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SERMONS

The Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 20, 2001

"Faith"

By Bud Phelps

Faith - something that is believed with strong convictions. We have contrasting views of faith in the reading from Acts today.

In Lystra, Paul saw the conviction in the crippled man's eyes, and he said to him, "Stand upright on your feet." Crippled from birth, Luke reminds us this will be something to see. The crowd gathers and looks on, interested, wondering, tension building; sweat beading on the crippled man's forehead, he trembles. Paul's been preaching to the people, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. These are his people, Lystra is in southern Turkey, 100 miles or so northwest of Tarsus, Paul's home. The crippled man has heard what Paul had to say, something inside of him stirs, but he knows not what. His legs twitch and bend. Suddenly his weight shifts on his legs, still bent below him. He's never felt this before. He begins to rise up, back straightening, legs unfolding to bear weight they've never borne. Slowly he rises to his feet. He is standing upright as Paul has commanded him.

The crowd goes wild. The Greek Gods, Zeus and his son, the messenger Hermes, have come down to us in human form, they shout in their pagan-ness, forgetting what Paul has just told them. The High Priest of Zeus even brought oxen to offer as a sacrifice. This was, after all, their religion prior to hearing the news of the Gospel. They just reverted to their old ways. Seeing this miracle, their faith was misdirected. Like them, we too sometimes let our faith get misdirected - like putting our faith in someone else or even our mutual funds.

Paul and Barnabas try to turn things around and remind them of the living God and the many gifts he has already bestowed upon them. But they are to intent on having a barbeque and doing shish-ke-bobs. THEY JUST DON'T GET IT. As with Lazarus, we don't hear of the crippled man again, I presume he just walked back home.

Faith, Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans, is all you need. "You do not have to become Jewish to believe." "The one who is righteous will live by faith." You don't have to eat this or that and never after sundown. Your faith alone puts you right with God. Faith is all you need. Again, Paul reminds the people of Lystra that all gifts, the rains from Heaven and the fruitful seasons are from God, the Creator of all things.

In God's Heavenly creation, there is perfect peace. "Nothing accursed will be found there any more." No abominations or falsehoods. His Heavenly kingdom has no Temple because God and the lamp, Jesus Christ, are the Temple. Faith is ALL you need. The vision of this Heavenly kingdom, which was revealed to John in the reading from Revelation shows us the perfect city in the kingdom of God. It is precisely that peace which is delivered to each of us by the power of the Holy Spirit. So today, when we pass the peace, remember, it is the passing of the Holy Spirit that we give to each other. It's the passing of love for your neighbor which Christ Jesus commanded us to do. Jesus told us that He must go to the Father but would return. Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. How troubling and confusing this must have been to the Disciples. Tired and exhausted, they just wanted to sleep the night before Christ was to be nailed to the cross. " Now exactly where is the Father and just what hour will you return?" Thomas remarks. Andrew rolling over, snips "be quiet, I'm trying to sleep." But knowing the outcome, Jesus tells His Disciples that the Holy Spirit will come and teach them the things they will need to know. In revealing His death, Christ Jesus lays out the groundwork for Faith. "Now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur you may believe."

Now its time for a public theological announcement. March 30, 1996. On this date in time my life was drastically changed. As I was falling some 15 feet or so head first towards the rapidly approaching pressure treated deck, one of my first thoughts was, "Oh God, I'm about to hurt!!" The physical pain was excruciating. Many hours of therapy lay ahead of me. I, for once in my life, had more hours on my hands than I needed. There was plenty of time to reflect on where I had been, where I was, and most importantly, where I was going. A scary thought at the age of 47. During my healing process, I was humbled to ask for help from the church financially.

I saw Christianity and faith in WORKS and not just lovely WORDS. I had never experienced this kind of Love before in my life. Thanks to several conversations with John Sewell, I was led to a door. I knocked and it was opened. At first I was excited, only to realize I had bargained for more than I thought I was capable of delivering. I enrolled in Education For Ministry with 8 other Pilgrims, led by David Christian and Barbara McDonald.

EFM was an eye-opening, thought-provoking, beliefs-challenging and beliefs- confirming adventure on our collective spiritual journey. We have collectively built a very strong bond and spiritual community. People have come, and people have gone. As a matter of fact, John Hamman did both. But during our tenure of four years, four of us stayed the course, and I cannot begin to tell you my Love for each of them for their commitment. Our faith has been challenged, and grown. We've celebrated life, and mourned the passing of friend and family. We've sung songs and shared silence. We've laughed, we cried, we fought and built strong friendships. We've asked hard questions, discussed difficult answers, disputed solutions and have grown in the Holy Spirit. We made pancakes for 80 high school students at 7:00 on a Saturday morning and hosted a spring lecture series, only to see our guest receive communion for the first time in 40 years. Oh yes, we ate very well! Reading the Bible, going to church, living in the world (but not of the world). Some of us even went to Honduras to help build not only houses, but friendships, all of which helped us to force ourselves to ask questions that are not always answered to our satisfaction. EFM doesn't guarantee that; in fact, ask a question and the answer will probably cause a geometric avalanche of more questions! But for anyone truly seeking solace and understanding, and an environment where your faith can really grow, EFM is the place to begin your spiritual journey. It's hard work, don't kid yourself, there lots of study. The prospectus states two or so hours per week. I found myself spending many hours per week, only to realize I wanted to give more. As we have been told, "It is better to give than to receive." However, it is in giving that we receive. I can honestly say I have received more through the Grace of God than I gave. The more you give the more you want to give and the Peace is so abundant.

When I looked up the word Faith in Webster's Dictionary, I came across a clinical explanation. Faith is trust, confidence, and a complete acceptance of a truth which cannot be demonstrated or proven by the logical thought. How logical was it for the man in Lystra to stand up on his feet? How logical was it for the disciples to understand the words of Jesus when he said he would return after His death? Faith. Logical? Mystical? Secular? Misdirected? Spiritual? Where does your faith lie? If you want to discover where your faith lies in depth, then I highly recommend EFM as pick-up point to continue your spiritual journey. A
decisive factor in the formation of one's faith is the will to form or be formed. Remember, not to form yourself is to deform yourself. Education For Ministry, explore your faith.

AMEN.