And after [Jesus] had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."
Matthew 14:23-27
As humans, many things tend to startle and scare us. The unknown, the unexpected, the hard to accept or believe are all unsettling to us. We see something that should not normally be there and instinctively assume the supernatural, but then when we look we begin to realize that it is really what we expected after all.
In matters of faith many things appear supernatural to us, because we look upon what God is doing with human eyes and understanding. What is completely impossible for us is quite possible for God. All of this does not prevent us from being startled, but it does begin to explain why things of the spirit world do catch us off guard. As people of faith, however, we do not need to be afraid. We can “take heart” because our Lord comes to us in those moments we least expect it, in the way we need it the most.
Knowing our tendency to startle easily though is a great opportunity for us to have fun at each other’s expense. We know by faith that God is much greater than any “spirit” we can conjure up, but we still tend to startle at the sight of such things.
Granny grew up in Texas, where the nights were hot and summer seemed to go on forever. The homes were your typical slat-board, whitewashed, wooden, A-frame homes. The foundations were normally rocks or bricks strategically piled at the load bearing points, but most of the crawlspace was open to the air. Most homes had a small sitting porch, which on some of those hot summer nights was the only cool spot. This particular night, that porch is where Granny and her friends were sitting, telling jokes and stories, and just enjoying each other’s company.
Granny absolutely loved spending time with her friends. She did so in this early part of her life, and then at the end of her life they meant no less than they had earlier in her life. No matter what was going on, you could always count on the fact that Granny would surround herself with friends and family. On this hot summer night in Texas, Granny had just gotten back from a summer camp, and had missed her friends tremendously. So they had gathered on her front porch to catch up and enjoy the evening together.
At summer camp, kids learn all kinds of things. Some of them very practical and useful, some just fun, and some just don’t seem to fit anywhere – but you learn them. That summer, some of Granny’s friends at camp had taught her how to talk to the dead, or have a séance. Little by little Granny walked the group of them through the steps. Now, these friends of hers were simple country boys and girls, and not terribly sophisticated. However, this intrigued them to no end.
They knew all about plowing a field, tending to the herds, or harvesting the cotton, but they knew nothing of these fancy city terms, such as séances. However, if Granny said that it was fun then it must be! Who knows, maybe they’ll get to talk to Uncle Gene who died last year when the mule kicked him.
Granny told them, “Now we all have to sit real close and quiet, and hold hands.” So they all noisily scooted their ladder-back chairs closer to one another and held hands. Granny’s tone went from a typically jovial to deadly serious. Her friends began to notice this, and the whites of their eyes became a little larger.
“If we don’t do this just right, the spirits from beyond won’t talk to us, or maybe they will come after us. So do everything I tell you just the way I tell you,” she said. “Now, close your eyes and touch your knees together, and you can’t peek or they won’t come.”
This was starting to get serious. Palms were becoming a little sweatier, and knees had the slightest tremble to them. Each kid’s breathing became just a little more deliberate. They seemed to be making sure that each breath counted because they weren’t sure when they would get to breathe again.
Then Granny started, “Spirits, are ya there?” Then very quietly to her friends, “Don’t move or open your eyes, ‘cause it may take several tries for us to contact them”
“Spirits, are ya there?” Just a little louder and with more authority.
A slight pause. The breathing of each child on that porch was now quite audible; you could practically hear their hearts pounding in the chests. Palms were practically dripping, and that slight tremble in the knees became much more noticeable.
“Spirits, are ya there?”
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three loud bangs thundered from the porch. All eyes opened, all breathing stopped, replaced by screaming. Simultaneously, the porch was cleared while children ran screaming across the field in front of the house, feet barely touching the ground and nearing the point of loss of bladder control. All, that is, except for Granny.
Granny just sat on the porch, rolled her eyes in disgust, and said, “Daddy.” Then, as if on cue from under the porch she began to hear the laughing of her father.
Paw Paw was a joker. He loved to play pranks and cut up. Everyone who knew Paw Paw knew this well. The legends of his practical jokes probably still live at Texas A&M, almost a hundred years after he went there. This summer night in Texas, however, he was in his prime and couldn’t miss an opportunity like this.
Unknown to Granny, Paw Paw had been able to listen to everything she and her friends had been saying. There was no background highway noise or any city noise. It was simply a small wooden house on a prairie with all the windows open in order to keep as cool as possible. In this setting, sound carries very well. From his vantage point in his bed, Paw Paw could hear every word they said. When Granny started to tell them about the séance, his mental wheels began to turn, and his more devious side took over.
As Granny prepared her friends for the séance, Paw Paw, still in his nightclothes, climbed out of his bedroom window. He then quietly crawled under the house as Granny was beginning to tell them to close their eyes and touch their knees together. By the time she was starting to call out to the spirits, Paw Paw was directly under them with rock in hand ready to act. He patiently waited for just the right moment. Even from his vantage point, under the porch, he could hear their breathing reaching a fever pitch. Just after Granny called to the spirits the third time, Paw Paw knew the time was right and he took the rock in his hand and rapped it against the floor joist of the porch.
After Paw Paw climbed out from under the porch, he gave Granny a big hug. Granny, although a little bitter towards Paw Paw, was biting her tongue to prevent herself from laughing. Although she found it just as humorous as Paw Paw did, she didn’t want to admit it. Eventually, she loosened up and was able to appreciate the moment with her father. However, I believe after the run her friends had it took them slightly longer to find the humor in the whole situation that Granny and Paw Paw did.
