Internship farewell sermon: "I Believe"

“I Believe”
Alison Longstaff, March 30th, 2008
St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church
New Dundee, Ontario
Psalm 16; John 20:19-31


Today we heard the story of Thomas—of the famous “doubting Thomas” who needed to see and feel and touch the risen Lord, in order to believe in His resurrection. Doubting Thomas, the one who needed proof, the one who prompted God to say, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Believe. Belief. What is belief? In our culture, we have come to define belief as “confidence in something’s accuracy.” It is a purely mental exercise which involves approval of something as true. “Belief” in Christian circles has taken on such an identification with the rightness of ideas that it has become pretty well divorced from our heart reality and how we live. Indeed, we Christians seem to be reduced quite easily to squabbles over minute differences in our theologies when we could be working in harmony to live and love better, to reduce the suffering on our planet. We seem to prefer to spend our time getting huffy and drawing up battle lines over our different theological interpretations. We kick the beggars into the ditch in order to make more room for us to fight. What ever happened to us beating our swords into plowshares?

Belief. The original meaning of “belief” was not so much about ideas or statements of truth as it was about love. The origins of the word “belief” can be traced back to Proto-Germanic, and it was based on a root word for love. The German word “liebe,” which means “love” comes from the same source. Indeed, “believe” could be translated into “be-love” which is much closer to what it really meant. It was about living what we loved. It was about committing to a way of life. The original Christians “believers” committed themselves to a life of love and service to their neighbours, not to a framework of theological theories. They committed to caring for the widows, the orphans, and the homeless because they loved the vision of a world transformed by such a life. They saw themselves in the homeless and widows, and they treated them as they would want to be treated. The way they lived was a commitment to the Golden Rule in every corner of their lives. How the meaning of the word “belief” has changed through the ages!

There is an old story from first century Palestine of a mischievous man who asked Rabbi Hillel, a famous rabbi of that time, to teach him Judaism while standing on one foot. So, while standing on one foot, Rabbi Hillel responded: "Don't do to others what you wouldn't have them do to you. That is all the Torah (God’s Word); all the rest is commentary.”
What a great story. I believe it speaks to all faiths of all time. Christianity can be simplified to the same basic tenet. It is about treating others as we would like to be treated.
What we are talking about is compassion. Compassion, which could be another translation for the “good will to all people” that is prophesied by the host of angels to the shepherds. Wouldn’t this indeed bring peace on earth, “good will to all people”? The Dalai Lama has stated: “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” More than one scholar has observed that the fundamental uniting element of all the major world religions is the Golden Rule–to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. How would the world be different if only we all lived according to it!

Our rules and creeds and theological theories tend to divide us. Our hearts and love and human compassion tend to unite us. It is this realization that brings a whole new meaning to the Lord’s words to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” It speaks to our tendency to be exclusive in our Christianity. It could be read as, “Blessed are those who have not met and come to love Jesus Christ as their Saviour and still have come to live a life of goodness and compassion.” Indeed, wouldn’t such people, be they Buddhist or Jewish or agnostic, by virtue of living the golden rule, find their lives and relationships transformed in blessed ways regardless of what religious organisation has their signature of membership? I would imagine their lives are certainly more peaceful than that of any Christian “believers” who are busy squabbling and fighting over points of dogma. Who would you say is more blessed?

And so it is with you and I, be we Swedenborgian or Lutheran or Baptist or Brethren, we will find we are blessed by living the Golden Rule, regardless of our denominational affiliation. People of faith the world over do not necessarily believe every word of their traditional creeds, but they belong because they long for a blessed life. They long for belonging, and for their lives to have meaning and purpose. We belong, because we need community and we long for meaning. Don’t we all, especially when we are feeling that our own efforts are getting us nowhere, long to believe that there is some transformative power for good in the universe that can set things right, because our efforts repeatedly fall short?

Author and speaker Karen Armstrong has found that when we commit to a spiritual way of living, we are transformed by that commitment and by the living of it. It is in the practice of living a way of love that brings transformation, that lets us glimpse God. It is through ministry to others that we can feel the sense of what is sacred. Just as we experience in the Holy Communion, a very mundane act can become transcendent, and we can feel God’s presence.

