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July 30, 2006

Fred Heard - July 30, 2006

Sermon—July 30, 2006
Mark 6:45-52

Father Fred Heard

Holy Trinity

Last Sunday, we saw Jesus feed the 5000 and you will remember, that is the only miracle mentioned in all four gospels. Immediately after that event, Jesus walks on water. This is one biblical event where we often joke about friends or family members walking on water. It can be a compliment and evidence of our high regard for that person or to the contrary—our judgment of the size of their ego.

With today’s gospel, Matthew, Mark, and John write about Jesus walking on water. As I was preparing my sermon, I was once again reminded of that bumper sticker: “It’s in the Bible; I believe the Bible, end of discussion.” Well I believe the Bible too—but I also recognize there were different writers and different memories, and different interpretations and different times. In the same Bible, but depending on which gospel you read, the disciples cross the water from east to west or from west to east. Jesus sees them on the water, in trouble, or he starts out across the lake without seeing them in distress. When he gets to them they are in the middle of the lake, or they are at the shore. He does or does not climb into the boat. The disciples are convinced by what they see, or utterly clueless. Which will it be? It is in the Bible and I believe the Bible. The writers of this story are not very detail oriented…and if this is a recruitment message, I should think they would want to make sure the story “sticks” together. Obviously, no editor has gone over every detail because there are rough spots and pure conflict from one story to the next.

Over the last several weeks, I have been reading emails between Adair and her cousins about their grandparents. They are trying to compile a story about their grandparents. Adair remembers that Grandpa spoke with an accent because he was born in Norway. Several cousins do not share that recollection and finally one of the cousins said, “Adair remembers what she remembers.” In today’s lesson, it is much the same. This is not an invented event. Everyone remembers that something happened on that water. It is the core they remember and they are telling it with three different memories…and different versions of the same story. They are writing years or even decades later, so maybe their memories have gotten a little fuzzy around the edges, and some of the details vary from writer to writer. Some of the differences we find in these stories can be traced to that fact.

This is also the place when our 21st Century minds take over and we start looking for explanations of events that happened two thousand years ago that fit our concept of scientific proof. Sometimes we simply try to make something fit and we have to adopt an explanation that isn’t plausible to make our concept believable. It was interesting to listen to the question put to our new Presiding Bishop when reporters asked her about creationism at her first news conference. Her explanation was that she is a scientist and she does not find God and science incompatible. If we seek the most rational explanation for Jesus walking on water, we should probably go with John. Jesus reaches the disciples at the very moment that the boat gets to shore. They want to take Jesus into the boat but didn't because the boat reached land. So maybe what they see, in the middle of the storm and danger and confusion, is Jesus walking out to them from the land. Jesus is not catching up to them from behind, he's wading out to them, since he got there first. It is not hard to find that as a perfectly reasonable explanation in the writings of creditable Bible scholars. There are only two problems with that version of the story—Matthew and Mark must be ignored and there is no second boat for Jesus.

Our intellect is what so often trips us up when we ponder our faith or our relationship to God. We spend all our time trying to make logical what is not logical. We don’t spend equal time worrying about the earth being flat or any of the other truths we were teaching up until a few years ago like the importance of a lobotomy in treating mental illness. Maybe we need to move beyond the idea that there is a logical explanation for miracles or that they even need to be explained. Again, we constantly try to understand or measure God in all of his glory with our intellect and our limited knowledge. Most of us are quick to agree that we are not on an intellectual level with God. If that is the case, there will be events we read about in the Bible and things that surround us that we will not comprehend.

We do not have the eyes or the ears or the understanding to explain or perceive the God that surrounds us. Did you ever take time to ponder the grandeur or greatness of God or how long eternity is? Acceptance by faith is important to us as children of God. With faith, we can truly understand what God would have us do in this world. But if we have a good healthy dose of faith, will we have a complete picture of what God has done and what is coming? The answer must be no. But with faith God speaks to us more clearly and our path is more in focus. No matter which version of Jesus walking on the water, we read—the clear message is, “It is I, do not be afraid.” With this comfort we learn that Jesus Christ is with us and that he comes to us in stormy times and that the wind will recede. And one more thing, Jesus comes to us even when we doubt.

You see we really don’t have to be able to walk on water ourselves. Jesus was asked to perform miracles to save his life. He refused. The important thing is for us to believe without miracles. Jesus talks constantly of the need for faith.

It is both easy to love God and to have faith when all is well. It is easy to thank God for good fortune, for money He has given us, for good relationships, for the sunshine in our lives. It is even easy to turn to God when things are going badly. It is at this time that we pray—illness—Pray!—family member in trouble—Pray!—job not going well—Pray!

When things progress beyond bad, it is easy to hate God—a child is drowned on a family outing—“How could God let this happen?” Most of the time however, bad times remind us to call out for God’s help.

During this week, I have spent much time in the company of Trinity saints who are recovering from serious surgery or illness. In each case, we have prayed and we have said simply—thank you, God. You see, my Brothers and Sisters, what I have seen in the faces of those recovering is faith. I thought of that as I read this anonymous commentary on faith:
Count your blessings instead of your crosses; count your gains instead of your losses. Count your joys instead of your woes; count your friends instead of your foes. Count your smiles instead of your tears; count your courage instead of your fears. Count your full years instead of your lean;

count your kind deeds instead of your mean. Count your health instead of your wealth; count on God instead of yourself. AMEN