The Walk on Water

Study Notes

Signs: The Walk on Water

John 6:14-36, 66-69

     It’s Memorial Day weekend – so as a nation we remember the pain and injustice of our world that shouts at us in times of war.  Approximately 1.1M Americans have died in wars – almost ½ in the Civil War.  On this weekend, we declare that we refuse to forget those Americans who have died in war – often giving their lives so that we might have the kinds of freedoms we are experiencing right now, i.e., the liberty to assemble and worship freely.  I extend my deepest thanks – my gratitude-filled respect -- to all who are here today who have served us as a nation in the military. I’m glad you were able to return and that you commemorate this Memorial Day with us.  On this weekend, we remember those who were unable to return.

     So, as we come to church on this weekend, we are reminded that we still live in a world filled with all kinds of wars, terrors, and injustices.  One of the central parts of Christian belief is that God will not leave this world as it is but is at work in this world -- and will continue to be -- until all wrongs are righted.  I find that the text we come to today speaks into an important aspect of this good news of God’s work among us, i.e., that even while we still endure the pain of this world, we believe that God is with us.  This comes out in one part of today’s Scripture reading.  Here’s the section I want you to hear, meditate on, and then take home with you. 

Jesus said to his followers, “I am! Don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat (6:20-21).

Question 1:  Why Do You Go to Church?  Jesus, knowing that the crowds intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew… (6:15).

     What happened that day in and around the Sea of Galilee has been making me ask this question why any of us have showed up at church today.  I’ll tell you why I’ve been asking that.  It’s because a lot of people back in Jn 5 were going to where Jesus was.  Crowds of them were traveled into this rural area in Galilee, supposedly, to experience Jesus. 

     John tells us in 6:2 that these crowds flocked to him out in a remote area near Bethsaida because “they saw the signs Jesus performed by healing the sick.”  You heard the story as the Scripture was read.  Jesus had been doing the kinds of signs we’ve been focusing on over the past month here at LAC – turning water into lots of wine in Jn 2, healing a child from afar in Jn 4, and healing a lame man by a pool in Jn 5.  Last week, Pastor Jeff spoke to you of the feeding of 5,000 men (and surely over double that when women and children were included) with 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish.  Each week, we’ve reminded you that John says he wrote this so that people would become convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God and find life in his name.

     So, the “signs” that John chose to write about all were directly related to what the Jewish people believed Messiah would do. When Jesus  made 180 gallons of wine at a wedding feast, it pointed all the way back to Gen 1and the abundance that was a part of God’s world before sin entered it.  Here in Jn 6, when Jesus took 5 loaves and 2 little fish and fed thousands of people, it also pointed to the fact that Messiah would provide food in abundance.  It was a “sign” saying that Messiah will usher in a day when people will never be hungry again. 

     So, in Jn 5, after doing yet another miracle that pointed to the fact that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the people wanted to make him their king whether he was ready to accept their coronation or not. It’s clear that what they wanted was not only the wine and food, but the victory over the Roman government that they also thought Messiah would bring about.  They wanted all that – and they wanted it all now!

     But, Jesus withdrew from them (6:15).  As he saw the crowds coming to make him their king, he went up into the mountainside area just north of the Sea of Galilee where there were (and still are) many caves. He hid from them there.  So, with him gone, the people dispersed.  And, the disciples went back to their boat by the Sea of Galilee.  Matthew 14 tells us that Jesus came down to the shore that evening and forced the disciples to go out into the sea without him.  You can almost picture Jesus pushing the boat to get them on their way.

     The next morning, these crowds of people came back to the shore and realized the disciples had left – though they knew that Jesus hadn’t been in the boat when they had launched out.  So, these frantic and obsessed crowds hurried into their boats and went across the sea to find Jesus.  And, find him they did!  Knowing he hadn’t been in the boat, they asked, “When did you get here?  How did you get past our watch for you?”

     At this point, instead of answering that, Jesus took up the issue I’m asking you about in my sermon, i.e., why people even showed up to be with him.  This time, Jesus didn’t just say, “You only want signs; not the One to whom the signs point.”  He took it a step further in v. 26: “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”

     What’s that comment about?  Basically, Jesus said to them -- “I did a sign that pointed to who I am.  You should see that and believe in me.  But, that sign was like all signs in this world, i.e., that sign didn’t last.  You ate and had your fill – but today you’re hungry again. Learn from that not to work for on getting things that are temporary.  Learn to put the focus of your life on eternal food.”

