All Scriptures are from The Message Version
Faith has to be one of the most frequently repeated words in scripture and something we hear about over and over again in sermons and personal stories. Just what is faith and what should we focus upon as we seek to strengthen our faith relationship with God.
This post is intended to help the reader personalize the words and thoughts in the scriptures. It works well if shared between two or more people as a conversation but there is much to be gained by just considering the questions for yourself. Commentaries for the lectionary scripture can be found on Textweek.com through this link Mark 6:1-13
Let us start with, for the sake of argument, some words on faith from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia which you can look at in its entirety through this link:
Faith in Christianity is based in and on the work and teachings of Jesus Christ. In this way Christianity declares not to be distinguished by its faith, but by the object of its faith. Faith is an act of trust or reliance. Rather than being passive, faith leads to an active life aligned with the ideals and the example of the one being trusted. It sees the mystery of God and his grace and seeks to know and become obedient to God. To a Christian; faith is not static but causes one to learn more of God and grow; it has its origin in God.
In Christianity faith causes change as it seeks a greater understanding of God. Faith is not fideism or simple obedience to a set of rules or statements. Before the Christian has faith, they must understand in whom and in what they have faith. Without understanding, there cannot be true faith and that understanding is built on the foundation of the community of believers, the scriptures and traditions and on the personal experiences of the believer. In English translations of the New Testament, the word faith generally corresponds to the Greek noun πίστις (pistis) or the Greek verb πιστεύω (pisteuo), meaning "to trust, to have confidence, faithfulness, to be reliable, to assure"
The Bible (Hebrews 11) says that “faith gives substance to our hopes and convinces us of realities we do not see.”
• The first paragraph touches on several themes in describing faith, what are they and which do you either agree with or have questions about? What is the focus of faith, what is it based upon, what does it lead to?
• We read that “faith leads to an active life.” What activities in your life are results of your faith?
• What do you trust or rely upon in your faith life, what gives you confidence? Do you agree with the term “mystery of God”, are you comfortable with the idea of mystery and unknown being part of faith?
• Do you agree that faith causes us to change? What examples can you cite either in your life or in others you have witnessed? How long will the change process last, do we age out at some point?
• In the second paragraph the Wikipedia definition focuses on understanding. What does it say that we need to understand and what is not so important? What do you think?
• What is given as examples of the foundations that the understanding comes from? What is foundational for your faith life? Where has understanding come from?
• What do you see in Wikipedia’s translation of the Greek verb (pisteuo) that you would agree with and what questions does it raise?
• The last sentence is a definition (then followed in the epistle by lots of examples) from Hebrews 11 of faith. If asked to define faith in one sentence what would you write?
Lets look at a faith story from Mark’s Gospel, it is Mark’s version of the story in Luke of Jesus teaching at his hometown synagogue and being physically attacked in Luke 4:14-30 .
Mark 6: 1-2 He left there and returned to his hometown. His disciples came along. On the Sabbath, he gave a lecture in the meeting place. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. "We had no idea he was this good!" they said. "How did he get so wise all of a sudden, get such ability?"
3But in the next breath they were cutting him down: "He's just a carpenter—Mary's boy. We've known him since he was a kid. We know his brothers, James, Justus, Jude, and Simon, and his sisters. Who does he think he is?" They tripped over what little they knew about him and fell, sprawling. And they never got any further.
4-6Jesus told them, "A prophet has little honor in his hometown, among his relatives, on the streets he played in as a child." Jesus wasn't able to do much of anything there—he laid hands on a few sick people and healed them, that's all. He couldn't get over their stubbornness. He left and made a circuit of the other villages, teaching.
• As an aside, don’t get sidetracked please, did you know Jesus had such a large family? Who is not mentioned and what might be the reason?
• Where does faith come into play in this story? What was Jesus’ assessment of the state of faith in his hometown? How does faith play a role in the effectiveness of his ministry in his hometown? Do you think that he lost faith in the ability of his ministry to work in that place?
• Has the strength of faith in those around you ever impacted your willingness to take on some responsibility or the level of energy you put into carrying it out? What does it take to recharge and maintain a high level of oomph in our faith life battery?
• What is your reaction to the community’s perception of Jesus? First they are impressed and then cutting him down – what reasons lay behind each? Is this an issue for us; do we limit ourselves because of the concern of either what people do or might think of us? Jesus just moved on, how do you feel about that approach?
• Jesus is at work in the life of our faith community and in our lives; how might he assess our reaction to his presence and power? Are we amazed or doubting? What has caused us to be where we are? Should we be seeking change, growth, and understanding? Where might it come from?
Closing Prayer
God Almighty, grant us, we pray, to be grounded in your truth by the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. That which we don’t know, reveal; that which is lacking in us, fill up; when our faith is weak, strengthen; and energize us in your service, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Modified from a pray by St. Clement of Rome found in
The Oxford Book of Prayer
Next Week’s Lectionary Scriptures: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 or Amos 7:7-15, Psalm 24 or Psalm 85:8-13, Ephesians 1:3-14, Mark 6:14-29
0 comments:
Post a Comment