Proper 14A August 7, 2011

“If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.”

          “Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’”

“Reuben delivered him out of their hands, saying, ‘throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him’ that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. . . . When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.”

Today’s Bible readings are about salvation. By the death of Jesus our sins are forgiven; by the resurrection of Jesus we receive new life in him. Jesus’ death and resurrection saves us. We receive that salvation by faith as we believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, and we witness to that salvation as we proclaim in word and deed that Jesus is our Lord.

St. Paul reminds us that the wages of sin is death. Physical death comes to all living beings with a physical nature, and physical nature dies. But human beings are made in the image of God. We have a physical nature and that physical nature will die. At birth we also receive a spiritual nature, and that spiritual nature is by God’s intention eternal. We are created for fellowship in love with God our creator. One  of the mysteries of God’s creation is that we are given free will. We can choose to live into the promise of our creation in fellowship in love, or we can choose to ignore that promise and deny ourselves that fellowship and love.  The tragedy is that every one of us has at one time or another chosen to ignore and deny God. We have frequently chosen spiritual death over spiritual life.

        From those  bad decision and its consequence of spiritual death we have been saved by Jesus’ death and resurrection, believed in the heart and confessed with the lips. From the moment of belief and confession we begin a new spiritual life in Jesus. Baptism is the sign and seal of belief and confession. At baptism, “candidates who can speak for themselves and parents and godparents speak on behalf of infants and younger children.” Three times they renounce evil: “renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God; renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God; renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of God.” And three times they claim salvation: “turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior; put your whole trust in his grace and love; promise to follow and obey him as your Lord.” We are baptized and we are saved; we are saved and we are baptized.

        We live not only in the hope of future salvation; we live in the present experience of God fellowship and God’s love. Today’s gospel reading is a witness. After feeding the 5000 Jesus had sent the disciples back across the sea and gone up the mountain to pray. But a storm blew up on the sea; the boat was battered by the waves; the wind was against them. Twice recently, above Danville two weeks ago and yesterday coming up Black Mountain from Hickory Lucy and I were caught in a terrific rainstorm; I slowed down to 20 mph, put the flashers on, and held tight to the wheel. The wind was against us. We’ve all had life experience of the wind against us. Our rain storms didn’t last 20 minutes. We’ve all had longer times to fight against the winds. But it does stop; the storm clears; the wind shifts, and we experience the presence and power of the Lord getting us through.

     Jesus came to the disciples; he comes to us to save us. He called Peter to come to him and Peter did – until he began to fear and to sink. Peter took his eyes off Jesus, but Jesus never took his eyes off Peter. He reached out his hand and saved Peter from drowning. “When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.” Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Today’s Old Testament reading is also about salvation. Joseph’s brothers were almost angry enough to kill him, but two of them saved him from death and sold him into slavery. Later in a time of famine Joseph in Egypt was able to save the whole family from starvation. God’s plan is salvation; his will is best for us, despite what we think.

“If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” 

“Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’”

 “Reuben delivered him out of their hands, saying, ‘throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him’ that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. . . . When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt