You may have heard the story about the two nuns who were driving to their convent in Belfast,
Northern Ireland one afternoon after their day’s work at a convalescent home. About half way
through the city they ran out of gas. One nun said to the other, “Not to worry, I know where there’s a
petrol station about two blocks from here. Do we have a can to carry the gas in?”
The other replied, “No, we have nothing except this bed pan.” The first said, “Well, that’ll have to
do,” and bedpan in hand, she resolutely set off toward the gas station.
After a few minutes she returned and began to pour the gas from the bedpan into the gas tank. A
moment later a local Presbyterian minister drove up, slowed to a stop, and rolled down his window.
With a curious look he said, “Sisters, I can’t say I always agree with your doctrine, but I surely have
to admire your faith!”
Faith is an oft-misunderstood phenomenon. If you were listening closely to the readings we just
heard, you may have noticed that faith seems to be a major thread running through them. And
really, this thread is the material that weaves together our basic way of life as Christians. We can’t
overstate its importance. It’s so fundamental that we call our religion a “faith.”
The Greek nouns, verbs and adjectives from the root word for ‘faith’ occur well over 500 times in the
New Testament alone. As central as the whole concept of faith is, it’s rather easy to misunderstand.
I mean, when you hear the word ‘faith’, what questions that come to mind? Things like: How much
faith do I need to have to be saved? Or to be healed? Is faith just something that changes my brain
chemistry and produces results sometimes, or is it something deeper than this? Or, how do I
generate faith? Or even, what is faith?
This morning I’d like to start with this last question, and then just share a few observations about
what these passages from Genesis, Romans, and the Gospel of Matthew tell us about this most
basic ingredient in the Christian life.
I mentioned the Greek root word for faith. The noun form is pronounced “pistis.” According to the
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, which is considered to be the foremost dictionary
of New Testament Greek, there are a number of different meanings and nuances for the word.
But in both the Romans passage, which describes the response of Abraham to God’s call, and the
Matthew passage, pistis is defined as “a state of believing on the basis of the reliability of the one
trusted.” I think this really opens the window to a clear view of what faith means in practical terms. It’
s not just believing out of thin air in something with no reference point, and it’s not some kind of mind
over matter head game, but it’s believing in a trustworthy person. It’s believing based upon the
character and reliability of one who is worthy of trust.
There are three characteristics of faith that present themselves in our readings this morning. The
first is that our biblical models of faith are not spiritual superstars, but are basically flawed people, a
lot like you and me.
Let’s look first at the example of Abraham. Abraham is held up as one of the historical paragons of
faith. But he certainly wasn’t perfect. I mean, this is the guy who was afraid the Egyptian pharaoh
was going to have him killed so he could take his beautiful wife. He reacted by saying, “Oh, Sarah—
Yeah, she’s my sister! Yes, that’s it!” And because of Abraham’s impulse to save his own skin,
Sarah ended up spending some unanticipated and probably undesired time in the Pharoah’s
company. Chivalry in action.
And later, after God had promised the elderly Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous
as the stars in the heavens, Sarah convinced him that maybe they ought to take matters into their
own hands, and Abraham ended up impregnating Sarah’s maidservant. Despite all this, God had
chosen Abraham, and he stuck with him. Abraham ultimately did what God instructed him to do, and
God fulfilled all of his promises to Abraham because of his faith. Paul writes that he is “the father of
many nations,” and this is still true. He says that Abraham didn’t waver in his faith (although he
clearly stuttered a couple times), and that his faith was “reckoned to him as righteousness.” Paul
then goes on to encourage us from his example, saying that righteousness “will be reckoned to us
who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead…and was raised for our justification.”
We’re flawed people, but we’re still made righteous by faith, and rewarded.
