By Rev. Rhonda Pigott Thorndale
Hebrews 11: 1-3
Matthew 17: 14-20
How‘s your faith? And where is your faith? Two difficult questions to pin down in a short reflection. When I first started this reflection, I realized I had written 14 + pages… how I’m not sure. But you will be pleased to know I have downsized at least 75 %.
I struggle with my faith. Maybe you do too. I think all of us do to some extent and at sometime in our life. Sometimes I ask myself, is my mustard seed faith enough?
At other times, I really want to be like the disciple, Peter, to walk on water. I want to know it can be done. I want that assurance for the times, when the boat of my life is being battered by the waves, when the wind is against me, when I’m haunted by my ghosts. I want to walk on water. I want proof that Jesus, or the God Spirit, or whatever name you feel best with, is real and really present.
Take a moment to think about it? What would it mean or look like for you to walk on water?
There have been times in my life when I tried to manufacture faith or get more faith as if it were a thing to be amassed and possessed. The problem is that’s never works. I’ve asked myself do I need to pray or mediate long each day? Maybe I need to be like the kids I taught in a Catholic school, where there was a strong emphasis on prayer each day and Mass every Wednesday morning.
My faith and my understanding of what faith is has changed greatly over the years, yet there is still the residue of that childhood faith in the back of my mind.
When I was young, growing up in a Baptist church in Vancouver, I attended church events five out of seven days…Sunday school, junior choir, prayer meetings with my parents, Explorers then CGIT, and playing the piano or organ for Sunday morning service or Sunday School. I was taught that faith meant accepting and agreeing with ideas or concepts about God, that I was taught in Sunday School, Youth group and morning worship, even if it didn’t make sense or match my experience. Maybe you had a similar experience.
As a child, I sometimes associated faith with being good and well behaved, praying harder, learning more Scripture verses, believing the more was better. If I did this then God would certainly hear my prayers.
Faith was about my belief. But what if it’s just the opposite? What if faith is more about what the Divine believes about us than what we believe about the God Spirit within? Faith is a journey, not a destination. It's a path that winds and turns, leading us to places we never expected. As the writer of Hebrews says, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1). It’s that unexpected that sometimes scares us.
I used to think that faith meant living with absolutes and certainty… where there are no doubts or questions. Faith meant I was unsinkable. Today that feels more like fear and fundamentalism than faithfulness.
What if faith is the willingness and courage not to run away, not to try to prove something, but to continue showing up even when everything is being shaken to the core?
What would that kind of faith look like in your life today?
I ask that question because there are events, times, and seasons in each of our lives when everything we thought we knew or believed is called into question. The narrative of our life has been ruptured. We no longer know what we believe about God, life, or the world. We’re not sure where to place our trust or in what to hope for.
I wonder if faith is less about our beliefs and more about our actions? If it’s not so much about knowing the truth but about doing the truth?
All through the gospels Jesus demonstrates a reaching out kind of faith. He does it with the blind and deaf, the lame and lepers, Lazarus, the boy with seizures, that we read about today. Jesus is always reaching out to people who are in over their heads. You and me included. And more often than not, he does it through the actions of another.
Haven’t there been times when someone reached out to you when you needed a hand? Think about all the hands that have reach to each of us, - friends, family, and strangers. That’s part of faithfulness.
What would it be like for you and me to live a reaching out kind of faith today?
Offer a hand. Take a hand. Reach out in faith. But there is much more. I know my faith is a questioning faith.
In John Philip Newell, newest book, The Great Search, that has just been released, he included a chapter on faith. It is basically about a was a Scottish poet, Edwin Muir, who lived 1887-1959. During the early 20th century, he lost faith as he anticipated a collapse of the religion that he saw in our Western world. He eventually concluded that it wasn’t his faith in God that he lost, but his faith in the church that taught him about God, humanity and earth. Newell says “He developed faith in the light of the deep divine within every human being and life form.”
Edwin Muir was a messenger of faith to us, in statements in the light of the divine deep with every human being and life form. He invites us to remember our first experiences of light, glistening in earth, sea and sky, and in the eyes of those who love us and to pledge ourselves in faith to every human being and to the healing of Earth as our shared home.
Maybe faith is the willingness to show up and live with uncertainty in an ever-changing world. What if faith isn’t about having or even needing to have the answers but about asking better questions, deeper questions that help us discover meaning and live more wholeheartedly?
Perhaps that is what faith is like, examining the deep questions in our life today? What if doubts and questions aren’t failures of faith but prayers and invitations for the Spirit to offer a word of wisdom and guidance?
I’ve come to believe that faith, God’s belief in us, is the courage to deal with our fears. Faith will not, however, eliminate our fears. Instead, it shows us “that something is more important than what we fear.”
Letting go of our need to control and manipulate outcomes, and instead, listening to that still, small voice within for care and guidance, giving us a time to find peace and rest.
Having faith in God also means holding onto hope, expecting good outcomes, and trusting that God is working towards a positive future, even when our current circumstances seem bleak. This is what gives us the strength and preservation to stay optimistic in the face of adversity.
Faith involves loyalty and commitment. We can explore scripture, tradition, and sacred stories, connecting with God's wisdom, guidance, and truth, that can inform and inspire our lives.
By embracing our truest selves and exploring our deepest thoughts, feelings, and desires, we can discover God's presence within us, leading to a deeper sense of identity, purpose, and meaning.
I believe this God spirit resides within us; within each individual. It's the spark of the sacred that animates our lives, inspiring us to love, compassion, and kindness. Having faith in this inner presence
- Guides us towards our highest potential
- Whispers truth and wisdom in our hearts
- Inspires creativity, imagination, and innovation
- Fosters empathy, understanding, and connection with others
- Nudges us towards growth, transformation, and self-awareness
- Embraces us with unconditional love and acceptance .
This God spirit within us is not a separate entity but an integral part of our being, a reminder that we are never alone and always connected to something greater than ourselves. It's the source of our deepest longings, values, and aspirations, urging us to live a life that reflects our truest selves and highest purpose.
Through our relationships with others, we can experience God's love and presence, as we encounter kindness, compassion, and empathy that reflects the Divine. In the stillness of silence and contemplation, we can listen for God's gentle whisper, guidance, and wisdom, which can bring comfort, peace, and direction to our lives.
In faith we work towards justice and compassion, we embody God's spirit and presence, becoming instruments of love and transformation in the world. Faith is a courageous and curious journey, not a destination. It's a willingness to embrace the unknown, to question and seek answers, and to trust in the transformative power of love and grace. It is a conglomeration of many thoughts and questions.
Faith is a spark that ignites within us, guiding us to work towards justice, compassion, and kindness. It's a flame that flickers with doubt and uncertainty yet burns brightly with hope and resilience. Through faith, we're invited to co-create a world that reflects the divine values of equality, freedom, and beloved community, where all are welcome and valued.
May our faith be a beacon of hope in a world that often seems dark and uncertain. May we walk in faith, with courage and compassion, and may we make a difference in the lives of those around us.
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