Let’s begin with the storm…

Most of the world feels like that storm in Matthew’s Gospel.

• Beirut has been destroyed by a massive explosion…a massive accident caused by neglect
• Coronavirus continues to burn through communities, not only making people sick and killing the most vulnerable…but also in shutting down businesses and income.
• We are being confronted with the reality that racism and white supremacy continue to be alive and well in this country…not only in how many communities of color experience the police but also in how COVID is disproportionally impacting communities of color.

And this doesn’t even mention our own personal storms:

• The election
• For parents and children, the return to distance learning
• And for all of us the isolation from community, the lack of getting together, and the loss of feeling safe in the world.

It is quite the storm.

Did you know that that the literal Greek says that the boat the disciples were in was being “tortured” by the waves?

Our world, nation, communities, and very selves feel quite tortured by our own storm.

And into that storm walks Jesus.

Jesus does not immediately stop the storm.

Jesus does not seem concerned about the storm or the safety of the disciples one bit.

It’s not immediately clear that Jesus has come to help in any discernable way…no wonder the disciples scream and think he is a ghost.

Jesus stands right in the midst of the storm, the boat continues to be “tortured” by the waves, and he says:

Take Heart, it is I;

Don’t be afraid.

Perhaps this sounds beautiful to you right now.  A breathe of fresh air…and if so that’s good.

But for others it isn’t enough.  For some of our sisters and brothers, fellow humans, their storms, their sufferings, their “torture” is too powerful for a trite, beatitude from Jesus.

“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” doesn’t get you very far when you’re desperately out of work…or the opposite, putting your life at risk because you have to in order to feed your family.

But maybe we need to look deeper:

Take Heart, it is I

is not my preferred translation of the Greek.

While it is poetic and lyrical, in it we lose the guttural, earthly power of the statement.

A more direct translation of what Jesus says would be:

Radiate Warm Confidence given by God,

I AM,

Do not be afraid.

It doesn’t quit roll off the tongue as smoothly…and in English it isn’t grammatically correct…but it reveals there’s something richer going on here than Jesus saying some encouraging words.

Jesus is reminding the disciples of a truth…a deeper reality.  So to explore that, I am going to start with the second half: I AM.

“I AM” is the name God reveals to Moses when he is asked to lead the people of Israel out of exile in Egypt.

“I AM” is the one who liberates the people from slavery, guides them through the wilderness, and ultimately brings them to the Promised Land.

“I AM” is the one who commands the people to provide for the widow, the orphan, the destitute, and the alien in your midst.

“I AM” is the one who demands justice for the poor and liberation for the oppressed.

“I AM” is the one who the prophets are constantly calling the people of Israel to return to.

You see, Jesus isn’t referring merely to his presence there with them in the storm, though of course he surely is doing that as well.

Jesus is also reminding the disciples, and us, that there is a great God…a God who can only be named as “I AM who I AM”…this God has been with humanity through all suffering…all pain…all oppression…all violence.

The divine I AM affirms who we truly are, it bears our pain, suffering and loss, and it pronounces a promise of liberation from all that tortures us.

The God named “I AM” promises that in the end all things…all things…shall be reconciled in and through Christ.  That the whole created world shall live within the divine harmony.

Put one last way,

The God who hears the cry of the oppressed, and responds

The God who bears the pain of the outcast and the persecuted

The God who frees slaves

The God who causes war to cease

And the God who provides for the widow and orphan

This God is with you in the storm,

and thus there is nothing to fear.

And if you can sit with that….if you can take that in…if you can put your trust in this God, the Great Divine I AM…then you will understand the first part of Jesus’ message to his disciples:

Radiate Warm Confidence given by God

You see, Jesus is teaching his disciples in the boat that when they place their trust in this liberating God

When they are rooted in the acts of God throughout human history,

Then they can act boldly.  Then they can have warm confidence no matter what circumstances they are in.

When we put our trust in this God who is constantly at work in human history to bring freedom and liberation to all those who suffer, then we know that we too must step out in confidence to ease the suffering of one another.

That’s what’s going on with Peter when he walks on the water.  It is a symbol, a symbol for us of our own call to step out of our boats…walk into the storm, to proclaim the truth

“God Shall Set us Free”

The promises of I AM are not just for our own reassurance.  When we put our trust in  I AM

Then we too are called to “Come”

Come into the waters of uncertainty

Come into the danger of confronting systems and powers of violence

Come to those who are in pain, suffering, and are in danger

And participate in God’s healing and reconciliation of the world.

In Peter’s act of walking on water, we see that God has invited humanity to participate in God’s Reign of justice, of freedom, of abounding trust.

We are not passive recipients of God’s salvation…God’s salvation, God’s liberation, pushes us out for the sake of others.

I will close with a prayer.  This is actually a passage from Isaiah, chapter 43:

I hope this prayer might ground you in this great I Am

So that you too may be compelled by God’s Spirit to go forth and proclaim
That God Shall set us free

Let us pray.

The one who created and formed you says:

Do not be afraid

For I have redeemed you

I have called you by name; you are mine

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

When through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched

And flame won’t burn you.

I AM…the Lord Your God

The holy one of those who struggle,

Your Savior.  Amen.