     Well – they wanted that kind of food, but they were baffled by his words – and maybe you are too! You can read the dialogue on your own as Jesus and the people bantered back and forth about this from v. 26 through v. 65.  Boiling down that discussion: The people thought Jesus would be a Moses-like leader.  They remembered Moses as a leader who freed his people from an oppressive government and then provided food for his people throughout their journey in the wilderness.  That’s what they wanted Jesus to do. 

     So, why did the crowds come to Jesus?  They came to Jesus to get him to do what they wanted him to do.  Is that why you’ve come to church today? To tell God what you want him to do?  They thought, “Moses set his people free from Egypt and then fed people manna for 40 years, 6 days a week!  Jesus, you might be as great as Moses.  But, so far, all you’ve done is give us one meal. Big deal!  We’ll make you our king and then you might be able to do some really great things!”

     Jesus told them, “Moses didn’t do any of that.  My Father did.  And, I’m not Moses.  I’m the bread come from heaven to give your eternal life.  To have life that will last, you have to receive me into your life!  I am the one who gives life that cannot be taken away.” 

     And, Jesus used very shocking language to try to shake people out of the dullness and blindness and to help them begin to know that what really matters in this world is not merely political liberation and bread that leaves us hungry the next day.  Out of love for them, he proclaimed: “I care about people.  That’s why I provided the meal.  But, it’s not temporary bread and a mortal king that you need.  I am the bread of life.  You must eat my flesh and drink my blood if you will find life. You need to surrender your life to me in faith. 

    Look at his words in vv. 57-58: “The one who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

     With these words, people turned away and no longer followed Jesus.  They had come for something else.  They had not come to Jesus to surrender their lives to him by faith.  They wanted him to surrender to them and to do what they demanded. So, again, my question to you today:  Why have you come to church today?

     But, notice this: While most people walked away from Jesus, some stayed.  I am praying that you will be like them!  To them Jesus said, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”  And Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God. (6:67-69).”

     Remember how imperfect these disciples had been.  They were as obsessed with temporary things as the crowds were.  And yet, for the first time in John’s Gospel, we see something different happening in them.  Oh, they were still “pieces of work” – still flawed.  But, something had happened that made it so that, when otters left, they continued to follow Jesus, and all but one (Judas, as v. 70 tells us) would continue to follow him to the end.  Somehow, this group truly had welcomed Jesus into their lives. They had begun, using Jesus’ language, “to eat his flesh and drink his blood.” 

     What had happened that changed their lives?  And, when did it happen?  That’s my 2^nd question today.

Question 2:  What Happened in the Boat?  Then, they were willing to take Jesus into the boat (6:21).

     To grasp the significance of this event, you should know that most people in the days of the Bible had a fear of storms at sea.  Even though some of these disciples were fishermen, they would have shared that fear.  A part of it was that the Sea of Galilee was over 600 feet below sea level.  It is a place in which, when a cold-front moves through, it often merges with the warm and moist air over the sea.  This development often creates times of violent squalls. And, when that happened at night, it created a particularly fearful time and place of terror for people. They didn’t know what was under the water.  They couldn’t control the storm.      

So, consider the setting:  Jesus had intentionally sent his disciples out into the sea.  Think of that.  It feels like many of the difficult situations in my own life. As I’ve gone to places and situations in which I was following God’s leading as best I understood it, I’ve often found myself in situations that went beyond my ability to control.  In one of them, the mission team I served with when I lived in Germany was called to do an evening of music with message in Lubeck in northern Germany.  Back in the 70s, many of the churches there were opposed to any kind of ministry from what they called “born-agains”, i.e., those who called people to personal faith in Jesus – just as Jesus called people in John 6.  It was about a 50-mile drive from Hamburg where I lived to Lubeck.  So, I was picked up the morning of the event by my two Swedish musician-colleagues and our bus driver. 

     As I got into the truck, they told me, “Our speaker is sick.  Greg, you have to bring the message.”  At that time, I could hardly speak German at all.  I had not yet been to seminary.  I didn’t have a message prepared.  All to say: I was filled with fear and anxiety.  This went beyond what I could control.  Then, as the Bishop introduced us, he did it this way, “I didn’t want this group of evangelicals to come but some of our young people wanted them.  So, let’s see that they can do.”  Have you ever been in a situation like that?

