[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Walking on Water

[Joe Parrish]

 Forwarded:

 


 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Frank Fisher <f.fisher.obl.osb at comcast.net>
To: SBA <SBA at SBAbbey.com>; sermonshop.sermons.topic <sermonshop.sermons.topic at ecunet.org>; PRCL-L <PRCL-L at LISTSERV.LOUISVILLE.EDU>; propertalk.topic <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>; midrash <midrash at joinhands.com>
Sent: Sat, Aug 6, 2011 4:36 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Walking on Water


Here's my effort for Sunday in the form of a letter between Peter and his
mother-in-law.  It uses the Matthew pericope.

PAX,


__

Frank R. Fisher, Obl OSB
www.ffisher.net
Interim Pastor
First Presbyterian Church of Kewanee, IL
www.fpckewanee.org
Elmira United Presbyterian Church
www.elmiraunited.org

aka

Brother Oscar Romero
Oblate of St. Benedict's Abbey
Bartonville, IL
www.SBAbbey.com


"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so
that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice."-Cherokee proverb



____________________________________________________________________________
_______


Peter
 a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth,
to Anna of Capernaum.

Greetings!

All right,
I know 
that sounds pretentious.
And I know 
what I promised to call you 
when I married 
your daughter.
But I still
 can't read or write.
And the scribe 
I'm paying 
to write this letter
told me 
I could take my business elsewhere
if I began 
an epistle 
with the words,
"dear mom."
And right now
he looks like 
he's getting a little angry 
with me,
so I'd better tell you
what I'm writing 
to you about.

You'd asked me 
to write you often
to tell you 
more about Jesus.
And even after
 Jesus healed you 
of that fever,
I'm sure 
you had some trouble
 believing 
some of the things 
I've told you.
I guess sometimes
I had trouble
 believing them myself.
But after last night,
I know 
there's something incredible 
about him.


He may even be

 the messiah.

I'm sure
 you remember
how Jesus felt about
 John the Baptist.
Well,
 yesterday 
we finally heard 
about John's death.
Jesus took the news 
pretty hard.
He borrowed a boat
and sailed off
 on the Sea of Galilee
all by himself.

Of course Mom,
we've all told him
about the dangers 
of the lake.
We'd mentioned
how huge storms 
can arise
almost
 in an instant.
And we'd told him 
stories
about all the friends
whom we've lost 
in those storms.
But anytime 
we told him 
those things,
Jesus
 would just
smile at us.
It was as if 
he knew something important 
about the lake.
Something 
we couldn't even imagine.

Jesus did get across the lake OK.
Of course 
a large crowd followed him.
And he was so busy 
taking care of them.
he never did 
get the time he wanted
for solitude and prayer.
So in the late afternoon,
Jesus sent the crowds away.
Then
 he sent us away 
too.
He told us 
to get in the boat 
he'd used,
and to set sail
 for the other side.
He'd meet us later,
he said.
And then
 he left us
to go up the mountain
 to pray.

The lake 
looked so peaceful
when we left the shore.
Of course
 all my fishing's taught me
how the lake's calm
 can change
 very suddenly.
And it changed 
that night
in ways 
I'd never imagined.

We were almost halfway 
across the water
when a storm 
arose suddenly.
I've seen bad storms 
on the Sea of Galilee.
Yet this storm 
was far beyond the worst 
I'd ever seen.
I felt 
like I was in the middle 
of the waters
 on the first day 
of creation;
the day 
when the Holy One
struggled 
against the chaos
covering all the world.

Yes,
chaos 
is the right way 
to describe the storm 
we were in.
We started 
to lower the sail
 right away.
Although Judas
 was almost swept away
by the waves 
before we'd finished.
And we'd finished 
just in time 
too.
Or the rising wind
would've caught the sail
and turned us 
right over.

But even
 with the sail furled,
we were still
 in big trouble.
Six of us were rowing 
with all of our might!
And it was all 
we could do
to keep the boat
 headed into the wind
so we wouldn't capsize.

We desperately 
wanted the other six 
to row too.
But if they'd stopped bailing 
for even a minute,
our poor boat 
would've been swamped 
for sure.

We fought
 against the lake
until early in the morning.
I was beginning
 to think
we'd 
never 
see the shore again.
Then 
just as we'd almost grown 
too tired 
to keep rowing,
we saw 
something 
on the surface 
of the lake.
It looked like the figure
of a human being.
And it was walking 
across the 
raging water.
Even worse
it was walking 
toward us!

We all 
started to scream.
What else 
could this figure be,
we thought,
but the ghost 
of some poor person
who'd drowned 
in this horrible storm.
We started 
to jump overboard.
For it seemed better 
to drown
 in the honest waters 
of the lake
then to be taken 
by this 
fearsome spirit.

