Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is 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 toward 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,…”. (Matthew 14:28-31a)

After almost two years, the Presbyterian Foundation Board of Trustees gathered in person in Louisville, KY. We came from east, west, north and south – most with some reluctance and caution, but all with a sense of expectation for what it meant to leave the confines of our daily lives to journey together in vision and hope on behalf of this ministry.

As is our sacred tradition, we began our gathering with worship led by the Rev. Alonzo Johnson (formally a member of our presbytery – currently our denominational Coordinator for the Self Development of People). Our time was rich with prayer, music, and a reminder of that dramatic moment in the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus sent the disciples on ahead of him “to the other side” of the lake. Jesus stays behind creating a space for himself with prayer and social distancing from everyone but God, an important discipline to all who feel the multiple demands of the day.

As the sun was rising the next day, the boat found itself in that unsettling place where waves and wind pressed upon it. When Jesus is seen walking on the lake, it causes great fear on the part of his followers. Even as Jesus identifies himself and offers words of assurance, the image of anyone walking on water did not compute. All they could consider was the presence of a ghost.

True to his raw and impulsive nature, Peter presents Jesus with a “dare” of sorts – “if it’s you Jesus, tell me to come to you.” Instead of allowing his fear to cause a paralysis of action, Peter leans into his relationship with this “walking on water Jesus.” Well, as we know, Peter did the unthinkable. With his focus clearly on Jesus, he steps outside of the boat and walks toward him. Let’s pause here for a moment – Peter steps outside of the boat and walks toward Jesus. We don’t know how many steps he took – was it one or was it ten?, but we are told Peter actually walked on the water toward Jesus. It was only when his focus shifted to the surrounding chaos of the waves and wind that he let his fear overtake him, causing him to sink. But even when sinking, Peter asks for help and Jesus reaches out his hand and catches him.

Friends, like Peter and the disciples, we have been navigating uncharted waters for some time – wondering when the storms would subside; wondering if the waves would take us down. But here we stand with vaccines finally making their way into the arms of our younger saints and boosters becoming readily available. We can hear Jesus’ invitation to step outside our boats as the sun begins to rise over what has been a long night.

There is no question that new and unexpected storms will create chaos around us – we will not be able to control when and how they will whip up unsettling waves. These storms and chaos will be as benign as changing the colors of the church carpet to considering where and how to use our precious financial funds for ministry and mission. These storms will cause unrest as we navigate what it means to be a people who are bound by Christ in our faith. The storms will surely come upon us – again and again. Our challenge will be to focus on the main thing – the person of Jesus and his call on our lives to make right that which is broken. Our challenge will be to be faithful and responsive to the real and present needs of a hurting world. We must resist getting distracted by the whipped-up winds and storms that can keep us distracted from Jesus’ invitation to step outside our boats and walk on water, even for a minute. And the truth is, we will likely start sinking, but as the text reminds us – all we need to do is call out for help and Jesus will reach out his hand to catch us. “Lord save us all.”