Sermons - Signs and Symbols: Faith
Signs and Symbols: Faith/Anchor
Second Lesson: Ephesians 2:1-10
You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which (God) loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with (Christ) and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come (God) might show the immeasurable riches of (God’s) grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what (God) has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.Sammie was about to turn seven. Their family and friends had been asking for weeks what they wanted for their birthday. Now Sammie was one of those kids who had a thousand interests, but most of them didn’t require anything tangible. They loved dancing and singing and looking at art; they were captivated by the stars and nature; they enjoyed holding bugs and watching wildlife.
One week before their birthday, Sammie finally had an answer to the question. “I want a butterfly net,” they said. Their parents were a little surprised but not all that shocked. “A butterfly net?” They asked. “Sammie, we don’t really have many butterflies around the neighborhood.”
“I know.” Sammie said. “But I really want a butterfly net.”
The day finally arrived. And Sammie was giddy with excitement about their big day! Seven, after all, was their favorite number. So the yard was decked out with all things 7. A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIGN on recycled poster board, seven biodegradable colorful balloons, a cupcake tower shaped like the number seven, and seven friends gathered for the party. It was perfect, really. Fun was had by everyone.
When all of the hoopla was nearly over, Sammie’s parents brought out this oddly shaped present (It’s really hard to disguise a butterfly net). Sammie squealed and quickly unwrapped the unusual gift. “MY BUTTERFLY NET!” they shouted. And the happy dance began. The dance soon turned into a parade around the yard with Sammie leading the way with giant swoops and sweeps with their butterfly net.
After the festivities had ended, the last friend had departed, and the clean up was finished, Sammie disappeared back into the yard at dusk. They could be seen scooping and swinging the net. There were no butterflies to be captured, but their joy was a true wonder to behold.
This went on for the next several days until finally they had to ask, “Sammie, would you like to go someplace where you might be able to actually catch a butterfly with your net?”
Incredulous at such an absolutely absurd question with hands on their hips, Sammie said, “Nooo. Why would I want to do that? I am not trying to capture butterflies! I am trying to catch the air!”
“Sammie, you can’t catch the air,” their parents said. “At least not with a butterfly net.”
But that didn’t stop Sammie. They kept trying. And eventually they graduated to Ziplock baggies, Ball jars, and finally, cardboard boxes. Each led to the same result and same frustration. Capturing and holding the air seemed to be a rather difficult if not impossible task. Even when they thought they had it, the air somehow always managed to escape. It seemed so weird. I mean, air is everywhere, right?
I must confess. The pursuit of faith sometimes feels a little like this to me - like Sammie trying to catch air with a butterfly net. I flail and fling wildly in hopes of somehow capturing it. And then just when I think I’ve finally got it, it seems to always evade being contained. Maybe I’m alone in all of this.
But, I don’t think so.
In our second lesson this morning, the author of the book of Ephesians, writes something that really captures the attention and seems to address this mystery of faith. Now, the letter to the church in Ephesus was likely not written by the Apostle Paul but by someone who was a follower of the early Pauline tradition in the young Christian community. It has been preserved throughout the millennia because of the manner in which it addresses Christianity, and it gives us a good glimpse into the development of the church and Christian Theology. That is why it is important to us today. It still has something to say to us in our context and for our lives together.
In our text, the author writes, “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which (God) loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with (Christ) and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come (God) might show the immeasurable riches of (God’s) grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what (God) has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”
This passage has been an important part of the Reformed tradition of Christianity since its beginning in the 16th century. This is because of its focus on grace, on God’s movement. The author says it twice, “by grace you have been saved.” But there is this neat little turn that happens in the text, in the second time we hear that phrase. It is something that I think can go unnoticed especially to our modern ears. Let’s listen again, “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” That part makes a really cool bumper sticker or wallhanging, but the thought doesn’t end there. “For by grace you have been saved through faith,” the author then continues, “and this,” all of this - grace and faith together, “is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
Friends, notice that the author seems to be saying that not only the grace but also faith itself is a gift of God. And this is “not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”
This is a struggle for all of us, it’s a struggle for the church, for we like to stack up accomplishments to prove piety and the depth of faith. A faith where hard work and proper effort are rewarded has been systematized in Christianity because frankly it resembles a meritocracy similar to the one we have become so familiar with in our everyday lives.
Then, then, we measure ourselves against some impossible standard. We beat ourselves up. We judge ourselves, for not having enough faith or not “faithing” hard enough or perhaps not doing it in the right way - as if there was only one right way.
And who can blame us for this?
There are those who speak with loud voices and have air time and book contracts who tell anyone who will listen that without the proper amount and kind of faith, their brand of faith conveniently, that God will withhold love, mercy, acceptance, and blessing. That God only helps those who help themselves - by the way, that phrase is not found in Scripture. Feel free to do away with it.
What kind of god would we be talking about that always keeps score, always holds grudges, only rewards some - the ones with the “right kind” and the “right amount” of faith? A god who damns all others, and hates the same things and the same people those with the microphone and the bully pulpit tell others to hate. As Ann Lamott once famously wrote, “You can safely assume you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.” True story.
And what if, what if that isn’t the point of all of this?
What if faith isn’t ours to begin with?
What if faith isn’t something you capture, or contain, or possess?
What if it isn’t something you can measure like it’s some kind of contest?
What if faith isn’t something you can increase or for that matter lose?
What if faith itself is, is, a gift given to us by the divine along with grace?
Theologian Shirley Guthrie once wrote, “Neither our good works nor our faith justifies us. God alone does it . . . It is not confidence in the goodness of our life or in the strength of our faith, but confidence in God that gives us the assurance . . . Faith is not a ‘work’ that saves us.”
Understanding that, my friends, is when faith becomes an anchor that holds in our lives.
And then, and then, the good works “which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life,” the Matthew 25 kind of good works, the kind that push us out of our comfort zone,
where the hungry are fed,
the thirsty given drink,
the stranger/the immigrant welcomed,
the naked clothed,
the sick taken care of,
the prisoner visited and set free,
these good works then flow out of us, not to justify us, but as a thanksgiving, as response to God’s gift of grace and faith. The good works are not an attempt to earn this gift that has been so richly and freely given to us.
That has the power to free us to do the work without judgment of others or ourselves.
My friends, the gift of faith, is an anchor that holds even when . . .
We aren’t sure what we believe.
The anchor holds . . .
When we don’t know how to pray.
The anchor holds . . .
When we are afraid.
The anchor holds . . .
When we don’t have it all figured out; when we face our own imperfections.
The anchor holds . . .
In the midst of anguish, despair, and loss.
The anchor holds . . .
Not because of anything we have done, but because of the God behind, before, and underneath it all.
It took awhile; years really. But Sammie finally came to understand or at least acknowledge that air was indeed everywhere,
in fact closer than their very breath.
They often stood, firmly planted in that same backyard breathing deeply. The air filled their lungs, and gave them life.
It may have taken them time to see that it was there all along. But all was well when they stopped trying to chase it, catch it, hold it, contain it, direct it, possess it.
It became an anchor point for them and gave them peace.
Friends, the anchor of the gift of faith holds. Be at peace. Amen.
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