Gospel Reading – Matthew 14:22-33
At Baptism we commit children (and adults commit themselves) to living the Christian life. Today’s gospel reading is a good reminder of some of the things that the Christian life involves
The gospel begins with a reminder of what has gone before – the miraculous feeding of the 5000 the 5 loaves and 2 fish. This reminds us that God feeds us too – our communion not of bread and fish but of bread and wine is an essential part of our lives as Christians. Miraculously, millions of people the world over find themselves sustained and strengthened by those simple gifts of bread and wine which are, to us, the body and blood of our Lord. Part of the duty of parents and god parents is to bring children to Confirmation – making Holy Communion a central part of their lives
There is a reminder in the passage too of our duty to serve and help others – for Jesus had just fed hungry people. We may not be able to carry out such miraculous things, but, nevertheless the feeding of the hungry and care of the sick are things which are expected of us as Christians as we follow our Lord. Sadly, many messages in the media are about people looking after ourselves. In contrast, the selfless commitment of so many people in our health service, care homes and local services during the lock down has been an inspiration to us all. Yes, Jesus calls us to live a selfless life.
Having fed the hungry crowd, Jesus went away by himself to pray. Prayer – it is so easy to overlook, so easy to be too busy to pray. Teaching children to pray, and praying for them are two essential tasks that parents and god parents should share. Prayer makes the world go round. People can use written prayers or just take a few minutes to be still and hold people before God.
Being a Christian doesn’t mean we’re exempt from hard times. We all go through them. But as Christians we have Jesus with us to calm the storm and to bring peace, even when circumstances are dangerous or life threatening. I’m not sure that, as the song says, with Jesus in the boat we can smile at the storm, but we are certainly given endurance and even inner peace in order to cope better. Even when we face the worst, God is there with us – and that makes all the difference.
Peter walked on the water through the storm. This is not something most of us will ever experience, but we can learn from Peter: he used his faith. Faith was not something he just had, it was something he used. It made a difference to how he lived his life. So it is with us. Throughout our lives, from cradle to grave, we learn to use our faith in new ways year by year. This journey – the journey through life with faith – leads different people in different ways and to different places. Where will your journey take you and where have been since your baptism – detours, dead ends, green pastures, desert places? Where will our faith journey take us next?
Amen
Rev’d Dr. Anne Morris
Vicar St. Oswald’s, Knuzden, Blackburn