Can We Believe?
Sermon
What Can We Believe?
Second Lesson Cycle A Proper 23 through Thanksgiving
Do you ever find it hard to keep on believing? Do you ever find yourself looking again at the things you always thought were true and wondering, "Can I really still believe that?" Even more importantly, do you ever find it hard to trust?
We all need a basic system of beliefs to help us make sense of the world. We all need to be able to trust something bigger than ourselves so that we can dare to move out into life and live it fully. It is important to be able to believe -- but it is not always easy.
We live in a cynical age in where it is more fashionable to doubt than to believe. Modern science -- even the modern critical study of the Bible -- has called into question some of the things we have always believed. The "in" belief among sophisticated people today is that there are no absolutes. One person's opinion is as good as another and truth is what we decide it is. Besides that, lots of the things we should have been able to trust have let us down lately. You can name them, can't you? When we look carefully at the things people in our culture seem to be clambering after, they seem to be mediocrity advertised with neon signs. In situations like that, it is not always easy to believe.
We might wonder if Paul and the earliest Christians ever had that experience. There is one little word in our epistle reading for today that hints they may have. The word is "if." "If there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (v. 8).
That little word seems out of place in a letter so full of affirmations. Paul had a very special relationship with the Christians in Philippi. They had shared some very important experiences in faith. Paul believed in their faith. Yet Paul knew that these people lived in a very sophisticated culture where the thinking of people like Plato and Aristotle were still being talked about. Paul had heard that someone had been troubling the Philippians by promoting some kind of an off-brand religion. In addition to that, the church was being churned by a conflict between two of the leading women of the church. That always detracts from the atmosphere of affirmation in a church.
Besides that, Paul himself was not free to go and try to help the people work things out. He was in prison. Being in prison is always a downer. He kept telling himself and everyone else that his imprisonment was going to serve the purpose of his mission. But we can't help wondering if, in the middle of a sleepless night in the prison, Paul himself might have thought he was wasting his life on an illusion. After all, Jesus himself seems to have had some thoughts like that in the Garden of Gethsemane. Could there have been at least a little of an undertow of doubt to Paul's ever-surging tide of faith?
Could Paul have been trying to help the Philippian Christians to keep on believing? If he was, could the things he said to them be helpful to us?
Before we get into what Paul did to help the Philippians believe, we need to think for a while about the dynamics of believing. There are some things we need to keep in mind.
First, it is important to remember that there is more to believing in something than there is in just believing it. It is not enough to just believe intellectually that something is true. If a belief is really going to be allowed to shape your life, there has to be an element of trust in the believing. It is one thing to study the stock market and to believe that a particular stock would be a good investment. It is another thing to invest your life savings in it. It is one thing to believe intellectually that a particular person is a good and admirable person. It is another to marry that person. Believing is more than just thinking something is true.
Believing has to do with something more than just a list of particular beliefs. Our churches teach us some things that we ought to believe. Some churches have a catechism, a list of doctrines that every church member is expected to learn before joining the church. Other churches teach a list of biblical concepts. Churches are not the only ones that want to make contributions to our belief systems. Political parties, unions, fraternal organizations, and cultural traditions offer us teachings to incorporate into our belief systems. All of those specific beliefs are meant to help us see the shape of something bigger. All of them point to some great other. The important thing is for us to find our way into a relationship with that other.
By the way, this business of building a belief system is not just an optional little thing that some people do and others don't. We all live in some kind of a relationship with the great other, and we all develop some kind of a system of beliefs -- or doubts -- about that other. Some of us do that intentionally. Others of us just drift into it accidentally. We all build some kind of a system of beliefs and, for better or for worse, those beliefs do shape our lives.
If that is what is involved in believing, what did Paul do to help the Philippians believe? The first thing he did -- the first thing he always did -- was to tell them that God, that great other in relationship with which we all live our lives, was made known to us in Jesus Christ. Jesus was a real person. His life was a real event in human history. For the early Christians it was an event that happened not too long ago. They knew people who had seen it. Paul told them that, in that event, God had shown us what we need to know about God. God had also shown us what we can and should be as human beings. That was really something amazing.
In the second chapter of his letter, Paul spoke of one who was in the form of God, but did not regard equality with God a thing to be exploited, but emptied himself, "taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death -- even death on a cross" (2:6-8). Paul was telling us that God is one who loves us so much that he sent one who was an aspect of God's own being to take human form and to reach out to us and to become one of us and to suffer for us so that we can find the way into fullness of life. If we can believe that, it means that we can move into life trusting and believing that life is a good gift. Can you see that believing God loves us makes possible a whole new way of life that just is not possible in any other way? Paul told us that we were created to live in self giving love, like God's love, and that the life of love will be life at its best. There you have it in a nutshell. That is the basic belief that should shape the life of one who chooses to be a Christian.
It is no little thing to believe that. It is not always obvious. There are many people who look at all the bad things that happen in life and say you would have to be crazy to believe that life is a gift from someone who loves us. There are those schooled in our culture's way of defensive or exploitative selfishness who would say only a foolish person would live in self-giving love. Yet, that is exactly the belief that shapes a Christian's life. To believe that requires a courageous act of commitment.
