Losing Focus
In football the purpose of any play is to move the football toward your goal OR to keep it away from the other team’s end zone. That football is the entire focus of the game. The quarterback must focus on the play, whether a running play or a passing play. All the linemen must work together and focus on protecting the quarterback and developing opportunities for that run or pass. The running backs and receivers must focus on the football to have a successful handoffs or receptions. If they don’t they risk a fumble or incomplete pass; worst yet a recovery or interception by the other team. All of the players must focus on the football, in order to play the best game possible. If they lose their focus – chances are they also lose the game.
Life is like that football game. (Except our focus isn’t on a football.) Our focus is on Jesus. And if we lose our focus on Jesus – we can end up where we shouldn’t be.
Our Scripture passage today talks about losing focus, and can teach us about who our focus should be on!
Matthew 14: 22-33 (NRSV)
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land,* for the wind was against them. 25And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. 26But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’
28 Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ 29He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. 30But when he noticed the strong wind,* he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ 31Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’32When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’
This passage about Jesus walking on the water comes right after he fed the 5,000. He then sends his disciples out on a boat and goes to pray.
The first part of the story tells us a lot about focus and how to focus. Even though Jesus was divinely connected with God, Jesus knew the importance of communion with God through prayer. Jesus uses his prayer time to focus his ministry. He knew who he needed to focus on.
Prayer is not simply asking God to do something. It’s more than that. Prayer changes us. When we pray we are conversing with God. Think about when you have a conversation with someone. You understand better what the other person is trying to tell you because of your conversation with that person. This is the same with God. We understand God better because we converse with God. And that is how prayer changes us. When we pray we are able to focus more on God and God’s plan. So when Jesus goes to pray we know that he is focusing on God’s plan. I can only imagine that during that prayer time Jesus was reminded of his purpose on earth. From the very start of this passage Jesus shows us who we should focus on - God - and how to make sure we are focused on what God wants. Jesus focus was on God, and that is why he was able to do his ministry on earth. And just as Jesus’ focus was on God – so should ours.
The idea of focusing on the right thing continues on in this story. Jesus had sent his disciples on before him – so he needed to catch up with them. Instead of finding a boat, Jesus simply steps out onto the sea and begins walking to the boat that is carrying the disciples! As he approaches the boat his disciples are frightened but Jesus assures them they are safe.
Then comes the part I think we most resonate with. Peter, like a good disciple, wants to be like Jesus. He tells Jesus “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Now I’m not saying that we all dream of walking on the water, although – I have tried it a couple of times at the pool – and I have found that I sink rather than glide gracefully over the water!
When I say that we all resonate with Peter – what I mean is that we all want to get out of that boat. That boat is our comfort zone. Where we are comfortable but not necessarily doing anything to further Jesus’ ministry on earth. Because of our faith we want to be called out of the boat. We all want to take a step of faith – and do something miraculous – like Peter did with walking on water.
It was truly a step of faith to get out of that boat. And Peter must have been crazy to want out of that boat. For the people of his time the sea was a mystery. It represented chaos and evil. In addition to that – don’t forget that there are strong winds blowing and tossing the ship. To step out onto that sea with the wind and waves - Peter was taking an incredible risk. But he did it because he wanted to be like Jesus. Peter was a disciple of Jesus. He called Jesus “Rabbi” or teacher. A disciple follows their teacher and seeks to become just like them, to think, to talk, and to do the things their rabbi does. So Peter – jumped right out of that boat in order to follow Jesus, even onto the sea. What faith! And we are just like Peter, we ask Jesus to guide us. We ask Jesus to call us out of the boat and onto the sea. We seek our whole lives to follow Christ and serve him in this world.
The other side of this story is that Jesus CALLED Peter out of the boat. Jesus wanted Peter to be a successful disciple. He invites Peter out onto the sea. So Peter steps out of the boat. He steps out on faith. He focuses on Jesus. He ignores the winds and the waves. Peter’s goal is to reach Jesus. At this point Peter is successful in his effort to follow Jesus. He is successfully walking on the water – as long as he focuses on Jesus.