And of course Jesus caught a lot of flak for his selection of Matthew as one of the twelve. In his
Gospel he writes that Jesus basically said, “Follow me,” and Matthew promptly complied. Matthew
was a tax collector. These were people held in very low esteem by their fellow Jews because they
were turncoats, collecting taxes for Rome and often demanding a little extra to pad their own
pocketbooks. But this sinner had enough faith to obey, and was not only selected as part of Jesus’
inner circle, but also has given us a beautiful and priceless history of Jesus’ life, death and
resurrection that’s come down to us as St. Matthew’s Gospel.
This leads us to the second observation about these examples of faith.
That is that they were called to make a decision, and then responded by doing so. Abraham and
Matthew both could have said no. When God called him, Abraham could have said, “Oh, please,
who is this really?” Or he could have just shrugged his shoulders and concluded that he’d been out
in the desert sun a little too long. But faced with a decision to listen, he listened. Faced with a
decision to follow, he followed. Faced with a decision to trust God’s word, over time he trusted, and
became the Father of many nations, including the one that provided the nest from which the Savior
of the world would eventually appear—God’s people Israel. He made a volitional decision to place
his belief in God, who he judged to be reliable and trustworthy.
The same was true with Matthew. I mean, Jesus had to do far less convincing with him than God did
with Abraham. He said, “Follow me,” and Jesus’ words and countenance were apparently so
compelling to Matthew that he dropped his money bags and followed. For that matter, Matthew next
writes of the woman who also was so convinced of Jesus’ reliability and trustworthiness that she
reached out to touch his cloak as he passed by, and was instantly healed. Jesus’ gentle words still
echo down the ages to us now: “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.”
And how many others around the world and through the ages have been visited with miraculous
healing because they chose to respond to the person and character of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Flawed people who recognized their need, recognized a God who they could trust, and responded
by saying yes.
This brings us to the last of the three observations about these models of faith. Not only were these
imperfect, everyday people who passed the test when a faith decision was placed before them, but
their responses were responses of action. And these responses of action were not simply one time
events, but led to an entire life of action and obedience. Trust built upon trust, faith upon faith, and
greater and greater things were realized over time. Abraham was called out of his home and away
from his family to a place he’d never seen. God said that there his countless descendants would
enjoy an abundant life and that all nations would be blessed by his seed. He promised that, despite
being barren, Sarah would be the mother of God’s chosen. Each promise was fulfilled as Abraham
invested his trust in the Lord. Paul writes that, as Abraham continued on his journey of faith, he
“grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that he was able to do what
he had promised.”
The scale to which we at Hope are called to respond with faith may not be quite as sweeping as that
of Abraham, but the same principles apply. We’ve just come through a little blip during which our
building plans looked a bit trickier than they did at first. But most of the people in this congregation
have continued to be fully convinced that God is able to do what he has promised, and continued to
give glory to God. This is the key!
It’s the key to the core ministry of healing that has been entrusted by God to this church. Are we
convinced that God is able to heal people, body, mind, and soul, and that Jesus will follow through
on his promise that “anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing, and do even greater
things than these, because I am going to the Father”?
It’s the key to the completion of our new “fueling station” (to use the words of Bp. Frey) where we
and many others will come to be fed by Word, Sacrament and fellowship. Do we believe that God
will make good on his promise that, as we persevere, we’ll receive what he’s promised? And do we
believe that as we continue to step out and support his ministries financially, he’ll take care of our
basic needs? God says, “Just watch what I can do!”
And really, trusting and giving God praise is also the key to our very lives as Christians. Do we trust
the Lord enough that we place his claim on our lives first in our lives? Are his daily priorities our
daily priorities? This should be the prayer of each and every one of us. May the words written in
today’s Psalm be said of each of us: “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our
heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.”
Let us pray. Dear Lord, thank you for making us righteous through your love despite our
imperfections. Please forgive us for being imperfect practitioners and models of faith. Through the
power of the Holy Spirit, please continue to show us how trustworthy you are, and empower us to
perceive this so we can trust and obey without hesitation. These things we ask in the name of your
Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Northern Ireland one afternoon after their day’s work at a convalescent home. About half way
through the city they ran out of gas. One nun said to the other, “Not to worry, I know where there’s a
petrol station about two blocks from here. Do we have a can to carry the gas in?”
