[Mcgregorpage] McGregorPage 509, Pentecost 3, June 25, 2006

[rmcgregoralbq at aol.com]

PENTECOST 3 – (June 25, 2006)

1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23) 32-49
Psalm 9:9-20
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Mark 4:35-41

David and Goliath

Faith -- the faith of a shepherd boy going against a giant, the faith 
to sing a song of deliverance in a dangerous world, the faith to claim 
God’s victory while experiencing earthly defeat -- “Why are you afraid? 
  Have you still no faith?” Jesus asks after intervening on behalf of 
the frightened disciples.  Faith supporting action, faith inspiring 
celebration, faith informing reflection on pain and loss, and when 
faith is frightened away, being sure that Jesus in nearby -- thus sings 
our quartet from the Word of God for this Sunday.

Shall we celebrate the miracle of faith or lament the lack of it?  What 
if David had missed?  Hit Goliath in the nose?  That makes a 
fifty-thousand-dollar putt by Tiger Woods seem just play.  What if the 
Psalmist had been too occupied to show up for worship?  What if Paul 
had said, “The church is full of hypocrites.  I’m out of here.”  Then 
they had better wake up Jesus.

When a person is dying of cancer in spite of all prayer, is it their 
lack of faith or ours that is permitting death to advance?  “If I just 
had the faith...” is a self-fulfilling lament.  If you accuse your 
congregation of lacking faith (as Jesus did), you had better have the 
solution in hand (as Jesus did).  We do better to remind our people of 
the faith we already have, and then remind them that faith is not our 
property.


In a dangerous world -- living this radically contingent existence -- 
getting up in the morning is an act of faith.  People who continue 
loving others, who keep nurturing children and older people; people who 
stick with the political process, who keep working with the public 
schools, who see a better day for our cities are people of faith.  
People who keep moving forward and outward have faith.  This is God’s 
gift.  They didn’t create it.  That’s why I can’t stand the implication 
that if one just prayed with faith the prayer would become magic; that 
is, working the effect we intend.  Where exactly is this faith muscle?  
What do you squeeze inside yourself to create faith?  Faith doesn’t 
come from inside us; it comes from inside God.  It is God’s gift to us.

There is one thing we can do to avail ourselves of faith though.  Be 
sure we are in the same boat with Jesus. "Therefore we have been buried 
with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from 
the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of 
life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will 
certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his."  (Romans 6:4 
5)  People in the Corinthian church had hurt Paul deeply, but I doubt 
that he never considered giving up on them or the church.  Had Jesus 
not been rejected?   "We are fools for the sake of Christ, but you are 
wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, 
but we in disrepute. To the present hour we are hungry and thirsty, we 
are poorly clothed and beaten and homeless,  and we grow weary from the 
work of our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we 
endure; when slandered, we speak kindly. We have become like the 
rubbish of the world, the dregs of all things, to this very day."  (1 
Corinthians 4:10 13)  So, shouldn’t Paul give up on the Christian 
mission?  No.  "For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain." 
(Philippians 1:21)

May these thoughts strengthen you.

McGregor’s Open Letter to Fellow Pastors
(an e-mail service)

[See Web Page address below for a Children’s Message coordinated with 
these lections.]

Roland McGregor, Pastor
Asbury United Methodist Church, Albuquerque New Mexico, USA

http://www.webspawner.com/users/McGregorPage/
http://www.webspawner.com/users/ChildPage/

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