Jesus wants us to follow him and serve the world. That is why he calls us to “Come follow me.” Just like Peter, Jesus calls us out of the boat to follow him. To step out of the boat means we are responding to the call – and we MUST focus on only Jesus. And to follow Jesus we simple must focus on him and respond to the call. When Jesus calls us and we must focus on him in order to take that first step – and the next step – and every step after that.
And just like Peter, when we step out on faith and do what Jesus has called us to do – miraculous things can happen!
My first year of seminary was one of my hardest years ever. I could never get through all the reading, my papers weren’t up to the standard that I’d come to expect, and it felt like I spent all my time focusing on studying! This first year – I was so focused on my grades. I was focused on my papers, on reading my books.
Towards the end of my first year I finally realized that what I was learning wasn’t so I could feel good about myself, or have grades to parade around. I was in seminary to learn so I could better serve Jesus. I found that once my focus shifted from learning for myself – to learning so I could do Jesus’ ministry – things got easier! Studying was so much easier, papers were easier to write. I even got better grades. The thing that made all the difference was the fact that my focus had changed from something I wanted to Jesus’ mission.
It’s great what Peter is doing. He is walking on the water! What a miracle. But the story doesn’t stop there. Peter is successful until he loses his focus. Until he looks around at all the chaos that was the sea and the storm, and he begins to sink. He forgets to look at Jesus – he forgets where the power to walk on water comes from. Peter forgets that as long as he follows Jesus and focuses on Jesus he will be on the right path - he’ll be able to walk on the water. As Peter looks around at the sea and the storm he begins to think of reasons why what he’s doing won’t work. Walking on water is impossible. The sea is dangerous – he should have stayed in the boat. Did he, Peter, really think he could do this on his own? These are all reasons he should not have stepped out of that boat. All reasons he should not have stepped out on faith. We are often called to do things that the world sees as impossible. But we leave the boat anyway – just as Peter left that boat, because his master called him.
Just like Peter if we lose our focus and begin to look at all the reasons we ‘shouldn’t ‘or ‘can’t’ do what God calls us to do, we will fail; we, like Peter, begin to sink. The moment we begin to look away from God – and we start trying to accomplish things on our own – we sink. As soon as we begin to tell God that we will do things our way, or in our time, or the way we think things should be – we have lost our focus and our plans won’t pan out.
Remember Jonah. God told him to go to Nineveh, but Jonah wasn’t focusing on what God wanted or God’s plan. Jonah didn’t want to go. He focused on what he wanted– so he ran the other way. Jonah eventually ended up on the shore of Nineveh by way of the belly of a fish because God called him to go to Nineveh.
When we lose our focus things get messed up! And Just like Peter – we’ll start to sink.
As a church, a community of faith, we stepped out onto the water and had faith enough to follow God’s path. With much prayer and faith – we were able to become a two campus church. We were able to do what God called us to do because our focus is on God. We didn’t listen to those who said it couldn’t be done. When the economy began to fail – we didn’t get scared and stop building. We knew that two campuses was God’s plan. And God is bigger than the economy or those who were telling us it couldn’t be done.
We can’t stop focusing on God because the new campus is built. We are still walking on the sea – moving toward Jesus. And remember – walking on the sea is dangerous! If we lose focus we’ll start to sink.
We need to remind ourselves what our focus is. Our focus is God’s mission in the world. It’s not on having a beautiful new campus for ourselves. It’s not on creating more room for us to have our luncheons. Our focus is not on showing the community how great our church is. Our focus is to make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. God’s wants us to bring people into our church so that they can know the great love that God has for all of us.
If we lose focus on God’s plan – we will begin to sink. As a congregation that is growing and new faces are showing up – we can’t forget to share the good news at the North campus and the South. So continue to pray. Continue to seek, God’s will for your life. Continue to pray and seek God’s will for our congregation and for our community.
Invite people to join you in worship, in times of fellowship. Invite them to Bible studies. If we do this and continue to focus on God, I know our congregation will be walking on water – and we’ll get closer and closer to our teacher – Jesus Christ. Just don’t lose focus!
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