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| I will walk upon the deep |
Day Ten: Advent directs us to the source of peace.
Psalm 27:6-8 "Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me! "Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, Lord, do I seek."
Throughout the Bible we meet people. None are perfect. Most (all?) are loved by God. We are privileged to bear witness to God's work in drawing people to Himself. Some give their yes to God's call and our eyes fill with tears of joy. Some turn away, and our eyes fill with tears as we are left saddened by the loss. Through Scripture we have come to know Simon Peter ...
Late one summer, in a small rural church at a family camp in 2013 my daughter Adda sang the song Oceans. It was an impromptu worship gathering of the camp councilors (many not Christian, some professed atheists, all precious young people between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five).
"You call me out upon the waters,
The great unknown where feet may fail;
And there I find You in the mystery,
In oceans deep, My faith will stand.
And I will call upon Your name,
And keep my eyes above the waves,
As oceans rise;
My soul will rest in Your embrace,
For I am Yours, and You are mine."
Over the instrumental bridge, a young man named David who had a beautifully deep, rich powerful voice read the account of Peter being called out upon the stormy waters (Matthew 14:22-31). It was an emotional moment that touched the hearts of all those present; it resonated with meaning and it elevated our understanding of God's yearning for us to stand with Him. It was a time of peace, knowing we belong with God.
That night I felt the words "Why did you doubt?" echo in my mind. Why did Peter turn away from Christ and fix his eyes upon the storms that would lead to death?
The following night, again very late this song began. This time it was extended and several instrumental bridges were played. Over each David read the following: Matthew 14 (as above), John 13 (Jesus prophesys Peter's denial), Matthew 26 (which documents Peter's three denials ending with Peter broken and weeping), and John 21 (where Jesus asks three times "Peter, do you love me?"). There is something that stirs when the Gospel is spoken by young people in a dimly lit Church in the dark of night.
And there I find You in the mystery,
In oceans deep, My faith will stand.
And I will call upon Your name,
And keep my eyes above the waves,
As oceans rise;
My soul will rest in Your embrace,
For I am Yours, and You are mine."
Over the instrumental bridge, a young man named David who had a beautifully deep, rich powerful voice read the account of Peter being called out upon the stormy waters (Matthew 14:22-31). It was an emotional moment that touched the hearts of all those present; it resonated with meaning and it elevated our understanding of God's yearning for us to stand with Him. It was a time of peace, knowing we belong with God.
That night I felt the words "Why did you doubt?" echo in my mind. Why did Peter turn away from Christ and fix his eyes upon the storms that would lead to death?
The following night, again very late this song began. This time it was extended and several instrumental bridges were played. Over each David read the following: Matthew 14 (as above), John 13 (Jesus prophesys Peter's denial), Matthew 26 (which documents Peter's three denials ending with Peter broken and weeping), and John 21 (where Jesus asks three times "Peter, do you love me?"). There is something that stirs when the Gospel is spoken by young people in a dimly lit Church in the dark of night.
In my heart, sitting among those wonderful young people I pondered the declaration "My faith will stand; And I will call upon Your Name." Will I? Do we? Peter certainly thought he would as he stepped from the boat and took a few steps across the stormy waves. Peter certainly thought he would as he declared he would die before denying Christ. Yet he failed. I have failed enough in life to sing those lines of declaration with caution.
The message of the song is clear and true - focused on Christ alone there is serenity above the waves - focused on Christ there is calm within the stress and turbulence of life. Focused on Christ there is peace. Does this reflect our lives?
Advent calls us to know Christ as the source of peace. Advent points however to our weakness apart from Christ. In songs we sing "my faith will stand" always in every circumstance. We may declare that we "will call upon Your Name" in every storm, but all too often we live distracted from Jesus. What we call the Christmas season is for most a distracted season - our focus rests upon everything but Christ and we know no peace. In conversations with others a common theme is the stress and hustle and bustle that surrounds this time of year - we are sinking. As we reflect on our "Christmas Stress" surely it points to these facts: we are fixated on the material, the social, the financial and the physical; in doing so we neglect God.
We live in turmoil and stress because we live distracted from the Christ of Christmas.
Ephesians 2:8-10 " For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
The message of the song is clear and true - focused on Christ alone there is serenity above the waves - focused on Christ there is calm within the stress and turbulence of life. Focused on Christ there is peace. Does this reflect our lives?
Advent calls us to know Christ as the source of peace. Advent points however to our weakness apart from Christ. In songs we sing "my faith will stand" always in every circumstance. We may declare that we "will call upon Your Name" in every storm, but all too often we live distracted from Jesus. What we call the Christmas season is for most a distracted season - our focus rests upon everything but Christ and we know no peace. In conversations with others a common theme is the stress and hustle and bustle that surrounds this time of year - we are sinking. As we reflect on our "Christmas Stress" surely it points to these facts: we are fixated on the material, the social, the financial and the physical; in doing so we neglect God.
We live in turmoil and stress because we live distracted from the Christ of Christmas.
Ephesians 2:8-10 " For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
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