ONE DAY WHEN I was about seven years old, I was in Cardiff for the afternoon with my parents. As we walked past Cardiff Castle it was clear that there was some sort of military display going on. A Parachute training tower had been erected next to the battlements, and you could be strapped into a harness, attached to a rope, and jump from the battlements into the arms of a burly Sergeant Major of the Parachute Regiment. Being a young boy I was extremely keen to do this. It sounded like great fun! My parents were considerably more afraid than I was, but thankfully let me go ahead. I trusted the military hardware, sauntered up to the battlements, jumped off into the air, and was caught by the NCO. I suspect that now I would probably share my parents’ concerns, but at the time my yearning for adventure overcame my fear. 

Fear is a natural emotion. We are hard-wired to feel it. Fear keeps us safe, warning us about potential dangers. However, while a small amount is healthy, too much can easily paralyse us. Today’s Old Testament Reading depicts an encounter between the prophet Elijah and God. Such an encounter should be one characterised by trepidation. God tells Elijah to go out of his cave and stand before the Lord. However, God is not in the wind, the earthquake or the fire, instead:

‘after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.’ (1Kings 19:13)

God visits Elijah in the still, small voice. God does not shout, He whispers. God is gentle. To quote the prophet Isaiah:

‘He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench’ (Isa 42:2-3)

The gentleness of God looks forward to Jesus Christ, our gentle Saviour. Archbishop Michael Ramsay put it well when he said, ‘God is Christlike, and in him is no un-Christlikeness at all’. When we see Jesus, we see God; when we hear Him speak, we hear the voice of God. We can know who God is — the Creator and Redeemer of the universe — through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Today’s Gospel begins with the aftermath of a miraculous feeding of more than five thousand people. Our Lord tells His disciples to cross over the Sea of Galilee while he dismisses the crowds. Having done this, Jesus spends time alone in prayer. Christ understands the need for a balance between work and rest. Our Lord’s ministry is possible because of His intimate relationship with God the Father, maintained through prayer. Jesus is the example we all need to follow where our spiritual life is concerned. 

Then, around 3 o’clock in the morning, Jesus makes his way across to the disciples: 

And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” (Mt 14:25-27)

We would all share the disciples surprise and fear at the sight of someone walking on water towards us, especially in the middle of the night! Jesus encourages the disciples, who have been having an extremely difficult crossing. The wind is against them, so they are having to row the boat across the Sea of Galilee:

‘the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them’ (Mt 14:24)

Even for professional fisherman who lived and worked on the water, this is hard work. The disciples have been struggling to cross the lake, and then they are faced with terrifying sight. They are tired, and scared, and it is dark! So Our Lord encourages the disciples. This provokes a response from Peter

And 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 and walked on the water and came to Jesus. (Mt 14:28-29)

Jesus speaks a single word to Peter, ‘Come’ He also speaks this same word to each and every one of us as Christians. He wants us to come, to follow Him, to be close to Him, to live out our faith in our lives strengthened by prayer. Will we trust Jesus enough to follow Him? Peter has faith, he trusts Our Lord, steps out of the boat and comes to Him. When Peter is distracted, things start to go wrong.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt 14:30-31)

When Peter’s fear displaces his faith he begins to sink. However, when he trusts Jesus to save him, all is well. This is, however, not the end of the night’s events.

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Mt 14:32-33)

Jesus brings peace, and calms the storm, so that the disciples can cross safely. Afterwards, they worship Him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’ The climax of these events is worship. This is what we, as humans and as Christians, are made for. We are called to worship God, by our love and by our prayer, so that all of our lives are an act of worship, which draws us ever closer to the source of life and love.

Jesus brings peace to our troubled lives by His offering of Himself on the Cross. We worship Him as the one who can bring hope and healing to our lives. Christ saves each and every one of us, taking the sin of the world upon Himself so that we might be freed from fear and death. That same sacrifice will be made present here today, when we the people of God, are fed by God, with His Body and Blood. We are strengthened and brought close to Him. His is still small voice which speaks of peace, peace for our hearts and our world.

So, my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us trust Our Lord above all else, and be living witnesses to His Kingdom. Let us love our Lord, and encourage others to do the same, so that they too may sing the praises of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. To whom be ascribed all glory, dominion, and power, now and forever. Amen.