The other replied, “No, we have nothing except this bed pan.” The first said, “Well, that’ll have to
do,” and bedpan in hand, she resolutely set off toward the gas station.
After a few minutes she returned and began to pour the gas from the bedpan into the gas tank. A
moment later a local Presbyterian minister drove up, slowed to a stop, and rolled down his window.
With a curious look he said, “Sisters, I can’t say I always agree with your doctrine, but I surely have
to admire your faith!”
Faith is an oft-misunderstood phenomenon. If you were listening closely to the readings we just
heard, you may have noticed that faith seems to be a major thread running through them. And
really, this thread is the material that weaves together our basic way of life as Christians. We can’t
overstate its importance. It’s so fundamental that we call our religion a “faith.”
The Greek nouns, verbs and adjectives from the root word for ‘faith’ occur well over 500 times in the
New Testament alone. As central as the whole concept of faith is, it’s rather easy to misunderstand.
I mean, when you hear the word ‘faith’, what questions that come to mind? Things like: How much
faith do I need to have to be saved? Or to be healed? Is faith just something that changes my brain
chemistry and produces results sometimes, or is it something deeper than this? Or, how do I
generate faith? Or even, what is faith?
This morning I’d like to start with this last question, and then just share a few observations about
what these passages from Genesis, Romans, and the Gospel of Matthew tell us about this most
basic ingredient in the Christian life.
I mentioned the Greek root word for faith. The noun form is pronounced “pistis.” According to the
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, which is considered to be the foremost dictionary
of New Testament Greek, there are a number of different meanings and nuances for the word.
But in both the Romans passage, which describes the response of Abraham to God’s call, and the
Matthew passage, pistis is defined as “a state of believing on the basis of the reliability of the one
trusted.” I think this really opens the window to a clear view of what faith means in practical terms. It’
s not just believing out of thin air in something with no reference point, and it’s not some kind of mind
over matter head game, but it’s believing in a trustworthy person. It’s believing based upon the
character and reliability of one who is worthy of trust.
There are three characteristics of faith that present themselves in our readings this morning. The
first is that our biblical models of faith are not spiritual superstars, but are basically flawed people, a
lot like you and me.
Let’s look first at the example of Abraham. Abraham is held up as one of the historical paragons of
faith. But he certainly wasn’t perfect. I mean, this is the guy who was afraid the Egyptian pharaoh
was going to have him killed so he could take his beautiful wife. He reacted by saying, “Oh, Sarah—
Yeah, she’s my sister! Yes, that’s it!” And because of Abraham’s impulse to save his own skin,
Sarah ended up spending some unanticipated and probably undesired time in the Pharoah’s
company. Chivalry in action.
And later, after God had promised the elderly Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous
as the stars in the heavens, Sarah convinced him that maybe they ought to take matters into their
own hands, and Abraham ended up impregnating Sarah’s maidservant. Despite all this, God had
chosen Abraham, and he stuck with him. Abraham ultimately did what God instructed him to do, and
God fulfilled all of his promises to Abraham because of his faith. Paul writes that he is “the father of
many nations,” and this is still true. He says that Abraham didn’t waver in his faith (although he
clearly stuttered a couple times), and that his faith was “reckoned to him as righteousness.” Paul
then goes on to encourage us from his example, saying that righteousness “will be reckoned to us
who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead…and was raised for our justification.”
We’re flawed people, but we’re still made righteous by faith, and rewarded.
And of course Jesus caught a lot of flak for his selection of Matthew as one of the twelve. In his
Gospel he writes that Jesus basically said, “Follow me,” and Matthew promptly complied. Matthew
was a tax collector. These were people held in very low esteem by their fellow Jews because they
were turncoats, collecting taxes for Rome and often demanding a little extra to pad their own
pocketbooks. But this sinner had enough faith to obey, and was not only selected as part of Jesus’
inner circle, but also has given us a beautiful and priceless history of Jesus’ life, death and
resurrection that’s come down to us as St. Matthew’s Gospel.
