Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat!

The Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew, the 14th Chapter

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in

fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

I dreamed last night I got on the boat to heaven 

And by some chance I had brought my dice along 

And there I stood 

And I hollered "Someone fade me" 

But the passengers, they knew right from wrong. 

For the people all said sit down, sit down, you're rockin' the boat 

People all said sit down 

Sit down you're rockin' the boat. 

And the devil will drag you under 

By the sharp lapel of your checkered coat, 

Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down, 

Sit down you're rockin' the boat. 

I first heard that song a week before my wedding.  I left Kelly in Atlanta and flew up to New Jersey to tour a flavor supplier’s factory.  I was a product development scientist at the time, making new products for Coca-Cola.  After we had done the tour, our sales rep took us into New York City and we ate at a fancy restaurant at a table near Brooke Shields and Julian Lennon, and then we went to a Broadway show.  We saw Guys and Dolls!  Now, the theology in the verses of that song aren’t very good, but I love the tune and it’s fun to sing AND the chorus and today’s Gospel lesson have something we really need to hear.   The temptation with this story is to race past the set up and go straight to the punch line where Peter, God love him, steps out of the boat and tries to walk on water.  But in truth, a punch line isn’t any good without the set up, so let’s take a couple minutes and set it up right!  

First, Jesus puts all the disciples into the boat... TOGETHER!  Discipleship, he’s showing us, is something that is done TOGETHER!  Right over there, smack dab in the middle of our sanctuary, sits the Baptismal font... and NO, it’s not there because I forgot to put it back after I used it last!  It’s right there, smack dab in the middle of everything... ON PURPOSE, because THAT is where you and I are put into the boat to be disciples... TOGETHER!  It’s TOGETHER that we’re called to be disciples.  It’s TOGETHER that we’re called to hear and wrestle with God’s Word, to discern God’s Spirit and it is TOGETHER that we are called to reach out in service to the world.  

The other critical piece we need to pay attention to is the setting for this story.  It’s dark and it’s on the sea.  In Jesus’ day the sea and the dark were symbols that represented chaos, evil, uncertainty, monsters and everything nasty that goes bump in the night… you know, life.  It was into that chaos, uncertainty and just plain danger that Jesus shoved the disciples off from the safety and security of solid ground and out into the place where monsters lurk... into a completely unpredictable future.  Now, many people, when they remember this story, remember that the disciples were in trouble, that their boat was sinking, that they were all about to drown.  But that’s not this story!  The boat was battered, yes... the wind was against them, yes... and they were far from land… BUT they weren’t sinking.  

Working TOGETHER in the boat, the disciples were probably sore, tired and maybe even scared out of their minds BUT, they weren’t sinking.  When we’re in the boat TOGETHER supporting one another... and someone’s bailing and someone’s rowing and someone’s wrestling the tiller and someone’s trimming the sails, it’s ALWAYS better than being out in the chaos and in the darkness of life alone.  Jesus put the disciples in a boat together on purpose.  Jesus knew that for you and me to live the abundant lives God created us to live, in the middle of a world filled with wind and waves and chaos, we would need to sit down and work TOGETHER with our fellow disciples!  TOGETHER we give each other strength when we row into the darkness, when we see the rocks ahead and when our stomachs start churning.  Jesus knows that TOGETHER is the way we will get through the storm.  It was over those waves and through that wind and darkness that Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the water, trampling the chaos of the world under his feet.  Into their darkest, rockiest, scariest time, Jesus was watching and was with them.  That’s not just how it was for the disciples back then either.  It’s also a promise for us disciples now and into the future.  God is with us, ALWAYS, reminding us to take heart and to not be afraid.  

And now we come to the punchline.  Peter.  I love Peter, because Peter always does everything 100%.  Sometimes it’s 100% right and sometimes it’s 100% wrong, but Peter is the poster boy for Martin Luther’s famous advice to us to “sin boldly.”  Peter calls out to Jesus.  “Jesus, I want to try that walkin’ on water stuff.”  Jesus, knowing exactly what will happen and ready to deliver the punchline for this story says, “Come on Rock!”  And out of the boat he steps… looks around and sinks just like his name!  Just like a rock!  

NOW, here’s the important question of the day.  Why did Peter sink?  Was it because he didn’t have enough faith?  Was it because he didn’t keep his eyes on Jesus?  NO!  He had faith.  Jesus says so.  Granted, it was “little” faith, but remember, in just a few chapters, Jesus will tell the disciples that faith the size of a mustard seed is enough to move mountains!  Faith was not the problem.  The real reason Peter sank was... HE GOT OUT OF THE BOAT!  HE TRIED TO WALK ON WATER!  He got out of his seat, stood up, rocked the boat and stepped out into the chaos by himself.  He tried to be like God and sank because he wasn’t!   

Our job as a disciple is to remember that we are human and not God.  Our job is to stay in the boat and row into the future JESUS sets us off to find together.  In spite of the winds, waves, chaos and darkness that we all clearly see ahead, our job as disciples is to do our part.  Each one of us, and each of our parts, is essential to the journey... steer, navigate, work the sails, bail water, be an usher, read lessons, sing songs from VBS, set up for communion or bake cookies… ALL OF IT… all of it is essential!  It simply isn't helpful to stand up and rock the boat… to try to go it alone and try to walk on water.  The world outside rocks our boat plenty without us rocking it more from the inside!  

We need each other in this journey.  We need each other to weather the storms of this life.  We need each other to help bring the Kingdom of God to this world and we need each other to help us remember that in the darkest, loneliest, most painful, frightening and uncertain of times that we have not been forgotten… that we have each other and that Jesus is watching and will come to us no matter how far out we are in our little boat, and he will trample to peace our biggest worries and our greatest fears and bring us life.  Amen.