     The disciples were.  In Jn 6, the disciples were filled with terror at a time and in a place to which they were sent by Jesus.  On their own, they felt they had no hope.  Then, they saw Jesus coming toward them and that terrified them too.  Matthew tells us they thought Jesus was a ghost!

     It’s at that time of unfathomable anxiety and fear that we read the words of Scripture that I want you to hear, meditate on, and then take home with you.  Jesus said to his followers, “I am! Don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat (6:20-21).

     Notice two phrases in Jesus’ moving words:

• “I am!” That’s exactly what Jesus said.  With those words, he is emphatically identifying himself with God, the one who made himself known as “I am” in Scripture.  Later, Jesus would say to these same disciples, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father (Jn 14:9).”  “I am!”  Through me, light came into darkness – and still does.  “I am” – through me the seas were made as well as everything in them. “I am” – and I have come to be with you.  I can walk on the water.  I can calm the storm.  Fear not!”
• “They were willing to take him in…”. The language here is much more intimate and personal than “willing to take him in.” It has to do with receiving someone personally, i.e., welcoming.  They had just been afraid of him and held him at arm’s length.  After hearing his words, they intentionally and consciously received him into their space and into their lives.

     Then, Jesus came in, took over and saved them.  The Bible says, “Immediately, the boat reached the shore where they were heading… (6:21b).

     This was all the work of Jesus.  But, his work called for a response, a response that leads to rescue.

1) They recognized their need.  They knew that, on their own, they could not survive. They needed someone to save them.

2) They heard his voice. They took time in the midst of the storm to hear what Jesus was saying to them.

3) They recognized who Jesus is.  He was the one who had called them to himself in the first place.  The one who had always provided for them.  The one who loved them. 

4) They welcomed him in.

     I’m convinced that this was the turning point in their lives.  They would still have a lot of learning and growing to do.  But, this time of inviting Jesus in by faith is what led to them remaining when other turned away.  As Peter would say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God (6:68-69).”

     I think all of us who have shown up this Memorial Day weekend need to hear this message now – or we will someday soon need to hear it.  So, I want to show you the words of Scripture again:  Jesus said to his followers, “I am! Don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat (6:20-21).

     The rest of my message will be a pastoral chat with you.  I don’t think I’ve ever spoken with as many people going through a storm as I have over this past month.  I think there are many times we need to hear Jesus say this to us.  But now, let’s think about just two kinds of time that this message is important:

• For when things seem out of our control

     Out-of-control times like these begin when we’re infants.  Babies have times when they have pain, when they’re hungry or they can’t understand where Mom is.  What can they do on their own?  These things fall outside of their control.  They can only cry.  It’s often a cry for help – for relief. 

     Times like this continue on throughout our lives.  When I was a university president, I met with a group of other presidents together with several psychologists and psychiatrists to discuss a growing reality on all our campuses, i.e., eating disorders and cutting – both acts of self-harm.  What we heard was the underlying cause for both problems is a deep and terrifying sense that our students could not control anything in their lives.  So, often, they could not live up to the expectations of others.  These acts of self-harm were the kinds of things they felt could control – but it was self-destructive. 

     And, I’ve discovered that those incidents of life feeling out of control never end this side of heaven.  When they come, you often need good Christ-centered counseling and therapy and you need a small group of supporters and prayer partners. But, foundational to those things, you need to acknowledge your need, to recognize who Jesus is, and to hear him say to you, “I am.  Do not be afraid.” And, then, personally – intentionally – consciously – welcome him into that space in your life.

• For times of loss

     This loss might be bad health diagnosis – for the loss of your job – for the loss of a loved one etc.  Few things in life are more difficult than loss.  In times of loss, the future often looks dark and uncertain, as dark as that Sea of Galilee must have looked in the time of a storm.  In those time, I want you to learn to see Jesus coming to you in the midst of the storm, walking where no one else can walk and able to do what no one else can do.  And I want you to remember these words from Scripture: “I am! Don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat (6:20-21).

