Living by Faith

I know that a blog space is not actually preaching space. But I want to reflect on some of the material I have been preaching lately.

This "Living by Faith" series of sermons we have shared this fall demands to be taken seriously. It is impossible to preach this material and keep it at arms length. Some sermons are 007 sermons—they leave you shaken but not stirred. This material stirs me at least to think two thoughts that call for response.

There's the "by faith" part. Time magazine ran a cover story recently asking the existence of God question. I love it when the believers take on the unbelievers. Both sides rally all their facts. They run out their arguments to the end of the logical cul-de-sacs they both live on. One side ends with eternal matter; the other ends with eternal Spirit. Both positions require faith. Believing in eternal matter takes one's mind to the same precipice that believing in eternal Spirit does—with one great exception. Matter doesn't care about itself. But in the Judeo-Christian view, the Eternal Spirit from which all things came, come and will come loves the creation. We have faith in this God.

"By faith" takes us into a different world than the merely sensual one or the philosophically skeptical one. The "by faith" world is rich with promise and paradox. The "by faith" world aches for the fulfillment of the work of God. In this world we live in the atmosphere of the Father, the Son and the Spirit. Nothing is trivial. In every success and failure, God works to bless his children and call the world to himself. The world is no wound, abandoned watch. The world displays form and life that moment by moment draws its vitality and shape from God. Our faith tells us: this is our Father's world.

I have not been able to shake the overwhelming sense of "God-with-ness" surrounding my life and ours together in Christ. Maybe we are called to bear with-ness to the world. The God who is and who made all things is with us. Not one shred of our life takes place outside his presence and influence.

The second part of this is the "living" part. The very idea that faith can be or needs to be lived out strikes me as odd sometimes. Perhaps it is the Greek in all of us who whispers to me that the truly important things in the world are conceptual. We think about, muse over, reflect on, ruminate about the significant stuff. Why isn't that enough? Why do we have to mar a perfect concept like grace with the ugly and fitful way we are called to receive it and give it to others. Why is love something if you give it away? Why isn't it more to hold it and think about the elegance of love in the abstract?

I guess that is the point isn't it? God doesn't give a flip about the concept of himself or about the ideas floating around in our heads. For out of God's essence came the cry, "Create! Let there be…!" Out of his nature came not only promises but fulfillment after fulfillment. Our God acts. Our God doesn't just exist; He lives and works. He is love and the Lover. He expects the same dynamic engagement from us. Ideas turn to energy. Wonder calls for will and work. We are called to live by faith.

The greater reality is faith reality. The greater task is living faith out in the grit and gristle. Live by faith.