We tend to use the word faith as if it is a commodity we possess. We store it in the privacy of our hearts or conceive of it as a list of precepts we can write in a book. Yet in the Bible the word functions more like a verb than a noun. Faith is an act. It is something that we live. Faith is the choice to be faithful. Jesus’ first invitation to his disciples was not, “Believe in me.” It was “Follow me,” and faithfulness is the choice to continue to answer that invitation. Throughout the fall our sermons will explore what it looks like to persist in the act of answering Jesus’ invitation to follow. We’ll use two sources: a series of Psalms and Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount. Psalms 8-18 illustrate faithfulness. They are prayers to God for the energy we need to remain faithful especially in times when that does not appear to be a very practical choice. Jesus’ words in Matthew 5-7 give us some pictures of what following him looks like and remind us that faithfulness is no easy choice. Yet this narrow way opens to a broad place, where our steps are secure and we find rest in the presence of the One who made us.
Click on a title to open the audio player