Sermons Archive

Faith - A Way of Living
The Rev. Janice Robinson
Dedication Sunday, September 10, 2006

Faith is something we talk a lot about in the Church. It seems this intangible thing. How do you go about explaining what it is? Paul says that faith is belief in things not seen. God is not seen as we see one another, so how do we demonstrate, or explain our faith in God? How would you explain it to a non-believer?

Each of our lessons this morning says something about this, I think. Proverbs offer some wisdom about what to place our trust in, and at the same time challenges us to look at the way in which our professed faith is lived. The Psalmist tells us that those who place their trust in God, “are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but stands forever.” Further, “The hills stand about Jerusalem; so does the Lord stand around about the people, from this time forth for evermore.”

That seems consistent with the sayings from Proverbs, namely to place your trust in that which lasts, and does not fade, as in a, “good name,” or in having “favor,” especially God’s. Seek to be, “generous,” for therein lies, “blessings.” There are many things that are competing for our allegiance, our loyalty, products, politicians, teams, fashion, ideology, wealth, power over others, money and position, etc. So many choices and a case can be made for each, how do we choose? What is the overarching goal for your life? When life as we finally know it, what do you want to be able to say that you have achieved? That will indeed guide what you do about the choices you make about what it is you believe, and in whom you vest your trust.

Thins that we choose to do need to be in line with our stated goals, or we will be come lost and never get to where we say we want to go. Christians are asked to have faith in God in Jesus Christ. We profess to believe. How does another know what it is that we believe? Most often it is what we do, what choices we make, the things that we do as well as what we choose not to do. It is what we say and the way we say it as well as what we choose not to say. James’s letter to the Church challenges the members to live in ways that profess the confession they make with their lips. Their behavior undermines their stated belief. They are showing preference for the wealthy over the poor. Since both the rich and the poor are made by God, how is one, “preferable,” to the other? The summary of the law states that the second commandment is like unto the first, “Love your neighbor as your self.”

Material possessions are not what mark the differences between people, but a person’s behavior, or attitude, their reputation, their generosity. James goes on to point out that God has chosen the, “poor,” to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. Maybe this is so because the poor don’t have anything else to lean on but God. They don’t have the material things of this world to place demands upon their loyalties. You know, I think that people with an abundance of material things can also come to depend upon God alone too. They seem to be the ones who maintain the perspective that the things that they own are tools to be used not only for the support of themselves and their family, but also to help others who don’t have, and they share. Perhaps for them the pursuit of money is not the end goal, but a means to help. The point is that their faith, rich or poor, is placed in God and not things.

Showing preference undermines the second commandment. What does that say about your own faith? In the gospel, Jesus heals the daughter of a woman who is not an Israelite. Their dialogue raises some questions, especially about the way in which Jesus responds to the woman’s request. He sounds pretty harsh, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” seemingly implying that she is a, “dog.” This doesn’t sit well with us, for it is not consistent with the picture we have of Jesus. The woman, “bowed down at his feet,” then, “She begged him.” She came in a posture of supplication, and expressing her trust, her belief in Jesus’ ability to heal her daughter. She heard and believed. The proof of her belief was in her plea for her daughter, and in not allowing herself to be put off by Jesus’ harsh retort. Instead she took him on, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” Jesus says that for making that statement, her daughter was made well. What was the power of her statement?

The Syrophoenician woman, while seen as an outsider by the Jews, she was unwilling to allow that to prevent her from addressing her request to him. She saw in him One who had the power to grant what she requested, the healing of her daughter. This was a man who would take pity upon her and would reach out to help her. This was a person who would help without requiring payment, but simply because there was a need. This woman acted on her faith. It was not simply a creedal statement to her, but she acted on her belief.

The same situation prevailed in the healing of the man who was both deaf, and mute. Jesus, while seeking a place and time for respite, responds to another’s need for help, responding to the faith of those who brought the man to him. Jesus lets each know that their faith has been rewarded. Faith then is not simple an abstract thing, nor a creedal statement, but it is action. Action that exemplifies faith in God is action that emulates Jesus’ work and ministry. A person of faith does not expect that there will always be easy answers, so prepares themselves to endure. Endure difficulties, times of confusion, frustration, and disappointment. These are times that they are forced to turn back to God who can be of help. Jesus showed no preference in his treatment of people, but has a particular interest in those who are poor, in the most vulnerable, in those placed upon the disposable heap of society; those not in a position to defend themselves. Jesus made himself available to help and defend them. Attack, exploit, or ignore, or deny them and you are doing the same to God.

Like the faith demonstrated by this community each time it has been brought to your attention that there was someone in need, most recently, our Sextant, Herb and his family. It is the faith shown through the various ministries carried on through Grace Church. Sometimes it is frustrating, after all we are dealing with human beings, and we are not always the easiest of God’s creatures to work with, but there is joy as well in seeing the outpouring of love and support, for a family pained by the loss of one of its members, as for the Neally family in the loss of their son Drew. It is the Saturdays when some of our members are at Shepherd’s Table, setting up and serving our brothers and sisters in need of a wholesome meal. It is the innumerable Wednesdays and Thursdays that the boys and girls, and men and women come together to rehearse music that they may provide leadership to the community in raising praise and glory to God during worship. It is the continuing prayers for others who are sick, or confined in some way, or are confused about decisions that need to be made, or for those who are traveling.

The examples of faith are numerous here at Grace. But we can’t rest on our laurels or past behavior as the needs continue even now as we worship together this morning. So on this “reunion Sunday”, we also come to re-dedicate ourselves to the ministries of this community. Yes we are all busy people, so if not us, then who? In an attitude of faith we can ask God, in our prayers this morning, to guide us in our thinking. What are the priorities we must set for ourselves as a community? for ourselves and our families? How can we arrange our time so that we can not only meet our own personal needs, but find a ministry to which we can each commit for this new program year? All of those things that we want to see happen for the good of the community, those things that will support us all on our journey, requires that we each, without exception, be willing to help make it happen.

I had someone approach me to say that they needed to find a parish that was more involved in outreach. I indicated that they could certainly do that, but why go some place else rather than help to make it happen here at Grace? They acknowledged that they had not thought of it that way. I challenge each one of us to look at the things that we would like to see happen here at Grace for your own good and that of the community and then to go to the next step to say what can I do to help make it happen. Then I would hope that you would share your thought with someone else and see who else might join you in helping to deepen the expression of faith here at Grace. Our souls need ways to share our faith, not simply by our words, but through the actions we take, the attitude of generosity, support, and love we express for ourselves and for others. So, as James says in his letter to the Church, “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”

We cannot allow ourselves to be turned aside from our faith by the, “toughness,” of things, but like the Syrophoenician woman we must be undeterred by difficulties, but maintain our faith, that with God anything is possible. We have experienced this before, and will again. Today we don’t have all of the answers we may need, but we will find ones that will enable us to demonstrate our faith and accomplish those things that are important for our journey. As we search out the lessons from Jesus’ ministry we find that faith expressed in helping others in need, especially the poor, results in a good reputation, much like when Jesus helped others, who couldn’t help but tell others, though asked not to by Jesus; faith expressed by working for justice for each person, can bring peace and reconciliation for all.

So as we conclude the service this morning come on downstairs and in the brief liturgy in the undercroft, join in the prayer of dedication of ourselves to the ministry for the sake of the gospel and the building of the kingdom. We will also provide food for the nurture of our bodies and the building of our strength, as our fellowship nurtures our hearts and builds relationships. Finally, let our commitment, to our shared faith, nurture our spirits and build our community, while adding to the kingdom right here in Silver Spring.

Amen