BELIEF AND FAITH

Dr. Richard J. Henderson February 20, 2005

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Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
Genesis 1:1-4

Introduction

We're in Lent again. A week and a half ago we had the Ash Wednesday service when we put ashes on our foreheads and later washed them off. Maybe you have given up something for Lent.

This is a time of waiting - like Christmas but not as exciting - and hopefully not with as much shopping! Lent is a movement toward Easter. It, too, is a time of preparing, but without the glitz and glamour of Christmas. (People don't decorate their houses for Lent or go out and buy a tree). Lent is a more somber time. During this season, we talk about the death of a young man, rather than the birth of a baby.

I

Now roll back in history about 5000 years or so. God comes to Abraham and says, "Go from this land to a new land I will show you." That may sound like a new exciting adventure, and it could be. There's just one problem - Abraham is seventy-five years old.

The land he lives in is his homeland. This is his native country. It is the land of his family - his ancestors lived here. Abraham is old and settled. He's found the good life surrounded with family - his nieces, nephews, cousins. His family is here. Then God comes to him and says,

"Pull up stakes. Come with me." Abraham's first reaction might have been, "Are you kidding!"

God says, "I will make a great nation of you." You and I might respond, "Look, I'm seventy-five. I don't need a great nation - I need a rest. I've put in my time. You want me to begin a long journey - I think I've earned the right to a few years in the recliner with the remote! Besides, you want to make a great nation of me, but remember I don't have any children."

That's the kind of thing we might say, but Abraham packs a few important belongings and follows where God leads him.

II

Abraham's response is faith. That is trust. Abraham trusts God to lead him in the right direction. He trusts God's promise for a good new land. Our journey through Lent is a journey of faith. It is a time to center our attention on trust in God - on what God is asking us to do. During Lent we ask, "Where does God stand in my life?" How can I better serve God? What is God saying to me?

This season of Lent, the forty days before Easter (not counting Sundays), is a time to look at our faith. We allow God into our lives to a greater extent. We explore how we can trust more deeply in God. In Lent we focus on our faith.

III

Faith and belief are not the same thing. Belief is what I think about certain statements of my religion. Belief is agreeing with specific creeds. It is attesting to particular doctrines.

At a conference recently, one of the speakers pointed out how creeds grow with time. During Jesus' time and in the earliest church, people said, "Jesus is Lord." Just three words. The earliest written creed in the Christian Church is the Apostle's Creed. It is made up of one hundred ten words.

A couple of one hundred years later the Nicene Creed was developed. It contains two hundred twenty six words. The Nicene Creed contains unusual phrases like, "light of light, very God of very God, begotten not made..." It is obvious even to those who don't know the history of this creed that it is arguing against some beliefs and for others. The Presbyterian Confession of 1967 is ten pages long! It seems the further we go along in history the more specifically we need to define our beliefs. Beliefs are statements about our religion that we agree to. Saying creeds is very different from trusting in God.

When God called Abraham, he didn't ask him to agree to a creed, he asked him to pick up his belongings and follow. When Jesus called his disciples, he didn't give them a creed and say - "do you believe in all of this?" Instead, he said come with me - follow me. They got up, left everything, and followed him.

Beliefs about our Christian religion are important. We hold to them dearly; but saying yes to a creed isn't the same as trusting our lives in God's hands. Creeds are a lot easier.

During this season of Lent, as you look at your relationship with God, explore your own level of faith. How much do you trust God - especially in relationship to how much you trust yourself.

How can we be more open to God? How can we let go of trying to control our lives, and let God lead us?

IV

I want to recommend silence as one way we can open ourselves to God. We all need to have times of quiet and reflection. We can't always be busy - even doing church things. We need time to stop, pray, and listen to God.

I encourage you to set aside times for prayer - a time to "Be still and know that I am God." Allow some time in your life when you are specifically open to the presence of God.

In our prayers in addition to speaking, we can listen. Leave open some time so that God can speak thru that silence, or through your conscience, or through the odd coincidences that happen in your life.

We all need some time to reflect on what is happening in our lives, and what God may be calling us to do. Silence allows us to hear what God may be saying.

Conclusion

Some married couples, just before their anniversary each year, make an appointment with a marriage counselor. It's not that their marriages are in trouble, just the opposite; they want to be sure that they don't get in trouble. The appointment with the counselor is to review the state of their marriage. They talk about the concerns they may have with each other, as well as the joys they share together. They make sure they are communicating well. They deal with potential difficulties before they become serious problems. These appointments are to keep their relationship strong.

Lent can be something like that for you and me. During this time we look at our relationship with God. We explore ways we could do more to strengthen our commitment to God. Take advantage of these days to build your friendship with God. Take this time to listen to what God may be saying to you.

Amen.

©Richard J. Henderson 2005