Matthew 14:22-33
August 9, 2026
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church, Oakland, CA.
I have a confession. I really can’t swim! It’s not that I haven’t tried. When I was a camp counselor in Boston, I actually took private lessons with the pool lifeguard but it seems like I just sunk. I splashed and kicked and eventually, I just waded. I suspected that either my body was just too dense or that I was afraid.
In Hebraic thought, water was more than just a wet physical reality. The sea with its unfathomable depths, the relentless river overflowing its banks into an all-consuming deluge, there is something about water posing a threat to human life. I can say that in evolutionary theory that if we came out of the water, why would we want to go back in it!
Karl Barth once referred to water in the biblical creation story that it represented all the evil powers that oppress and resist salvation intended for the people. The last time, I looked at my feet, I saw no web feet!
But in the Old Testament, we see God’s victory and power affirm in the images of water. In Genesis, the world was created by separating the land and the water. In the covenant with Noah, the flood receded and life began again. The people were delivered out of Egypt when the Red Sea collapsed onto Pharoah’s army. And the River Jordan is where the land of milk and honey is found.
While water can be defined as terrifying and a way that God carries out salvation, the disciples were in a boat far away from land, the wind picked up and the waves battered the boat, they were afraid because even Jesus was not with them. He was still on land praying alone. Just imagine that some Dramamine might not help here.
Peter and the Disciples
This kind of situation would be frightening for people like me. Giving the disciples the benefit of the doubt, maybe they were not terrified because some of them were fishermen. They have seen such turbulence before. But what scared them more was the appearance of Jesus walking on the water toward them! While they recognized Jesus approaching them, they were afraid, no such a thing as walking on water!
They thought Jesus was a ghost. And we know that ghosts can be scary in Halloween!
Peter sees that it was Jesus and wants to accompany Jesus in his royal walk on the sea. Jesus says, “Come.” When Peter got out of the boat and seemingly was doing what Jesus was doing, walking on the water, a strong wind came up. When Peter noticed the strong wind, he became frightened and started to sink.
Peter cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught Peter from sinking and possibly drowning. Jesus then said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Lakeshore Boat
This vivid and memorable incident of the disciples on troubled waters and Jesus, walking on water to save the disciples has been used down through the centuries. Calming the waters is a picture that has given comfort, encouragement, and challenge to Christians over the generations.
If we were like the disciples and we find ourselves in a boat, are we experiencing troubled waters today? Since I have been with you in November 2025, it’s been 9 months and we are now preparing for 2027 with a balanced budget as you requested at the all-church envisioning event in February. Achieving a balanced budget requires experiencing choppy seas that we are not used to; doing business as usual has avoided us and postponed us from needing to make some hard decisions.
Some of you may feel that our boat’s captain is not with us anymore and we may become adrift, being tossed to and from by the waves and not sure if we are going to find safe harbor again.
Some of you might feel that in order to steady the boat that we have thrown overboard too much baggage to the degree that even the compass has been discarded.
Jesus reaching out his hand to keep Peter from sinking is the same Jesus calling us to uncharted waters that when we go in faithfulness, he will never abandon us.
I find it relevant that our church is named, “Lakeshore” Avenue Baptist Church. We are not Lake Avenue suggesting that we may actually be in the lake, but rather we are at the shore. On the Hunger Walk a few weeks ago around Lake Merritt, I noticed that it wasn’t very clean. There were not only algae but trash all along the lake shore. I didn’t have the desire to go into this dirty lake but it’s symbolic that we at this church should not just walk by its shores either.
What is clear from this passage is that we are called to step out in faith, even in the midst of troubled waters or dirty waters, if we are to be faithful to the call of Christ. Stepping out in faith is not a guarantee that we will not face troubled waters or be filled with fear, but it is always with the assurance that Jesus will come with us and not abandon us when we need him the most. He will extend his arm to lift us up and get us back in the boat.
Lack of Faith
Jesus said to Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
The reason that we seem to have a lack of faith especially in our times is that we may not be doing anything that requires it. The key to faith and the fulness of life in Christ is to follow Peter’s example and be willing to step out of the comfort and security of the boat and head into the troubled waters of the world to proclaim the love, justice, and mercy of God that we find in Jesus Christ.
Being a disciple is a risky and at times, a terrifying business. But that is exactly what God calls us to do and to be, and God assures us that if we get out of the boat, we can count on Jesus Christ to be there. But unless, we get out of the boat, we might never encounter that hand of Christ saving us.
The theologian and pastor, William Willimon said this,
“If Peter had not ventured forth, had not obeyed the call to walk on the water, then Peter would never have had this great opportunity for recognition of Jesus and rescue by Jesus. I wonder if too many of us are merely splashing about in the safe shallows and therefore have too few opportunities to test and deepen our faith. The story today implies if you want to be close to Jesus, you have to venture forth out on the sea, you have to prove his promises through trusting his promises, through risk and venture.”
Are we ready to get out of the safe and cozy boat of this church and not just stand by the lake shore but walk onto the troubled waters and into the dirty waters of this world because doing ministry is risky and terrifying business?
It Only Takes One
Like some of the previous passages that we have looked at, this lesson also has a number of characters. There were the 12 disciples along with Jesus. But there was really only 3. Jesus speaks and acts; Peter speaks and acts; and the disciples speak and act as one. The 11 disciples here are treated with one voice.
The point here is that when one person takes a risk, it can mean that the rest of the community does as well. When Jesus begins walking toward the boat, the disciples are terrified. At the end of the story, when they are all back on the boat and the wind ceased, they worship Jesus. It only took one disciple, Peter to risk to secure Jesus’ hand of grace. The trust and risk of one disciple of Jesus has an effect on the whole community of followers.
Individuals who risk boldly and move toward the call of Jesus can make a difference in the lives of other believers.
During this interim in the life of Lakeshore Avenue, we have individuals accepting leadership, taking risks to follow Jesus’ calling. When your leaders are faithful and trusting God and serving in deep humility to discern God’s calling for now and the years ahead, they are like Peter. They are willing and able to step out of the safety of the Lakeshore boat and at times, they may feel a strong wind and begin to have some doubts, we believe that God in Jesus will reach out his hand to stabilize and steady them. And the rest of us like the other disciples in the boat will follow for the sake of God’s realm on earth.
Jesus will say, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Why did Peter doubt? Why do we doubt in the presence of the One who constantly calms the storms? Peter stepped toward Jesus in faith and Jesus had never failed him.
I spoke about how small a mustard seed is. But it was a tiny mustard seed that could grow into a large bush for birds to live. We can say that “little faith” can mean meager and insufficient to make any difference. Rather than “little faith,” we want big faith.
If we have faith in the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. One little lunch box was able to feed 5000 people. Peter had only a little faith and that’s all he needed to be named by Christ that his church will be built.
We might be afraid to step out of the Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church boat that has been here for over 140 years. It’s safe, anchored, and no strong wind is going to rock our boat to make us seasick. But that’s the point after all.
Today, we are being called to climb out of this safe boat. There may be one or two leaders like Peter but it would only take one or two people to trust in the hand of God and the rest of us will follow to believe that when we find safe harbor, the wind of change has ceased, and all of us in this boat will say, in unison, “Truly you are the Son of God!”
Let us pray.
Gracious Lord God who casts our fears and doubts away when we encounter troubled waters in life. Teach us to trust in your wonder and plan for the world when we at Lakeshore do our part to bring about peace, joy, and justice to everyone. Grant us the courage and the confidence to envision a promising future to continue to serve in love and truth in Oakland and beyond. It is in Christ who catches us when we begin to sink to save us whom we pray. Amen.