proper 19c 2022

 Yes Lord, I believe    Proper 14C August 7, 2022

“Yes Lord, I believe.” A friend of mine always says this when he receives communion. It’s a compelling response to the sacrament.
“Yes Lord, I believe.”  A powerful statement that stays with me for days after I hear it.
In the letter to the Hebrews we’re reminded of the great belief Abraham and Sarah exhibited when first called by God:
You remember the story, Abram and Sarai (their original names)  were told to move from the home they knew to a new home, a place they did not know. And in that new place God promises them children. Even though they were far beyond child bearing years, God says, don’t worry, have faith, I will provide, giving you more descendants than stars in the sky. And God did.
The story of Abraham and Sarah offers a formula for our faith—- we believe, God provides.
When we are operating from a place of faith we believe even though everything we know tells us we shouldn’t. But God doesn’t operate according to our ways, God operates according to God’s way.
And God’s way? God’s way is the way of truth and light and love. It is the way of righteousness, it is the only way, it is The Way.
I think the example of Abraham and Sarah is one we all can benefit from. Abraham questioned, argued, debated, wondered, and Sarah? Well… Sarah laughed.
Questioning, arguing, wondering and laughing are all, I think, pleasing before the Lord, especially when such things lead us to believe.
Now belief isn’t some pie in the sky method of living, belief isn’t signing off on every single nuance of the Christian Faith, nor is it saying that you always accept every decision of the Episcopal Church, this diocesean partnership, the Genesee Deanery Project or even this congregation.
Belief is knowing, somewhere in your heart, in your soul, in your gut, that God is.
That Love exists, that peace is available and that through this God…One we can’t prove, we can’t describe and yet we can’t live without...all things are possible.
Belief takes what we profess in the creed and gives it skin and bones... it’s what we live everyday and it is (at least I hope it is) what we fall back on when things are rough, when we feel lost, lonely and afraid.
Belief is what we hold onto so that when we lose our way, our belief will hold onto us.
My friends, it is, as Jesus says in the gospel, “God’s good pleasure” to give us the kingdom. To give us everything, always and forever. Of course, God doesn’t always give us what we want, but God always gives us what we need.
 All we have to do is believe.
So don’t worry whether your prayers are eloquent enough, if your faith is strong enough, just look at the stars expanding across the night sky and remember what God can do when we simply say, “yes, Lord, I believe.”

Amen.