Desire a Better Country

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for…” I remember being a teenager and having a Sunday evening lesson at youth group on Hebrews 11. Even at that time, I was drawn in by the enticement of a definition. Finally, an authoritative definition of faith! Something I can wrap my mind around and understand. When we start breaking down this definition of faith, it becomes unmanageable. There is still substance to it, but not a substance I can hold in my hand and figure out. It’s more like a substance that sweeps us up in a current, taking us toward a better country, to quote the author of Hebrews.

As we enter this third part of the “Dear Children of God” series, I encourage you not to lose the verve and vitality that flows between the lines in the letter to the Hebrews. The letter can feel quite academic, especially since many academics over millennia have unpacked it bit by bit by bit, trying to understand the mysteries of the faith that the letter explores. Yet underneath the dense prose is a passion for the gospel, a need to plumb the depths of our faith, not to hold it and contain, but to revel and wonder at the profound work of grace and divine love that saves us into union with God and, by extension, in loving community with one another.

So, as you plan worship during this series, carve out spaces to marvel and reflect. In this first week, consider how to add stories of faith from your community to the litany of stories in Hebrews 11. “By faith, Grace UMC… By faith, Robert… By faith, the Youth Group…” These stories feed our faith; they bolster and strengthen our assurance that we can set out to find and build a better country, the kingdom of God.

Take moments to sing the songs that are the soundtrack of your church’s life together. Is there a song you always sing as a prayer during a potluck? Sing it during worship! Is there a song your children particularly love or your youth ministry sings often at its gatherings? Sing it during worship! Is there a song that almost every saint in your community has had sung at their funerals? Sing it during worship! Tell the story of the song’s place in your community and then sing as a communal act of remembering and re-membering your community of faith.