Eighth Sunday after Pentecost: Getting Out of the Boat

Lectionary Passages

The main theme this week: Jesus saves. He's got our back. We can move forward to do what God has called us to do. Yet, there are two main obstacles that work against faith. They are fear and doubt. Last week pastor Kevin talked about our spiritual vocation and challenged us to see the needs of this world with Jesus' eyes of compassion, to stop dwelling on our lack of resources for meeting the needs (and using that as an excuse for staying on the sidelines), and to hand over what we have to Jesus so that HE can bless it and give it back to us. He is the miracle worker. We are only the facilitators of the miracles once we step out and act in faith. Yet FEAR often keeps us back. And if we take the initiative to step out and get started then the next obstacle to overcome is DOUBT. The story of Peter walking on the water well illustrates this. That is probably why this story is so well loved. We can all relate to it!

In terms of our own roles in the worship ministry, I wonder if any of us ever struggle with doubt like I do? We obviously have all overcome the initial fear of getting up in front of people to make music together, but I wonder if we sometimes wonder why we, of all people, are up there doing what we are doing. I know that there are far more qualified people to do what I do. Most Sundays I feel spiritually inadequate as well. Inside I think, "Who am I to lead all of you?" When I am up in front it can be a struggle to keep my focus where it needs to be; on Jesus! When we get our eyes on ourselves and our own inadequacies, we often respond in two ways:

1. We try to maintain our pride. We hide our insecurities and inadequacies. For instance, if we screw up on our part of the song, we might feel we have to offer an excuse that says, "I'm really not that bad." We probably are not be that bad, but none of us are perfect either. But our pride tends to tell us that we have to make others think we are, at least nearly, perfect. So when we don't live up to perfect, we may feel we have to save face. At that point our focus is no longer on Jesus and what He can do with whatever we have to offer him that day. It is totally on me and what I am able to do.

2. We are too hard on ourselves. Of course excellence requires us to be constructively self-critical. We must be able to give ourselves an honest listen to see where we can improve and what we need to work at. However, healthy criticism is not overly harsh and demeaning. Sometimes our internal voices can be way more harsh on ourselves than we ever would be toward others. We don't give ourselves any grace. Healthy criticism is about being realistic and working on what can be improved. Harsh criticism simply says, "That's the way it will always be. You will never get it right! Why even try?"

To be an excellent worship team, we must be willing to jump out of the boat! We have got to hand it to Peter. Although, he doubted himself, got his eyes off of Jesus, and ultimately failed to keep walking on the water, he at least did way more than the other 11 scaredy cats back in the boat! We can't allow our insecurities and fears (and the pride and/or negativity that goes with them) to keep us back from stretching ourselves and taking risks. Will we fail at times? Absolutely? Will Jesus be there to give us a hand when we do? For sure! And can we be Jesus to each other by praying for, and encouraging one another in ways that pull us back up on our feet to do things we never thought possible? I pray that we will!

Finally notice the result of Peter getting out of the boat. The other disciples realized who Jesus was and worshiped him. If we are not willing to risk getting out of the boat, others who sit on the sidelines, may not see what Christ is able to do. It is comforting to know that WE don't have walk on water by ourselves. If we could, then people would worship us. As worship leaders, we must be willing to display that real off balance feeling we often get when we are leading. If we aren't feeling like we are walking on water up there, we are not risking enough and we are not depending on Jesus enough! And if we are not depending on Jesus enough, then He won't get the glory. So yes, let's work hard and be ready to give Jesus our best, but let's never depend on that alone. When a service begins, we must jump over the side of the boat and begin walking by faith.