August 9, 2026 | 11th Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church – Buffalo, NY
References
Scripture: Matthew 14:22-33; 1 Kings 3:5–12; Romans 8:26-39; Colossians 3:11
Video of worship/sermon
Taking the Next Step
Sometimes the hardest thing we can do … is simply take a step.
Have you experienced this in your own life?
Especially if the way is uncertain or risky, and the fear is very real and staring you in the face, simply taking a step can feel impossible … or even foolish.
When There Isn’t Enough
It can be hard as we read the Bible to remember that the disciples had a hard time, too.
Jesus and his disciples had just learned about John the Baptist being beheaded by Herod. Do we even think for a moment that it was easy for them to lose a friend of theirs … a colleague in the ministry … by beheading?
After hearing this near, what should be their next step?
The threat to Jesus and his disciples was very real.
Continuing to take steps to bring Jesus’ message of love, abundant life for all people, and his challenges to the religious and political establishment were risky … maybe even foolish.
Jesus’ next step was to get into a boat and go to a secluded place to pray.
But people followed him … thousands of people … people who were sick and in need.
We don’t know from the scriptures the internal turmoil that they must have experienced.
When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw the thousands of people. Did he turn them away to have them return at a more convenient time?
No! Jesus had compassion. Jesus healed their sick.
The disciples pointed out that it was getting late and the people needed to eat. Faced with a hungry crowd of thousands of people, Jesus told the disciples not to send them away. Instead, Jesus said … “You feed them.”
What options did they have?
They didn’t have any food.
They hadn’t made preparations.
They couldn’t imagine a way to feed all of those people … there simply wasn’t enough.
What was their next step?
What do you do next when all you see around you is scarcity … that there’s not enough?
Is it impossible then for us to see God’s abundance?
Seeing Abundance in the Middle of Scarcity
How do we understand the poverty and food insecurity needs we heard about through our Front Porch Sittin’ session? How do you see those needs and think “abundance”?
How do you approach the 40% of children in Buffalo who are living in poverty and proclaim “abundance” when what they see is simply not enough?
What is their next step?
What is our next step?
Returning to our story … Jesus fed the thousands of people who followed him. After they ate, there were a lot of leftovers! Twelve baskets full of leftovers even after everyone had eaten their fill.
Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and told the disciples to get in the boat and go to the other side of the sea while he stayed behind to pray.
Stepping Into the Storm
The Bible tells us that the disciples, who were used to handling themselves on the water, encountered a storm. They really struggled against the wind and the waves for hours!
We are told that they started in the evening and then early in the morning, they saw something out on the water. Maybe a ghost?
What would be their next step?
How were they supposed to put all of their energy into staying afloat and continuing to struggle against the storm yet contend with whatever threat might be coming to them on the sea?
Just like life is … often, their next steps were not pretty, well thought out, or overflowing with faith and bravery.
Jesus said, “Do not be afraid; it’s me, Jesus.”
I have no idea what got into Peter that he thought it would be a good idea to ask Jesus to command him to step out of a perfectly good boat onto the stormy seas.
Keep in mind that the boat was not perfectly still. It wasn’t like sitting on the edge of your bathtub. This boat was moving side to side, up and down. And, at Jesus’ invitation, Peter stepped out.
When We Don’t Know the Next Step
You and I experience times when we don’t know what the next step is. We don’t know what to listen to because it’s not always clear.
Some of you know that, before I moved to Buffalo, I was going through a divorce. If you who have been through it, you know it’s not easy.
For me, there was a lot of soul-searching. I wondered if I was doing the right thing. I was pleading like the disciples on the boat, screaming out, crying for help … crying out for guidance.
I remember the moment clearly when I was out for a walk. I pled with God to send an angel, to make it abundantly clear, to change my thinking.
What I heard was … God is not in the earthquake, the wind, or the fire. God is in the silence.
I heard God, but I wondered how I was supposed to listen to … silence.
The Holy Spirit nudges us and helps us to find the path. Sometimes, it takes a while. It sure took me quite a while to hear and see more clearly.
Our Church Has Next Steps, Too
All of us have moments that are challenging. Our church is not immune from challenging times. We navigate these together.
Recently, we struggled with questions about when and how to replace two big boilers, install a fire system, and replace our security system.
Should these projects be done … and when? How would they be paid for?
Right now, we are considering options for the Victorian home the church owns right next door. We have questions about building code and finances and so many other things.
What’s the next step for the church?
What’s the next step for you and your faith?
Where does it feel risky?
Where does it feel scary?
Where does it feel unknown and uncertain?
Where do you feel insecure?
Where do you feel insufficient?
Where do you feel that you just don’t have more … more time … more bandwidth?
Where do you see scarcity and where do you see God’s abundance?
Sometimes, We Just Have to Take a Step
You and I are called to follow Jesus.
We are called to be a community that works together for the good of our community so that everyone may live abundantly.
Sometimes it’s hard to see what our next steps should be.
Sometimes it’s hard to hear.
Sometimes it’s hard to know which way we should go.
The disciples didn’t live their lives as we see them posed in paintings and stained-glass windows. They didn’t always know or have confidence in what their next step would be … and neither do we.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do … is simply take a step. Especially if the way is uncertain or risky, and the fear is very real and staring you in the face, simply taking a step could even seem foolish.
And yet …
we move in faith …
sometimes following the clear call of Jesus …
sometimes crying out in fear and exhaustion …
sometimes taking our best guess …
sometimes stepping out of the boat into the unknown, uncertain, and unsettled.
And perhaps that is what faith looks like.
Not always knowing exactly where we are going.
Not always having enough.
Not always feeling brave.
Not always hearing a clear answer.
But trusting that the Holy Spirit nudges us and helps us find the path.
Sometimes the next step is all we can see.
And sometimes …
the next step is enough.
Reflection Questions
- Where in your life are you being invited to take a next step, even though the way feels uncertain or risky?
- Where do you see scarcity right now, and where might you begin to notice God’s abundance?
- When have you experienced the Holy Spirit nudging you toward a next step, even when you weren’t completely sure where it would lead?
Epicurious Lutheran 
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