What is Faith?

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“Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” Upon first reading these words this week, I could almost feel a dagger pierce through my soul. What do you mean, God, “I do not know you”? I thought ours was a God who says, “I have called you by name; you are mine”?

 In today’s parable, we see Jesus start to paint a pretty clear (and scary) picture on what to expect when judgement day comes. In a few weeks, we will hear Jesus tell the ultimate parable on judgment where he will separate the sheep from the goats.

Today’s parable shows Jesus separate the wise from the foolish. The wise will gain entrance because they have enough oil while the foolish are left scrambling to make a last-ditch effort to find some more before getting shut out.

Like any parable, we can’t take it too literally or we will get lost in the weeds. We must ask ourselves, “What is the ultimate truth that Jesus is trying to convey here”? We must not let the symbols become the object of our obsession. Rather, we would do well to look at the big picture.

In my reading of the scripture this week, the ultimate truth invites us to consider the nature of our faith. What do we mean when we say, “saved by faith alone.”?  Even more fundamentally, “What is faith?” Is faith gained when we believe in a certain doctrine or dogma about God? Is faith about enduring difficult times? Based on today’s parable, these two definitions of faith seem to be incomplete.

If faith was simply about belief in a doctrine or dogma, then bringing the lanterns should have been enough. The lamps, in my estimation, represent religion. The lamps are vehicles in which we hold our faith.

However, for the lamps to work for an extended period of time, they must be refilled. Sooner or later our religious practices, our spiritual disciplines will burn out and we can’t be running to find more religion when the bridegroom comes. Religion alone will leave us empty.

Even more, if faith was simply about enduring and persevering, then none of the bridesmaids would have made it to the party at all. They all fall asleep just as Jesus’ disciples fall asleep in the garden. Our faith cannot rely on our own strength because sooner or later we will all doze off, sooner or later we will all give up.

Going back to the curious phrase the bridegroom says to those who are shut-out – I do not know you – faith is completely dependent on a relationship with the bridegroom – with Jesus. Our faith is about our knowing God and about God knowing us. And every Sunday, the celebrant invites you to grow in faith with the final blessing – may you grow in the knowledge and love of God.

As Jesus has said to the Pharisees on numerous occasions, what good is your belief system unless it draws you into a relationship with God? Likewise, Jesus challenges us today to ask, what good is our religion unless it orients us to the love of God – a love that pours out into our daily lives – a love that allows us to be in relationship with those around us?

Sharing the love we draw from God with others is the hard part. We are consumers. We want to keep that love for ourselves as if that love will run out.  But our faith tells us that Christ is risen. The love of God lives beyond sin and death. Love is an energy that grows exponentially when it is given away. Our faith also tells us that when we do not share that love, we lose it.

If you are still paying attention, then you know this is the perfect segue to talk about stewardship on this our last day of the Annual Pledge drive. Stewardship is a response to our faith. Giving what we have been given by God for the extension of God’s kingdom on earth is what makes our faith real in the world today. Stewardship is how we keep our faith alive.

Stewardship isn’t just something we do because the Bible tells us to do or because the preacher tells us to do. The giving of our time, talent, and money for the extension of God’s kingdom reminds us to whom we belong. The act of giving reorients our life to the work of God’s kingdom in the here and now.  

The act of giving for the extension of the kingdom is tangible evidence that we believe God who God says God is – the One who delays his arrival as long as he can so that you can, we all can have a chance to act on our faith.     

In essence, stewardship calls us back to our faith – a faith that is totally dependent on a relationship with a generous God, on the one who gave up everything - even his only Son - so that we might know life abundant. Stewardship is meant to reorient your life to what matters, reorient your life to what endures – that is a loving relationship with the source of your light and life – a loving relationship with the world God has made.

Ultimately, faith works when we trust that we are not in charge of our destiny, of our ending. We are not in charge of God and how God’s world works. And just when we think we are in charge, God shows us up and we are forced to admit that, left to our own devices, we aren’t as ready as we thought.

And as you well know, God has a way of reminding us, often, that we are not in control. If you need a reminder, turn on the news, watch the weather channel, look at the stock market, listen to a friend or family member who is experiencing hardship and change, consider your own life.

And now ask yourself, “Do I need more oil in my lamp?” How is God calling me into a deeper relationship with himself? What are those things that I am fooling myself into thinking I need for a better life? What of my life can I give to God today that will make God’s light in me shine with more intensity? How can God make me wise today?

The journey of faith, the journey to generosity is a journey that grows into eternity. And if we wait long enough, if we pay attention long enough, if we travel the road long enough, we will discover that only God can carry us through the changes and chances of this life, only God can give us what we truly need, only God can open the door to the banquet hall.  

Beloved sons and daughters of God, you are invited to start investing in your eternal future today so that you may know more and more in your soul that you belong to God. You are invited to start investing in your eternal future today not just because the outlook is fantastic but because God promises that you will start seeing returns today. Amen.

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