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Don't be afraid, the first thought apparition spoke,
Across the turbulent waves and strong Galilee wind,
For in the ship of church we are secure with Savior,
And, like Peter, must willingly jump in to offer assist.


It was early February and because of severe flooding of the San Francisco delta, there were many plastic bags which had been used for sand bags floating in the Sacramento River. One of those empty bags got into our boat engine's intake for cooling and plugged it. In no time, the motor overheated and began to burn the rubber hoses, etc., causing heavy smoke to come from the stern. To the starboard was nothing but sand hills and wind-powered electric generators. To the port, tules and peat forming Winter Island. There was no possible help in sight. My wife put on her life jacket and climbed out onto the bow ready to abandon ship in case of explosion. I put down an anchor to prevent the current from banging us against the distant shore and put in a frantic "mayday" call to the Rio Vista U.S. Coast Guard. "Mayday, mayday, we are on fire and need immediate assistance."

The young radio operator responded with question after question, but no immediate help. "Skipper, do you have your life jacket on? Have you put down an anchor? What is your CF number? Tell me your location." I answered them all and asked, "Have you dispatched any help for us yet? We are on fire!" The answer came back, "What is your location again?" I replied, "Just tell me, is the Coast Guard on the way ..." The reply was so disheartening, I could imagine the cold water of that river in February. "No, skipper, we don't have any craft to send to your aid. Tell me again your registration number. How large are the flames now?" I began to think -- just how was it that Jesus walked on water? And what mistake had Peter made which caused him to sink? Thank God it's daytime!

Then, over the radio came a deep strong voice which sounded like God's ought to sound. He said, "This is 'Vessel Assist' and we are on our way. Watch up river to your starboard and you'll see our signal from a mirror in the sunlight." We did see it soon. They came alongside. By then the burning of the rubber connections to the engine had slowed considerably. They threw us a line, we weighed anchor and were towed four or five nautical miles into the Pittsburg marina where a credit card had to be produced for the rescue.

It wasn't quite like that on Galilee lake's north end. According to Matthew's account, after the feeding of the large crowd, there was an excited effort to make Jesus king, so he sent the disciples in their boat back home toward their base of operations, Capernaum. It was his plan to go alone up the mountainside for rest and prayer, away from them all. It didn't go well in their boat either. Nothing caught fire, but the wind came up strongly and blew against the direction they were trying to go. And the waves slammed against the bow to prevent them from making progress. About three in the morning, they had been blown dangerously close to shore and shallow sandbars. From his vantage point with a full moon, Jesus could see their struggle and came out to the rescue. First, they thought he was a ghost; then, when he called to them, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid," (Matthew 14:27) they knew who it was. From a previous storm in that same boat they also knew they were now safe. Sure enough, "And when they (Jesus and Peter) climbed into the boat, the wind died down" (Matthew 14:32).

There have been many attempts to explain this story. Basically there are two ways of looking at it. Both are plausible and valid. The first would be to say here was another work of the miracles by Jesus who has the power to do that sort of thing. He literally walked on water. The second would be, which the original language supports also, that he came out through the surf on the shallow sandbar to help manage the boat. It looked like he was on top of the water that moonlit night.

Either way you explain it, the real message for us is that when the disciples were in trouble, Jesus came and helped. That night he was the "vessel rescue" of Galilee's lake.

I lean toward the second explanation because I find it more promising for me when I'm in trouble. In my storms, when the winds blow the opposite way I must go and the waves are frightening, I'd rather count on a Christ who would come to help me through the storm than ask Christ to work a miracle to stop the storm.

The story says to me that we do not struggle alone. The very God who called this universe into being and keeps it running now comes to us when we have need. That God probably doesn't still the storm, but that God sees us through it. Like California's Vessel Assist, Jesus throws us a line, gets in the boat with us, and brings us safely to shore. That was so much a part of Matthew, Mark, and John's experience in their struggles, that all three wrote it down for us to hear and read today!

Traditionally, over the years, the boat in this storm has represented the church. It's a symbol still maintained in many places. When we look at it this way we see that Christians for two thousand years have taken comfort in knowing that even in the wildest storms the world can deal out to us, we can ride them out in our boat, the church of Jesus Christ. The seas have rarely been calm for the church. The power that works against God continues to blow contrary wind and stirs up the waves against us. It looks to me like there are even heavier seas ahead as the secular world becomes increasingly hostile toward our church. The red flags of navigation warning are up and we're in for a rough ride, just like those disciples long ago and far away from here.

But, we must remember in our struggle against the world's havoc and attempts to capsize and sink us -- we are not alone. Jesus sees our plight from the shore and still comes to help. He has gone to the cross for our forgiveness; he has come out of the grave so we might also come out of the grave, and he has returned in spirit to equip us for times just like these.

