Have you ever just stopped and wondered why Christmas is important to you?  Maybe it’s family or the gifts you give but to be honest I hope it’s something much deeper.

Here’s why Christmas is important to me.

Matthew 14:22-33 CSB
[22] Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. [23] After dismissing the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Well into the night, he was there alone. [24] Meanwhile, the boat was already some distance from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. [25] Jesus came toward them walking on the sea very early in the morning. [26] When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and they cried out in fear. [27] Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” [28] “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter answered him, “command me to come to you on the water.” [29] He said, “Come.” And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. [30] But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” [31] Immediately Jesus reached out his hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” [32] When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. [33] Then those in the boat worshiped him and said, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

First let’s talk about the text.  The disciples go ahead of Jesus, at his command, on the boat to the other side.  Many of these guys were fishermen and boats were a big part of their lives as was the confidence they probably had aboard them.  Jesus himself stays behind to take care of people and pray.

The disciples are out away from land some distance and the text tells us they were battered by the waves because a wind had come against them.  Now I’m a guy and my stubborn confidence in what I know often supersedes my admission that something is going wrong.  I’m pretty sure that most guys have had that happen before and I’m betting that the fishermen in the boat that day were confident in most wind and waves.  So to say that they were battered, it was probably pretty intense.

Ok now I’m going to tell on myself at this point.  Today I had a procedure at the hospital that caused me to have concerns.  The doctor was messing with organs that if I’m honest, I’d just as soon didn’t need messed with.  As it got closer to time though I realized truth and stepped out of my boat.  I’ll get back to this in a minute.

Back to the text.  The disciples had been in the boat seemingly most of the night.  The text tells us that Jesus was walking towards them on the sea early in the morning.  When our guys see Jesus they can’t make out who it is whether it was distance, the wind and waves, or just that people don’t generally walk on the sea, they were frightened.  They think it’s a ghost.  After they yelled that out Jesus said, have courage, it’s Me, don’t be afraid.  Jesus was giving them faith.  Now Peter said if it is you tell me to come and Ill come.  I admire Peter’s faith because Jesus says come and Peter steps out onto the water.  Taking steps towards Jesus though his doubts creep in and he begins to sink.  When that happens he does the one thing that we all need to do daily.  He yells, Lord save me!

Immediately Jesus does just that lifting Peter up and getting him back into the boat while asking Peter about his doubts explaining that they were the product of little faith.  The wind stopped and they worshipped the Son of God.

That truth I realized earlier.  That was the fact that Jesus raised Peter up out of the water and that He’s been raising me up all my life.  When I didn’t have any faith He gave me faith.  When the faith I have is weak He lifts me up. 

You see I’m just a sinner saved by grace.  Lifted up out of the murky waters of sin surrounding my boat by Jesus.

Romans 3:23 CSB
[23] For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;

We’ve all sinned.  We all need lifted up out of that water.  Because of that sin.

Romans 6:23 CSB
[23] For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Because of my sin I have earned the wage of death.  But Jesus lifts me up giving me life.

John 3:16-18 CSB
[16] For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. [18] Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

I stepped out of my boat because I know that even if my little faith, my sin, causes me to sink.  I can cry out to Jesus and He will lift me up.

Christmas is important to me because Jesus lifted Peter up, because He lifts me up.

Love in Christ,

Colby