     I want to give you a moment right now to hear Jesus say that to you and for you to say, “I receive you.  I bring you into this matter.  Take it over.  I will trust you.”  As we prepare to do so, I want you to know what happened in Lubeck.  We went to the church and received the less than enthusiastic introduction.  Then we did 30-45 minutes of music and I imagine I preached a sermon with broken German and no preparation.  It may have been among the worst sermons ever preached homiletically.  But, people gave their lives to Jesus that night, people who have remained in the faith.  I knew I had to do it.  I knew I couldn’t do it on my own.  And, I heard Jesus say, I sent you there and I am.  I am!  And, I will be with you.  And, I welcomed him to take over.  That’s what I ask you to do now – as we go to prayer…

Chinese Study Notes

預表系列：水面行走

約翰福音6:14-36, 66-69

     這個週末是國殤紀念日，作為一個國家，我們紀念不公義的世界所帶來的戰爭的傷痛。有大約110萬美國人死於戰場，其中一半是死於內戰。這個週末，我們宣告，不會忘記為我們今天的自由而捐軀的同胞，是他們讓我們可以享受自由的聚會和敬拜。我深深感謝和尊敬今天在這裡聚會的軍人，我很高興你們平安回來，可以與我們一起紀念國殤日；我們更要紀念那些不能回來的…    

      我們來到教會，還是要記得這個世界仍然充滿各樣的爭戰，恐怖主義，不公義等等；基督信仰的一個核心信念就是神的工作尚未完成，他不會對這個世界袖手旁觀，而是要繼續作工，讓萬物歸正。今天我們要讀的經文是關於神與我們同在的重要一段，讓我們好好聽，默想，並帶回家去。耶穌對門徒說：“是我，不要怕！”他們這才願意接他上船。(6:20-21)

問題1:  你為什麼來教會?  耶穌看出他們要來強迫他做王，就又獨自退到山上去了… (6:15).

     那一天在加利利海上、岸上所發生的事不禁讓我問：為什麼我們今天會來教會？在約6章，有許多人追隨耶穌，他們甚至在加利利的荒野尋蹤，好像為要經歷耶穌似的

      約翰在6：2節告訴我們，這一大群人在太巴列荒野追尋他是因為“因為看到他在病人身上所行的神跡。”你們剛才聽到了這故事。事實上，我們在過去的一個月一直在講耶穌行的各種神跡：變水為酒，遙治病孩，在池邊使癱子痊癒；上周傑夫牧師又講了五餅二魚喂飽5千人（加上婦女和兒童人數最少翻倍）。每一周，我們都提醒大家，約翰寫這些是要讓人相信耶穌就是彌賽亞，是神的兒子；要我們靠著他的名得生命。

      約翰記錄的這所有的“預表” 直接與猶太人所相信的彌賽亞的作為相關。當耶穌在婚禮上使180加侖的水變為酒時，就直接指回了創世紀第一章，在罪還沒有進入世界以前，神的世界是何等豐盛。在第六章，耶穌五餅二魚的神跡指出彌賽亞將提供豐盛的食糧，預表了彌賽亞使人不再饑餓的那一天。

     在第六章，耶穌行神跡指明自己是預言中的彌賽亞之後，眾人不管耶穌的意願要擁他為王。很明顯，他們不僅要酒和食物，還要推翻羅馬統治，這是他們想要彌賽亞做的，他們要這一切，而且現在就要！

但耶穌看見眾人要這樣做，就退去遠離了他們（6：15），耶穌去了山區，在加利利的北部，有許多山洞 。他在那裡藏了起來。眾人見他走了，只能散去，而門徒也回到加利利海邊的船上。馬太福音14章說，當晚耶穌回到岸邊要門徒們自己先出海，你可以想像耶穌把他們乘坐的船推離岸邊。

     第二天早晨，眾人又來到岸邊，發現門徒們已經離開，他們也知道耶穌沒有和他們在一處。於是這些抓狂的人急忙上船，跨海去找耶穌，並最終找到了！他們知道耶穌並沒有上船，就問他：“你什麼時候來的？你是如何避開我們視線的？”

     此時，耶穌並沒有回答他們，而是提出了講道前所我問的議題，就是人為什麼要來到他面前。耶穌這次沒有說：“你們只是要神跡，並不要神跡所指的那一位。”耶穌更進一步，在26節說：“我確確實實地告訴你們：你們找我，並不是因為看見了神跡，而是因為你們吃餅吃飽了”。

     這是什麼意思？耶穌實際上說：“我行神跡是要說明我是誰，你們應該看到就信我。這些神跡就像世界上其它神跡一樣不會持久，你們昨天吃飽了，今天又餓了，不要為暫時的東西勞力，要為永恆的食物勞力。”