In our culture and country, the most treacherous storm might be a deadly calm when spiritual lives are neglected and the young are given an indirect message that it's not all that significant. There is an undercurrent which says we're now smarter and the church just isn't important any longer.

Worst of all may be the way we allow pursuits of a false happiness, like getting things and accumulating more and more wealth, to crowd our lives from discipleship. The boat of the church is all the time taking on more and more of the sea while we blithely go about our self-centered existence.

There are many things which threaten to swamp our boat: church quarrels, struggles over power in the congregation and in our national church bodies. The way we sometimes attack each other denominationally may be causing black smoke to come from the stern as well. It smells and it is an ugly sight which repels many.

Those are the traditional ways preachers have looked at this marvelous story of storm and moonlight and fear of ghosts on Galilee. Now let's turn the story around a bit and see what its flip side might be for us today.

Knowing Peter's personality a little from studying the Bible, perhaps he was trying to help when he came out of the boat to Jesus on the water. The scripture says: "Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' " (Matthew 14:29-30). As a lifelong boater, I can see it happening. How many of us in rough water have jumped for dock or shore to secure the line to a cleat only to miss and get soaking wet? Peter was that kind of disciple. His boat was out of control! Jesus was coming to help moor and steady it. He couldn't do it by himself. They were heading toward him too fast! So out of the bow he jumped into the water of that familiar landing place close to his mother-in-law's house. Then in the confusion of wind, darkness, strong waves, and a moving boat, he mis-stepped and sank. Jesus grabbed him and lifted him up again.


That's a little different than the way it's portrayed in stained glass in our churches, but I like the concept because it helps us, on this flip side of the miracle, to talk about our role as disciples helping Jesus today.

Peter had shouted to Jesus, "...'tell me to come to you on the water.' 'Come,' he said" (Matthew 14:28-29). There is something about Peter to admire. While he often put his foot in his mouth when he spoke, while he acted before he thought and was brash and crude, there was a wonderful quality of wanting to help Jesus. The rest of the disciples played it safe and probably never even thought of jumping in to help. Good old impulsive Peter jumped in. What a leap it was! First over his head and then the strong hand of the Savior lifted him up. He told of it often in his preaching the rest of his ministry.

I believe God calls us out of the boat to help also. And sometimes we have a sinking feeling we should not have acted so impulsively. We would have been better off to ask a lot more questions, like the radio operator of the Rio Vista station when I called in an urgent "Mayday!"

Ask yourself in the calm of the seas here in our congregation, "What is Jesus asking me to do to help?"

-- Should I be preparing to be an ordained pastor?

-- Have I learned enough Bible to be an effective disciple?

-- Is a tithe enough for me in the weekly offering?

-- Given my skills, gifts, and abilities, what is the ministry Jesus calls me to do all week long?

-- Am I doing the best possible parenting in these stormy times for youth?

-- How can I make a difference in our congregational life here so we can be a "vessel rescue" for others in mighty storms in our neighborhood?

-- Am I as effective and bold as I should be in witness and inviting others to be in this same boat with me called the church?

The rest of the disciples in the boat stayed there and fretted about the waves and head wind and questioned whether Jesus could do anything about it. Peter jumped in and offered to help. Is it too much to imagine Peter then saying to Jesus, "Okay, I got the bow; you grab the stern"?

The Church of Jesus Christ is always in need of volunteers who can feel in their hearts what ought to be done and jump in to try. We often go at it all wrong; we sometimes make it worse; we sometimes nearly drown others in the process. But if you consider all the rapids, the height of the waves, velocity of the wind, and sea-worthiness of the boat, you may never get started to help, much like that Rio Vista Coast Guard radio operator. This sermon may be Jesus' way of saying to you, "Come," just as he did to that impulsive, big-hearted fisherman, Peter.

"Come," Jesus says when we are asked:

-- to serve on the church governing board;

-- to be a visitor for evangelism or stewardship;

-- to be a church school teacher;

-- to help with the youth ministry program;

-- to sing in the choir, or serve on the altar guild;

--to visit the homebound with the sacrament;

-- to lead a Bible study or help maintain the property.

All these are always in need of disciples and sailors who will jump in with Peter and help none other than Jesus.

The church is a great boat ride over seas calm and turbulent. We are in this boat together as disciples. In this story, we have an assurance that we can get through no matter how rough the storm because we are not alone. No matter how you explain that middle of the night miracle, there is great comfort and instruction in it.

Since our terrifying boating experience on the Delta's Sacramento River, we've joined the organization "Vessel Assist" which is like a "AAA" for boaters. It's comforting to know they are ready to help in any emergency.

Peter was ready to help. Jesus saw the problem and did help those disciples. He'll help us too.