This morning at Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA) we continued the Easter Hope series.
Sermon
My message, “Living by Faith” is based on the narrative lectionary reading: Galatians 1:13-17, 2:11-21.
You can watch below or read the manuscript.
Excerpt
I’ve always lived in places where people primarily get around by car, rather than walking or using public transportation. Here in the Dallas – Arlington – Forth Worth area we rely heavily on personal vehicles, so I’ve become accustomed to this way of life.
I purchased a new SUV this week. That probably doesn’t sound like big news, but, for me, it is.
Since I drive a lot, I trust my vehicle to get me where I need to go. Each time I drive down the road, I also place my trust in the drivers that surround me. For example, I expect them to drive on the right side of the road and expect those sharing my side of the road to stay in their lanes.
Put differently, when it comes to life on the road, I am a person of faith. I believe in the system and am grateful that others also believe. Further, I expect it to work as designed – at least most of the time.
This week, my faith has grown like never before because my new SUV is my first electric vehicle. I’m someone who after nearly 50 years of learning still struggles to grasp how gas-powered vehicles work so I can assure that after 5 days with an electric vehicle I’m clueless about how it operates. I do, however, have faith that when I turn it on it will go.
Friends, this morning I’m not here to talk about how new vehicles or new automotive technology are impacting us. I am, however, here to talk about something that unites all people: faith.
People live by faith. Christians, certainly. Religious people more generally, of course. But, even non-religious folks live by faith.
All of us live by faith every day, even if we don’t always call it that. Even the most skeptical person exercises faith in science, systems, relationships, and themselves.
Faith is everywhere. It’s how life works. We trust in countless things, often without giving them any real thought. Yet somehow, when it comes to God, people often assume faith is irrational or blind. The reality is quite different. Those of us who follow the Way of Jesus live by faith – a deep and abiding faith in our holy and triune God.
Our Christian faith is not wishful thinking. It is a highly relational act of trust. And, it is the focus of this morning’s reading from the book of Galatians.