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SERMON
This is now the third week that we will be letting the daily question
from our Alpha course give us a starting direction for our time in
scripture. Today's question… How can I be sure of my faith? It is
not an easy question… perhaps we should begin with prayer.
This last Wednesday, about midnight, I sat in quiet awe and watched as a
healthy Montana thunderstorm swept overhead. I was outside on the porch
swing of my little camp cabin, and from my vantage point overlooking
Flathead Lake, I had a perfect view of the storm as it smashed against
the distant Mission Mountain Range. The rain was pouring down so hard
that it bounced off the ground and the trees to form a shower-like mist
that enveloped the whole camp. Overhead, the wind whipped the trees into
a hissing frenzy. But what was most awe-inspiring was when the lightning
struck the shoreline across the lake. I could mark each searing bolt as
it made its way from heaven to earth. Each bolt three times the
temperature of the sun's surface. Each bolt with enough electrical
energy to power this entire nation for that instant. There would be
silence for several seconds after the flash, almost long enough for me
to doubt that I had actually seen it, though the image that remained on
my retinas told me I certainly had. And then the sound would wash over
me… a low, rumbling sound that made my very bones vibrate at its power.
I sat on the porch swing and I felt very, very small. One can feel very,
very small when one's eyes are opened to the breathtaking, magnificent,
incomprehensible vastness of God's creation around us.
And that is, in some sense, just what our question today deals with. For
as we look at the immensity of God's creation, and the enormity of God's
power and the extent of God's creativity, it can be a hard thing to
think that somehow we would be important enough for God to even notice
us, let alone for God to send his only, beloved Son to die for us.
And yet, when we look closely at the creation around us, I think it
becomes pretty obvious that God not only notices us in the midst of all
this glory that surrounds us, but that God designed all of that glory
for us in the first place. I could spend a couple dozen weeks on the
subject, but I'll try to just give you just a short sketch. Did you know
that there are about 2000 thunderstorms in progress at any given time on
the earth amounting to about 5million lightning flashes each day? And
did you know that if it wasn't for all of that constant lightning
activity there could be no life on earth? This beautiful, stunning force
of nature is certainly something that stirs our souls (with excitement
and with terror), but it is also one of many little conditions in
creation that are absolutely necessary for us to even exist.
Another evening this week I sat with some friends and watched the full
moon rise over the lake. It was stunningly beautiful. I think there are
not many of us who are not affected by the beauty of the moon. But
putting all the poetry aside, did you know that if the moon was not
exactly that size, or if it did not have the exact shape and duration of
orbit that it has, there would simply be no life on earth. And as long
as we're out in space, did you know that if the planet Jupiter did not
have its exact size, or was not in its exact place in the solar system,
we would not be here? And how about the earth itself? Where the earth is
located in the solar system, its size, the exact degree it tilts on its
axis, the exact speeds of its rotation and its orbit, its atmospheric
content, the thickness of its crust, the content of its core… change any
one of these things (or many others) in the slightest degree and this
wonderful planet would be uninhabitable. Water! Well, I don't have time
to talk about water… but ask me sometime! Water is a unique and
miraculous substance that baffles scientists and is absolutely necessary
for any sort of life.
For those with eyes to see, there are miracles all around us, every day.
We are surrounded by signs and wonders, a fact that the psalms
frequently pick up on. "When I consider your heavens, the work of
your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what
is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for
him?" (Psalm 8) The very fact that we are here is miraculous. And
all this wonder and glory that surrounds us appears to have been
tailor-made just for the likes of us. From the very beginning, God
planned for us. Listen again to what John says:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has
been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
Our lives have a foundation in the very creation of all that is. From
the very beginning you were written into God's eternal plans. Take a
second and think of what that means. HE was with God in the
beginning. He who? HE CHRIST! He the Son, the One who, as John says,
"became flesh and made his dwelling among us." Do you know what
that means? From the very beginning, God KNEW! God knew that humanity
would disappoint and desert him. God knew that we would wander away from
his loving care and get ourselves mired in sin. God knew that he would
have to send His own Son to take flesh, to bleed and to die for us. He
knew his body would be broken for us. He knew his blood would be shed
for us. And yet, in the beginning… he chose to make us and to make this
world for us.
