Faith is not a weapon

Since I can remember faith of almost all kinds have had to fight with the idea of power and violence. Christians have had the Crusades not to mention a smattering of other less glorious violent routes in the name of God and Jesus. Islam has had its share of wars not only with Christians but with Jews and any number of non-believers. The Jews despite many episodes of torment have become a people well versed in the strength it takes to overcome adversity with faith, yet recently(circa 1948) feel the need to use force against those who have "invaded" their home land. Why is it that we must use our beliefs as weapons against each other not only between faith but within faith. Either their is room for movement in belief or their is no movement in belief. There is no middle ground, period end of story. That is what many would have you believe. They would have you believe that the answers are here, whether they are in the Bible, the Koran, or the Torah. Why is there no room for movement? Why is it that a God we believe is so powerful wouldn't want us to find what we need from different faiths or different creeds within a certain faith? It is my hope that one day it may be possible for my children or children's children to understand not just Christianity but other religions as well so that they may appreciate what they have to offer not only in belief but in history. Most all faiths that I can think of are based on the idea for the betterment of society as a whole no just the singleness of the individual. We need to take a close look at our faiths and examine why it is that we must be self centered as a faith, instead of outgoing to others whether like minded or not. That is what we are called to do whether it be via God through Jesus, Abraham, Mohamed, Buddha, or any other figure. Our focus should be on what makes us the same rather then what makes us different. If you float along the river of love God has given us you will begin to understand the love and comfort that comes from helping others float rather then struggling against them.

COSLC Newsletter September 2007

What makes us Spiritual, Christian, Lutheran? What makes us Humble, Dedicated, Loving? What gives us Strength, Passion, Faith? Is it all even understandable? These are huge concepts to digest and understand. These aren’t things that just happen as we get older. These aren’t things that just one day manifest themselves. These are traits, beliefs, and attitudes that make us who we are. If one brick could make a house, then we would be at ease, but it takes more than that to keep us safe, dry, and warm. Just like life can’t be built on any one principle alone it takes many principles and understandings to build a solid individual.
What does make us Spiritual, Christian, and Lutheran? From birth we constantly want to seek knowledge and understanding. This is the reason we ask why the sky is blue, and other similar questions. It is this need to understand more that gives us our spirituality, our need to identify further then what can be seen, to comprehend and understand the heavens. For most of us our spirituality is cultivated via our parents into belief. For some it is a belief that Jesus died for our sins, and that no matter how bad we mess-up or stumble God will always be there, watching out for us. As we grow older we then begin to ask questions inside our faith. For some, such as Lutherans, this is encouraged. This is what our Denomination thrives on; it is why Martin Luther separated from the Catholic Church. It is Luther’s understanding of faith by grace that fuels us to ask questions because we know that if a question leads to a fall, God’s Grace will always be there as our safety net.
How then do we become Humble, Dedicated, and Loving? The mere idea of faith by grace opens the doorway to humbleness. To put ourselves in front of others can be an act of faith as large as jumping from ten stories into a safety net. Making a mistake in front of that group whether it is the church, our colleagues, our family, or a group of complete strangers can be an incredibly humbling experience. It is humbling of ourselves before others and God that can give us our Dedication. When we are humbled we realize that our fears of inadequacy and failure melt away because others are not judging us as hard as we judge ourselves. This is the doorway to understanding that God does not judge us as we judge ourselves. This in turn breeds a Dedication to others and God that is based not on our fears and inadequacies but on a humbled Love. This Love is steadfast and endearing and is willing to be open to others in a way we did not know when we were consumed in the fear of being humbled.
How then in this Love do we find Strength, Passion, and Faith? A Love that pours from us to others gives Strength not just to ourselves but to those we interact with as well. This isn’t a Strength of domination or power over others, but is a Strength of Loving and caring to see another succeed. As our ability to truly Love increases, so does our Strength giving us the Passion and drive to help others. Our Passion then doesn’t act on the whims of our wants and needs but acts to provide for the needs of others. Passion as we know it changes from a physical desire to a spiritual longing. A Spiritual longing that increases the Love, Strength, and Passion of others so that they may be able to go out and do likewise. This Passion not only gives us willingly to others, but also increases our Faith. It increases our Faith because if it were not for our Faith we would not be on this journey. Then as our Faith increases through Love, Strength, and Passion so to our Love, Strength, and Passion increase because of our Faith.
Go forth then and grow In Love, Strength, Passion and Faith.

Respectfully given with Love, Strength, Passion, and Faith,
Nick