Sermon for Sunday 9th August 2026, Trinity 10

Preached by Rev Janet Bayly

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OLD TESTAMENT READING

1 Kings 19. 9-13

 

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.​

And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’

10 He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’

11 The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

 

GOSPEL READING

Matthew 14. 22-33

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’

28 ‘Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’

29 ‘Come,’ he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came towards Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’he said, ‘why did you doubt?’

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

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​SERMON

 

 I think if I asked each one of us - what makes you fearful or anxious or what are you afraid of, there would be as many answers as people. Maybe share your fears over coffee at the end of the service. There are of course many common fears - spiders, the dark, family situations, illness, the future, money, jobs, relationships, our country, the world. The list is endless and often we fear things which never happen. But our fears are real and they can affect us physically, emotionally and spiritually. So what can we do about our fears which can sometimes overwhelm us. I don’t have the answers but exploring today’s readings can maybe help us. 

 

 Interestingly our two readings today are all about fears. In the OT we have the well known story of Elijah. As we heard in our reading, He had been through difficult times of persecution and isolation. He was in fear of his life and he had fled to hide in a cave. He was also very aggrieved. When God asked him why he was there he answered words to the effect. Well I have been Doing good work for you Lord. But your own people have turned against you and killed all your prophets and I am the only one left. They want to kill me too no wonder I am hiding. God wanted to show Elijah his power and standing on the mountain Elijah experienced the forces of nature - a mighty wind, an earthquake and a fire. As we see recently evidence of these on our television screens we can only imagine the terror that people feel. And Elijah must have felt that too. But God was not in any of these. His power to show love and care a support for his prophet Elijah was in silence. The quietness after all the noise and chaos was such a contrast and in that moment of stillness Elijah met with God in all his power.

 

 In our New Testament reading there was also great fear. After the miracle of feeding the five thousand, Jesus needed time alone with his father God. So he sent his disciples out on to the Sea of Galilee while he had a time of prayer. The Sea of Galilee is actually a lake surrounded by hills and is notorious for sudden violent storms. Although some of the disciples were seasoned fishermen, the storms could fill them with fear especially during the night. But What terrified them was a figure walking towards them on the water. They thought it was a ghost but then Jesus spoke to them. Take heart, It is I, do not be afraid. The disciples were instantly reassured so much so that Peter bravely got out of the boat and walked on the water with his master, until his fear overcame him and he began to sink. 

 

 Although some of our fears are groundless, many are real like Elijah’s and the disciples’. So what can we do to get us through difficult times . Well tucked away in both readings are hints and suggestions that might help us. God spoke to Elijah’s heart not in the power of noise and chaos in nature but in the stillness of silence. Some weeks ago I went on a retreat day to Stanton House and there I found a wonderful book which encouraged me and encourages all of us to find space and peace in stillness and silence. It is in those times of quiet that God can speak to us and reassure us of his love and care and bless us with his peace. It may not take away our fears but it can give us other ways of looking at problems and anxieties. 

 

 Both Elijah and Peter in those moments of chaos and fear were reassured by the presence of God and Jesus, the godhead. Elijah covered his face in worship and the disciples fell to their knees and said. Truly you are the Son of God. They both realised their own frailty and dependency on God. 

 

 When fears crowd into our lives we rush around trying to solve the problem. Let’s slow down and find space for God to speak to us and for Jesus to reassure us. Take heart. It is I. Do not be afraid. Amen