Jonah 2:1-9
Psalm 29
Romans 9:1-5
Matthew 14:22-33
When I was a kid I spent most summers at my grandparent's farm in Missouri. My aunt and uncle and cousins lived there too. Us kids had great times playing in the hayloft, catching crawdads, and chasing Gramma's chickens.
Sundays were my favorite days at the farm because when we got home from the little church in town, we always made homemade ice cream. You know - the kind that seems like it takes forever to get hard.. And when it's finally ready - well it just tastes like a little bit o' heaven.
I recall this one Sunday when I was about 8 years old. It'd been blistering hot for days.. Humid and miserable - a lot like the weather we've been having around here this summer.
Everyone was sick and tired of the weather - and we were all pretty cranky. So my Uncle Dick - who had a way of saving the day - told us kids the night before - that after church and Sunday dinner the next day, he had a surprise for us.
As kids will do, we pestered him half to death wanting to know what his surprise was.. But he'd just smile and hum a little tune and go on about his chores.
That Sunday was just as hot as every other day had been... and it was absolutely stifling in the church. There was not even a hint of a breeze coming in the windows - and the flowers up front looked like they were going to fall over and die any minute.
The Sunday School teacher was crabby and the preacher was grouchy - it was not a very pleasant time at church that morning. But as we were driving back to the farm all of us kids started getting more and more excited about what Uncle Dick's surprise might be - we were so noisy that the grown ups were about ready to let us walk the rest of the way home from church.
After we got home - somehow we managed to sit through what seemed like the longest table grace in history, eat Gramma's dinner, wash and dry the dishes - and dash upstairs to change out of our wilted Sunday clothes. Then we came running back down those stairs demanding to know what Uncle Dick's surprise was.
He took a deep breath, looked straight at me and winked - and announced that we were gonna go swimming at the old Baptizing Hole - and we were taking all the fixin's with us so we could make our ice cream there. Well - everyone was just ecstatic. That is everyone - except me.
You see I was the youngest and the littlest of all the cousins - and I had never mastered my fear of swinging out on a rope and dropping into the water like all the other kids did. The only other way to get into the water was to try scrambling down a very steep and slippery bank that was covered with stinging nettles.
So whenever anyone was going swimming at the Baptizing Hole, I always said I just didn't want to go - because I didn't want the big kids to know the truth - that I was too scared.
So when my Uncle Dick made that announcement, I was just devastated. He knew how afraid I was about swinging out over the water - because I'd talked to him about it. In fact he was the only one I'd ever talked to about it - I was absolutely crushed.
And this particular Sunday afternoon, everyone - even all the grown ups - decided that they were going to the old Baptizing Hole. So I wasn't allowed to stay at home. It was just awful.
When we got there, Uncle Dick put his hand on my shoulder, leaned down and whispered that he had a special surprise - just for me. I looked over to where he was pointing, and instead of one rope hanging down from the oak tree - there were two.
He said - "Joey, you and I are gonna swing out over that water together - and I'll be right there to hold on to you if you get scared." And he did have to hold on to me for a time or two till I got the hang of it.
That afternoon turned out to be just about the very best day of my childhood By the time it was over, I was laughing and playing and swinging out over the water just like the big kids - and I don't think my Uncle Dick or I ever stopped grinning all day.
So when I think about Jesus sending his disciples out there in that little boat, all alone - and a storm blowing up that could easily have swamped them - I've always kind of wondered if they didn't feel a little bit like I did when my Uncle Dick said we were going to the Old Baptizing Hole.
The Sea of Galilee is famous for powerful gusts of wind that can change its face from tranquil to raging in a matter of minutes. Sudden storms can be life threatening - even for experienced fishermen.
Now Jesus knew the waves were already battering the boat by that evening. Yet he waited until early morning before he went to them. And by the time he finally got there, they were so scared that they were sure he was some kind of a ghost.
Even when Peter leapt out of the boat, trusting in Jesus, he got so scared again that he started to sink. But Jesus was right there to grab on to him - and to lift him back up into the boat... just like my Uncle Dick was right there the first time I let go of that rope and started to panic...
When a church decides to dive into the Sea of Total Ministry - it's kind of like that. Sometimes sailing seems to be smooth as glass. And other times - well, you're just pretty sure you're gonna drown and Jesus is nowhere in sight.
What we've been learning though - in the Spirit of the Heartland - is that it's those kinds of times that a church comes to really know that Jesus is always faithful - and always right where we need him to be.
If you folks here at St. Luke's decide to set sail in the Sea of Total Ministry - there's no doubt about it, the waters will get rough and stormy...
and there's also no doubt about it - Jesus will be there - when you need him to haul you out of the water and get you back in the boat.
Amen.