Matthew 14:23-27
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| Christ Walking on the Water MASTER OF CABESTANY (c. 1150) |
As humans, many things tend to startle and scare us. The unknown, the unexpected, the hard to accept or believe are all unsettling to us. We see something that should not normally be there and instinctively assume the supernatural, but then when we look we begin to realize that it is really what we expected after all.
In matters of faith many things appear supernatural to us, because we look upon what God is doing with human eyes and understanding. What is completely impossible for us is quite possible for God. All of this does not prevent us from being startled, but it does begin to explain why things of the spirit world do catch us off guard. As people of faith, however, we do not need to be afraid. We can “take heart” because our Lord comes to us in those moments we least expect it, in the way we need it the most.
Knowing our tendency to startle easily though is a great opportunity for us to have fun at each other’s expense. We know by faith that God is much greater than any “spirit” we can conjure up, but we still tend to startle at the sight of such things.
Granny grew up in Texas, where the nights were hot and summer seemed to go on forever. The homes were your typical slat-board, whitewashed, wooden, A-frame homes. The foundations were normally rocks or bricks strategically piled at the load bearing points, but most of the crawlspace was open to the air. Most homes had a small sitting porch, which on some of those hot summer nights was the only cool spot. This particular night, that porch is where Granny and her friends were sitting, telling jokes and stories, and just enjoying each other’s company.
Granny absolutely loved spending time with her friends. She did so in this early part of her life, and then at the end of her life they meant no less than they had earlier in her life. No matter what was going on, you could always count on the fact that Granny would surround herself with friends and family. On this hot summer night in Texas, Granny had just gotten back from a summer camp, and had missed her friends tremendously. So they had gathered on her front porch to catch up and enjoy the evening together.
At summer camp, kids learn all kinds of things. Some of them very practical and useful, some just fun, and some just don’t seem to fit anywhere – but you learn them. That summer, some of Granny’s friends at camp had taught her how to talk to the dead, or have a séance. Little by little Granny walked the group of them through the steps. Now, these friends of hers were simple country boys and girls, and not terribly sophisticated. However, this intrigued them to no end.
They knew all about plowing a field, tending to the herds, or harvesting the cotton, but they knew nothing of these fancy city terms, such as séances. However, if Granny said that it was fun then it must be! Who knows, maybe they’ll get to talk to Uncle Gene who died last year when the mule kicked him.
Granny told them, “Now we all have to sit real close and quiet, and hold hands.” So they all noisily scooted their ladder-back chairs closer to one another and held hands. Granny’s tone went from a typically jovial to deadly serious. Her friends began to notice this, and the whites of their eyes became a little larger.
“If we don’t do this just right, the spirits from beyond won’t talk to us, or maybe they will come after us. So do everything I tell you just the way I tell you,” she said. “Now, close your eyes and touch your knees together, and you can’t peek or they won’t come.”
This was starting to get serious. Palms were becoming a little sweatier, and knees had the slightest tremble to them. Each kid’s breathing became just a little more deliberate. They seemed to be making sure that each breath counted because they weren’t sure when they would get to breathe again.
Then Granny started, “Spirits, are ya there?” Then very quietly to her friends, “Don’t move or open your eyes, ‘cause it may take several tries for us to contact them”
“Spirits, are ya there?” Just a little louder and with more authority.
A slight pause. The breathing of each child on that porch was now quite audible; you could practically hear their hearts pounding in the chests. Palms were practically dripping, and that slight tremble in the knees became much more noticeable.
“Spirits, are ya there?”
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three loud bangs thundered from the porch. All eyes opened, all breathing stopped, replaced by screaming. Simultaneously, the porch was cleared while children ran screaming across the field in front of the house, feet barely touching the ground and nearing the point of loss of bladder control. All, that is, except for Granny.
Granny just sat on the porch, rolled her eyes in disgust, and said, “Daddy.” Then, as if on cue from under the porch she began to hear the laughing of her father.
Paw Paw was a joker. He loved to play pranks and cut up. Everyone who knew Paw Paw knew this well. The legends of his practical jokes probably still live at Texas A&M, almost a hundred years after he went there. This summer night in Texas, however, he was in his prime and couldn’t miss an opportunity like this.
Unknown to Granny, Paw Paw had been able to listen to everything she and her friends had been saying. There was no background highway noise or any city noise. It was simply a small wooden house on a prairie with all the windows open in order to keep as cool as possible. In this setting, sound carries very well. From his vantage point in his bed, Paw Paw could hear every word they said. When Granny started to tell them about the séance, his mental wheels began to turn, and his more devious side took over.
As Granny prepared her friends for the séance, Paw Paw, still in his nightclothes, climbed out of his bedroom window. He then quietly crawled under the house as Granny was beginning to tell them to close their eyes and touch their knees together. By the time she was starting to call out to the spirits, Paw Paw was directly under them with rock in hand ready to act. He patiently waited for just the right moment. Even from his vantage point, under the porch, he could hear their breathing reaching a fever pitch. Just after Granny called to the spirits the third time, Paw Paw knew the time was right and he took the rock in his hand and rapped it against the floor joist of the porch.
After Paw Paw climbed out from under the porch, he gave Granny a big hug. Granny, although a little bitter towards Paw Paw, was biting her tongue to prevent herself from laughing. Although she found it just as humorous as Paw Paw did, she didn’t want to admit it. Eventually, she loosened up and was able to appreciate the moment with her father. However, I believe after the run her friends had it took them slightly longer to find the humor in the whole situation that Granny and Paw Paw did.
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