The sermon text is below the sermon video.
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https://zionepiscopal.com/Sermon%20Videos/ninth-sunday-after-pentecost-8-7-2022.html
Sermon preached at Zion Episcopal Church, Washington NC
Sunday August 7th 2022
The Reverend Alan Neale
“Can God Be Trusted?”
Last week, I talked in the sermon about the importance of embracing paradox in our lives. I want to add three brief comments: #1 The love of God accepts and transforms (now that’s a glorious paradox to embrace, isn’t it?). #2 Here’s a fun paradox… I drove home expecting a surprise, when I got there, there was no surprise… now, that surprised me! Paradox! And 3. (Romans 5:8) God shows his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (sweet paradox of salvation and redemption). So be kind to one another, to yourselves as God, with paradoxical grace, is kind to us.
And so to today’s sermon. Title “Can God be trusted?”. Text “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but from afar they saw and greeted them” (Hebrews 11:13).
People get ready, there’s a train a comin’
You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board
All you need is faith, to hear the diesels hummin’
Don’t need no ticket, you just thank the Lord
So people get ready, for the train to Jordan
Picking up passengers coast to coast
Faith is the key, open the doors and board ’em
There’s hope for all, among those loved the most.
Curtis Mayfield wrote this song in 1965, he commented, “I must have been in a very deep mood of that type of religious inspiration when I wrote that song.”
He writes, “All you need is faith” and “faith is the key”. But what is faith? The word can be used in different ways. First, there is “the faith”. This is the faith that we declare in our Creeds, this is the faith that is expressed in what I believe is the earliest creed ever (I Corinthians 12:3 and Romans 10:9) “Jesus is Lord”. Just two words in Greek “Iesous Christos”… but so very, very expressive for they speak of the humanity and divinity of Christ, his vocation to save and rescue us and our responsibility to follow and obey. This “faith” is passed down from generation to generation, the very meaning of tradition. It is this “faith” that transformed the frightened and confused disciples into courageous and conspicuous disciples for Jesus; it is this faith that propelled the church from Jerusalem to Galilee, to Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the world. It is this “faith” that comforts us in time of doubt, and enlightens us in time of darkness.
“The Faith”. But then we speak of people being “faithful”, meaning we can put our trust in them. Such people are reliable and dependable. Matthew 25:23 “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.” And Acts 6:5 “They chose men full of faith and of the Holy Spirit”.
So… The Faith, Being Faithful and then… Exercising Faith (like a muscle) (*Roy Jeremiah) and here we speak of those who are capable and able to trust others, to put their faith in another and supremely in God. Today’s Epistle Hebrews 11:8 “By faith… Abraham obeyed and set out… not knowing where he was going”. “By faith… Abraham received the power of procreation though he was too old and Sarah was barren.”
This is the sort of faith that moves us forward, presents us with promises. It is nourished by the faith, it is more easily experienced by those who know what it is to be faithful… but it propels to move, to look forward.
So you see… there’s faith as foundational and there’s faith in motion. Yes, “we stand on the promises of Christ” but faith also is a dynamic force, it propels us forward and thus grows deeper.
Today’s passage from Hebrews 11 reminds us that faith is sometimes a struggle and is always a process.
It was no easy task for Abraham to leave country and kindred, his father’s house to go not only to a strange land but a land about which he knew very little. England to South Dakota in 1988; Newport, Rhode Island to Washington, North Carolina in 2021 – not comparable with Abraham’s move but not altogether dissimilar!
It was a struggle for Abraham and Sarah to have faith that God would give them a child. Abraham makes the mistake of trying to help God a little by having sex with his servant Hagar; and Sarah just bursts out laughing (so much she cries) when she hears the angelic message. For this reason, they name their son Isaac/Laughter!
And, friends, consider the personal and emotional thrashing as Abraham, in faith, prepares to sacrifice his only and early beloved son Isaac. Isn’t that one of the most poignant questions when Isaac asks, “Father, I see the wood… but where is the sacrifice?”.
Notable saints as the missionary Oswald Sanders and the nun Mother Theresa – all have long and hard with struggle in their faith and its journey.
Remember our text? “Each of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it?. Hebrews 11:13-16 (The Message).
This past week, Wendy told me of the four siblings that had died in the Kentucky floods. I responded immediately, “Can God be trusted?”.
“Can God be trusted?” – surely this was asked by Abraham and Sarah and the other “faith heroes” in chapter 11.
“Can God be trusted?” – surely this was asked by the people of Israel (Isaiah 2_ as they heard words of forgiveness and cleansing , promises of being white as snow, coming from the mouth of a sometimes harsh and righteous God.
“Can God be trusted” – and surely this was asked by disciples urged to sell possessions and give alms? Asked by those in today’s Gospel (Luke 12) who are told be ready, be prepared for the master’s return?
Yes, God can be trusted. We gather here to encourage one another… (a resounding yes, a constant yes, a deep-throated yes)…
And our response will be louder, more confident, more constant as we reflect on THE FAITH, grow as faithful and responsible people and practice our faith muscles day by day.
Friends, it is imperative that we spend time with people of faith and this we do as we read Holy Scipture, biographies of saints and talk to one another of our own faith journeys.
And, forgive me …. As I trespass just a verse on next week’s reading from Hebrews 12:1-3 “12 1-3 Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Keep your eyes on. Study how he did it —that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
Making us people of God! People of faith! Amen