From the desk of Rev. Ev

Dear Friends,

I have been thinking lately.

Uh-oh!

I have been thinking about the faith of Christians.

First of all, the faith of Christ followers is the faith of Jesus Christ. It is a gift from God and not something handed on to us by our elders. They may share the content of faith, but the connection with God that feeds faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Our faith is the faith of Jesus: It is the same faith in God that Jesus had that he shares with us. I am not sure Jesus Christ would want us to have faith in him as the sole focus. I am more sure that Jesus wants our faith to be like his: a faith that is not afraid to change the world for the better. It is more a case of having the faith of Jesus rather than having faith in Jesus. After all, Jesus’ whole mission was to point to God, not himself.

Secondly, and in the same vein, the faith of Jesus is a faith of engagement, not escape. Jesus took on the big shots, the power brokers, the political establishment because he knew the Kingdom had come right then, right there. The kingdom was not something necessarily in the future that you receive after you die. No. The kingdom of God was right there in front of their noses, for the taking, if they could only move from their old ways of seeing and doing things. 

There was a point where I thought it was reasonable to put my faith in God so that when I die I will be with God. While the resurrection shows us God’s intent when we shed this earthly frame, to be a faithful Christ follower just to get to heaven is all about me and my salvation. It can be escapism.

I am coming to see that to share the faith that Jesus had—the faith OF Jesus (rather than faith IN Jesus) is to be engaged with the world at whatever level and in whatever way we can. The kingdom of God is not just about my salvation after I die; it is also about making a difference in the world of today, and making it because it is our prayer:

That God’s Will be done on earth as in heaven.

And that means in the here and now. By us.

                                                                                               Ev