Beautiful Feet Bring Good News in the Storms of Life
Sermon Notes 9th August
Romans 10:5-15 & Matthew 14:22-33
by Mark Stuckey
You may have noticed that I’m not wearing shoes this morning. It’s not because our church notice boards say, “Come as you… shoes optional!” And it’s not because I’m giving our live stream technicians practice at zooming in and out with the cameras. It’s because of beautiful feet—our beautiful feet and how they can be instrumental for us in sharing the Good News!
If you feel comfortable and are able, I invite you to remove your shoes too. Later in the sermon, I’ll encourage us to use our beautiful feet.
We live in a world saturated with news. Every day we are confronted with headlines that can leave us anxious, discouraged, or uncertain about the future. Yet the Christian faith begins with something very different. It begins with Good News. Not good advice about how to save ourselves, but good news about what God has already done for us through Jesus Christ.
In our readings today, Paul reminds us that the message of salvation is near to us and available to all who call on the Lord. In Matthew's Gospel, we see Jesus coming to his frightened disciples in the midst of a storm, bringing hope where there was fear and faith where there was doubt. Together, these passages show us that the Good News is not only something we hear, but something we experience and then share with others.
As we reflect on God's Word today, let us consider how Christ meets us in the storms of life, calls us to trust him, and sends us out as bearers of his Good News to the world. In doing so I want to cover 3 key points:
1. The Good News is near
2. The Good News Calls Us to trust Jesus
3. The Good News must be shared.
The Good News is near.
To begin let’s consider our Romans reading. Romans 10 brings a beautiful message of hope: the good news is near. We do not need to search far or strive to earn God's love through our own efforts. This has already been done for us. In Jesus, God has come close to us. Paul writes that “the word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.” (Romans 10:8). This means through faith in Christ, salvation is available to all who call on Him. The good news is not distant or hidden. By unpacking verse 8 we learn the word is near you: God's truth is accessible and available. On your lips: Expresses faith by speaking and confessing belief. In your heart: demonstrates genuine faith begins with inner belief and trust. Today, God's grace is within reach, inviting us to trust Him, receive His mercy and live in the joy of His saving presence.
The Good News Calls Us to Trust Jesus
This truth comes alive in our Gospel reading.
The disciples find themselves in a storm after earlier being sent off by Jesus. The boat is battered by waves. The wind is against them. They are struggling through the darkness.
Many of us know what that feels like. Our lives at times can be filled with storms that impact us and place our lives in darkness.
Perhaps the storm is an illness. Perhaps it is grief. Perhaps it is uncertainty about the future. Perhaps it is a broken relationship or a financial pressure. These storms of life often lead to exhaustion and being frightened. For the disciples they are exhausted and frightened by their experience. Then, in the middle of the storm, Jesus comes walking toward them on the water.
Instead of feeling comforted, they become terrified.
They cry out: “It’s a ghost!”
Fear often distorts our vision. We easily lose focus because we become overwhelmed.
Jesus immediately says: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Those words are at the heart of the gospel.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Not because the storm has ended. Not because the waves have disappeared. But because Jesus is present. When Jesus says Take courage! It is I! Don't be afraid in Matthew 14:27, he is teaching his disciples that his presence is greater than the storm they are facing. At that moment they were frightened by the wind, the waves and the sight of Jesus walking on water. Jesus responds by calling them to trust him rather than their fears.
Our Gospel reading gives us an example of this by Peter showing what it means to have trust in Jesus. Peter does this in an extraordinary way.
He says “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus simply says: “Come”.
Peter climbs out of the boat and begins walking toward Jesus. What courage! For a few moments, Peter does the impossible because his eyes are fixed on Christ.
But then he notices the wind. He looks at the waves. He becomes afraid. He begins to sink. Isn’t that the story of many of our lives. We set out with good intentions, we start with confidence, we begin with faith. Yet soon our attention shifts from Jesus to our circumstances. We focus on the size of the problem rather than the greatness of God. And we begin to sink under the weight of fear.
But notice what Peter does next. He prays: "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus reaches out his hand. Not eventually. Not after Peter proves himself. Not after Peter swims part of the way. Immediately. This is Good News.
Jesus saves sinking people. He saves fearful people. He saves doubting people. He saves imperfect people. Peter's faith was not perfect, but his Saviour was.
The Good News is not that we hold tightly to Jesus. The Good News is that Jesus holds tightly to us. In this scene Jesus is teaching his disciples that when the storms of life come, they should keep their eyes fixed on Him, trust His power and recognise He truly is the Son of God.
The Good News must be shared
Paul’s words in Romans 10:14-15 remind us that the good news of Jesus Christ is never meant to be kept to ourselves. He asks, “How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” These questions highlight God's plan for reaching the world through his people. The gospel is the message of hope, forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life through Christ. Yet many are still waiting to hear this life changing truth.
As followers of Jesus, we are called to be messengers of that hope. Sharing the good news is not merely the responsibility of a priest it is the privilege of every believer. We may feel inadequate or uncertain, but the power of the gospel does not depend on our abilities. It rests in the work of Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
To conclude I want to offer a challenge to us that incorporates our key points about the Good News being near, the Good News calls us trust Jesus and sharing the Good News with others.
At the beginning of the sermon, I encouraged each of us, if you were comfortable and able to, to take off your shoes, don't worry if you haven't, you can still participate in this activity. I would like us to gaze at or imagine your beautiful feet. The live stream technicians may even like to zoom in on my beautiful feet. Loretta, don’t worry I did moisturise them this morning!
Friends, at the end of our service Catherine and Michael will dismiss us with the words “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord” and we will respond with, “In the name of Christ. Amen.” A command that calls us to go out into the world and the share the Good News, with loved ones, neighbours and strangers. As you gaze down or imagine your beautiful feet consider where they will take you this week and who you may connect and interact with. These interactions may be at morning tea immediately after the service, in your homes, in your workplaces, the shops, at the gym, or in your social circle, wherever you find yourself. Our lives will have storms that we face. How has Jesus been part of those storms for you? We will meet others who have storms in their lives too. How will you minister into those situations and bring your trust of Jesus into the conversation? Will the news headline be one that focuses on fear and doubt. Or will the news headline be one that focuses on words of comfort, encouragement, hope and of love. Paul encourages us to use our beautiful feet to take us places and to spread the Good News. What a wonderful encouragement for us today. When we faithfully share Christ, we participate in God’s mission of salvation. Let us go with confidence, joy, and compassion, bringing the good news to all who need to hear it.
Amen.
Mark Stuckey, LLM