So, to believe, is to be love. “Believing” is not when I say with my lips how I understand God, but when I show with my hands and my feet how I understand God’s love in the world. Though this may sound very un-Lutheran, it isn’t at all. When we commit to living the Golden Rule, the process of doing so brings God’s grace into our lives. And I think every Lutheran would agree that confession of faith leads to a changed life, a kinder, more thoughtful, more intentional life—that they are not separate. My Lutheran classmates to a one say, if one’s lifestyle does not show God’s grace in action, one has not yet been transformed by it.

So, while our culture says “belief”means trust in certain ideas, we have seen that believing is not and cannot be separated from how we live and how we love. When we commit to living a compassionate or “Golden Rule” way of life, it changes us. Even when we are not sure if we “believe” as our parents or teachers say we should, living as if we believe opens our hearts and changes us, and we can be transformed into better and better people. This transformation helps us to believe, and this belief helps us keep living in more and more compassionate ways. We need to live as if we believe, and God does the rest. Or, “fake it till you make it.” Through believing, we are told, we will find life in Jesus’ name. We are to “be living” in His Name. As the terrified father of the demon-possessed boy says in Mark: “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)

So, back to doubting Thomas. Doubting Thomas needed to see and feel God’s wounds in order to believe. I have tended to judge him for that. When I have heard this passage, I have liked to think I would be one of the blessed who believes without seeing, not the obnoxious one who needs proof. But the thing is, lately I realize how much I do identify with Thomas. Sometimes I want physical proof that my God has not died and is still with me. I would guess, whether we like to admit it or not, that we all go through this at some time or other in our lives. But perhaps this is why Thomas is part of the story. Perhaps he is exactly part of the story to reassure us and remind us that we are still lovable despite our doubts, because we all tend to have times of terrible doubt. Maybe it is okay to need a little personal attention from our God to get us through. Jesus doesn’t begrudge us anything if it will bring us closer to Him. He comes right to us where we are to show us his hands and feet and side if that is what we need. I have needed to learn not to judge myself for struggling to believe. Belief is such a struggle sometimes exactly because it is an action of the heart, not just the head. It is related to the word dis-couragement, which comes from the French word “coeur” for heart. When we are dis-heartened, God comes and en-courages us. He fills our hearts up again. He does whatever it takes.

Speaking of discouragement, or, at least things that are sad, today is my last Sunday here as your intern. I must say, it has been a great experience working with you and for you, and one I will never forget. It seems as if this placement was uniquely tailored to what I needed, almost as if the Holy Spirit had a hand in things. God knew what I needed. You welcomed me with warmth and acceptance even though I am not Lutheran, never treating me like I was strange, or like I was infected with some dangerous religious doctrines. You allowed me into your family with open arms and warmth, and it has been very healing. From where I’m standing, this congregation definitely lived the Golden Rule, welcoming a stranger into your home with warmth and hospitality. Thank you so much.

Goodbyes are hard. I tend to go numb and firmly insist that I will see you all again so that I won’t feel sad. The truth is, time passes faster than most of us would like, and I may not be able to come around nearly as often as I would like to. But I firmly believe—I love to believe this—that there is no time in the world of our hearts, and that whatever time passes in this busy physical world, we will remain connected in our hearts, and each time we meet again it will be as if no time has passed at all. Isn’t that how it always is with good friends? Goodbyes are just making room for new, joyful, hellos.
And goodbyes are rarely permanent. Following the theme of Easter, I hear I will rise to preach for you again in just one week. Bonnie will be on vacation and somebody thought it was a good idea to get me to come back to fill the pulpit as she rests. So, “Ha-ha! You can’t get rid of me that easily!” Or, “I’ll be back.”
So, goodbye, and hello. I will always love you guys. I will miss you. And I’m sure I’ll be back. In the mean time, thank you so much for your loving care. Amen.



“believe”. Dictionary.com. Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/believe (accessed: March 26, 2008).