THE JOURNEY OF FAITH “And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). Spiritually speaking, there are two kinds of people and two approaches to life: one is either a planner or a pilgrim. The planner likes to have control over life and to be able to plan each stage according to pre-set goals. Planners take their cue from what society considers success, and spend most of their time trying to match the lifestyle and values of others. They believe that success is measured in material things such as a good job with a good income, a nice house, an expensive car, and if we make it big, a yacht to cruise the harbor while others stand in awe and admire. They believe that appearance is everything and so they are given to wearing flashy, designer clothing, expensive jewelry, etc. and conspicuous consumption. These are the people who believe they have it all together and are large and in charge. And they become bitterly disappointed if they fail to achieve those objectives and can even lose some measure of self-worth. The pilgrim people, on the other hand, are those who accept life as a gift from God that unfolds as they live it, for however hard they may try, they can never have complete control over what happens. They are not deterred by failures and disappointments but see them as opportunities for spiritual growth. Pilgrim people are not concerned about the values of this world, but of the world to corne. Unlike the planners, pilgrim people never feel comfortable or at ease with society’s values. Their concentration is on things of God. They are more concerned with the world to come than the world that already exists. They believe that after a life of faith in God and service to Him and to others they will receive the crown of glory. For them, there is more to life than being materially successful. It would be foolish not to plan in temporal things, and we are not seeking to condemn those who are successful in life. But we are speaking of spiritual versus pilgrim planning. The planner refuses to live by faith. The pilgrim, on the other hand, lives by faith, knowing that life is full of risks, yet affirming life. He senses the full insecurity of the human situation, yet rejoices. That is the essence of faith. He puts himself in God’s hands, and thus opens himself to the full grace of God’s protection and provision. He celebrates the present moment, and thus is able to live life to the fullest, knowing that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the assurance of things not seen” (Heb. 11: I). By God’s grace we can all have that assurance. The planner wants to control events; the pilgrim lets God control events. Abraham is the great Old Testament model of faith, as seen in our Old Testament reading appointed for today. He is the quintessential pilgrim. At the word of God he uproots himself, leaving his home and people, and sets out from a land God promised to show him, where he would become the father of a great nation. It was a journey into the unknown. The only compass he had was faith in God. But we see how God rewarded his faith. How many of us would go at the command of God not knowing in advance where we are going or how we would get there, or how we would survive when we get there? We want certain assurances in life before we venture forth into the unknown. In fact, I believe that most of us would not go as Abraham did because most of us are afraid of the unknown. But with God we need not care because He cares for us and promises to be our Shepherd. We should not fear the future because God is already there! We are the spiritual descendents of Abraham. We prove ourselves the true children of Abraham by imitating his faith. Life is full of uncertainty, but at the command of God we are to go anyway. Like Abraham, we are on a journey into the unknown. We literally do not know what lies around the next bend on the road of life. Yet, in spite of frustrations and failures, we journey on, pilgrims homesick for a place where our hopes and dreams will be realized, and where true joys and happiness are to be found. We are comforted by the words of Hebrews 11: 1, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the assurance of things not seen”. We have no idea what will happen to us on the journey with God, but what we do know is that He will be with us through everything, tears and joys. Pilgrim people can say, “God is already here”, or sing with the hymn-writer, “O happy band of pilgrims, if onward ye will tread … with Jesus as your Fellow … to Jesus as your head!” For all his faith, Abraham died without seeing God’s promises fulfilled. As Christians we spend our lives journeying toward the Promised Land of Heaven. But we die without reaching it. We have to pass through death to get to it. Like Abraham we travel in faith and die in hope. But one thing we do know, and that is that God is leading us as His pilgrim people and He will lead us into the green pastures of Heaven. We may not know the future, but we know who holds the future, and we know who holds our hand. Another hymn-writer says, “Where He leads me I will follow; I’ll go with Him anywhere!” It is especially as we approach death that we are called to imitate the faith of Abraham. At death we have to leave everything behind, and set out for a strange land, relying only on God’s promise. But if we live by faith, the last step on the journey of life will be no harder than any of the ones that preceded it. This is the approach of pilgrim people who will face death with a certain hope in the resurrection to eternal life. But the planners will be ever more frustrated at death. They have to leave all the things they fought so hard to acquire to meet society’s values and expectations behind, for others to fight over. They will be disappointed that they cannot take anything with them to the grave. They will discover the error of their ways in seeking things temporal and losing the things eternal. But then it will be too late. We who are alive now can benefit from that experience. As Christians, and therefore pilgrim people, we should be ever conscious that we are not alone on the pilgrimage of life. God has promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20). We make the pilgrimage of life as members of a believing community we call St. Matthew’s, confident of the promise of God’s abiding presence until the fullness of His Kingdom comes. Like the paralytic in one of Jesus’ healing miracles, the faithful of the community will support us when our own faith does not measure up. That is what we are to do as believers: support one another and resist the temptation to tear each other down. It is much easier to tear down than to build up. It is much easier to condemn than to praise, to hold old grudges than to forgive. S1. Paul encourages us not to be the cause of the downfall of any of God’s people. That is what pilgrim people are to do: the bear each other up in time of need as together they live lives of faith. By faith we will receive our just reward when we reach God’s nearer presence. Meanwhile, like the servant whom Jesus talks about in today’s Gospel, we must strive to be faithful to God and to one another and to be ready when God calls us home. The real test of fidelity is to be faithful in spite of setbacks and failures, even when it just means being faithful in small things, believing that our life does matter, and that we can make a difference. Our faith will help us to brighten the little corner where we are. We should draw courage and hope from the words of Mother Teresa who said, “We are not called to be successful, only to be faithful”. Help me with the beatitudes of life in today’s bulletin which identify pilgrim people: Celebrant: Blessed are the faithful: All: They are like safe anchors in a world of broken moorings. Celebrant: Blessed are the just: All: They are to society what leaven is to bread. Celebrant: Blessed are the generous: All: They keep alive our faith in the essential goodness of people. Celebrant: Blessed are the caring: All: They shine like beacons in a world darkened by indifference. Celebrant: Blessed are the genuine: All: They glow like gems in a world of falseness. Celebrant: Blessed are those who are not afraid of sacrifice: All: On the day of harvest they will sing for joy. Celebrant: And blessed are those who refuse to look back: All: They will be found worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. Where are you on life’s journey? Are you a planner or a pilgrim? + St. Matthew’s Broadcasting Historic St. Matthew’s Anglican Church Celebrating 205 Years of Christian Witness Nassau, The Bahamas P.O.Box N-963 Tel: 242.323-8220 or 322-3259 Fax 242 322.6431 email: saintmat@coralwave.com or carvel@coralwave.com Website:www.stmatthews.org.bs Less