“Faithful Living”

Reformation Sunday

October 27, 2024

I believe

Jeremiah 31:31-34

John 8:31-36

I’ve always enjoyed telling the story of the tightrope walker who did his act over Niagara Falls. His act consisted of walking across the falls blindfolded, which was amazing! And when he returned, the audience went wild. Then he asked the crowd, “Do you believe that I can push someone across in a wheelbarrow…blindfolded?” And everyone answered, “Yes!”

And then he asked for a volunteer, and the crowd went silent. They believed he could do it, but no one trusted him enough to do it with themselves. Finally, someone came forward as a volunteer. He had done it many times before. He was the tightrope walker’s assistant. They knew each other well, and the assistant trusted the man with his life. This was more than belief. It was faith.

This is what Jesus runs into in today’s gospel lesson. He addresses those who had believed. In the Greek, the implication is that though they once believed him, they have abandoned their commitment to Jesus. Jesus says to them, “If you abide in my word, you will truly be my disciples.”

If you abide in my word. It’s more than head knowledge. It’s more than watching someone do an amazing feat and saying with your mouth that you believe they can do more. It’s placing your life in their hands, trusting—knowing—that they will get you to the other side. Abiding means being immersed—getting your whole life wet with baptismal waters. Simply believing is showing up on Sunday morning. Abiding means practicing worship on Monday mornings and Thursday evenings; learning to speak the good news at the football game and the band concert. It’s stepping into life with the hope that God is there in every step that follows.

It’s like the toddler who stood at the top of the deck and cried out to their father, “Daddy, catch me!” And as the father quickly turned, the child was already flying through the air. The father acted quickly and just managed to catch his child. Breathlessly, he asked the child why he did that, and the child responded quite simply, “Because I knew you’d be there.” What a difference it makes to have a relationship that builds that kind of trust.

Trust doesn’t just happen. It has to have foundation. Because for us humans, our trust has been broken often. Those we’ve relied upon in the past haven’t always lived up to the promises they’ve made. We don’t live up to the promises we make.

And our kids get that. That’s why Jacob focuses on the power of prayer as a source of comfort in God’s presence—trusting the One who never fails. That’s why Knox recognizes the fact that he won’t be perfect in keeping his promises, but his intentions are there. That’s why Jackson points out the importance of people working together in faith, rather than separately. He knows we need each other if we are to serve Christ. It’s why Parker clings to God’s Word, knowing that he is only now just beginning to understand what he doesn’t understand. It’s why Alex feels safe asking questions and challenging what he hears and reads. This is a safe place to be imperfect. And it’s why Marika wants to keep exploring and learning, helping the vulnerable, seeking justice, and living her baptismal identity in everyday life.

This is what it means to know and be freed by the Truth. It’s the freedom to grow, to wonder, to be skeptical, to see the beauty in imperfection. It’s the freedom to be fully alive and trusting that when we jump, God will catch us.

The promises these youth make today are the promises of the whole Church. The first two refer to how we come together and grow deeper.

·       To live among God’s faithful people

·       To hear the Word and share in the supper.

These are essential to discipleship, not because it proves that we’re good Christians but because we need to hear, as often as possible, that God loves us, God forgives us, and God will never leave us, no matter what. That God is trustworthy. Period.

The last three promises are about how we are sent.

·       To share the Good News of Christ through word and deed.

·       To serve all people following the example of Jesus.

·       To strive for justice and peace in all the earth.

This is how we are to take what we hear when we gather and let it flow through us throughout the week, showering all that we encounter with God’s grace, love, and forgiveness. Because there are a lot of people who still feel alone, who feel unworthy, who feel unloved, who feel left out, who live in the shadows, never having a reason to trust anyone.

Today, friends, you make your promises before God to be a light in a darkened world. And you promise to be rekindled by this community and those like it so that you know that you are never alone in the work of the kin-dom.

Pastor Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE