The Role of Practice and Experience in Growing a Faith

Luke 8:26-39

As we look at the life, faith and ministry of Jesus, it is noteworthy to place it within the cultural, religious and medical practices available in the time in which he lived. Medical knowledge and practice were more advanced than we might assume. For example, Jewish physicians had a good grasp of remedies available to help relieve various health issues. Honey, for example, was used to relieve sore throats, rosemary was used for stomach ailments, a solution of pounded maidenhair fern for tapeworm infection and a poultice of fish brine was given to relieve rheumatism.^. Cupping and blood-letting were also practised along with thermal waters, cauterisation, curetting of wounds, trepanning and caesarean deliveries.

From the Gospel accounts, Jesus had a remarkable ability to heal the sick and to aid people physically and spiritually in an age long before modern medicine. This certainly attracted crowds who sought his help and healing. As his popularity grew, Jesus soon encouraged his disciples to share in this healing ministry:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.¹

We see a lovely example of this in the healing of the Gerasene Demonic². Jesus brings relief and transformation to each step of this healing account. In the process, he reveals the love and power of God, especially to those who felt lost and trapped in a society which offered them little hope or help.

At the same time, Jesus condemned the religious elite for the way they abused the poor by not practising what they taught! Instead, they 'tied up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on the shoulders of the poor, refusing to lift even a finger to help and care for those who were struggling in poverty'. In contrast, Jesus laments on how he would love to gather the people of Israel to Himself for safety if only they were willing!³

In Luke's Gospel, however, there is a similar healing example. After Jesus had healed the man, he naturally wanted to become one of Jesus' followers. Jesus tells him instead to return home and share the good news of how much God has done for you. The man accepted Jesus' advice and “told everyone he met how much Jesus had done for him.”

I don't know about you, but I find this story incomplete. The man was struggling with three issues: first, his self-destructive behaviour; then his experience of isolation from normal society; and finally, his feeling of being trapped by his condition that he was powerless to change. In many ways, his actions were not unique. We also have our own issues, our own habits and beliefs, which may not be as destructive as the man's behaviour in this story; nevertheless, they may result in limiting or restricting us. I wonder how we deal with our own personal issues? How ready are we to let go of a habit, or a belief, or a personal issue, that is affecting our own growth towards wholeness?

But Doctor Luke has more to say about the way people deal with their personal issues as he introduces two more situations where people seek out Jesus to share their troubles with him. The first need was provided by the leader of the local synagogue. His twelve-year-old daughter was dying. In desperation, he begs Jesus help. However, on the way to visit the man's home, Jesus' journey is interrupted by a woman who had suffered from haemorrhages for twelve long years. The woman also reaches out to Jesus in the hope she might be healed. Jesus senses her need and stops. The result in both cases, the woman and the young daughter are healed. ⁵

While these stories may sound more poetic than historical, they do remind us that the grace and presence of God is never limited by our own faith struggles. This doesn't mean all our problems and illnesses will simply go away if we ask for God's intervention. Even St Paul discovered this when suffering from a limiting physical complaint. He had repeatedly pleaded to God to heal him,  but discovered his prayers were not answered the way he had hoped. In the end, he came to accept that God had not abandoned him and that his situation was not unique.⁶

Religious Faith is not magic. Faith in its essence, is about relationship – our relationship with God, with others, and with the world around us. When Jesus was inviting his would-be disciples to “Come, follow me” he was inviting them to enter into a living, transformative relationship with him. It was a two-way relationship. One that was built on trust, love, and personal commitment. And while the intellectual aspect of faith man provides a foundation, it is up to us to develop a daily practice that allows that faith relationship to truly grow.

Kia Mau te pai ki a koe I to haerenga!

May you find peace and good wiill on your journey!

Phil

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1. Matthew:36

2. Luke 8:26-39

3. Matthew 23:1-39

4. Matthew 8:23-27

5. Luke 8:40-42, 49-56

6. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9

                                                     The Sounds of Silence

One of the pop songs that I remember from my youth was Simon and Garfunkel's Sound of Silence which hit the charts in the 1960s. It had a gentle, singable and easy-flowing melody and soothing rhythm. It soon became an overnight success, claiming a 'top ten hit' in many countries. As a young adolescent, and learning to play the guitar, I was also captivated by the song.

Another interesting feature of the song, which added to its popularity, was the lyrics. They offered a warning to the 'all-consuming consumerism' that was rapidly spreading in Western society. It tended to dominate and shape people's lives and desires. For that reason alone, it rapidly became the key driver of the local economy.

Consumerism was especially appealing to younger people, who were growing up in a rapidly changing world. However, despite all its attractions and its promise of fulfilment and joy, it more often left a trail of dissatisfaction and a perpetual yearning for 'something more'. For example, Simon and Garfunkel's song included these lyrics:

And the people bowed and prayed

to the neon god they made

and the sign flashed out its warning

in the words that it was forming.

And the sign said, “The words of the prophets

are written on the subway walls

and tenement halls

and whispered in the sounds of silence.”

However, the song became so popular that Simon and Garfunkel included it at nearly every concert until the group broke up in 1970.

What I find interesting, especially in the lyrics and popularity of this song, is the emphasis on the importance and place of silence in a rapidly changing world.