     眾人會要這樣的食物，但不理解他的話，也許你也如此！你可以自己讀26-65節，看耶穌和眾人來來去去的對話。概括說就是眾人覺得耶穌是像摩西一樣的先知，摩西把他的百姓從壓榨他們的政權帶出來，又在曠野中給他們食物，他們期待耶穌也當如此。

     好了，為什麼眾人來到耶穌這裡？他們來是要他做他們想要的，這是不是你今天來教會的原因呢？只是把你想要的告訴神？他們當時想：“摩西把他的百姓從埃及解放出來，又給他們40年的食物，每週6天的食物啊！那麼，你耶穌，你可能與摩西一樣偉大，目前你已經給我們一頓大餐，很好，我們要擁你為王好做更大的事！”

      耶穌告訴他們：“其實那不是摩西做的，是我的父做的。我不是摩西，我是天上的糧，要帶給你們永生，就是永恆的生命，你們要接受我進入你們的生命！我就是將不能奪去的生命賜予你們的那一位。”

      耶穌用震撼的語言要喚起遲鈍和瞎眼的百姓，讓他們開始認識到世界上真正重要的不僅僅是政治的解放和吃了還會餓的食物。耶穌出於愛宣告說：“我顧念你們，所以我給你們食物，但你們只想要暫時的食物和必朽的王。我是生命的糧，只有吃我肉、喝我血的才有永生，你們應該憑信心把生命交付給我。”他在57-58節說：“以我為食的人也將因我而活。這才是從天上降下來的糧，不像嗎哪。你們的祖先吃過嗎哪還是死了，而吃這糧的人就將活著，直到永遠”。

      聽了這些，眾人就離開不再跟隨他了，原來他們是為別的而來，不是要憑信心把自己交托給耶穌，而是要耶穌服從他們，做他們想做的事。所以我重複剛才的問題：今天你為什麼來教會？

     不過注意，儘管大多數人離開了耶穌，還有人留下了，我希望你們會這樣。耶穌對這些人說：“你們不要離開麼？”彼得回答說：“西門彼得回答：“主啊，你有永恆生命的話語，我們還去歸從誰呢？我們已經相信，也知道你就是神的那位聖者。（6：67-69）”

      要知道，當時這些門徒是很不完美的，他們和大眾一樣在暫時的事上糾結，但是在約翰福音中，我們第一次看見了他們的不一樣。儘管他們還未成形，還是有瑕疵的，但是當眾人離開的時候，他們繼續跟隨耶穌，除了猶大以外，都跟隨主到底；他們接納耶穌進入他們的生命，並開始使用耶穌的話：“吃他的肉，喝他的血。”

     是什麼改變了他們的生命？又是從什麼時候開始的？這是我今天的第二個問題。

問題 2:  船上發生了什麼?  門徒們這才願意接他上船。（6：21）

為要把握事件的意義，必須知道聖經時代的人們非常害怕海上的暴風雨。儘管一些門徒是漁夫，但他們也無法掩飾這樣的恐懼。部分原因是加利利海在海平面下600英尺，當冷鋒進入時，就會在海上形成濕熱的空氣，容易發展成為風暴，若是在夜晚，那就是海上人們的噩夢。他們不知道水面下是什麼，也不能控制風暴。19世紀美國畫家亨利畫了這一場景

     想想當時的場境：耶穌有意識把門徒送出海。我感到我生命中的許多困境是因為我按照我所理解的神的帶領去做，但卻發現自己無法掌控。其中一件是我在德國的時候，有一次被找去要到德國北部的魯北卡城做晚間音樂佈道。70年代的時候，那裡的許多教會都反對所謂的“重生”運動，就是呼召人對耶穌有個人性的信心，就像耶穌在本章呼召眾人一樣。那城市距離我住的漢堡有50英里。 我是被兩個瑞典音樂同事和汽車司機選中的：我一上車，他們就說“格裡高利，我們的講員病了，你要講啊！”那時我幾乎說不出什麼德語，沒有讀過神學，更沒有準備講道，於是充滿了焦慮和恐懼，這可是超過我的能力啊！後來那邊的主教介紹我們時說：“我並沒有讓這些佈道家來，是我們的一些年輕人要的，好吧，我們看看他們能做什麼？”你有過這樣恐懼的時候麼？

      那些門徒當時就這樣，充滿了恐懼，覺得自己沒有辦法了；這時他們看見耶穌向他們走來，卻更加害怕，馬太說門徒以為耶穌是鬼魂。

就在無邊的焦慮和恐懼抓住門徒的時候--我要你們聽、默想並帶回家這句話—耶穌對他們說：“是我，不要怕！”門徒們這才願意接他上船。(6:20-21)

