Last week’s topic was on fear. I found it helpful. I will post a short summary of some what was said. I haven't added any more recently as the sermons have been more educative and on parables that they didn't feel like the ones I could summarise. I listen to sometimes at least four sermons in the week and attend one in person.
What some ministers said on fear-
This was at a Catholic church -
Today's gospel reminds us that faith in the Lord and his word does not open a road where everything is easy and peaceful. Faith does not protect us from every storm of life. Rather, faith give us the certainty that Jesus’ presence gives us courage to pass through the storm of life. Faith gives us the stability of hand that catches us, helps us face our difficulties and show us the way even to the darkness. Faith is not an escape from life's world. It is the source of strength on our journey and it keeps meaning to that.
There are many nights in which we may lose our direction. There are pains that that suddenly destroy us. Worries that scar us, fears that make us want to give up. On the contrary, God tells us that he's with us righteously in moments of trouble and storm of life. When we strongly feel doubt and fear, when we feel that we have done wrong, and when everything around us seems dark, we should not be ashamed to cry out like people.
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This is from a Catholic church-
When we go through the troubles and worries of our own lives, when our the ships of our lives push us out into waters that can sometimes seem dangerous, where we seem not to have any hope. It is the call to the Lord that reminds us of our faith. It is a call to the Lord to remind us to trust. It is a call to the Lord to remind us to understand God's plan. And sometimes we find that difficult.
And yet as members of the family of God, we're called to trust. We're called to love. We're called to understand. Matthew's gospel tells us today that Jesus looking at Peter told him, "Come. It is I. Come." And even as Peter goes towards him, he doubts as we do. We ask the Lord, but still we doubt. We ask the Lord, but still we fear. We ask the Lord, but still we don't always trust as he would want us to trust.
He puts out his hand and takes Peter. He puts out his hands and saves Peter. He puts out his hand and he saves you and he saves me. And for that we are thankful. We cannot always have that transfiguration experience when the onlookers saw Jesus' presence -we need to come down into the real world and put into practice what we've learned from him, from his word, from his life, from the gospels. Come, put your hand in mine. I am with you always, he tells us.
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From an Anglo Catholic church-
In the storm, the storm of life which comes and goes in your life and mine. Whoever we are, whatever we get up to, we do not see. We do not always know where Jesus is. He has to come to us because his name is love. We walk. We sail in the boat with the disciples in lives of doubt.
The fear that grips the disciples in the boat because fear, fear of rejection, fear of giving ourselves, fear of being wrong, fear of risks can control a human life, leaving no room for the liberation which a life of faith can bring to every human heart. God can feel hidden in our difficulties. If we can find God there, we shall never lose him. And we must be patient with our failures. There's always another opportunity to find God unless we go ashore and stay there opting for a no risk life.
To meet the wind and waves and storms of life is not a defeat. It is life itself. Whatever happens we can interpret as God telling us he's still here with us. What about Peter? Peter is you and Peter is me. Peter is invited to come to Jesus across the water. And Peter steps out onto the water and you and I will do the same. And the storm just increases and we shall start to sink too.
Lord, save me, says Peter. And that will happen time and again in our lives. It's not just once because when we continue life's journey, the waves will start up again. And this is the story of everyone's spiritual journey. The wind ceases when Jesus boards our boat. This is how we are saved.
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From a Anglican church-
Fear can be powerful. It reminds us of our vulnerability. It can seem to have a life of its own as it threatens to snatch away our equilibrium, what we hold dear, who we are, even life itself. Sometimes we fight our fears or where we think the fear comes from and sometimes we flee. Often there is a bit of both, fight and flight. Freeze is also a very common response to fear, especially in the context of trauma.
Sometimes we hold on through what we think is the worst of the storm and then we can get overwhelmed by the next wave or even by the help we're offered by God or by other people. Being honest about our fears with God and with one another can also be very powerful.
If we can bear to face our fears to ask God and one another where the hope is. Acknowledging all this and the needs that all of us have to encounter one another and Jesus new and more deeply. We can engage more deeply with Jesus by praying and reflecting to see where Jesus is.
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- From the Church of England-
The disciples struggle against the wind, believing themselves to be alone. Yet, Christ comes across the waters towards them. The disciples do not merely witness a man walking upon the water.
They discover that the one who comes towards them is Lord over chaos and fear. Through the faithful work of countless people, God's grace was revealed in ordinary things, bringing hope from the rubble and new life where none seemed possible. We do not deny that the storms, the waves will come, but we do bear witness to the one who comes towards us, who is with us in the midst of them.
So amid whatever storms may surround us, we make our own the confession of Peter and the disciples, "Truly, you are the Son of God."
Elim Pentecostal church-
I think we can pull out in the passage is that the Lord reveals his presence and word in the darkness. On the chaos of open waters, in the midst of darkness, in the middle of a storm, enters the glory of God revealed in his son walking on the water. And whenever we're going through the storms of life, the glory of God is there to strengthen us, to reassure us, and to comfort us.
The dark seasons and moments obstruct our view of the glory of God, especially when we don't know what we're looking for. God gives you a peace that transcends all understanding. The hope of glory is not that God will remove our suffering or our difficulty.
Now, the hope we have is that the glory of God walks towards us whilst we're in the middle of the lake. It's not that he takes us out of it, but he carries us through it with his Spirit and sustains us through it.