Richard Rohr has also made a similar observation in more recent years. For example, in the closing chapters of his book “A Spring Within Us”, he includes the following observation:

“Silence precedes, undergirds, and grounds everything else. Unless we learn to live there, go there, and abide in this different phenomenon, everything – words, events, relationships, identities – becomes rather superficial, without depth or context. We are left to search for meaning in a life of events and situations that need to contain ever greater stimulation, more excitement, and more color, in an attempt to add vital signs to our inherently bored and boring existence.”¹

Rohr goes on to suggest that our best moments in life can arise from these moments of interior silence because when we allow ourselves to pause and become still, we open the door to a contemplative way of knowing, and in doing so, we allow Christ to be born within us.

Such an observation stands in direct contrast to the prevailing philosophy of consumerism within local Western society, which tends to invite us in quite a different direction. However, while it may catch our attention, in the long run it will not, and can not, make us happy!

Instead, consumerism is often criticised and blamed for increasing people's anxiety, stress, poor moods, unhappiness in relationships, and various other psychological problems, including greater anxiety and depression ².

The road to happiness, however, lies in quite a different direction. It involves things like nurturing positive relationships, making mindful choices, having a good and productive job or hobby, cultivating a sense of purpose in one's life, and developing a sense of mastery over both the good and bad events that occur in one's life. And finally, cultivating a positive faith experience, which will both facilitate and nurture our awareness of the peace and love that God has for each one of us.

Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga

May you find peace and goodwill on your journey.

Phil

the mainstream society and its values.

1    Rohr, R. A Spring Within Us: A Year of Daily Meditations (SPCK 2018) Page 395

2  Investopedia: Consumerism: Definition, Economic Impact, Pros & Cons

 

Why is faith so difficult?

The Reverend Dr. Teri McDowell Ott is a pastor, writer, and editor/ publisher of the Presbyterian Outlook in the USA. While reading her blog recently, I was reminded of the time when Jesus told his disciples that his time with them would soon come to an end. The disciples naturally struggled with the news, partly because they had come to rely on having Jesus with them. Then Jesus promises that while they won't see him physically, he will still be with them spiritually as he prepares a place for them so they can be reunited with him in the spiritual life that continues after their physical death. Then we have a lovely insight into the disciple Philip's faith when he announces that he wanted some tangible proof before he was going to accept what Jesus was saying! 

While this conversation is unfolding, the disciple Thomas's thoughts have been elsewhere, so he has missed what Jesus was promising, and he finally interrupts Jesus by saying he hasn't understood what Jesus has been saying. If Jesus is going to be dead and buried...Then how can we know the way?

Teri then questions whether we have ever found our faith difficult, which is a good question! For who hasen't gone through periods of time when we question our faith, our beliefs and our hopes? Faith is not always easy. Sometimes we too can have our questions. For example: “Why does faith require so much effort, patience, courage, and strength of will ?' Couldn’t Jesus have made our life of faith a little easier?

It is true, Christian faith is not always easy to live – and more significantly to understand – because faith it is not something that can be rationalized or explained in simple words. This is partly because faith is primarily built on a relationship and not primarily on things like divine revelation or even the teachings of Jesus.

Christian Faith is also grounded in ancient Hebrew/Jewish history and writings. It has passed through twenty centuries of formation and development. While this can become a good excuse to ignore Christianity, and many do. However, the Theologian, Paul Tillich, in his book the “Dynamics of Faith,” described faith as containing a dynamic quality.

”Faith, in the Christian context, is more than mere belief; it’s a dynamic and transformative force in the life of a believer. Faith, as described in the New Testament, particularly in its original Greek context, conveys trust, confidence, and reliance. Faith as ultimate concern is an act of the total personality. It happens in the center of the personal life and includes all its elements.” The human mind’s most centered act is faith. Everything revolves around faith. It is not simply a function or section of a man but his total being   If faith becomes static, if it fails to move us, open us, deepen us, better us, then it is no longer faith.  Instead it is an idol; it is simply another idol that we put up on the mantle to worship but with which we don’t actually do anything.

Couldn’t you make this a little easier, Jesus?  Thanks be to God the answer is “No.”²

Faith is not easy because Faith is not something static that you can pride yourself in.  Or having attended the course, read the book, and studied the Bible doesn't mean you now understand all there is to know about Faith. Faith is not static. Faith is a living dynamic because Faith opens the door to allow God’s presence and peace to journey with us and within us. It is always unfolding as we learn to live within its shadow and begin to recognise its presence hovering within our struggles and joys. And this doesn't apply only to those who follow the Christian Faith.

For example, I recently came across an article on The Difficulty of Sustaining Faith by a practising Buddhist. In response to a practitioner's complaint that, having faithfully tried to follow all the instructions he had been given, he had so far not experienced the enjoyment of peace and security promised in their practice. Instead, he had encountered 'great hardships' that had 'showered like rain upon him' and now he had had enough. He had reached the point of giving it all up because he felt he was wasting his time!

However, when he discussed his struggles with his teacher, his teacher suggested he should choose a place that he considers “special” and possibly even “sacred” and use it only for his meditation practice. If he did this faithfully and regularly, then he would begin to cherish that space as he started to grow and develop his faith and practice ³.

Kia Mau te pai ki a koe I to haerenga!

May you find peace and good will on your journey!

Phil

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1, Teri McDowell Ott – encouraging courage

2. Tillich, Paul. Dynamics of Faith. New York: Harper, 1958. Print.

3. The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.