Over the month of October we are going to explore the theme of faithfulness. Faithfulness is a very important topic for the church since it is one of the foundational missions that we are tasked with doing. Unfortunately, discussions on Faithfulness in the church are incredibly difficult. I know that is a surprising thing to say, but there are many reasons for this.
The difficulty with discussions on faithfulness lies with the fact that the word itself means vastly different things to every individual. Thus, the fact that we don’t even start in the same place makes it virtually impossible to ever hold a thorough discussion. When I was working on my Doctorate, I recognized that in addition to having vastly different understandings of the word itself, many people had a fear of talking about faith because they were afraid that they might be judged poorly. Some had even experienced times when they had been kicked out of church or their communities because they shared an unpopular faith story. The problem of being human is that we have egos. The ego is actually a good survival mechanism, but the ego also lets us think that we have the exclusive answer or that our way is the only way. The problem with that when it comes to faith is that every person who lives in this world, even kids in the same family, live in different realities. This means that everyone experiences life a little differently. This also means that everyone experiences faith a little differently. Therefore, if one person was to conform to another person’s faithfulness, fundamentally they would most likely be missing major components and understandings to faith. For me, I can understand why and how people can find it incredibly spiritual to sit in silence, but for me on a personal level, silence is not a spiritual exercise in my life. Now, there are various reasons for that, the biggest being that I spend so much of my life in silence that the practice of silence is not rewarding, especially when I am around other people. That does not mean that there is anything wrong or bad about it! It just does not work for me. Though for a large percentage of people, silence is the most important part of their faith development and expression. When I listen to the experiences when people talk about a disciplined silent meditation, I am often in awe, and while my experiences are different, I can see how their witness to God in silence is like my witness of God while I am biking or swimming and can feel and know God is present. This is why when we enter into discussions and explorations into faithfulness we have to do so with an understanding of our own bias, and when people share about their faith, we can accept and understand how they see themselves connected with God. As we enter into a month of exploring faithfulness, I do so not to give a prescription for how to be faithful, but to give you tools by which you can discern faith or maybe tools that will help you to find a new ways to connect with your faith. Please join us for worship at the 10:30 AM service over the month of October to explore your Faithfulness. Yours in Christ, Bryan
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One of the coolest celebrations in the church that I know of is the World Communion Sunday. While it is not a “High Holy Day,” it is a recognition day helping us to realize that when we take communion we are doing so with people all over the world. This is incredibly important in the life of the church because it reminds us that we are not alone, that our congregation is part of a bigger Christian experience.
Often in churches, even in connectional traditions like ours, it is easy to forget that our way is not the only way and our expression of faith is not the only expression. Understanding this makes all the difference in the world when it comes to our faith development because it helps us to see that we are not the lone beacon of Christ, merely another expression of it. When we take time to recognize this, we begin to open ourselves up to a more full picture of God’s presence in the world, in our church, and in ourselves. Think when we take the bread this Sunday, churches all around the world are doing the same thing. And though the languages and some of the words used may be different, each celebration is a true expression of God’s Grace and compassion in this world. Only when we accept that we are part of a larger movement and expression of faith can we begin to be fully inclusive of God and each other. You see, we cannot accept others if we cannot accept that they may have a vastly different but equally legitimate understanding of God. When we accept this fine point we begin to walk through our faith journey humbly accepting that our way is good but not the only way. I often joke that the unique thing about Presbyterian theology and approach to leadership is that in any discussion we have to check ourselves and admit that we are not going to be right. We are also called to enter with open minds, ready to accept that others may have a legitimate answer. Thus, when we act as a church it is not to come up with the absolute right answer, but to seek the best answer for the situation at hand, since the needs and the people are always changing, making what is right and what is wrong ever-changing too. By accepting that our way is not perfect, we begin to open ourselves to a better understanding of the vastness of God, allowing our relationship with God to grow stronger. The truth that there is no true or perfect expression of faith, helps us to learn to accept and grow in our own expression, since that calls us to be open to new realities and understandings that help us to grow closer to God. Think about it this way. If you were taught about faith as a child and that is the same faith you have today as a full grown adult, that faith would not be sufficient to sustain you through all that life held because the context of your life would require a deeper and more nuanced faith. This change in an understanding of God can only come from the influences of others, and while you do not necessarily change the underlying trust in Jesus Christ, you do change how your faith is applied within your life. This is really important to helping us to grow deeper in faith. While this is something we should remember every time we take communion, we set this Sunday aside to be a special one to bring us back to the humble reality that we are just one part of the vast body of Christ, and when we accept and recognize that place, we become something more and begin to live into what it means to be a Christian in this world. In Christ, Bryan 2 Timothy 1:1-14
