A few Sundays ago I had the privilege of preaching a sermon on faith at Naples United Church of Christ. My text was Hebrews 11:1-3 and 8-16.
Scripture
The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living (Hebrews 8:1, The Message).
Sermon Text
I have a confession to make: I am a neat freak. In my world, everything has a place, and everything lives in the place I have assigned to it. While I consider this to be among my best attributes, others are more likely to label it a challenging quirk. Whatever you may call it, it ensures that I can easily find anything I want, and never need to worry about clutter.
I have a second confession to make: as improbable as it sounds, I lost something recently. When I reached down to pick up my glasses from their assigned spot, I came up empty handed. Somehow my perfect system failed me. As a result, I journeyed through a week of life without glasses – until I purchased a new pair.
Since I can’t see as well as I once did at a distance, I squinted often and experienced considerable frustration. I had to learn to trust that what I knew should be at a given place would be there. Over and over again, I was forced to consider what it means to live by faith rather than by sight.
While I am in no hurry . . . (read the rest of the manuscript or watch the video)
So What?
In this message, I suggest that faith is action oriented and future directed. I also argue that it matters in a way that nothing else can.
- How has your journey of faith confirmed each of those attributes?
- Which is the greatest challenge for you right now?