(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. 2 Indeed, by faith
our ancestors received approval. 3 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.
8 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. 9 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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