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This passage from Ephesians is the theological heart of the Protestant reformation. While various groups interpret it differently; the differences are like playing a song in different keys or styles. So, we have discussed salvation (the heart of God’s purpose in creation and humanity and Jesus’ mission). We’ve explored grace, which is God’s love in action, the way God connects with us. We are saved (healed, delivered, set free, made whole, and reconciled) by grace (forgiven, accepted, transformed, encouraged, and empowered) through FAITH. Faith is our response to the gift of God’s grace. Faith is how we seek to stay connected with God. Faith is not always certain. Sometimes our faith is wrong or misguided. In college two things happened to my faith. First, while working as youth director at my home church, I experienced how the sausage was made; I encountered the hypocrisy of Christians; and I became disenchanted with the church. I also began asking questions and the church did not provide sufficient answers. So, I began searching and my seeking led me to explore Zen Buddhism. I began meditating. I was going to school in the day while working nights as the dispatcher for AAA. I could study at work. One night I was reading Jonathan Livingston Seagull at the auto club and had an intense spiritual experience in which I felt seen, understood, and accepted. It was as if I was one with the universe. The effect of that experience lasted for days. It is the most intense spiritual experience of my life. I tried to understand it in the framework of Zen, but I had a nudging to read the Bible. And as I began to read, the word “God” suddenly meant something to me. I remember realizing, Oh, it was You at the auto club. For the first time in my life, God was more than a word or idea. I knew, I believed, I had a conviction that God is real. And I understood and trusted that the living Word of God abided in the words of scripture. (I got saved by the grace of God at AAA at 2:30 a.m. in the morning, reading JLS!) There is an intimate dynamic between grace and faith. You can’t really separate them. Faith is our response to grace but as soon as we respond with faith, our faith begins to generate new experiences of grace. In the simplest terms, faith is belief and trust. Hebrews 11:1 says: Faith is the assurance of things hoped for; the conviction of things unseen. Assurance is a sense of confidence or trust. If you look up the word conviction, one of the meanings is a firmly held belief. One can be convicted on circumstantial evidence. Faith is a decision to believe. If you were raised in a Christian home and grew up attending church, there comes a time when you confirm your faith. It becomes more than your family or church’s faith. We say for ourselves, I believe. And belief is not a static one-time decision. It develops and deepens through life. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians that he fed them milk, not solid food, because they were not ready for solid food. 1 Cor 3: 2 In our church, people are expected to think for themselves. A core value is: In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, love. We are not a creedal church. We have a set of basic doctrines but there is a wide range of thought among Methodists. Questions, doubts, and critical thinking are evidence of faith. Theology is faith seeking understanding. It is okay to wonder, examine, be curious and discuss our doctrines because faith always seeks sanctifying grace to help us grow. As trust, faith is a deepening sense of confidence in God. Faith is a loving relationship of growing assurance. Sometimes we feel really close and other times there is a distance. Life brings experiences that test our faith; cause us to wonder about our beliefs or to wonder about the relationship. We believe God sent Jesus so that we could experience the character of God in a human life, a human face and heart. Psalm 139 affirms that wherever we go, whatever we experience, God is there. The psalm affirms an intimacy of relationship which begins in the womb and endures forever. Faith is learning to trust the promises and the presence of God. And the best way to gain that trust is by becoming a disciple and friend of Jesus. Most people need to be able to see or touch things before they are real. So called doubting Thomas needed to touch the scars of the risen Jesus. Humans build temples and tombs as expressions of their faith. Christians are no different. People connect through our worship places and the symbols of faith. Sometimes we get too attached to our stuff, but buildings, symbols, and cultural traditions are expressions of faith. Christianity has adapted through the centuries as we have assimilated stuff from various cultures. Paul Tillich said that humans are creatures of faith. He defined faith as being ultimately concerned. Whatever people are most concerned about, most interested in, most invested in … is their faith. Drive across Kansas and see steeples and grain elevators. Carnagie built fancy libraries (places of wisdom). Ultimate concerns. The first Methodist place of worship and community service was the Foundry, an empty cannon factory in London. Factories, skyscrapers, malls, stadiums baby! Ultimate concerns/faith! Faith also expresses itself as gratitude and generosity. Our checkbooks or debit card statements are a journal of gratitude and generosity. Faith is stewardship of our blessings, and not only our personal blessings but stewardship of the earth. We may be at a turning point in human history and development. Humans found the earth to be dangerous; so, our role was dominion and subduing creation. But as we understand the ecological connection between humans and creation; faith becomes less about dominion and more about partnership. Jesus invited the disciples to accept his yoke, a symbol of partnership, of working together, in the stewardship of creation. Faith also is obedience. The root word of obedience is listening. The Ten Commandments are found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. Jesus said he came to fulfill the law. Occasionally he talked about the spirit of the law. In today’s culture, we tend to ignore the commandments about false gods or idols, false witness/lying, keeping sabbath which includes caring for slaves, resident aliens, and animals, or coveting your neighbor’s stuff. When asked about the commandments, Jesus summarized the law by quoting Deuteronomy 6: You shall love the Lord your God with all your being. And loving your neighbor is like loving God. Jesus also offered a series of blessings or beatitudes. You’ll find those in Matthew 5 and a different version in Luke 6 which includes a list of “woes” along with blessings. Jesus emphasizes love as the heart of the law and the gospel. Faith also is resistance. We resist those things that subvert the way and will of God. We resist sin and evil. We resist in our personal choices and in our collective communal choices. Protest is a public assertion, witness, or testimony. It may be grief or lamentations against sin and evil. It may be an affirmation, calling for faithful change. Faith as resistance is obedience to God’s salvation purposes. Did you notice how Jesus never tried to force people to agree with him or follow him? Neither should we. Christian faith is less about a single set of beliefs or rules and more about practices: prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. Loving God and neighbor. It is a committed lifestyle of love and service. Covenant. A covenant is a commitment to do life together. Faith abides in covenant community. Phyllis Tickle wrote an amazing book about emergent Christianity. She said that every 500 years, the church holds a giant rummage sale in which it decides what is essential to faith and what needs to be adapted or let go. The schism of 1000 CE and the Protestant Reformation around 1500. Now we are living through another great shift in culture, technology, and how we understand God and how we Christians need to rediscover the solid ground, beside still waters, the heart and soul of what it means to live in covenant. We need to rediscover and affirm our core values and beliefs so we may reshape the church for what is coming. What are your core beliefs as a Christian? How do you trust the promises of God in Jesus Christ? How is Christ inviting you to grow as a disciple? As we come to the Lord’s Table, let’s acknowledge that often we do not feel worthy. We often feel disconnected in our faith. John Wesley wrote to his brother about it. Mother Teresa lived most of her life that way. Yet, their lives were a marvelous harvest of the fruit of the Spirit. Remember that salvation is a gift of God’s grace through our faith, and not something we have accomplished.