Our scripture lesson is from Romans 4.13-25 the importance of faith.
13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.
15For the law brings wrath; but where there is
no law, neither is there violation. 16 For this reason it depends on faith, in
order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his
descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share
the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17as it is written,
‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become ‘the father of many nations’, according to what was said, ‘So numerous shall your descendants be.’
19He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. 20No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
22Therefore his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ 23Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him’, were written not for his sake alone, 24but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
Faith. It is a good thing! Faith is an honorable thing. Faith is a foundation on which our lives are built. Faith is the solid ground on which our communities are stabilized. Faith is the anchor that secures us during the storms of life. Faith gives us courage to get up in the morning, put one foot in front of the other and make it through another day.
When we put our faith in God as a guide, we are given no
guarantees that God will take us everywhere we want to go. What we do know is
that there will be incomprehensible peace in every valley. There will be
comfort and kindness in our afflictions. There will be infusions of joy, from
time to time, unspeakable joy to drown out our sorrows. There may even be
miracles that make up for our messes.
When we look back and wonder how we got over to the other side
of our troubles, we will also see that we are not alone. Goodness and mercy have
been following us all the days of our lives.
Even when we have had no clue as to how a story would end, we have
hoped against hope that things would work out just the way we want them to. Still,
no matter which way things go, Romans 8 tells us that all things work together
for good for those who love God and are called according to God’s purpose. As
Christians, WE ARE called according to God’s purpose, for God
always has a purpose and a plan that is more precise, perfect and precious than
we can imagine!
Abraham believed God promised to make him the father of many
nations. He had faith in that promise even when he may not have seen himself as
anybody’s father, physically or spiritually. The promise was fulfilled, not
because he followed the laws of righteousness. He did not become the father of
many nations because he did not drink, smoke, lie, steal, or cheat. He was no
more perfect than any other person. He passed the test of righteousness and he
received the promise because he held onto his faith in God. Verse 22 says “his
faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.”
He believed God was going to do what God said God was going to
do. He did not know how, he did not know when, but he kept on walking with God
and waiting for God and submitting his will to God until he became the father
that God promised he would become. When he fell down, he got up, dusted his
doubts away, and kept the faith long enough to make it to the next time he
would hear a word or experience a situation that convinced him to keep on
trusting.
In time, through his son Isaac, Abraham became the father of the
nation of Israel. Through his son Ishmael, Abraham became the father of the
Muslim nations. As an ancestor of Jesus, Abraham became the father of
Christians around the world.
Not many looking at Abraham and Sarah would have expected them
to produce much. Faith is not limited to what we can see on the outside. As 2
Corinthians 5 says, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”
The circumstantial evidence surrounding God’s promises to us is
not always in God’s favor. As we are preparing for good news, bad news may come
and shock us. When we are at the hospital or on the highway hoping for life,
death may stop us in our tracks. Just when we are looking to a higher standard,
the Church does not always practice what it preaches. In spite of repeating the
Lenten journey every year, Christians do not always do the right thing or
repent of the wrong thing. However, God is God in spite of the Church. And we
are still the Church in spite of ourselves.
So, then, why do we even bother to keep the faith? What makes us
show up to services and YouTube and Zoom and give our dollars, and sacrifice
ourselves for missions and fundraisers that keep heat in the building and the
parking lot plowed, not to mention the extra bonus you give to Bethel staff?
Does God really show up when only two or three are gathered in
his name? Have YOU found a friend in Jesus, all your sins and griefs to bear?
Have you seen those showers of blessings that people talk about? When did you
last sing with enthusiasm, “Victory is mine?”
We know the answer is, yes. Yes. God really shows up when only
two or three are gathered in God’s name. Yes, we have found a friend in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear. Yes, we have seen showers of blessings and
sung “Victory today is mine.”
We have a faith worth keeping because it is a faith with the
greatest of all commandments: Love one another. We have a faith worth keeping
because it is a living faith. Our savior is alive in our hearts and active in
our lives. We have a faith worth keeping because it is a faith that gives us new
life that resurrects us though sin has crucified us.
