Theme: Jesus conquers our fears.
Object: A Teddy Bear
Scripture: When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and
set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A
strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half
miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he
said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and
immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. John 6: 16-21 (NIV)
I must confess that when I was a small child, I was afraid of the dark. At the end of the day, when
it was time to turn out the lights and go to bed, I wanted to know that I was not alone in the
darkness. That is where my friend "Teddy" came to the rescue. Somehow, the darkness was not so
frightening with "Teddy" in the bed with me.
Have you ever been afraid? Of course you have. We have all been afraid at some time or another.
It is nothing to be ashamed of -- even adults are sometimes afraid. Some of us may be afraid of
high places, some may be afraid of the water, some may be afraid of spiders, but all of us are
afraid of something.
One day Jesus' disciples got into a boat and started to the other side of the lake. Before they
got to the other side, it became dark. The wind started to blow and the water became very rough.
The disciples were already beginning to be a bit afraid when they looked and saw someone coming
toward them walking on the water. The Bible says that the disciples were terrified!
Then, they heard the voice of Jesus. He said, "It is I, don't be afraid." The Bible tells us
that when they realized that it was Jesus, they were willing to invite him into the boat with
them and they were no longer afraid.
When it comes to being afraid, we are all in the same boat. But when we invite Jesus into our
boat, we have nothing to fear, because we are not alone.
Dear Father, all of us are afraid at times. Help us to remember that with Jesus we have nothing
to fear. Amen.
