Are there things that can't be bought?  I am guessing, for many of us, our biggest concern isn't what can and can't be bought but how quickly can I get it?  "Is this three-pack of conditioner with aloe eligible for Amazon Prime-Same Day-3 Hour Delivery?"  In a time when churches seem more concerned about creating consumers than disciples, maybe faith can be bought?  Maybe it's on the same aisle as the smart phones, tucked in between the car chargers and the Bluetooth headsets?  

 

What is faith?  If we can answer that question, maybe we can decide if it is something that can be purchased.  Faith probably means many different things to many different people.  For myself, faith has always been a part of my life.  My dad is a pastor and I grew up in the church.  Faith has always seemed to be there.  For others, maybe they didn't grow up in the church and somewhere along their journey they had an experience or a conversation or a tragedy, and faith, all-of-a-sudden, was there.  Maybe still, there are some who once had faith, but it no longer is a part of their life. 

 

I believe faith is a living, breathing thing.  It is as much a part of you as your family or your history or the color of your hair, and there are times when it is stronger and times when it might be less of a priority.  I think everyone has faith; they just might have faith in different things.  

 

In many Lutheran churches, this Sunday they will talk about a guy named Martin Luther, who has been dead for hundreds of years, and a movement that began almost 500 years ago called The Reformation.  The advanced churches might even use the phrase, "Saved by Grace through Faith."  

So what is faith?  Here it is the open arms acceptance of something that you don't deserve.  Faith is the blind belief in something that you haven't seen and can't completely understand.  Faith is no different than saying I believe or I do.  Faith is letting go.  

 

Faith is a part of me, and I believe it is a part of you.  Faith is something we share, but at the same time it is very personal.  Faith is something that is stronger when we care for it and something that weakens when it's neglected.  But what faith isn't is something that can be bought.  In a time when it seems like anything can be purchased, this can be frustrating.  Just like a strong friendship, faith takes time and patience, but it is worth it. 

 

Maybe we struggle with faith because we are impatient and we don't want to slow down and wait for it.  Invest in your faith, give it some time and attention because God, and others, are investing in you.

See you in church,

 

Chris 

pastorchris@epiphanysuwanee.org

Bring your decorated cars and costumes and join us this Sunday, October 25th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for food, games, a bouncy house, costumes, prizes for best costume, and trunk or treating! We will have a BBQ cook-off and a pumpkin dessert bake-off. All ages welcome! Please bring a canned or non-perishable good for the North Gwinnett Food Co-op. And please invite your friends!