Proper 14—August 9, 2025
from Preaching among the Palms Hosted by Fr. Jeffrey Hanson
In today's Gospel reading the disciples are being buffeted by winds and waves, an episode that is hard to see in any other way than as a parable for our own lives, which are beset by difficulties. Fr. Jeff decodes three uses of the word "immediately" in this passage to signal what Jesus is trying to teach to his disciples and to us when he walks on water to be with them in the midst of their difficulties. Peter also realizes he can walk on water, which he can, through faith in Christ. Only when his faith is overwhelmed by the difficulties of his life does he start to sink. In whatever difficulty we may be facing, the point of the story is that Jesus is with us no matter what, and that with faith in him we too can walk on water. Every Sunday we too worship Christ as his disciples did on the boat. Historically the church has always thought of itself as a kind of boat for the safety and hope of Christians navigating a harsh world. There are both liturgical and eschatological aspects of this reality, both of which are established by this incident of Jesus's walking on the water and Peter with him.
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