That is what it means for us to decide to be Christians. We are called to bet our lives on the belief that the great other out there, the one in relationship with whom we live our lives, is a God who loves us and that the only life that is really worth living is a life of love. Can you believe that?
The Christians at Philippi had made that commitment of faith. However, Paul added some other encouraging suggestions. When you look around at life, you are going to see some things that affirm the revelation of God in Jesus is true and some that seem to deny it. Paul said, focus on the things seen around you that affirm your faith. We can do that too. I am going to read his list over again and as I read, you think of the things you know of in your life that are suggested by the things Paul listed. Are you ready? Let your mind call up pictures of the things these words suggest. Whatever is true -- whatever is honorable -- whatever is just -- whatever is pure -- whatever is pleasing -- whatever is commendable -- if there is any excellence -- if there is anything worthy of praise (v. 8). Do you know of things like that in your life and in your world? Those are the things that suggest God actually was made known in Jesus Christ. Think about those things. Hold on to them. Cherish them. They will help you to be able to believe.
The theologian, Paul Tillich, said that it takes courage to venture out into life and to affirm life. He says it is necessary to take an honest look at all of the things that seem to threaten and deny life, to take all of those threats into yourself and move past them in "courage to be." It takes a similar kind of courage to believe. We need to take an honest look at all the things that seem to deny the good news about God's love and then move past them in courage to intentionally believe in spite of all of the evidence to the contrary. One who has courage can dare to believe and to move out to live in faith.
The first American astronauts set an example of what it means to live in faith. Some of them were people of deep religious conviction. They made the venture into space an adventure in faith. In fact, they actually named one of their missions "Faith Seven." One of the most vitally religious of the early astronauts was Ed White. Ed White was the first American to move outside of his space craft and to "walk in space." Sadly, he was also one of the first astronauts to die in the service of the space program. In his memory, a youth center was built at the church he attended. In the youth center is a large-faceted, glass window showing Ed White floating in space, tethered to his space craft only by a thin life line, with the earth in the distance. That window offers us a meaningful image of what it means to believe. It is to move out in courage, past all of the things we are accustomed to depending upon, and to entrust yourself to that great invisible other who is always there.
Can you believe in that way? It may not be easy, but it is possible. If you do that, you may not have answered all of your questions or gotten rid of all of the doubts. But, in the context of a life of faith, you can live with those things and work them out as you have opportunity. The big question about believing is simply this: Can you dare to entrust yourself to the God who was made known in Jesus Christ? Can you let believing what was shown to us in Jesus Christ shape your life?
For those who can, Paul includes a promise among his admonitions. "The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (v. 7). I wish you that peace. Amen.
We all need a basic system of beliefs to help us make sense of the world. We all need to be able to trust something bigger than ourselves so that we can dare to move out into life and live it fully. It is important to be able to believe -- but it is not always easy.
We live in a cynical age in where it is more fashionable to doubt than to believe. Modern science -- even the modern critical study of the Bible -- has called into question some of the things we have always believed. The "in" belief among sophisticated people today is that there are no absolutes. One person's opinion is as good as another and truth is what we decide it is. Besides that, lots of the things we should have been able to trust have let us down lately. You can name them, can't you? When we look carefully at the things people in our culture seem to be clambering after, they seem to be mediocrity advertised with neon signs. In situations like that, it is not always easy to believe.
We might wonder if Paul and the earliest Christians ever had that experience. There is one little word in our epistle reading for today that hints they may have. The word is "if." "If there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" (v. 8).
That little word seems out of place in a letter so full of affirmations. Paul had a very special relationship with the Christians in Philippi. They had shared some very important experiences in faith. Paul believed in their faith. Yet Paul knew that these people lived in a very sophisticated culture where the thinking of people like Plato and Aristotle were still being talked about. Paul had heard that someone had been troubling the Philippians by promoting some kind of an off-brand religion. In addition to that, the church was being churned by a conflict between two of the leading women of the church. That always detracts from the atmosphere of affirmation in a church.
Besides that, Paul himself was not free to go and try to help the people work things out. He was in prison. Being in prison is always a downer. He kept telling himself and everyone else that his imprisonment was going to serve the purpose of his mission. But we can't help wondering if, in the middle of a sleepless night in the prison, Paul himself might have thought he was wasting his life on an illusion. After all, Jesus himself seems to have had some thoughts like that in the Garden of Gethsemane. Could there have been at least a little of an undertow of doubt to Paul's ever-surging tide of faith?
Could Paul have been trying to help the Philippian Christians to keep on believing? If he was, could the things he said to them be helpful to us?
Before we get into what Paul did to help the Philippians believe, we need to think for a while about the dynamics of believing. There are some things we need to keep in mind.
First, it is important to remember that there is more to believing in something than there is in just believing it. It is not enough to just believe intellectually that something is true. If a belief is really going to be allowed to shape your life, there has to be an element of trust in the believing. It is one thing to study the stock market and to believe that a particular stock would be a good investment. It is another thing to invest your life savings in it. It is one thing to believe intellectually that a particular person is a good and admirable person. It is another to marry that person. Believing is more than just thinking something is true.