How can we be sure of our faith? We can be sure because our faith story
is written into the very nature of the self-giving, Triune God. Creation
and Redemption are part of the same story; for from the very beginning
of time God is who God is. All the glories that surround us point to
that one Glory… God, (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) giving of God's own
self for the sake of God's own creation. What a beacon of love in a
darkening world that is. There is no depth to which God will not go for
his beloved creation. In this passage the act of Salvation is tied to
the very act of Creation. And for those with eyes to see, it is amazing.
And yet, John also makes it clear that not everyone will have the eyes
to see. "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not
understood it." The Greek word here
katalambanw
is interesting. It can either mean "to overcome or suppress," or "to
comprehend or grasp." Or, as with many Greek words, maybe both together!
On the one hand, we creatures have a nasty habit of not recognizing the
presence of, or even our need for, our creator… that is we don't "get
it." But we also can't seem to get rid of God's presence (or our need
for God.) So we just bump along conveniently ignoring the fact that
someone is taking very good care of us; much in the same way we don't
notice the janitor who cleans up after us or the parent who puts the
meal on the table or the police who keep us safe or… the list can go on
and on. Things just come to us, and we come to expect them. How, then,
can we be sure of our faith, if we don't even notice God is there?
Sometimes we need to be reminded that someone is taking care of us. In
this passage, it is John the Baptist who "came as a witness to
testify concerning the light, so that through him all men might
believe." In this passage, it is John who prepares the way; but this
job is not reserved for John alone. All around you are people who
witness to the light. All around are people who have stories to share
about what they have learned as God has taken shape in the midst of
their lives. All around are people who testify in little ways about how
God is good, how God is present. And not just here in this congregation,
not just among our friends.
Today we celebrate World Communion Sunday. Today we celebrate the fact
that we are united with God's people all across this globe; people who
encounter God in wildly different ways. If we would know God, we need to
look at God through the eyes of a starving Christian in Ethiopia. If we
would know God, we need to be able to look at God through the eyes of a
persecuted Christian in China. If we would know God, we need to look
through the eyes of the orphan Christian of Haiti. If we would know God
we need to look through the eyes of AIDS and poverty and disaster, and
see what a difference God makes there! There are powerful stories to be
heard from our brothers and sisters around the world, who live and die
in the fullness of faith every day. How can we be sure of our faith? We
can be sure of our faith because of the witness of our brothers and
sisters in faith here at home and around the world.
But there is a more significant way we are sure of our faith. We can
know more about God by seeing how God has shaped creation, and by
hearing how God continues to shape the lives of the faithful. But as the
Reformed theologian Jean Calvin said, "What help is it… to know a God
with whom we have nothing to do?"
I guess what I am saying is this… "How can I be sure of my faith?"
is ultimately a personal question with a very personal answer. God is
not an abstraction somewhere out there. And neither are you an
abstraction to God! God is closer to you than you are to yourself. God
desires a very personal relationship with you. In fact, God's desire to
give himself to you is far deeper than your desire to be with God. As
much as you might know about God (facts or history or theology or
testimonies) the only true way to be sure of your faith is to actually
give yourself up to God. If you want to be sure of your faith, you will
have to TRUST, and let God take "flesh" and "dwell" in your life.
Let me give you this one final example. I could describe a stool to you.
I could tell you how it could bear your weight and let you rest. I could
describe how it was made out of four long pieces of wood with cross
bracings and a flat top. I could set it in front of you and share with
you how it has successfully held pastors and worship leaders alike. I
could ask them to give you testimonies about how restful and comfortable
and sturdy it was, how it was such a blessing when they were tired of
standing, and so on. But until YOU YOURSELF get up and actually sit on
it… actually put your full weight on it and trust it… you will
not be sure. Friends, your God is so much greater than a stool. God
created all things with you in mind. God, in Christ, gave himself up to
death with you in mind. God wants to have a relationship with you. If
you want to be sure of your faith, then TRUST.
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