March 7, 2010                                                                                                   Preached by Pam Laing

3^rd Sunday of Lent                                                                                  The United Presbyterian Church

Bible texts: Numbers 14:1-11; *Mark 9: 17-29

 

Tapping Into Channels of God’s Grace

 

            One of Alan Jackson’s early hits, entitled “Here In the Real World,” begins with these words: “Cowboys don’t cry, and heroes don’t die. Good always wins again and again. Love is a sweet dream that always comes true. Oh, if life were like the movies, I’d never be blue. But, here in the real world, It’s not that easy at all. “Cause when hearts get broken, It’s real tears that fall.”[1] “Here in the real world, It’s not that easy at all.” These lyrics ring true, and show why country songs touch many listeners.

 

            In the real world hearts get broken, people suffer from debilitating illness, and the faithful experience doubt. Sometimes we of faith do have the wonderful privilege of sensing the glory of God. We may not have actually seen the face of Jesus, but we have experienced “God moments” that declare loudly God’s presence with us – like a peace that comes when anxiety threatens to cripple us, or when someone for whom we pray is healed. Yet, we all are aware that at the next corner, the reality of life might descend upon us again.

 

            Most of you are probably familiar with the books of collected prayers written to God by children. The second book reports the following letter:  “Dear God, I have doubts about you sometimes. Sometimes I really believe. Like when I was four and I hurt my arm and you healed it up fast. But my question is, if you could do this why don’t you stop all the bad in the world? Like war. Like diseases. Like famine. Like drugs. And there are problems in other people’s neighborhoods too. I’ll try to believe more. Ian”[2]  Even at age ten, Ian knew about the real world and wondered why God was not more active in making things better.

 

            What do we of faith do when we face the pressures of the real world? That was the question for the disciples of Jesus’ day, and it remains the challenge for those of who seek to follow Jesus today. If we use today’s scripture passages as a lens through which we can view our faith, we might discover an answer. These passages allow us to look for the principle embedded within their stories – and that principle is faith. One preacher explains this concept saying, “It is very much like the glasses I have on my face to see better. I do not have better eyesight by looking at my glasses, but because I look through the lenses of my glasses.  [Similarly,] I do not have a better life and understanding of life because of faith, but because God allows my life to look through the lens of faith…”[3]

 

            The father’s reply to Jesus tells us a whole lot about the nature of faith – his faith, my faith, your faith, anybody’s faith. The man showed a certain measure of faith by even asking Jesus to heal his son. But within his hope of faith, there was an inkling of uncertainty: “If you are able Jesus.”  Yet, when Jesus challenged him, he handed his situation to Jesus saying: “"I believe; help my unbelief!" 

 

            We are all showing a measure of faith by coming to worship today. Most of us, at least some of the time, and some of us, most of the time, live in a wavering state of faith and doubt. Sometimes it seems easy to believe, and other times much easier to doubt. It is not unusual for us to say one thing in the safety of the sanctuary, but another out in the real world. We may stand up in church and confidently proclaim: “I believe in God the Father Almighty…” and then say the next day, “If you are able, Jesus.”

 

            So how do we deal with this going back and forth from doubt to faith and back to a sense of being beaten down by the real world? To begin with, we do not feel guilty about our times of indecisiveness. The real world sometimes threatens us in such a way as to cover the light of faith. That is when we reach down deep within our hearts and find the glory of Christ’s light illuminating the path to belief.

 

            Jesus turned the man’s faith question into a lesson of trust by saying to him, in effect, I have the power to do what you ask, but it is your faith that opens up the channel for that power to become operative. How about if you and I join our efforts and bring about healing together?”

 

            People of faith – whether ancient or current – yearn for the ability to see clearly that God is in control and that in the end everything will work out for the better. The transfiguration experience provides us with a contrast of faith on the mountaintop, and faith in the trenches of the real world. Jesus’ disciples held great hope that he would be the source of wonderful change for the world. They willingly and enthusiastically put their trust in him as their Master, and gradually came to believe he was their Messiah.  But only three got to see Jesus in glory up on the mountain; for those left behind in the valley, a mountaintop experience was only a dream. Instead, they had to remain in the real world and face a questioning crowd that was ready to point out all too bluntly the inability of their faith to bring about healing.

 

            Peter, James and John could connect to God when life’s challenges brought them down to earth by reflecting on what they had seen and heard on that mountain. On the other hand, the disciples serving in the valley while Jesus was gone did not have that mountaintop advantage.  And so, they experienced the loneliness that can come while following Christ. Later, when they asked why they were unable to heal the boy from his ailment, Jesus replied, “This kind can come out only through prayer."  This was Jesus’ way of saying, “you cannot heal like I can; you must rely on prayer.”

 

            Jesus wants us to let our faith prompt us to pray. Prayer is the igniter of our faith that opens the channel to God’s power and healing presence. When we pray, it is like we are communing with God in the midst of our wilderness where demonic forces confront us. Through prayer, we join our faith to that of Jesus, and powerful things can happen. Instead of saying tentatively to Jesus, “If you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us," we can boldly declare with Jesus: “All things can be done for the one who believes” and trust that we speak the truth.

 

            Sometimes after coming together to experience the beauty of worship and to receive the assurance of Christ’s presence with us through communion, we leave from here only to encounter turmoil at home, or conflict at school, or tragedies in the world. Before we know it the reality of life causes doubt to creep back in to gnaw at our faith. Yet, as a long-time preacher once said, “We never get our beliefs 100% doubt-proof. We can always ask questions… that no mortal can answer. But life won’t let us wait around until we are 100% certain before we must act… we must act in the light of the best we know.”[4]

 

            Earlier I shared Ian’s letter that confessed his doubts. I can imagine God’s reply in a letter meant for Ian, and all of God’s children everywhere: “Dear children of mine: You have doubts about me? I have doubts about you sometimes. Sometimes I really believe. Like when you come to church on Sunday mornings and tell me how much you love me. But my question is if you could do this, why don’t you stop all the bad in the world? Like war. Like diseases. Like famine. Like drugs. You think you’ve got problems? You should try being God sometime! On the other hand, when you’ve tried that, the results haven’t been that impressive. I’ll help you believe more in me so your faith overcomes your doubt. Bring your prayers to me and trust that all things can be done for the one who believes.” God.[5]  Amen.