Journey of Faith

It’s easy to measure your faith by private devotion or rules that you think are in the Bible, rather than by how you show up in the world.  The unfortunate part is that it can blind people to injustice and sometimes cause them to justify harmful behavior.  When your focus is on individual righteousness rather than collective responsibility, you don’t learn how to show up for others—you only care about your own journey.

I think vertical morality can bring genuine spiritual depth and discipline, but it has to work in tandem with horizontal ethics.  Martin Luther told us that faith without works is dead.  Faith without action is incomplete if it isn’t rooted in love for others.

Our gospel this week has Jesus telling Andrew and Simon when they asked where he was staying to come and see.  The pathway of our life unfolds before us; we have no control of what lies ahead.  Remembering we are baptized gives us the assurance that we never walk alone.  We are loved.  Always keep in mind that God doesn’t love us because we are good; we are good because God loves us.  It’s time to show up in the world for the sake of our neighbors.