Embracing Faith

The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter from Jerusalem to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile in Babylon. The letter said they were to seek the welfare of the city where they were in exile, and “pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”  The point of Jeremiah’s letter was that, despite the destruction of Jerusalem, the captivity of the Israelites, and all the hardship they had to endure, contributing to the welfare of Babylon would benefit them.  

I cannot help but think of all the refugees around the world who have left their homes and native lands essentially to live in exile in a strange land.  Many thousands of them are living in settlements that are rustic and primitive at best with meager amounts of food and clothing, contaminated water, and diseases like malaria, chronic diarrhea, and other debilitating conditions.

According to the New York Times, “A vast majority of the more than four million refugees want to return to Syria once the war there ends. For that reason, most have stayed in the region, often languishing for years in camps in Lebanon and Jordan, rather than migrating to Europe or attempting to enter the United States. According to estimates from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are some 634,000 refugees still in Jordan, 1.1 million in Lebanon and 2.3 million in Turkey.”  Unless refugees are settled in hospitable environments and provided with opportunities for the basic necessities of life, there is no way they can improve the welfare of the places where they are.

Here at home we have many former refugees and immigrant people who are contributing to our common welfare and the well-being of our communities. Ours is a place of welcome and hospitality.  We can always do better, but those who come here and settle in our cities are grateful.

Gratitude is the subject of the story of the Samaritan leper who was cured by Jesus.  Lepers were outcasts who were alienated from the community.  They were like exiles or refugees in their own land.  The healing that Jesus provided for ten people who were diseased restored them to the community of God’s people.  It was a sign of salvation but only one of those who were healed, a Samaritan foreigner, offered praise to God and thanked Jesus.  Then Jesus said to the grateful person, “Get up and go your way; your faith has made you well.”  The leper was healed; his faith had brought God’s saving grace into his diseased life.

Jeremiah’s sense of well-being and justice in the cities where we are, and gratitude or thankfulness for God’s grace and love are hallmarks of our faith.  The Rev. Jay Sidebotham, an Episcopal priest and author, writes a blog in RenewalWorks titled “Monday Matters.”  This past week he shared a column from the Wall Street Journal about an interview with a teenager.  The young person said,  "I love being Episcopalian. You don't have to believe anything."  Jay wrote that it was great that this young person felt welcomed. But it made him think about what it means to believe, to trust. to give one’s heart to something? Are there things he hoped she would embrace?

Jay offered a list of things he embraces in our Christian faith.  I like what he offers but my list, although built on his, is somewhat different.  As I share my list, think of things you embrace in your faith and life.  Here are seven items:

1. God is the author and creator of all that is.  Scientific discoveries and evolution are part of the created order.  All of us live within the life of God.  Our lives are a gift and we have the freedom to think for ourselves and to act as we choose.

2. As stated in the Book of Genesis, Creation is good.  It is a gift, the work of a loving God who declares it to be blessed. Creation prompts an attitude of gratitude and wonder. The changing seasons, birds, animals, and fish; wind, earth, stars, and water are marvels of creation.

3. God is about relationships. The Spirit of God is present in all the racial, gender and ethnic diversity that comprises communities of mercy, love and forgiveness.  The goal of relationships is virtue and compassion for those in need.   

4. God listens when we pray.  Prayer is about the way we live and involves what we have done and what we have left undone, our love and concern for others, the thanks we feel and express for all we have received, and the glory and praise we offer to God.

5. We are called by the Spirit of God through Baptism to continue following the teaching of Jesus, to share his meal of thanksgiving in holy communion, to resist evil, to proclaim the Good News of God, to serve Christ in all persons by loving our neighbors, and to work for justice and peace respecting the dignity of every human being.

6. The Bible tells an epic and sacred story.  It is not a literal story, but a guide for living within the historical reality of all the people of God, past, present, and future.  In the midst of life’s uncertainties and ambiguities, the Biblical story is about doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God.

7. The sacrament of Holy Eucharist sustains us by giving us bread for the journey, nourishment for the soul, and life-giving sustenance in our ministries of service to people in need.

Within the context of what we embrace in our Christian faith, I am confident that Jeremiah’s plea to seek the welfare of the community, and the Samaritan’s thankfulness for health and wholeness are true pathways toward realizing changed and transformed lives.  Amen.