Seeing with the eyes of your heart

First Presbyterian Church worships at City Beach at least once per summer. However, this year’s event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the desire to keep people safe. It felt strange to not gather by the shore of one of the most beautiful outdoor sanctuaries in the world, to not have a church potluck in the park, and to miss the natural beauty, sounds, and community of City Beach on a beautiful Sunday morning.

It would have been a fabulous service, especially since the Gospel reading from Matthew 14:13-21 features Jesus walking on the water, Peter getting out of the boat to also walk on water, and then Jesus saving Peter, who had started to sink. Nothing like reading about walking on water when you’re worshipping God next to the fifth-deepest lake in the United States!

When a group of people look at something, everyone interprets what they see from their own point of view. The same scene can have multiple explanations or descriptions. This is also the case as stories from the Bible teach us about Jesus. Everyone has unique filters. Plus, with stories and parables, there are layer upon layer of meaning, from literal to symbolic. Like an onion, the narrative of Jesus walking on water can get peeled, deeper and deeper. As Bible stories teach us about God and Jesus, they also invite us to self-reflect, to examine how we know what we know, because not only is what we see important, but how we see determines a great deal.

Shall we use religion, for example, with the dynamics of tribalism? Reading about Jesus dismissing the crowds, he’s a leader with authority, chosen by God, coming to his small group of disciples to travel with them, safely bringing them to the other side as like-minded people who know and have the truth. Peter, the impulsive one, shows us courageous faith coming into contact with the power of God. When Peter starts to sink, he cries out for Jesus to save him, and he’s immediately caught. Once you’re saved, you get in the boat and worship God with others in your circle.

Or, perhaps we need Jesus to be strong. Warrior-stage religion shows us a spiritual battle as waves of the world try and drown out God’s chosen ones, yet Jesus overcomes the storm, dominating those lesser gods of Greek mythology and rising victoriously as the strong hand of the true God. Jesus, the Son of God, is almighty, all powerful, and we don’t need to fear because he’s got our back. With Jesus in our boat, we are safe.

Or we can take a traditional approach, recognizing in Jesus the transcendent God who meets him on the mountain and sends him back down into the storm so we don’t have to face waves of destruction that would otherwise drown us in sin. We can be thankful that we are in the boat, worshipping God as Jesus shapes the community through rules, roles, and discipline. Jesus, standing on the water, reaches down to save the doubting, struggling follower who is sinking in fear. Jesus brings stability, moving us along to the far shore in ways that help us. All we have to do is ask Jesus to save us, and he climbs into the boat, calms the waves, and receives our praise.

Or perhaps we feel more modern and are thankful that our brother, Jesus, who is at one with nature, sensitive to the needs of his followers, now pulls Peter up to his level, onto equal footing. Each of the disciples experience that moment in their own, unique ways, yet there they are, all in the same boat, united by their worship of God, sharing their praise and awe. Waves and wind calm down, even as their journey to the far shore continues. With Jesus in the boat teaching them about life and spirit, they are making progress.

Or perhaps an integral approach is appreciated, one that recognizes and includes the value of each of the previous paragraphs, yet recognizes how the mountain, the wind, the water, and all the aspects of this story are united as one. Jesus, as the archetype of faith, shows us what it means to live a fully human life, as a spiritual being created in and giving expression to the Ultimate Reality of Divine Love. In this sense, a pivotal aspect of this story is the first part, where Jesus is on the mountain, alone in prayer, gaining spiritual footing in ways that empower him to see through the eyes of his heart and come down into the storm to unite the entire world, human and non-human, in Creator-to-creature relationship.

Each of these interpretations is based on various stages of cultural growth, and each holds truth and value in the experience of faith. Spiral Dynamics is the official name of this type of approach. With lenses like these we celebrate God with us, God helping us, and God sending us, no matter who we are or where we are at in our spiritual development.

Like an onion, not only are there many layers, there are also stems and roots, reaching up into air and sunshine and down into deep, dark soil, giving nourishment. As waters of life rain down, the plant itself is sustained and even becomes regenerative – going to flower and to seed. Everything works together to help creation unfold.

As you visit the shores of the lake this summer, ask God to help you examine how you know what you know, and invite God to help you see with the eyes of your heart.

Andy Kennaly is pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Sandpoint. He can be reached at fpcsandpoint.org.