as children growing up in a Christian home. I could tell she really meant those words, that her feet and legs were not as wet as they were five weeks ago because she realized she couldn’t do it on her own, that she would only get wetter and wetter by herself, that she had to say, “Lord, save me!” Last week I could tell by her voice and by the words she said that she was safely and securely in the arms of her Eternal Father, that her Savior had controlled the wind and waves in her life, that the Holy Spirit of God had brought some peace into her confusion and that she was again resting herself in that Father, Son and Holy Spirit, safe and secure wheresoever she goes. God has not yet provided her a job, but He’s given her something much more important. He’s given her peace. He’s given her proof of His power. He’s reminded her of his love.

With all confidence I can say that same thing to all of us gathered here today. I can say that with all confidence because our God doesn’t change. What God did yesterday, He does today and He will do tomorrow. And God, throughout history, has proven Himself as the One Who solves impossible problems with the greatest of ease. He rescued Baby Moses from a death sentence by sending him in a basket down the river. He rescued the Children of Israel by opening up the Red Sea before their very eyes. He rescued Noah and his family by dictating the dimensions of the ark just before the earth filled up with water. He rescued the three men in the fiery furnace by standing in their midst. He rescued Lazarus from the grave. And He has rescued each of us from the grave by going into the grave Himself and emerging victoriously three days later.

It’s that God of love and power Who stands before us today, who stands there seemingly doing nothing not because He can’t do something but because we think we can do it ourselves. “Lord, save me” are not words of weakness. They are words of rescue. They are words of trust. They are words of peace. They are words of people who want dry feet.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena