Sunday, May 19, 2002
Sunday, May 19, 2002
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!" 31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and
caught him.
They hiked through the woods and stepped gingerly across the glassy rocks to a lookout point
very near the falls from which they could see the water drop off. The footing was slippery, and
the spray was cold, but they were closer to the waterfall than either of them had ever been
before, and the view was fantastic. Mike wanted to go just one step farther onto a rock that
was just a few feet nearer the rapids. But as he eased himself onto the wet rock, worn smooth
from years of running water, his feet slipped and he tumbled into the foaming river.
Fortunately he managed to grab a rock spur and save himself for the moment, but his grasp
was weak, and he wouldn't long be able to keep himself from being swept over the falls by the
raging stream. Seeing his friend's plight Gary immediately grabbed hold of a sapling and
stretched out over the water as far as he could in a desperate effort to reach his friend. It was
a struggle between life and death as each tried to reach the other while clinging to their own
anchor. Then, suddenly, Gary had Mike's arm and pulled him onto the safety of the rocks.
Mike was wet, shivering, and frightened, but safe. Of his heroism Gary simply says, "All I did
was lend a hand to a friend; I acted as a source of help when someone I cared about called for
it."
What a graphic picture of our relationship with Christ! We are about to go under, and we
reach out to him. And Christ is there for us.
(Matthew 14.29-31
NRSV)
Gary Parker recalls the time when he and his college roommate, Mike, went to Whitewater
Falls, South Carolina to see the beautiful waterfalls there. This was a favorite spot for Gary
and many other people to gather on Saturday afternoons to watch the waterfall cascade
downward. But that day Gary and Mike decided that they wanted to get a little closer than they
had before.
Loving God, thank you for being there for me through Jesus Christ my savior. Amen.
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