Hey, Richtown Church. Good morning. Orgid evening, depending on what day it is that you are

gathering as a house church. You're in a living room right now or a community room apartment,

complex, or somebody's garage. I have no idea where you are, but welcome again. Thank

you so much for following along. Please turn your Bibles to Matthew 14. What a fascinating

week with the worldwide coronavirus pandemic and the stock market crash and Cape Brown and many

other governors putting a ban on all gatherings over 250 people. There is just so much anxiety in the

air. I don't know about you, but I even feel it in my own mind and body. The best definition of

anxiety I know is imagining the future without Jesus in it. On that note, let's read from Matthew's

gospel a story that we covered actually last summer, but I just want to come back to and reread

because it's all about how to deal with fear. Take a look at Matthew chapter 14, read from verse 22.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead of him to the other side while

he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountain side by himself to pray.

Now later that night, he was there alone and the boat was already a considerable distance from the

land buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to

them walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. It's a ghost

they said and they cried out in fear. 27, but Jesus immediately said to them, take courage. It is

I do not be afraid. Lord, if it is you, Peter replied, tell me to come to you on the water. Come,

Jesus said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came towards Jesus.

When he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink. He cried out, Lord, save me. Immediately Jesus

reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith or more literally it's a name in Greek. You

little faith. He said, why did you doubt? Why were you so scared? When they climbed into the boat,

the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped him saying, truly you are the son of God.

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