Jesus reaches through the waves and the wind as we start to sink and pulls us into His arms and sets us inside the boat. He sets us back into a community that watched us try to walk on water. He does not yell at us and say, "what were you thinking?" He knew what we were thinking. He knows us inside and out so it's not a surprise.

So why put us back among people that saw us make fools of ourselves? The church is not perfect, or even practically perfect. It is a community that gathers around The Cross and who in many and various ways have all cried out with Peter, "Lord, save me!" And across the spectrum of our faith and our doubt, Jesus does save. The greatest churches are not the largest or prettiest - the greatest are the ones who know the power of the Law and the Gospel and trust in the forgiveness of God.