Faith....caught or taught?

Bishop Lee Miller once remarked that the faith is caught as much as it is taught.

It just isn't inherited.

It is passed from one to the other.  From your grandmother's stories to your mother's singing.  From your good friend who invited you to come and see to that neighbor who brought you a meal when you were ill.  You learn it by painting a stranger's front porch or by worshipping with thousands. 

Jesus told the disciples to "Go" and "Tell".....otherwise how would we have ever heard?  Paul asks that very question, 'How will they hear if someone isn't out there telling others about Jesus?' (obviously paraphrased). 

Now it would be easy to hand off this work to the professional clergy, and as a member of the professional clergy it is clearly my responsibility to share God's good news in Jesus.  But before I was ordained, I was baptized.....and so were you.  You were made a part of this great and unfolding story of reconciliation and forgiveness.  You have tasted the power of God's presence and wondered at the impossibilities that faith just naturally highlights.  You.  YOU!  Us, together.

It's not about understanding it all.  It's not about some fancy explanation.  It starts with, "this is what I have come to know" and continues with "this is what I am still wrestling with" and then ends with "come and explore this amazing God with me."

See?  You can do it.  There are saints out there waiting for you.

Believers? Members?

What would it look like if we thought of ourselves as a community of believers instead of members of a congregation?  Believers instead of members.

It's a question that someone else raised, and I think it is a very good one.

How would we change if we thought of ourselves differently?  Would our focus shift?  If we held our faith in our Lord Jesus as the center, the yardstick by which all things were measured, would we be making different decisions?

Would we simply let go of some things because they weren't really important in light of God's call to faith in Jesus?  Would we put our energy into different activities.......call them ministries if you will?
Would we see things we now love as obstacles to living a faithful life of discipleship?

What if we thought of ourselves first as believers?  Would the differences between us fall into the background because of the Christ who joined us together in one body?

This is one great question that challenges us to think through our values, our practices, even our opinions!  It might reveal some of our fears, our prejudices, even our blind spots.  I'm thinking about this and including it in my prayers.

And I am very thankful for the one who raised the question in the first place.  Well done!

A difficult beginning...........

Today is a day when I am sure that I have little to contribute.

No, it's really worse than that.

Today is a day when I am oppressed by the thought that what I have to contribute is no longer needed, wanted, nor valuable.

Yep, it's that kind of day. Know what I mean?

I think I need to read a good murder mystery.  Not the gory kind, but the kind that has roots in reality but doesn't hit you over the head with it.  (What a ridiculous statement: murder is about as real as it can get.  But you know what I mean.)

I think I need to listen to a good sermon (here's hoping that today's worship at the seminary provides that).  Or some pastoral care.  Or......I'm not sure, but I know I need something.  Because today it is difficult to believe......

Perhaps if I go to a quiet place, hunker down and allow the Spirit to move around me, I will discover what I am meant to discover.  Perhaps away from all the demands (well, not all the demands.  I brought a whole pile of demands along with me to work on this week) I can allow the light room to enter. Perhaps trick or treat with my grandson.

Perhaps if I simply take a nap......

So prayers are sought for today.

Not just for me, but for everyone who seeks the comfort of the Spirit this day.

Everyone who is a bit overwhelmed. 

Lost. Sorrowful. Disconnected. Struggling. Cold. Hungry.

Prayers for all of us.

"Lord we cry to you in our distress.

        Make haste to help us O Lord."

Formed in the faith

Faith formation.  It's the latest term for Christian Education, but truthfully, it goes way beyond education.....and it happens in every nook and cranny of our congregations, both in the building and out.

"Faith formation" sums up our formation as Christians from the first moment the water touched our brows to today.  When we started, wet from the font, what did we know about living a Christian life?  We didn't know the stories of the faith, so someone taught us.  We didn't know how to pray, so we memorized the Lord's Prayer and maybe a table grace.  We didn't know how to do acts of sheer kindness and grace so others brought us along and showed us the way.

All along the way our faith was being formed.  Faith is living, breathing, and moving.  Faith seeks God's hand in the ordinary and recognizes God's hand in the miraculous.  Faith learns more, prays regularly, joins with other believers in worship, and shares the table with God's beloved.

Our faith is formed through practice, in the rituals of the church, in conversation with other people of faith and on the front lines of everyday life.  Our faith also forms the faith of others.

What a responsibility.  What a joy.  How are you being formed today?  Who are you shaping in the Christian life?

Because that's what love does.......

God created the world out of love. God sent Jesus to us sorry creatures out of love.  Jesus went to all the suffering places....our bodies, our minds, our hearts, our communities, our relationships...because that is what love does.  Where there is suffering, love goes there.  Where there is injustice, love goes there.  Where children are being abused, love goes there.  Stands there, alongside the suffering, just as Jesus stands alongside of us.  Jesus' love scoops us up, carries us through dangerous waters, and leads us into new life.

Now what do we do with all this, we who claim to follow Jesus, are we walking into the suffering places with the love of Jesus? Are we telling others how this love of Jesus works in our lives? Are we inviting others to taste and see the glory of life in God?

It's our turn now.  Where are you taking the love of God today?