This leads us to the second observation about these examples of faith.
That is that they were called to make a decision, and then responded by doing so. Abraham and
Matthew both could have said no. When God called him, Abraham could have said, “Oh, please,
who is this really?” Or he could have just shrugged his shoulders and concluded that he’d been out
in the desert sun a little too long. But faced with a decision to listen, he listened. Faced with a
decision to follow, he followed. Faced with a decision to trust God’s word, over time he trusted, and
became the Father of many nations, including the one that provided the nest from which the Savior
of the world would eventually appear—God’s people Israel. He made a volitional decision to place
his belief in God, who he judged to be reliable and trustworthy.
The same was true with Matthew. I mean, Jesus had to do far less convincing with him than God did
with Abraham. He said, “Follow me,” and Jesus’ words and countenance were apparently so
compelling to Matthew that he dropped his money bags and followed. For that matter, Matthew next
writes of the woman who also was so convinced of Jesus’ reliability and trustworthiness that she
reached out to touch his cloak as he passed by, and was instantly healed. Jesus’ gentle words still
echo down the ages to us now: “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.”
And how many others around the world and through the ages have been visited with miraculous
healing because they chose to respond to the person and character of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Flawed people who recognized their need, recognized a God who they could trust, and responded
by saying yes.
This brings us to the last of the three observations about these models of faith. Not only were these
imperfect, everyday people who passed the test when a faith decision was placed before them, but
their responses were responses of action. And these responses of action were not simply one time
events, but led to an entire life of action and obedience. Trust built upon trust, faith upon faith, and
greater and greater things were realized over time. Abraham was called out of his home and away
from his family to a place he’d never seen. God said that there his countless descendants would
enjoy an abundant life and that all nations would be blessed by his seed. He promised that, despite
being barren, Sarah would be the mother of God’s chosen. Each promise was fulfilled as Abraham
invested his trust in the Lord. Paul writes that, as Abraham continued on his journey of faith, he
“grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that he was able to do what
he had promised.”
The scale to which we at Hope are called to respond with faith may not be quite as sweeping as that
of Abraham, but the same principles apply. We’ve just come through a little blip during which our
building plans looked a bit trickier than they did at first. But most of the people in this congregation
have continued to be fully convinced that God is able to do what he has promised, and continued to
give glory to God. This is the key!
It’s the key to the core ministry of healing that has been entrusted by God to this church. Are we
convinced that God is able to heal people, body, mind, and soul, and that Jesus will follow through
on his promise that “anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing, and do even greater
things than these, because I am going to the Father”?
It’s the key to the completion of our new “fueling station” (to use the words of Bp. Frey) where we
and many others will come to be fed by Word, Sacrament and fellowship. Do we believe that God
will make good on his promise that, as we persevere, we’ll receive what he’s promised? And do we
believe that as we continue to step out and support his ministries financially, he’ll take care of our
basic needs? God says, “Just watch what I can do!”
And really, trusting and giving God praise is also the key to our very lives as Christians. Do we trust
the Lord enough that we place his claim on our lives first in our lives? Are his daily priorities our
daily priorities? This should be the prayer of each and every one of us. May the words written in
today’s Psalm be said of each of us: “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our
heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.”
Let us pray. Dear Lord, thank you for making us righteous through your love despite our
imperfections. Please forgive us for being imperfect practitioners and models of faith. Through the
power of the Holy Spirit, please continue to show us how trustworthy you are, and empower us to
perceive this so we can trust and obey without hesitation. These things we ask in the name of your
Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Faith
Gen. 12:1-9; Rom. 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-26
Gen. 12:1-9; Rom. 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-26
June 8, 2008
Fr. Dan Tuton
Fr. Dan Tuton