Sermon from September 10, 2006

Akeelah and the Bee is a story about a girl in the seventh grade who felt totally out of place. She said words like isolation, alienation, and estrangement didn't really describe how she feels to others. To others, she had an attitude. She skipped class, didn't study, and hated school. But she had a brain that soaked up everything like a sponge. Her principal saw something in her that she didn't even see in herself, and he decided he wanted to help her go all the way to the national spelling bee. Her success would be the school's success. Maybe the kids would feel differently about being there. Maybe there would be pride in the school. Maybe academic acheievement would be applauded. But she had this attitude - she wasn't sure if she could do it. . . she wasn't sure of herself. She won the district bee. Barely. At that time she knew she needed more help: she needed a coach. The words her coach use came from a speech made by Nelson Mandela at his inaguration as the first black African to be president of South Africa. I believe the original quote is from Mariam Winters.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves: 'Who am I to be gorgeous, brilliant, talented, and fabulous?' Who are you not to be? The glory of God is within us. Let God's glory shine. . . . We then unconsciously give others permission to do the same."

Akeelah had the ability to transform the whole school, but she was letting her fear get in the way of claiming her gift. We too are called to free ourselves from our fears - to let God's light shine. We limit ourselves and the possibilities of our globe by letting our fear make the decisions. It is time for us to let Christ's voice be heard over the voices of fear.

The author of "If You Want ot Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat" begins his book by talking about his first trip in a hot air balloon. He and his wife were both afraid of heights, but they wanted to try it. As as they rose into the sky and the ground got farther and farther away, they both got in touch with their fear of heights. To take his mind off the fact that his leg was shaking uncontrollably, he operator about his work. He found out this guy was a ski bum and enjoyed going from job to job. The guy had only flown hot air ballons a couple of times and was hoping for no gust of wind. Everyone learned this, and silence fell upon the balloon. They were placing their lives in the hands of this guy. Well, the frightened pasenger, a minister, couldn't figure out what to do - pray or hold church. . . . Once on the ground, he began to think: "Where do we put our basic trust in life? What anchors us? Or do the winds that lift us up or cause us to dive dictate our lives? Who or what anchors us? What is our core?" Hear our Matthew scripture, Matthew 14: 23-35. This scripture lifts up three significant points:

First, get out of the boat. Sometimes in life we get stuck. We get stuck in bad relationships, friendships that aren't healthy, the wrong major, doing the same old things that keep everything the same. We don't want to move emotionally or spiritually or physically. What is familiar seems better than the unknown. So we sit in the boat watching the sun rise every morning the same old way. Watching a man walk on the water and call to us, we just wave because we don't want to change, no matter how much the boat is rockin'! But the problem is - if you read scripture - every character in the Bible has one thing in common. God won't let them stand still. God calls them to move - spiritually, emotionally, physically. Jesus calls to us and calls us to come.

Let's be honest. The story tells us that Peter, in seeing Jesus, wasn't sure it was he. But when Jesus called to him, he recognized his friend's voice over the billowing waves. So how do we know when it is Jesus calling to us and not one of the hundreds of other voices that call to us? How do we discern between the messages of God, and those of our parents, society, friends, country, or media? I think you begin by practicing listening through prayer, reading scripture, and intentionally being in places where you feel close to God.We have to learn attentiveness to the Spirit.

Second, after Peter got out of the boat, he started walking on the water. But his attention was diverted from Jesus because he was startled by the wind. When we become consumed by all that flies, fast and furious, around us, we forget our center. We forget who we are.

• A longing for a relationship is thwarted by fear, and the phone call doesn't get made. The e-mail is deleted rather than sent.
• A paper seems too huge, so we put it off
• A cool idea can't possibly be that great, so we don't try
• A relationship has the life squeezed out of it by fear
• A major life decision is put at the bottom of the to-do list

As a nation, we too respond in fear. As people of Christ, we had a real opportunity to respond to 9/11 in a powerful way: lobbying our government to look at the roots of terrorism. The roots of terrorism are hunger, hopelessness, disease, violence, lack of shelter. A Christian response to terrorsim is not better airport security or better control of the borders. It is building hospitals, feeding hungry people, and building schools - not violence. That is what Jesus calls us to do: build God's household of love. But when we take our eyes off Jesus, we begin to sink.

Third, it is important to remember that when Peter did begin to sink, Jesus was right there to pull him up.

Jesus was out on that lake early in the morning, when good fishermen are waking up. Jesus came out on rough waters, and Jesus is riding the rough waters with us.

When we are bold and courageous and get out of the boat,
When we mess up,
When we begin to sink,
Jesus is there to pull us up.

Jesus is present in our awakenings.
Jesus is present on the rough waters
Jesus is present when we are courageous and bold.