Some times I think that Peter gets quite a hard time. In this week's assembly - which I have posted below - Peter has already got out of the boat and is already walking on the water towards Jesus (from Matthew 14:22-33). He then notices the size of the waves and the strength of the wind, takes his eyes off Jesus and starts to sink.
Jesus rescues him and when they're safely back in the boat asks, 'you of little faith, why did you doubt?'
I think my reply might be something along the lines of, 'little faith - didn't you just see me get out of the boat and start to walk on the water? What about these guys (pointing to the rest of the disciples in the boat) - how about their faith? Didn't see any of them waltzing along the waves or Samba-ing amongst the swell. How about asking them?
But I don't think Jesus' comment was a criticism of Peter. Peter was now cold and wet. He had had quite a scare. No doubt his pulse rate was fairly high. But he could have avoided all of that - by continuing to trust Jesus.
When Jesus asks us 'why are you anxious?' or 'why are you worried?' I don't think it is an accusation or a criticism. But rather a recognition that there is a better way to live. You don't need to be worried - with all the negatives that come with that. So Jesus' question comes with a heart longing, that we learn to live this better way - not because Jesus wants to tick a box that says 'xyz finally got it - well taught', but because that way of living will be better for us.
Each Wednesday, during lockdown, I will post my Wednesday assembly videos here. If you know any primary school-aged children who are missing their assemblies why not send them a link.
When I do these assemblies in real life, I get a score out of ten from my youngest daughter who still attends the school. Normally, just before she leaves, she will hold up her fingers with a score out of 10. One of the criteria for a 10/10 is that she is picked as a volunteer (so that rarely happens, if ever). Anyway, if you're interested, this week I got an A score of 9 - which is unusually high!
