Advent: Faith

Yesterday our church began a four-week journey for the Advent season. Advent means, “coming” and our focus has been on the various elements that we see in the birth stories of Jesus. Yesterday our topic was “faith” and I appealed to Luke 1:26-38, the story of Gabriel coming to Mary and sharing with her the good news. I love Mary’s response. In faith, she believes God, but has a question.

We talked about the difference between asking God questions (faith seeking understanding) and questioning God (unbelief which belittles God).

And we talked about how her faith was simple, not complex; how it does not require all of the answers and how its object is Jesus.

“Without faith it is impossible to pleases God,” says the writer of Hebrews.

Advent is about the gift of faith implanted within us by the Holy Spirit. Faith possesses us. It causes us to commit all we know of ourselves to all we know of God in Jesus for his purposes.

May God grow our faith when our eyes cannot see.