August 9, 2026 "Notice Jesus"

Here's the story of Jesus walking on water, but from a different angle than usual! There's an interesting relationship that Christianity has had with fear, especially over the last 50-100 years, maybe even longer. Don't know what to call it. Buff Christianity? No Fear Christianity? Instead of making a compassionate, gracious space for us to acknowledge our fears, fear has been used to manipulate and control. Fear has been seen as the opposite of faith. I don't think that's healthy or helpful. So now to walk through the story...on the surface, it seems to reinforce No Fear Christianity. They're afraid. Peter then has faith to ask Jesus to tell him to walk on water. He sees the wind and the waves and gets afraid again. As long as he has faith, he does the impossible! When he fears, he fails. However, nowhere else in the stories about Jesus are we called to prove our faith, or test the character of God, by taking pointless risks that threaten or endanger our lives. Nowhere else in these stories are we taught that bad things will happen to us if we're too chicken to do the hard thing to earn God's protective care. So what's the alternative? How else can we possibly read this story? Things happen, the disciples are afraid. I don't think it's wrong to be afraid, it's part of what it means to be a human being. Maybe the issue isn't with feeling fear. Maybe it's where that fear can lead us. It can lead us to believe that possibilities are threats. It can lead us to believe that the pain will never end, that we'll never love or laugh or hope again. It can even lead us into suspicion. That's where it led Peter in the story. Then Jesus asks the question, "Why did you doubt?" Maybe when Jesus asks that question, he's really asking, "Why did you doubt me? Why do you not trust that I'll be honest with you? Why do you doubt that I am with you, and for you, and in you, and around you? After all this time, why do you feel the need to test whether or not it's really me?" So the last thing I'll say is where I think this story leads us. Notice Jesus. No matter what the disciples say, or do, or feel, Jesus continues to move toward them. Nothing can stop him from moving toward us. Not the wind, the waves, mistaking him for a ghost, and definitely not our fear. Jesus continues to move toward us. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33 http://bible.com/events/49648667