August 2014 Teaching Mission Report.

The last week of August I returned from the US to Asia and made my way to Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand where on Sunday August 31^st I preached at the ICF (International Christian Fellowship). I chose for my text Matthew’s account of Peter walking on water.  My message circled around a theological and ‘homiletical’ involvement with the text. Here follows a digest.

Sooner or later you and I find our self at a juncture in life’s journey where the firm foundation under our feet disappears and Jesus’ call to Peter to get out of the boat and journey across the water to him transitions us from a voyeur amused by a tale from the comfort of our arm-chair to a soul at the crossroads called to surrender his anxious grip on fixity.

Suddenly the love of another under one’s life may pass away or fail, the material means that sustains and protects us erodes threatening to thrust us into the vicious grip of want. Our vitality and health may slowly or rather quickly falter when an accident happens, disease or the downside of aging makes an unwanted call. And when any or all of these or other mishaps come knocking just as surely toxic anxiety, cynicism, bitterness, forcefulness, anger and despair come knocking at the door of the soul. At such times the good word of the gospel calls us to keep on keeping on and trust the invisible foundations under us more than ever. Happening upon any of these eventualities we must, as Paul writes, “look not on the things that are seen but on the things that are unseen.”

When the visible and tangible foundations that have been holding us up and taking care of our shalom fail all the more we must retreat to the invisible foundations and weather the storm. Then more than ever we must, as it were, abandon the boat and walk on water with Peter. When all that we see, touch and feel under our lives – socially, materially or physically – slips and slides and reveals its fragility and we begin to sink into anxiety or despair Scripture reminds, “underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

The invisible God in Christ reveals Himself to be the invisible foundations of our life. The love that steadies and grounds us is ultimately invisible, the visible material pinions of our lives are ultimately connected to an invisible Provider and sustainer. Behind, before and independent from all the forms, orders and relations that steady and support us, as good and proper as they are, an invisible foundation abides that the eyes of faith alone are able to see looking past the weather of our lives fair or foul.

The presence of this invisible foundation is often made imaginatively clear through the Spirit when at kairos moments we need it the most. When fortune presents itself and life appears steady, secure and intrinsically good on its own accord the Spirit against the flesh, points us beyond the present but soon fading jubilee to an invisible security that abides under us on account of costly grace. Or the scene changes and life presents itself as intrinsically bad and insecure and fickle. At such times life ‘heats up’ and attempts to seduce us into thinking and feeling that “what we see is what we get,” that what we see, touch and feel is the be all and end all. Learning to follow after the invisible security presented in the Gospel i.e. learning to walk on water we refuse to give too much dignity to abundance or scarcity, trouble or triumph, success or failure, want or wealth, the presence or absence of the love of another or even our righteous life or lack thereof. Faith sees something invisible that trumps the visible.

Eventually walking along on this invisible foundation of life, love and righteousness under us we come to a place in the journey of life similar to that which Dietrich Bonhoeffer came to, although hopefully absent the malice that pursued him. Upon facing his imminent demise he stepped to the gallows and for the last time ‘walked on water’ firmly confessing, “this for me the end is the beginning of Life.” “Ah to die well is an exquisite but rare victory.” ( Author Unknown)

This message seemed to be received fairly well and was welcomed by ICF’s pastor Ben McClure who back in July wrote me in New York and asked me to preach on this theme hoping members would be attracted to audit the class I would commence teaching two days later on September 2nd.