As we continue to celebrate the Christmas season and Jesus' birth into our world, we find the disciples out on the sea in a boat in today's Gospel, where they are battered by the angry winds & waves. As the disciples look out at the sea, they see someone walking on the water, moving toward them. We can imagine the fear that seizes the disciples until they finally realize it is Jesus. Jesus is able to calm the winds and the waves. In our own lives, we may think that Jesus does not hear our pleas for help or see us in need when we are battered about on our journey.
If you have ever been on the ocean, a river, or lake on a boat when bad weather or an accident strikes, it can be quite terrifying. As a missionary, I was once traveling in a canoe as we paddled down a large river with some teenagers and small children. The canoe was suddenly overturned, without much warning. Since there was a baby traveling with us, she was my main concern. We finally got out of the river, fished out of the river by a man who saw us in trouble. We were all drenched and covered with mud. We made for quite a funny sight for the other church members who were awaiting our arrival. But at the time when we were swimming back to shore and trying to all make it back safely, it was anything but funny to us. I remember I had lost one of my shoes and a sock in the process, but that didn’t matter, as I was glad we were all safe.
In times like that, we can be encouraged by knowing that God is all-powerful. Trusting God can be difficult in times of adversity, especially when fear and uncertainty seem to be so pervasive in our society. As we are at the start of a new year, after we see so much uncertainly and instability throughout the world, we should take heart in the faith we have in God, in the salvation we have in him, in the agape, self-giving love that we receive from him and from our redeemer, Jesus Christ. May we trust in God's faithful presence at all times in our lives.
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