Sermon onJohn 6:16-21

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

Jesus had fed the thousands of people who had come to hear him speak. They were so excited that they wanted to make him king, and they weren’t going to take no for an answer.But Jesus wasn’t going to let anyone derail his mission.

So, when the disciples turned around, he was gone. They waited and waited and waited, but it was getting dark—what were they supposed to do now?

They decided to get in their boat and head back across the Sea of Galilee.

By the time they were several miles from shore, it was completely dark. A wind had come up, and the water was rough. Their stomachs, full of miraculous bread and fish, started to feel queasy. Their hearts were full of misgiving.

They probably should have stayed put on shore. There had been twelve baskets of leftovers, and they probably wouldn’t have been the only ones to camp out overnight.

But now, they were miles from shore, on choppy waters, in the dark, with no Jesus.

What were they supposed to do now? How would Jesus find them?

They must have felt lost and abandoned by their rabbi.

Except that he had not abandoned them.

Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice cry out amid the howling wind, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

Jesus had found them!

Except, where did he get a boat?

Wait a second, he had no boat!

There he was, walking on the waves like it was no big deal.

Except, of course, that it was a great big deal.

Not even the forces of nature could keep their rabbi from them.

Why not?The answer is in Jesus’ greeting: “It is I.”

It can also be translated, “I am.” As in: “I Am who I Am,” the name God gave Moses from the burning bush.

This is one of seven “I am” statements in the Gospel of John. We get to know God better through Jesus, and these are what Jesus tells us about God. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the Bread of Life. And in this story, Jesus is the I Am.Jesus has authority over the water, because he is God. He created the water he walked on.

Not the late hour, not the low visibility, not the rough waves, not even the lack of a boat could keep Jesus from his beloved disciples.

He had not abandoned them and never would.

But even though we know this story, there are times when it feels like God has abandoned us or that God doesn’t care.

There are times in our lives when God feels distant.Maybe during health problems, maybe during a loved one’s decline or after a death, maybe during a job loss or the end of a marriage or relationship, maybe when a loved one becomes estranged, maybe in a season that doesn’t have a clear difficulty to point to but is still hard.

There are all kinds of times when it feels like God has abandoned us.

It can feel like we’re out on a boat in the dark facing big waves.

But Jesus is there on the waves right beside us, calling out to us.

Sometimes his voice is harder to hear over the wind, but he’s there.

Even now, he cries out, “I am—do not be afraid!”

Jesus is our fixed point in the chaos of our world.

This reminds me of something I’ve learned in ballet class, oddly enough. I started taking a beginning ballet class for the first time last year.

Ballet involves a lot of turning, and if you ever in your childhood spun in a circle until you fell over, you know that turning makes you dizzy.

I learned there’s a technique in ballet called “spotting” that helps with this. You keep your eyes focused on one spot and you turn your body as far as you can, then whip your head around until you’re looking at that one spot again. Spotting will make you less dizzy.

I have a long way to go on mastering spotting, and let me tell you from personal, often-repeated experience: when you don’t spot properly, you get very dizzy and you start going in the wrong direction.

When it feels like your world is spinning out of control, let Jesus be your spot. Keep your eyes focused on him. Keep whipping your head around until you can see him again.

Okay, that sounds great, but how do you actually do that? Most of us don’t literally see Jesus on a day-to-day basis.

True, but when times are hard, think about how you have encountered God in the past.

Have you found scripture or devotionals meaningful? What about music? Nature? Volunteering? Talking with a good friend who tells you the truth because they know you so well?

It’s easy to let go of these life-giving things during life’s storms, when we’re just trying to keep the boat from capsizing.

I’m not saying, “Just read your Bible and life will get easier.” We don’t have that much control, and God isn’t a magic fairy who grants our wishes when we say the right words or do the right thing.

The truth is much more complicated and much lovelier than that. God is not a vending machine; we have a relationship with God. Relationships are complicated, messy, and beautiful, even our relationship with God.

God is always with us, even and especially during hard times, whether you feel it or not. Even when God feels distant, God is here all around you. These life-giving activities, whatever they are for you, aren’t about getting God’s attention. They’re about God getting our attention.They’re about reminding us that God is already there, our anchor in the storm.

God is our steady presence, the spot we can look to with every turn life throws at us.That doesn’t mean everything will be easy or that if things aren’t easy it’s your fault for not focusing on God enough. Far from it.

The thing about spotting is that you still get dizzy, even when you do it right. Life is still hard. There are always going to be more heartbreaks that take us by surprise. But God is also always there to turn back to, to keep us less dizzy, to help us find our balance.

God doesn’t shy away from any part of what makes us human—God experienced the fullness of what it means to be human: the joys, the pains, the tedium, and the storms. Jesus is called Emmanuel, because it means “God with us.” We remember that especially during Advent and Christmas, but it’s always true.

God never abandons us. God is with us in our storms. God is the fixed point we can always turn to.

God is—do not be afraid.