What Do You Believe? - New Sermon Series
We all believe something.
We may not always put those beliefs into words or spend much time thinking about them. But underneath the decisions we make, the priorities we set, the things we fear, the things we hope for, and the way we treat other people are beliefs about God, ourselves, and the world around us. That is one reason I am excited about where we are headed together at Messiah this fall.
For 30 weeks, we will be making our way through Believe by Randy Frazee, where we will focus on the basic question: Why does it matter what we believe?
Sometimes we treat faith as though it is mostly about knowing the right answers. What do Christians believe about God? About Jesus? About salvation? About the Bible? Those are important questions.
But Christian faith has never been simply about knowing the right information. What we believe shapes how we live.
If I believe that God is present and at work in the world, that changes how I face an uncertain future.
If I believe that every person I encounter is created and loved by God, that changes how I treat my neighbor.
If I believe that grace is truly a gift and not something I have to earn, that changes how I see both my successes and my failures.
If I believe that Jesus calls me to forgive, serve, love, and trust, then those beliefs eventually have to find their way into my relationships and choices.
In other words, our beliefs are not meant to stay in our heads. They are meant to take root in our hearts and become visible in our lives. Over these 30 weeks, we will have the opportunity to explore questions that are not just for experts. They are questions for all of us.
And I hope we will approach them with some humility. Faith is not about having everything figured out. There will be things we wrestle with. There will be questions for which easy answers do not come. There may even be places where we discover that something we have believed for years needs another look. That is not a failure of faith. That is part of growing in faith.
My hope for this sermon and study series is not simply that, when we reach the end, we will know more. I hope we will know more deeply who we trust. I hope we will become more aware of the beliefs that shape us. And most of all, I hope what we believe about God Will increasingly shape the people we are becoming. Thirty weeks is a significant journey. I am looking forward to taking it with you.
Pr. Laurie
