Sermon
There's No Fear in Jesus
Theme
Jesus conquers our fears.
Object
A Teddy Bear
Scripture
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. John 6: 16-21 (NIV)
I must confess that when I was a small child, I was afraid of the dark. At the end of the day, when it was time to turn out the lights and go to bed, I wanted to know that I was not alone in the darkness. That is where my friend "Teddy" came to the rescue. Somehow, the darkness was not so frightening with "Teddy" in the bed with me.
Have you ever been afraid? Of course you have. We have all been afraid at some time or another. It is nothing to be ashamed of -- even adults are sometimes afraid. Some of us may be afraid of high places, some may be afraid of the water, some may be afraid of spiders, but all of us are afraid of something.
One day Jesus' disciples got into a boat and started to the other side of the lake. Before they got to the other side, it became dark. The wind started to blow and the water became very rough. The disciples were already beginning to be a bit afraid when they looked and saw someone coming toward them walking on the water. The Bible says that the disciples were terrified!
Then, they heard the voice of Jesus. He said, "It is I, don't be afraid." The Bible tells us that when they realized that it was Jesus, they were willing to invite him into the boat with them and they were no longer afraid.
When it comes to being afraid, we are all in the same boat. But when we invite Jesus into our boat, we have nothing to fear, because we are not alone.
Dear Father, all of us are afraid at times. Help us to remember that with Jesus we have nothing to fear. Amen.
