Proper 14.C.25
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Melanie L. McCarley
Some sentences resemble a stuffed suitcase—so full, that the expander had to be unzipped and the owner has had to resort to sitting on the bag in order for it to close. Such is the sentence penned by the author of the epistle to the Hebrews who writes: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” It is considered by some to be the classic definition of Christian faith.
“Faith”— it’s such as small word—one syllable—yet packed with meaning. What is it? Where does it come from? Who has it? Why do some lose it? And why is it important?
To understand faith, we should first look to the person of Abraham, whom we hear about in the first Lesson this morning and in the Letter to the Hebrews. Three times in four verses the author of Hebrews tells us that Abraham left his ancestral home, went to the land God showed him and saw his wife, Sarah, and himself being granted a son--all “by faith.” Abraham’s confidence in what he hoped for and assurance of what he could not see wasn’t simply a promise he accepted and believed would come true—it was a promise that animated his behavior. It was a promise that caused him to act.
Abraham’s faith, you should note, didn’t rest primarily in himself—it was founded upon his fundamental trust in God. Faith, you see, doesn’t arise from some spiritual virtue achieved of our own merit (if it did, I suspect more than a few of us would soon see that particular house of cards come tumbling down). Instead, faith rests on God’s reliability and God’s trustworthiness—not ours. In verse 10 of Hebrews, we learn that Abraham left his home to settle in the land God promised him because “he was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder was God.” Abraham’s future wasn’t dependent solely upon himself. He knew that if there was to be a future—a child with successive generations and a land to call his own, it wouldn’t arrive solely at the behest of his own initiative—it would have to come from God. Abraham’s future was staked on the promises of God. Abraham’s future was staked on hope and faith.
Which brings us to what is known as the Stockdale Paradox, named for Admiral Jim Stockdale, who was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In an interview, Stockdale was asked how he was able to live through such a horrible experience, while other, seemingly younger and more fit soldiers wound up dying in prison. Stockdale noted that the prisoners who were either complete optimists or complete pessimists had the most difficulty surviving. It was the ones, like himself, that combined realism with a long view that finally made it out. So, here it is…the Stockdale paradox: You must retain faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties. AND at the same time…you must confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they may be. That’s the paradox. Belief in a positive future—with a corresponding unflinching appraisal of the present reality.
Each morning, Admiral Stockdale woke up to three thoughts. “I’m still in this horrible place. Someday, though, I’m going to get out. If that is so, what should I do and how should I act today.”
Bruce Maples, adds something to the paradox which is pertinent to people of faith. In the tradition of Abraham, Maples suggests that we add to the Stockdale paradox the understanding that God will win in the end. And now, ask yourself this. What does that mean for me today? Should knowing that God’s will and ways will ultimately prevail affect my thinking, or my actions? Should it change the decisions I make?
What if the point of the reading of Genesis and Hebrews—isn’t to generate a list of what long-ago outstanding individuals of astounding faith achieved. What if the real point is to underscore the importance of faith—of hope (trust) in God’s promised future? Abraham believed that God would prevail in the end—and ultimately this belief informed the decisions and actions he took.
To bring it home to the present—consider the following scenarios: “My workplace is full of back-biting, stepping on others and fights to get ahead. But God will prevail—and I am connected to God—so I will love even the back-biters and find my true security in God.”
“My government is not acting in ways I believe to be moral” – but God will prevail—and I find my ultimate security and hope in God. So I will continue to speak out and take action for justice and mercy, even if it earns me the enmity of others, and I will strive to walk humbly with my Lord.”
“My family is falling apart.” But God will prevail; and because I am called to bring the love of God into my family, I will choose to nether gloss over the issues nor give up on the possibility of re-birth. I will be a constant source of love, openness, and honesty.”
This version of faith combines a central, core belief in the existence and ultimate triumph of the purposes of God with a realistic appraisal of the world. It then acts in accordance with God’s ways, even when doing so seems counter-intuitive, in order to affect the current reality and move it toward God’s reality. It is, in short, a way of living with firm conviction that in spite of whatever evidence our current reality tries to throw at us—that there is a God; and our God is loving and good; and this God has promised us a future filled with justice, love, peace and the eternal presence of our Lord and those we love.
Faith, ultimately, is a mode of perception. When we look at the world with eyes of faith, we are able to perceive things that are not otherwise visible or clear. In the Letter to the Hebrews we read that Abraham, Sarah and other people of faith were about the business of seeking a homeland. The Author of Hebrews writes: “If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.” Faith is forward looking—to the fulfillment of the promises of God.
We live in a world and culture characterized by, among other things,
hopelessness and materialism. Faith (the confidence and trust we have in God and God’s good purposes) enables us to see a path forward even in the darkness of the present moment. If we allow it, Faith enables us to make choices and take action to make that future a reality. Here is where we, like Abraham, become partners with God, walking into a future that we cannot, as yet see, yet has been promised to us by our Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.