Believing has to do with something more than just a list of particular beliefs. Our churches teach us some things that we ought to believe. Some churches have a catechism, a list of doctrines that every church member is expected to learn before joining the church. Other churches teach a list of biblical concepts. Churches are not the only ones that want to make contributions to our belief systems. Political parties, unions, fraternal organizations, and cultural traditions offer us teachings to incorporate into our belief systems. All of those specific beliefs are meant to help us see the shape of something bigger. All of them point to some great other. The important thing is for us to find our way into a relationship with that other.
By the way, this business of building a belief system is not just an optional little thing that some people do and others don't. We all live in some kind of a relationship with the great other, and we all develop some kind of a system of beliefs -- or doubts -- about that other. Some of us do that intentionally. Others of us just drift into it accidentally. We all build some kind of a system of beliefs and, for better or for worse, those beliefs do shape our lives.
If that is what is involved in believing, what did Paul do to help the Philippians believe? The first thing he did -- the first thing he always did -- was to tell them that God, that great other in relationship with which we all live our lives, was made known to us in Jesus Christ. Jesus was a real person. His life was a real event in human history. For the early Christians it was an event that happened not too long ago. They knew people who had seen it. Paul told them that, in that event, God had shown us what we need to know about God. God had also shown us what we can and should be as human beings. That was really something amazing.
In the second chapter of his letter, Paul spoke of one who was in the form of God, but did not regard equality with God a thing to be exploited, but emptied himself, "taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death -- even death on a cross" (2:6-8). Paul was telling us that God is one who loves us so much that he sent one who was an aspect of God's own being to take human form and to reach out to us and to become one of us and to suffer for us so that we can find the way into fullness of life. If we can believe that, it means that we can move into life trusting and believing that life is a good gift. Can you see that believing God loves us makes possible a whole new way of life that just is not possible in any other way? Paul told us that we were created to live in self giving love, like God's love, and that the life of love will be life at its best. There you have it in a nutshell. That is the basic belief that should shape the life of one who chooses to be a Christian.
It is no little thing to believe that. It is not always obvious. There are many people who look at all the bad things that happen in life and say you would have to be crazy to believe that life is a gift from someone who loves us. There are those schooled in our culture's way of defensive or exploitative selfishness who would say only a foolish person would live in self-giving love. Yet, that is exactly the belief that shapes a Christian's life. To believe that requires a courageous act of commitment.
That is what it means for us to decide to be Christians. We are called to bet our lives on the belief that the great other out there, the one in relationship with whom we live our lives, is a God who loves us and that the only life that is really worth living is a life of love. Can you believe that?
The Christians at Philippi had made that commitment of faith. However, Paul added some other encouraging suggestions. When you look around at life, you are going to see some things that affirm the revelation of God in Jesus is true and some that seem to deny it. Paul said, focus on the things seen around you that affirm your faith. We can do that too. I am going to read his list over again and as I read, you think of the things you know of in your life that are suggested by the things Paul listed. Are you ready? Let your mind call up pictures of the things these words suggest. Whatever is true -- whatever is honorable -- whatever is just -- whatever is pure -- whatever is pleasing -- whatever is commendable -- if there is any excellence -- if there is anything worthy of praise (v. 8). Do you know of things like that in your life and in your world? Those are the things that suggest God actually was made known in Jesus Christ. Think about those things. Hold on to them. Cherish them. They will help you to be able to believe.
The theologian, Paul Tillich, said that it takes courage to venture out into life and to affirm life. He says it is necessary to take an honest look at all of the things that seem to threaten and deny life, to take all of those threats into yourself and move past them in "courage to be." It takes a similar kind of courage to believe. We need to take an honest look at all the things that seem to deny the good news about God's love and then move past them in courage to intentionally believe in spite of all of the evidence to the contrary. One who has courage can dare to believe and to move out to live in faith.
The first American astronauts set an example of what it means to live in faith. Some of them were people of deep religious conviction. They made the venture into space an adventure in faith. In fact, they actually named one of their missions "Faith Seven." One of the most vitally religious of the early astronauts was Ed White. Ed White was the first American to move outside of his space craft and to "walk in space." Sadly, he was also one of the first astronauts to die in the service of the space program. In his memory, a youth center was built at the church he attended. In the youth center is a large-faceted, glass window showing Ed White floating in space, tethered to his space craft only by a thin life line, with the earth in the distance. That window offers us a meaningful image of what it means to believe. It is to move out in courage, past all of the things we are accustomed to depending upon, and to entrust yourself to that great invisible other who is always there.
Can you believe in that way? It may not be easy, but it is possible. If you do that, you may not have answered all of your questions or gotten rid of all of the doubts. But, in the context of a life of faith, you can live with those things and work them out as you have opportunity. The big question about believing is simply this: Can you dare to entrust yourself to the God who was made known in Jesus Christ? Can you let believing what was shown to us in Jesus Christ shape your life?
For those who can, Paul includes a promise among his admonitions. "The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (v. 7). I wish you that peace. Amen.
