Sunday, February 19, 2017

Our Values: Faith

(Indiana Jones' leap of faith)

Cameron Presbyterian Church engaged in a value-forming exercise at our Annual Congregational Meeting, and determined four values that will guide us in 2017: compassion & caring, faith, serving and support. Each Sunday in February, I will focus on one of these values.

February 12, 2017
Hebrews 11, Selected Verses

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered God faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

29 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. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.
32 And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection.

Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.


Sermon: “Our Values: Faith”
Hebrews 11, perhaps the greatest faith chapter in the Bible, rattles off many strong examples of faith: Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Sarah, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel. I’d like to add just one more to this list, a person whose faith inspires me: Indy.

That’s Indiana Jones, to be clear. (Just go with me here.) One of the most beautiful examples of faith I’ve come across is portrayed in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Let me set the scene for you a bit: Indy is searching for the Holy Grail before the Nazis can get it (as you do), but they arrive at the hidden place at the same time, and one of them shoots his father (the fabulous Sean Connery). Now, Indy must find the grail quickly, as it’s healing power is the only thing to save his persnickety dad.

After making it through the requisite booby traps, Indy must take what is called the “leap of faith.” He sees a wide chasm before him, with rocky cliffs on each side and no visible way across. One for whom faith never seems to come easily, he closes his eyes (perhaps in prayer), takes a deep breath, and then opens them as he takes a step into the void. And then he plummets downward, and the movie ends. No, he doesn’t! His feet land on solid rock – a path across the chasm that wasn’t visible before. Astounded, he walks across it, and then, as an afterthought, tosses a handful of sand behind him to mark the way for his return.

What a beautiful definition for faith: trusting God enough to step into the void, believing the path will become clearer with each step, and then looking back on your journey, and marking the path home, so you can find your way back again.

So faith, we see, is not made with our words or our quietly held belief systems. Faith is made in our actions; that step into the unknown. James put it another way: faith without works is dead.

Which is why all of these wonderful heroes of our faith – Abraham, Sarah, Enoch, Abel, Noah, Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and Rahab – are named in Hebrews 11. These weren’t people who prayed one prayer to God and called it faith. These were people whose faith was much, much bigger than that; it led them to do incredible things:

Giving of themselves for God.
Pleasing God, not through perfection, but through trust.
Building a boat to remind the human race that grace is real.
Setting out on an unknown journey to an unknown place.
Having a family very late in the game, in order to bless every family.
Standing up to a violent ruler’s edict with a simple basket in a river.
Passing through the waters and not being overcome by them.
Receiving the enemy in peace and breaking the power of violence, to save your household.
And so many others: conquering kingdoms, administering justice, obtaining promises, shutting the mouths of lions, quenching raging fire, winning strength out of weakness.

Each of these faithful teach us that faith is not a cozy feeling, or a political pawn, or a source of showy pride, or a golden get-out-of-hell-free card.

Faith is the gift from God that leads us to courageous action.

So, when we say that faith is a value of our church, we can only truly mean that when we do something. Take that step into the unknown. Trust that God knows the way when we don’t. And then, look back on our life together and scatter holy sand to remind us of how far we’ve journeyed with our Creator.

When was the last time we did something really, truly courageous for God? That’s the key question our faith should prod us to ask over and over again.

Do we believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, come down to earth to redeem us all? If so, then how have we acted as kinsman-redeemer to someone in need, showing that we believe God’s grace is made real in our incarnate compassion to the wanderer?

Do we believe we are created in God’s image and named very good in God’s sight? If so, then how have we practiced relentless goodness towards others in the face of political vitriol and heightened tension?

Do we believe the Holy Spirit dwells within us, nudging our feet onto unknown paths, and trust there is a way forward? If so, then how have we committed time every day to praying, discerning and listening to that Spirit’s call on our life and our church?

Do we believe the Bible is God’s living word to us, meant to lead us to deeper understanding of our God, this world and ourselves? If so, how have we lifted these words off this page and put them into practice in our own community?

Do we believe, like Rahab did, that the Lord our God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below? If so, then how are we partnering with God in bringing salvation to this messy earth, caring for its creatures and environment and seeing God’s hand in all of it?

Faith is not simply saying we believe, though perhaps that is a first step. Faith is doing something about that belief. May we have the courage of Abel to show suffering never wins in the end; of Enoch to please God; of Noah to survive when the world feels like it’s ending; of Abraham to entertain the possibility that God might surprise us; of Moses’ mother to defy violence with wild hope; of a wandering people to believe there is such a thing as a promised land; of Rahab to refuse to play by the rules of age-old conflict and hatred; and may we have the courage of Indiana Jones to take a step even when we’re not sure we believe there is a way.


Thanks be to the God who gives us the gift of faith, to the Redeemer who placed faith in us complicated human beings, and still does, and to the Spirit who nudges us forward with a holy mixture of relentless trust and reckless hope. Amen.

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