Is Christian faith all-sufficient? The surprising answer is “no.” Faith in God, revealed in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, is certainly important—even fundamental for our lives. It is the foundation upon which stand in an ever-changing world. It is the compass guiding our path as we journey into the future. It is the motivational voice reminding us to “love God and love our neighbor as ourselves” wherever we go. But that is not the same as saying that faith is all-sufficient.
To be all-sufficient, faith would need to remove us from the choices, dilemmas and paradoxes of daily life. It would need to surround us like a bubble or full-body armor so that nothing of this world can trouble or disturb us. But that is neither the intent of faith nor the biblical definition of faith. Faith is embracing God’s “Yes” in a world that shouts “No” in unrelenting ways. Faith is trusting in that which is unseen, believing that God’s reality exists beyond the limits of our five senses and that it is truly trustworthy. Faith is about living, as opposed to simply surviving.
During the month of Lent, the sanctuary worship sermons will explore the theme of “Faith Plus.” Jesus calls us to lives of faith plus something more. Some of the examples we’ll explore include “faith + meditation,” “faith + justice,” or “faith + free will.” This is an idea straight out of the scriptures. Jesus didn’t send Peter and Andrew off into a life of isolation in the desert; he sent them into the world to combine their faith with their identity as fishermen-followers-of-Christ. The Holy Spirit at Pentecost didn’t compel the first disciples to huddle indefinitely in the Upper Room, Spirit-filled yet isolated. No, it literally propelled them out into the crowded streets—to talk and communicate with others, miraculously overcoming human barriers to spread the gospel of Christ into all the lands.
Moral philosophers have theorized how the beating of a butterfly’s wings here in America can affect air currents that will change the weather patterns in China. As hard to conceive as that might be, it is true that we live in a wildly interconnected world. Our daily routines influence the lives of people and animals halfway across the world, just as natural disasters or outbreaks of dangerous viruses in distant lands now have ripple effects that extend to our homes here.
Christian faith can never be something designed solely to serve our spiritual needs in isolation from the spiritual and physical needs of others. It may be articulated within our church walls in the language, liturgy and rituals of the Presbyterian tradition, but that is not the whole story. That is why we constantly apply the formula “faith plus” in our lives—asking how “faith + sadness or grief” can offer us comfort in times of loss, or how “faith + laughter” lifts our spirits even on rainy Pittsburgh days. May this season of Lent be a time when you tally up the many ways “faith + something else” has made the good news of Christ an active, life-giving part of who you are each and every day.
—Randy Bush