We show up because we believe God. We have faith that God is
going to do what God promised to do – to love us, lead us, guide us, and
somehow, some way fulfill a wonderful purpose and plan in our lives. We know
and we believe that there is still plenty of evidence in God’s favor. We as the
church are, in essential ways, practicing what we preach, and as Christians, we
are repenting of the wrong and we are doing plenty of the right things. Can I
get an “Amen!”
Some days, like it was for Abraham in verse 18, faith is a
struggle. We hope against
hope. We hope when we see little reason to hope. We still show up. We still
sing God’s praises. We still express our gratitude. We still take our time to
reflect and meditate in our six-week Lenten journey toward Easter.
The French and Spanish word for Lent is “slow.” This season of
Lent is a good time to slow our roll, to relax and let God’s presence soak deep
down into our hearts, our minds, and our very souls. It is the time to wait and
to listen.
Our faith is worth waiting for, worth nurturing. It is worth keeping, and by keeping the faith, we become the neon sign
to the world that God is good all the time and all the time God is good. For faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. We may not see from a distance into the future to all the good that God has in mind for us, but our faith is a signal that something good is on the way.
Our faith is a valuable asset and worth sharing with our family,
friends and neighbors. As verse 23 reminds us, the promises to the faithful
were not only for Abraham, but for all of us who believe. In as much as we care
about good things being in the lives of others, we want to share the riches of
our faith in our circle of influence.
As I said earlier, faith is a good thing! Faith is an honorable
thing. Faith is a foundation on which our lives are built. Faith is the solid
ground on which our communities are stabilized. Faith is the anchor that
secures us during the storms of life. Faith gives us courage to get up in the
morning and put one foot in front of the other and make it through another day.
We need our faith.
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The
New York Times reported this week : Ten years ago, a deadly
infectious disease killed more than 36,000 Americans. The next year, it killed 12,000 more. And
over each of the following eight
years, the same disease caused between 22,000 and 62,000 deaths. |
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That disease is influenza — also
known as the flu — and it ranks among the 15 leading causes of death in the
United States. Like the flu
and other diseases, Covid is here to stay. The only way we can endure times
like these is by holding on to each other as we hold on to our faith. Our
faith sustains us, assuring us that we have all we need to get by. No matter
what our heartache may be, God is greater and bigger than our worst troubles.
We need to have
faith in the inexpressible, the inexplicable, the seeming impossible. We need
to always remember that we serve a creating God who as verse 17 says “gives
life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.” Our
faith in God will see us through until we can see with our own eyes and hear
with our own ears the wonderful things that are prepared for us. Our faith
can calm our hearts and change our circumstances. As John Wesley once said: "Give me a hundred men who love nothing
but God and hate nothing but sin, and I will shake the whole world for
Christ." Yes. God’s people change the world and make it a better place
for those who need it most. The Apostles
summed it up in the Creed that says: I believe in God, the Father
almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only
Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin
Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended
to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From
there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of
sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. My last point is regarding the Pew Research Center, a think tank that encourages dialogue about many issues and trends that reflect our attitudes and our faith. The center has over 160 staff members and their president Michael Dimock  is a political scientist. Pew has done a lot of surveys around views of Republicans and Democrats, for example. They noticed that at a certain point, people did less talking about their candidates and more whispering. Interesting. Pew data on religion indicates that there is great benefit to exercising our faith by being active in the church. The have fond that it brings health and happiness. Yes. Even the researchers know that faith is a good thing. May
we hold onto our faith tight enough that others can share it, too. Holy God, our faith looks up to you, you
who had the foresight to give your all as a lamb led to be sacrificed at
Calvary. Now hear us while we pray. Take all our guilt away. Let us from this
day be wholly thine. In the midst of deep sorrows and the callousness and
chaos of Covid, have mercy upon us and deliver us we pray. With all our heart
and mind we give you thanks for you have not forsaken us nor forgotten us,
nor left us empty-handed. To you be all the honor and the glory as we pray as
you taught the disciples. Our father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. May
the God who can, make us new! Next
week we go to Psalm 42 and our Bishop Peggy Johnson will bring a message
entitled “Observing A Long Lent.” If you would like to make your contribution to the great ministry and mission of Bethel, the website is  Or you can send it to 952 Bethel Church Road, Spring City, Pa. 19475.  God bless you! |
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