And then 
we heard 
something.
Something 
which immediately 
calmed us
and kept us 
from drowning ourselves 
in fear.
It was the voice of Jesus
coming to us
from the figure 
on the lake.
We heard him call out,
"Take heart,
it is I;
do not be afraid."

Do not be afraid.

Right!

Here we are
in the middle 
of the worst storm
since the time of creation;
imagining
we hear our Master 
calling to us
as he walks
 across the lake.
And we're supposed to be 
unafraid?

And yet strangely,
I did feel unafraid.
Either this really is Jesus 
coming to save us,
I thought.
Or I'm dreaming this
as my spirit 
dwells in Sheol
while my body 
floats abandoned
 in the midst of the lake.

I had to know 
if this really was 
Jesus
who was coming 
toward us.
So I dropped my oar,
stood up
 and yelled,
"Lord,
if it is you,
command me
 to come to you
on the water."

And the figure 
smiled 
with that knowing smile
and I heard Jesus answer 
with a 
single word.

"Come."

All the others in the boat 
looked at me
as if I'd been possessed 
by a demon,
as I climbed 
over the boat's side.

Then,

I was walking!

Walking on water!

I know it must be 
almost impossible
 for you to believe it!
But I really was 
walking toward Jesus
 across the surface 
of the lake.
But after I'd taken 
a few strides,
I realized 
what I was doing.

I saw the waves 
raging toward me.
I felt 
the screaming wind
tearing 
at my clothes.
So I panicked.
I know you can believe 
that part Mom.
Your daughter's told you
I'm not always 
as brave
as I'd like myself 
to be.
And when I panicked
I lost faith
in what 
I was doing.
No one could 
walk on water 
like this,
I thought.

"Lord,
save me,"
I cried.

Jesus could've used 
my lack of faith
as an excuse
 to just 
let me go.
But of course 
he didn't.
He reached out 
a massive hand
and caught me.

Then he raised me up
on the water's 
surface.
And he looked me 
right in the eye,
and with a gentle,
 patient voice
 asked,
"You 
of little faith;
why
 did you doubt?"

How could I argue
 with him.
I had been
 of little faith.
Together 
we stepped 
into the boat
and the storm
 immediately 
stilled around us.
The lake
 was glassy smooth again,
just as it was 
when we set out 
from shore.

We all 
fell to our knees 
then.
What else
 could we do?
For it seemed to us 
the Holy One
had once more 
stilled chaos.
Just as we hear
when the Rabbi 
reads us the stories
of creation's first day.

And from our knees 
I spoke to Jesus  
the words
we all were thinking.

"Truly,
you are 
the Child 
of God."

You know 
Mom,
Jesus was right about me
 on the lake.
I was 
being one 
of little faith.
I've been 
such a one before,
and I somehow 
know
I'll be one 
again.

For I'm sure 
there will be many times
when I'll be walking 
on the water of chaos.
There'll be times of chaos
when others will 
turn against me
when I tell them
about my love 
for Jesus.
And I'll find fear
when Jesus calls me
to do something different;
something
like reaching out
 to others
to pull them up
from the waters
just as Jesus
pulled me.
Yes,
I'll walk on many waters.
And it may be
where Jesus will call me
will make me walk
 on the water of chaos
called
 death.

I pray 
I'll be able to keep my eyes 
fixed on Jesus
during some of those walks 
on the water.
And in those times
 when my faith's 
strong and secure
I'll be able 
to endure the chaos 
around me.

Yet 
I also know 
there'll be times
when I can't stand 
the chaos;
times 
when I feel
 the wind
and see
 the waves;
times when 
I'll cry out,
"Lord,
save me."

But Mom,
Jesus will be there 
to catch me 
in those times.
Even in the very worst 
of times
 when I'm sure
 he isn't 
around,
and when I can't feel 
his hand 
steadying me,
he'll be there.

And every time 
I can't walk 
on water;
every time 
I sink 
beneath the waves;
even if those waves 
are the waters 
of my death;
I know 
if I can listen 
with my heart,
I'll be able to hear 
a gentle voice 
calling to me.

"I'm here 
you beloved one 
of little faith;
even though 
you still doubt."

Listen 
for that voice Mom.

I know
 he'll be there 
for you too.

Give my love 
to your daughter 
Mom.

Peace be to you
in the name of Jesus,
the messiah, 
the One
 who is there
reaching for us
during the worst 
of chaos,
the only begotten 
Child of God.

To God alone be glory.
Amen.







	



 
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