Luke 17:5-10 My story of faith begins with the luck of being born into a family of Faith. In many traditions throughout Christendom, an emphasis is made on people coming to believe later in life. While learning about God and converting to faith is a hallmark of the Christian experience, that is not how everyone comes to faith; like me, I was born into it, and throughout my life I knew I had an uniquely Christian life. I can say that there have been many times in my life where my faith has been challenged and others where it has been strengthened. But all in all I accept that my faith is something that I have received as a gift, just as I received my Birth into a loving family a gift. This is my reality. I say this as we prepare for worship this Sunday because the texts explore the difference between Faith and Faithfulness. Both of the passages we explore this Sunday talk about faith in terms of its relationship to Christ, i.e. the faith we hold, we hold because Christ: 8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. [1] If faith and subsequently salvation is given to us in Christ, then Faithfulness is how we express and live out this relationship. In Luke 17:5–10, the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith. Fundamentally, what the disciples get wrong is a very basic understanding in the teachings of Christ in that you either have faith, or you don’t. It is one of the few clear declarations Christ makes in his teachings. This makes faith foundational, as well as changing. This is where faithfulness enters in: Faithfulness is how we live out the faith and let that faith transform us. When we forget that our faith does not grow by our own works and hard efforts, we become lost to an understanding of God’s grace. When we lose that understanding, we often find ourselves floundering within disbelief, among other things. This is why faithfulness is important. When we live a faithful life we stretch to become in touch with that faith that is in our core and begin to recognize how that gift of faith has changed over time. As you prepare your heart for worship this Sunday ask yourself: Was there a particular time when your faith weakened? Can you recall a time when the strength of your faith helped you endure? God often uses special people in our lives to help us grow in faith and understanding. Who has helped you grow in faith? The passage that we are going to use is from 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. This is the passage that looks at the gathering of believers as a body, specifically the Body of Christ. This was the first passage I ever preached on back when I was in college, so it holds a special place in my heart. It has also been a formative passage in my ministry, because it serves as a reminder that we all have a certain role to play and witness to give.
The image of the body is central in the later writing of Paul. This seems to come from the experience of the issues that the local congregations are having. Essentially a fight to see who would be the head, who would be in charge. Within the fight, the message of Christ would get lost to power plays and mortal decisions. Another problem the churches faced was the lack of recognition for gifts of the people assembled, making the congregations weak and unable to connect with other new converts. This is true even in the church today. While it is unfortunate, we also have a tendency to let the fight over who is “right” or in charge, take over the message from faithfulness to Christ. When we do this and we step back, we often find that the problem lies in an understanding that there is a singular way that we could or should come to faith. Moreover, there is also an understanding that parallels that, in that everyone should have the same experience. While this particular approach is very successful for some churches growing in membership and finances, historically, ministry models that force people to ascribe to “fundamentals” or “core values” are often short-lived because they are not able to sustain faith through life’s problems as they arise. This is the reason that most of those traditions last only one-two generations, and why every time the Roman Church cracked down on “orthodoxy” we see a rebellion or split. The problem lies within the fact that the answers often given are devoid of the reality of individual expression. They also allow for little to no room to question and grow. By accepting others and being the body we have to humble ourselves. When we do this we begin to realize new realities. We also begin the process of understanding theology that is vastly different than our own. While we may never adopt those theologies, the exploration of them helps us to see and grow in our understanding of God and subsequently our faith. The problem that we have as people is learning to accept that we are all different from one another. Once we do that, we can begin to build the body to be fully representative of Christ, recognizing the need and diversity of all who are called to be faithful. Looking to those who are gathered to accentuate the gifts they bring rather than working to fit them into a mold of what we expect. To embody this, we are going to change up the service a little. I am asking that everyone bring a slice or piece of Bread that represents you. To help with understanding what I mean by bread, here is the definition to work from: A kind of food made of flour or meal that has been mixed with milk or water, made into a dough or batter, with or without yeast or other leavening agent —From dictionary.com I really want you to think hard about this because we are going to do something really special with all of the bread we receive. |
AuthorRev. Dr. Bryan James Franzen Archives
September 2018
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