A fable: Bill Gates was flying the Pope and the Boy Scout of the Year on his private jet when the pilot burst out of the cockpit. “The plane is going to crash and there are only three parachutes and I’m taking one of them.” He strapped one pack on, threw the other two at the passengers and jumped out of the airplane. Bill Gates looked at the other two and said, “I’m the smartest man in America and my country needs me.” So he strapped on a pack and jumped out of the airplane. The Pope looked at the Boy Scout and said, “I am an old man and have lived a full life. I am ready to meet God. You have your whole life ahead of you. You take the last parachute.” The Boy Scout answered, “Actually, Holy Father, there are two parachutes left, one for each of us. The smartest man in America just jumped out of the airplane wearing my Boy Scout knapsack.”
Some people like to jump out of perfectly good airplanes. Skydivers get a thrill out of taking the risk. Some people strap bungee cords to their legs and jump off of perfectly good bridges. They get a thrill out of the risk. Some people leave a perfectly comfortable mountain lodge to strap two fiberglass boards to their feet. Skiers get a thrill by risking going down the black diamond trail. I wonder if St. Peter was a risk taker? Did he step out of a perfectly good boat to get the thrill of walking on water? If so, he was not very good at it. If you are going to be a risk taker you have to see it through even when things get scary.
Church, any genuine living of our lives as Christian involves taking a risk, a step on the sea. We risk that heeding the message of Jesus, the message of love and compassion and forgiveness, leads to a full and happy life, contrary to the so-called wisdom of society. For example, have you noticed how instead of talking about putting money aside in a prudent way for retirement, the ads are focused on what they call “wealth management.” The not so subtle message is that you have to look out for yourself, that you’ve got to accumulate all that you can. That certainly is the safe place, the seat in the boat. But Jesus says, step out on the sea of charity. Take the risk of sharing some of your blessings with those who are in need. See those who are suffering as if they were your brothers and sisters and needed you to care about them. When you do that you will have the thrill of sharing your bounty and discover it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Society sends the message that you’ve got to keep away from all those dangerous people out there. Reside in a gated community, live in a doorman building, have an electronic alarm system, keep a gun in your nightstand. That is the safe place, the seat in the boat. Jesus says, step out on the sea of compassion. Take the risk of coming to know people who don’t look like you or talk like you or think like you. Find out that there is someone out who is a potential friend you haven’t met yet. When you do you’ll have the thrill of discovering that the things that unite us are more important than the things that divide us.
The wisdom of society is “once burnt, twice shy.” If you have been hurt you’ve got to protect yourself from being hurt again. Don’t become vulnerable because then people will take advantage of you. The safe place is in the boat taking the seat of self-preservation. Jesus says, step out on the sea of forgiveness. Take the risk of letting go of those resentments and grudges which weigh you down. Work at healing those memories of being wounded so that you can move toward wholeness. When you do, you’ll have the thrill of feeling the forgiveness that God extends to you no matter what you have done.
However, as Peter so graphically demonstrated, stepping out on the sea is not easy. We are filled with fears that limit us. The coronavirus makes us feel powerless over forces that we don’t even understand and can’t even see. The violence in our city immobilizes us. A fractured economy looms before us. And the fear just hangs there because there does not seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. So how can we overcome our fear-filled lives and take the risk of stepping out on the sea with Jesus? We too often can’t hear his voice saying “Take courage, it is I. Do not be afraid.” Too often we cannot hear his beckoning word: “Come.” We don’t feel his stretched out hand catching us when we cry out, “Lord, save me.” What we do have, what we can do, is listen for that tiny whispering sound of God’s presence. That was where the prophet Elijah found the presence of God – not in the thunderclap, the lightning strike, the hurricane wind, in the tiny whispering sound. Nothing dramatic. No miraculous intervention. Just a soft, gentle word of invitation. We get the faith to step out on the sea with Jesus when we quiet our hearts enough to hear God’s whisper to us: You are a child of God. You are precious in my sight. You are wonderfully made. When we hear that, when we know who God has made us to be, then we can withstand any wind and walk over whatever turbulent water life throws at us. Listen for the whisper, then take the step!