Beginner's Guide to Faith
Here’s a statement of faith distilled to its essence: God loves us, is with us in this life, and will be with us in the next. A beginner's guide. And our physical death is not a period at the end of a sentence or a “period, full stop,” as many are fond of saying lately for emphasis. Death is more like a semi-colon than a period. More like a bridge between two ideas or realities than a “full stop.” And if you don’t buy all that, it’s okay. We each have an internal “belief-o-meter” when it comes to accepting concepts in the absence of tangible “proof.” Believing is hard when there is no evidence that can be observed or measured. The child-like willingness to believe, that Jesus talks about, dissolves with age, and can be smothered by professional training. And superseded by a willful skepticism, that is often confused with wisdom and sophistication. Some of us need proof to believe. The scientific method, the realm of "proof," may be the bedrock of our civilization, but even its "laws" are subject to change, apparently. I stumbled across this in New Scientist (Dec. 2023): “Earlier this year, a team of researchers at Kyoto University in Japan found that microorganisms such as sperm and some algae propel themselves in a way that apparently breaks Isaac Newton's third law of motion.”
I won't pretend to be familiar enough with this topic to understand how big a deal this is, but I do know that the veracity of God’s word, never changes. Or his promises, such as these two: one from Deuteronomy in the First Testament, or the Hebrew Bible, and one from the Gospel of Mathew in the Second or the New Testament:
Deuteronomy 31“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you”
And this from Jesus in Matthew 28: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The good news is that our “belief-o-meters” can swing in either direction. A stuck needle can move. My faith has evolved over 30 years, mostly as a result of just showing up on Sunday. Things sink in, in their own time. After a formal grounding in the Catholic faith, there was a typical period of disinterest and disbelief, between college and about age 30, disdain even, toward organized religion. My current faith “quotient” was not conjured in one “born again” moment along the way. I did not accept the bedrock tenets of Christianity “whole cloth” or all at once. I have internalized much of the Jesus story bit by bit, slowly, and over time. Like building a Lego high-rise. And there is still doctrine I have not fully absorbed and may never. That’s okay. Christian scholars, and I mean those who also are believers, as well as being expert in the study of the history, language and context of Scripture, can and do disagree over meaning and nuance. But the center holds for all Christians: God loves us and is with us now and forever, through the work of Jesus.
Faith is our willingness to crack ourselves open and delight in God's work in our lives. It is resting in his promises. It is embracing belief before proof, instead of the other way around. It is moving tenderly through life, open to the presence of God in us and around us. This year, I will continue to read Scripture to try to find meaning and comfort in God's word. I'll connect with Him/her directly, like talking to a trusted friend- expressing and listening, and I will absorb the faith messages of others who bring me closer to God, and who make this child of God feel loved and better about myself, not worse. I hope you do likewise. Regarding the song pairing- I was a prolific songwriter in my twenties, before putting the guitar down completely for over 20 years. When I picked it up again, about 15 years ago, faith music began to flow out. This song was one of the first. Here is a demo of the song “Faith First.” Happy New Year and until next time, stay safe, be brave and keep walking in the light.
Faith First
If you want to be free
He said “follow me”
open your eyes
if you want to see, you'll see
That it takes faith first
it takes faith first
it takes faith first
first, it takes faith
Old man's sure as he can be
examines his world profoundly
doesn't believe what his eyes can’t see,
he can’t see
That it takes faith first
it takes faith first
it takes faith first
first, it takes faith
Young girl gathers with family
passes the cup joyfully,
no longer is she thirsty,
you see
It takes faith first
it takes faith first
it takes faith first
first, it takes faith