"Faith"
May 5, 2021
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
These past fourteen months have been a challenge. But the one thing that has sustained me through all the setbacks, revisions to the revisions, even the attacks has been my faith. Literally the word “faith” means a trust and a confidence in God. Faith means a trust in the Lord’s help in times of distress. Faith is a belief, trust, and confidence in the nearness of God. And this rock is an appropriate reminder of what faith can do.
If you look closely you will see it is placed in the picnic pavilion at Bellamy Church. The rock is meant for this place because we worship here now on Sundays. In the safety of the open air we can gather, worship, and sing. And the wind does blow and my sermon notes do fly! So this gift will serve to remind me of the journey of faith that led to our overcoming the challenges of the pandemic, of never losing our faith, and now worshiping together as a community. It took faith to get here. It will take faith to stay here. And I have faith that this stone will keep my sermon in front of me instead of in Ben’s corn field.
When Paul writes to the Ephesian Church he is instructing and reminding them of the sufficiency of faith. It does not come as a result of anything we do or earn. Faith is a gift of grace, just as Jesus is a gift of grace. And so gentle reader, today let us ponder and celebrate the gift that is our faith. And let us attend to the gift. Let us pray. Let us study the Holy Bible. Let us engage in acts of compassion and grace. Let us live as people of faith! The season of Easter is our time to celebrate resurrection and hope. The season is also a time to prepare for the promised Holy Spirit. Our Faith is our companion on our journey. Let’s take the time to ensure our faith is strong, the Lord is near!
PRAYER: Gracious God thank you for hearing our prayers. And thank you for confirming our faith. Even in challenging seasons we know you are there. Increase our faith that we might share your Good News to those we meet. In Christ’s Holy Name we pray. Amen.