This weekend, John & I were the privileged guests of Whittier First Friends Church in Whittier, California! We had amazing hosts in Becky & Ron Memmelaar, and we were so thankful for a weekend of fellowship with Friends and friends.
The message on Sunday was a expansion on a message given in Haiti a few weeks ago. God is so good, all the time. I am so blessed to be a part of His ministry.
Sermon for Whittier, CA
Matthew 14:22-33 (NIV)
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “Why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
This is the Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
It is such an honor to be here today. Becky has literally known me since I was born, and I have been privileged to serve with her, listen to her, and learn from her. When she first invited me over, I could not wait to come and worship with you. This is the first time in almost two years that I have given a sermon and it hasn’t had to be translated into a different language! Usually I am sharing a pulpit with a priest or a pastor in Haiti, and my dear Haitian brother, Ancy, is translating for me.
Not a month ago, I was sitting in a town called Trouin. It is in the beautiful, rural mountains of Haiti, south of Port Au Prince. I visited this community, for the first time, right after the devastating earthquake in 2010. It laid close to the epicenter, and literally everything in the town was leveled. The school buildings were destroyed, churches sat in piles of rubble, homes were now tents, and more than half of the town’s population had lost their lives. Our mission in August was to install a solar-powered clean water system adjacent to their makeshift church, which was held up by sticks and used tarps for walls. Hurricane Emily had just moved through, and it was unbelievably hot and humid. Still the church was packed with every member wearing their finest clothing and waving the fans we had brought. The congregation was singing mightily in Creole, though I occasionally recognized the tunes and hummed along, and as I sat with the priest behind the plywood table serving as an altar, preparing to deliver a sermon, I shook my head and wondered…how in the world did I get here?
Back in the day, when Becky knew me as a teenager, I was quiet and even a bit shy. But as I grew, so did my confidence. I began to envision my future. I picked my life’s direction, studied hard, set my course and fearlessly followed MY plan. But just when I thought I had it all figured out, something happened. The Lord was whispering in my ear. It seemed He had a plan and it was wildly different than mine! Welcome to the scariest time in my life, God was calling me to be a pastor.
I first felt that call early on in life, but ignored it, hoping He would go away and call someone else. In college, I felt it again, and again, I turned my head and studied what I wanted to, thinking my plan was much better than His. He was calling me to “Come…” and I looked up and said, “No thanks, maybe later.” God did not put up with my antics for long and began shutting doors I thought would be easy to walk through. I found myself taking the proverbial “year off” after college and doing mission work in Central America, first in Honduras and then in Mexico. It was something I always loved, but again, it was just something to do for the “year off” until MY plans came together.
After a few short-term trips and closing the doors to law school and any other plans I may have had for myself, He sent me to Mexico to learn from and serve alongside seasoned missionaries. Then He brought me back to the US with the opportunity to serve in three wonderful churches…and gave me a spectacular husband and family along the way. He used this time to prepare my heart, surround me with exceptional mentors and strengthen the gifts He had instilled in me… I was happy as a clam and absolutely enjoying the life He had laid out for me.
But just when I had gotten comfortable in the boat and was being lulled to sleep by the rocking of the waves, the big call came. He yelled COME and called me to Haiti. You think Peter was nervous about jumping out of that boat? Oh boy, I was nervous. I was scared. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, and I had never desired to go there. Creole is a language I had never spoken or even heard, and there was strange food I had never tasted. Every travel book had chapters devoted to the practice of Voodoo worship. Everything was new and different. And have you seen the State Department website alerts on Haiti? After reading the first few sentences, you’ve got to be crazy to go there! But God was calling me, "Come." He was calling me to Haiti. I just had to believe. I just had to believe He would be with me and He would lead me if I followed.
Have you had times like this in your life? Times when you’ve heard God’s voice and wanted to run the other way? Times when you haven't understood God's call, or times when you doubted and lacked faith. Perhaps it was with a job offer, or maybe a move across the country. Perhaps it was when you received the call to serve on Ministry & Counsel, or when you were asked to lead the junior high Bible study. You must have thought God was crazy! He couldn’t possibly use YOU for THAT! Could He? But God calls us, each of us -- and as He told Peter -- don't worry, you just have to believe.
I find so much comfort in this story of Jesus and Peter. I can relate to Peter. He’s just like me; he’s just like us. He's scared. He's nervous. He lacked courage. But he knew if he wanted to walk on water, he had to get out of the boat. This seems to be a challenge from God all through the Bible. God has said so many times - don't be afraid, you just have to believe. Think back to Abraham. God promised Abraham He would make him into a great nation. Abraham just had to trust, just had to come, just had to believe. Remember Moses? God called Moses to be the leader of the Israelites. Moses was scared and came up with a million excuses. He did not want to get out of the boat. But God told Moses, you just have to believe. Remember the prophet Jonah? He may have been the most scared! When God called him, he jumped out of the boat and swam in the opposite direction! But God called him back and said trust me, you just have to believe. And now here we see Peter. Jesus said to Peter, COME. You just have to believe.
My theme song each time I go to Haiti is “God of This City” by Chris Tomlin. If you’ve never heard it, make sure to go on iTunes later and download it. Every night, whether I’m in my tent or in my room at the monastery, I listen to this song for an extra dose of hope and a reminder of the power of God, especially when His people are used for His purpose. If we’re willing, and we have faith, and we come to Him, He will use us. The lyrics of this song say… He’s the God of this city. He’s the king of these people. He is the Lord of this nation. He is the light in the darkness. He is the hope to the hopeless. He is the peace to the restless. He is the great I AM. And if we believe, if we “come”, He will walk with us and He will catch us. His arms are waiting.
So as I sat there in Trouin, Haiti, wondering how in the world I’d gotten there, I realized back in 2009, I had taken a leap of faith and jumped out of the boat. I went to Haiti and I believed God had a purpose for me there. He would use me to spread love, give hugs, and share joy. He would use me to bring clean water and solar power to His children. And now I have been to Haiti more times than I can count, installing 12 clean water systems and 7 solar powered units along the way. And though I was scared and anxious, ultimately I believed.
When there is a storm, you just have to believe. When there is sickness, you just have to believe. When there is hurting, you just have to believe. He calms the storm. He heals the sick. He comforts the hurting. We just have to believe.
Ask yourself. When He beckons, will I listen? He’s calling us all. He’s asking us to come. It might not be to Haiti. It might not be to install clean water or solar powered systems…though if He is calling you there, I can certainly put you to work!
When you listen, what do you hear? What leap of faith is God asking you to take? From what boat is He asking you to jump? How will you relax your grip on the familiar, and let go, and COME to Him? He's calls us all. Come. Don't be afraid. You just have to believe.
