Complicated Faith

John 3:14-21 -- New International Version (NIV)

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Griffin is getting big enough now that the questions that he keeps asking are getting more and more difficult to answer.  I thought explaining why the sky was blue was difficult enough but that pales in comparison to trying to explain where the sickly calf from last year is now... Trying to explain the bodies need for sleep is nothing compared to explaining why someone has passed away.  The blessing of an observant child is a gift that keeps giving.  Every child observes the happenings of each day in a different light.  The same holds true for adults.  This morning’s message will focus on the complexities of faith.  

Cheyanne and I recently started to try to talk to Griffin about strangers.  We told him that if he does not feel comfortable that he does not have to talk to someone he doesn’t know.  We haven’t said a whole lot about this other than the fact that we told him not to talk to strangers.  That conversation was two months ago and shortly after that conversation, the kids and I were driving to daycare and I was doing the farmer wave to people we were meeting on S45.  All of a sudden, Griffin asks me if I knew the person I was waving at and I said no.  He responded by telling me that I should not talk to strangers.  I had nothing to come back with.  I am a pretty friendly driver which means I wave at people often so with the back seat police riding with me, I have had to curb the people I wave at to only those people I know.  I have to be able to explain who I am waving at, I have to be wearing my seatbelt, and I have to have at least one hand on the wheel to make the person in the back seat happy.  On afternoon I thought I would get one over on Griffin because a fellow friendly driver waved at me first.  I, of course, waved back and I got caught.  Griffin asked me if I knew that person and I told him that they waved at me first.  He asked again if I knew that person.  I said that they waved at me first and that it would be rude if I didn’t wave back.  I hoped this would settle the argument but it didn’t.  His voice got a more stern tone to it and he asked one last time if I knew that person and finally I said no.  He says, “Then they are a stranger and we shouldn’t talk to strangers.”  Touche Griffin, touche.  I didn’t know how to respond and I think it was the first of many arguments that I will lose to him over the years.  I know that this makes my father happy.  The idea of what a stranger is and how we deal with them is more difficult than Cheyanne and I ever thought it would be.

Part of our scripture this morning is perhaps one of the most famous scriptures in the entirety of the Bible: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  Standing alone, this verse makes pretty good sense.  Perhaps that is why we so often rip it from its context but the following four verses are not as easy to understand.  Verse 17 tells us that Jesus came into the world to save it, not condemn it.  Verse 18 talks about those who are condemned for not believing in the name of Christ.  Verse 19 talks about the light coming into the world but there are those who love darkness because their deeds are evil.  Verse 20 tells us that everyone who does evil hates the light (Christ), and those people will not come into the light because they are fearful that their deeds will be exposed.  We go from something so clear cut and fairly easy to understand to a complexity of different and difficult set of statements.  We are told that Jesus came into the world to save, not condemn but yet there are those who are condemned.  Jesus is the light of the world but we get the impression that the light is not intended for all because there will be those who are fearful their evil ways will be exposed so they don’t want anything to do with the light.  If we are being honest, I have made mistakes.  I have said hurtful things.  I have done hurtful things.  I have sinned and fallen short but I do not hate the light.  I have come to the light despite the fact that I am not perfect.  I have come to the light despite the fear that my deeds may be exposed.  I have come to the light because I know God makes all things good.  I have come to the light because I want to be a better person, a better father and husband, I want to be a better person of faith.  

We often take pieces of scripture and apply them to our lives because it makes sense to do so.  We take John 3:16 and memorize it because of its clarity.  But how many of you could recite one other verse around John 3:16 from memory?  I couldn’t.  I think we should all do our best to remember scripture but let’s not do so in order to condemn others with what we know.  John 3:16 sounds so simple but faith is complicated and difficult.  We often have more questions than answers when it comes to faith when we are honest in pursuing it.  I am not telling you all of this so that you doubt; rather, I am telling you this so you can find freedom in knowing that the complexities of your faith are real.  And it is ok that they exist.  We often think that being so rigid and strict in our beliefs will lead us down a better path but when we do that, we aren’t allowing for complications, questions, and growth.  Faith is a real struggle and if it’s not, then I would say that you may not be challenging yourself enough.  I have said before that God is relational.  When we wrestle with our faith then that means that we are in conversation with God and with others about our faith.  

The idea of what stranger is and how we should deal with them was more complex for Griffin than I thought it was going to be.  Our faith is more complicated than we ever thought it would be.  But don’t give up on it.  Don’t lose it.  Nurture and grow it.  Griffin took what we said about strangers and applied it quite literally in his life.  We often do the same thing with the scriptures.  It is humorous when we talk about Griffin doing it but it is not so funny when we talk about it in the realm of faith and theology.  Faith is not something rigid and clear cut.   It is difficult and messy at times.  But no matter what, God is with you.  No matter the struggle, the mess, or the doubts, God is with us.  We will never have all the answers but we do not have to take on this world alone.  We will always have God’s love and grace.  Amen.