8-17-25 “Faith in the Middle of the Red Sea”
“Faith in the Middle of the Red Sea”
I want to start with something funny. I think I’ve shared this story before: There was a preacher who fell into the ocean, and he couldn’t swim. When a boat came by, the captain yelled, “Do you need help, sir?” The preacher calmly said, “No, God will save me.” A little later, another boat came by, and a fisherman asked, “Hey, do you need help?” Again, the preacher replied, “No, God will save me.” Eventually, the preacher drowned and went to heaven. He asked God, “Why didn’t you save me?” God replied, “Fool, I sent you two boats!”
We are Christians. People may call us Christians because we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Believing can also be described as having faith, trust, or confidence in Him. I often wonder—how do we distinguish between Christians and non-Christians? The simple answer might be: those who attend worship and those who don’t. But sometimes, even among those in the church, it’s hard to tell who is actively living out their faith.
If I ask you, “Are you a Christian?” you might say, “Yes.” But then I might ask, “Can you show me that you are a Christian?” Well, that’s not always easy, right?
The Letter of James says in 2:18, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” Have you ever thought about how we can show that we believe in Jesus, or how we can show that we are Christians?
Today’s scripture begins, “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned.” Let’s imagine: the Israelites have just left Egypt. Behind them, the dust of Pharaoh’s army is rising. In front of them, a vast, impassable sea. The people are terrified—water in front, soldiers behind. What would you do?
Then God does something impossible—He parts the waters. But here’s the thing: the miracle wasn’t over when the waters stood up. The people still had to walk between those towering walls of water. Can you imagine it? Slippery ground underfoot, the sound of roaring water beside you, and the thought in the back of your mind: What if those waters come crashing down? Faith isn’t just celebrating when the waters part—it’s trusting God enough to walk all the way through.
Hebrews 11:29 tells us that the Israelites crossed “as on dry land,” but the Egyptians, trying to do the same, were drowned. The difference wasn’t the path—it was faith. Many of us know the feeling of a Red Sea moment—when the problem behind us (the “Egypt” in our lives) is still chasing, and the way ahead feels risky. Faith is not the absence of fear; it’s moving forward while trusting the God who opened the way.
Think about it: the first step into the Red Sea was probably terrifying, but so was the halfway point. You can’t clearly see the other shore, and you’re too far from where you started to turn back. The middle is where we are most tempted to stop, look around, and doubt. Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Perseverance is what carries us from the middle to the finish.
When we’re in the middle—between diagnosis and healing, between prayer and answer, between calling and fulfillment—God calls us to keep moving, one step at a time. Give God time to work through your faith, and keep walking between those walls of water. Yes, it’s still scary. Painful moments seem never-ending. But faith is fixing our eyes on Jesus, not on the situation. The Israelites’ situation hadn’t changed—the Egyptian army still pursued them, and the walls of water still loomed beside them—but faith kept its eyes on the One who called them through.
Hebrews 12:2 tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” The Israelites had Moses’ staff leading the way. We have Jesus—our forerunner—who not only begins our faith but walks with us to perfect it. Jesus endured the cross, the ultimate Red Sea moment, and reached the joy set before Him. Because He went all the way through, we can too.
In your middle moment, don’t focus on the water—focus on the One making the way. The Israelites made it because they didn’t stop walking until they stepped onto the other shore. Maybe today you’re standing at the start, needing courage to take the first step. Or maybe you’re in the middle, tempted to freeze in fear. The God who parts the waters is also the God who holds them back until you are safe. Trust Him enough to keep moving forward, even in the middle. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Walk until your feet touch the other shore.
You may remember the two criminals crucified with Jesus—one on His left, one on His right. Both had the same opportunity. One insulted Jesus, but the other confessed, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:33–43).
God’s grace is open to everyone—regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, background, or even past sins. We Methodists believe that God’s grace is at work in every person, even before they recognize Him. Remember our words of pardon in Holy Communion: “Hear the good news: Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God’s love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!” We are forgiven not because of our good works but because of our faith in Jesus Christ by God’s grace.
Let me share a gardening story. I planted cucumber plants. At first, they grew well—but then gophers ate them. I planted again, using as many seeds as I had, hoping that even if the gophers took some, others would remain. I gave them rich soil and watered them every morning and evening when it didn’t rain. Eventually, some plants bore cucumbers—but others never produced fruit. Guess what I did? I pulled out the barren ones to give the fruitful ones more space. If they didn’t bear any cucumbers, they couldn’t fulfill the purpose for which I planted them. Yet, I could still call them “cucumber plants.”
Likewise, Christians are expected to bear the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. As cucumbers grow naturally from healthy plants, these fruits naturally grow from a healthy Christian life. Among them, love is the greatest. Love is why God gave His only Son. Love is why Jesus gave Himself for us. Love is what He commanded when He said, “Love God and love your neighbor.”
James 2:14–17 warns us: “Faith without works is dead.” We are still Christians whether we act in faith or not—just as a barren cucumber plant is still a cucumber plant. Some may say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” But as James 2:18 challenges us, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” As the ancestors of faith before us fixed their eyes on God, let us look to Jesus in our everyday lives. Let us keep a living faith—one that acts, one that loves—so that, like the Israelites who walked through the Red Sea, we too will move forward by faith.
Thanks be to God. Amen.