Timothy Kim - Faith and Grace (the most boring of titles) - March 15, 2015

Co-pastor Tim on how faith is about change and grace is about remembering change we have already seen.

Readings:

From “My Bright Abyss” By Christian Wiman

So long as faith is something that "withstands" the assaults of reason, experience, secularization, or even simply the slope a erosion of certainty within my own heart and mind; so long as that verb accurately describes the dynamic between my belief and all that seems to threatened it, then faith is an illusion in me, a dream that weakness clings to, rather than the truest form and fruition of strength.

Matthew 14:22-33

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”