            注意這兩個短語:

• “是我！”這就是耶穌說的，他強調了自己與神的身份關係，他就是曉諭人們“我是自有永有”的那一位。後來耶穌告訴門徒：“一個人看到了我，就是看到了父（約14：9）.” “是我！”藉著我，光明照亮了黑暗；藉著我，海和萬物被造成。“是我”—我來要和你們同在。我能在水面上行走，也能平靜風暴。不要怕！
• “他們這才願意接他上船…”這裡，“這才願意接他上船”更具有親密性和個人性，即個人性地接受和歡迎某人。他們剛剛還怕他，想逃避，但聽了他的話，他們主動有意識地把耶穌接進他們的生命空間。

     耶穌進來，接管、拯救了他們。聖經說：“船立刻就到了他們所要去的地方。（6：21b）”

      這都是耶穌的作為。但是，他呼召人的回應，而回應帶來拯救。

1) 他們認識到自己的需要。他們知道憑自己無法活命，他們需要人來拯救。

2) 他們聽他的話。 他們在風暴中願意聽耶穌在對他們說的話。

3) 他們認識到耶穌是誰。  他就是在他們生命中應該居首位的，是供應他們，愛他們的那一位。

4) 他們歡迎他進來。

     我確信，這就是他們生命的轉捩點，儘管他們還要許多要學習和成長的東西。這一次他們憑信心邀請耶穌進入生命，這使他們在眾人轉離時可以留下來，正如彼得說的：“主啊，你有永恆生命的話語，我們還去歸從誰呢？我們已經相信，也知道你就是神的那位聖者。（6：69-69）”

      我要每一個在國殤紀念週末來教會的人都聽見這個，我再給大家看一下經文：耶穌對他們說：“是我，不要怕！”門徒們這才願意接他上船。船立刻就到了他們所要去的地方。（6：20-21）

      接下來是我的教牧寄語。在過去的一個月，我沒有和每一個在風暴中的會友談話，但每一次我們都應該聽耶穌說的。現在，讓我們看看這段經文在哪個時候更顯出其重要性。

• 當我們失控的時候

     我們還是嬰孩時就常常失控。嬰孩在疼痛、饑餓和找媽媽時就失控，不知所措，只會哭，但是這種呼喚往往起作用--帶來了救助。

      我們長大也常常失控。當我作校長時，一次和心理學家、精神病醫生討論校園裡增長的自傷行為，比如飲食紊亂、自割行為。其實深層的原因是學生有著無法控制的恐懼以致對生命中的任何事都無所適從，不能活出別人的期盼。他們覺得這類自傷似乎是可以控制的事，但卻適得其反。

     事實上，生命中失控的事從未斷過，這時候，你需要基督徒心理學家的意見和治療，需要有一群人的支援和代禱，但最重要的是你應認識你的需要，認識耶穌是誰，聽他對你說：“是我，不要怕！”然後，個人性地、有意識地、主動地邀請他進入你的生命空間。

• 當我們喪失什麼的時候

這類喪失可能是一個悲觀的醫療診斷，或失去工作，或痛失所愛，沒有什麼比生命中的喪失更難受的了。這時，未來常常是黑暗不確定的，就像風暴中的加利利海；但這時，我盼望你看見耶穌在風暴中向你走來，在別人不能走的地方行走，做別人不能做的事，我盼望你能記住經上的話: “是我，不要怕！”門徒們這才願意接他上船。 (6:20-21)

     我現在想給你們一點時間聽聽耶穌對你說的話，然後回應耶穌：“我接受你，請進到我的處境裡，掌管它吧，我信靠你。”在這樣做之前，我要告訴你們在魯北卡發生的事。我們去到教會，沒怎麼受到熱情介紹，然後我們有30-45分鐘的音樂，我就用破爛德語講沒有準備的道，那大概是我最糟的一次講道，然而那晚，還是有人把自己交給主，還是有人在信心中留下。我知道我必須這樣做，但我知道我自己做不到，然而我聽見耶穌說：“格裡高利，是我派你道魯北卡的，是我！我要和你同在！”於是，我歡迎他來掌控---這就是我現在要你們做的—讓我們禱告…

榮耀歸給神！

Greg Waybright 博士

主任牧師