God Is an Imminent God, an Approachable God, a Caring God

In today's gospel, Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus asked the the disciples to precede him to the other side of the sea, while he stayed behind to dismiss the crowd of over 5000 people that had just been fed with a miraculous multiplication of five loaves and two fish.  Several miles out on the sea a treacherous storm hits the boat with waves powerful enough to sink it.  Struggling to stay upright, the disciples notice someone walking on the waters and coming toward the boat. They are terrified.  Could it get worse than it is, they must have wondered. Then, Jesus says to them: "Fear not, it is I". Peter immediately says to Jesus: "If it is you, Lord, bid me come to you on the waters".  And Jesus says: "Come." Peter bravely gets out of the boat and walks on the water toward Jesus. The winds are strong and Peter, overcome with fear, takes his eyes off Jesus. Focusing on his fear, Peter begins to sink and cries out: "Lord, save me". Jesus stretches forth his hand and pulls Peter up, saving him from drowning.

You and I are like Peter at times. It is so easy to focus on our fears, to take our eyes off of Jesus. We can then get tangled up in our problems and, as our frenzy increases, we sink further and further into the "churning waters."  Waters are certainly churning in our world today and the storms are predicted to intensify: the storms of the coronavirus, the political storms, the protests against wearing masks, the stormy debates about returning to person-to-person learning, opening more and more businesses, the  avoiding large crowds and on and on! Storms may be raging in our families, our communities, our churches around any one of these issues or others causing fear among us.

I believe that whatever is happening in our world is a means of learning. What lessons do I need to learn from the chaos around me and within me? What steps do I need to take to regain a sense of balance in my life, to deepen my faith, to strengthen my trust in an imminent God, a caring God, an approachable God, a God who draws near to me on the stormy seas of my life this day?

"Fear not," Jesus says to me. "It is I; come to me!"