What does it mean to be a voice of faith? An answer to this question for me comes from one of the most transformative times in my life.
First, a confessional context: As a seminary grad, newly into my first ministry call (co-pastor with Cheryl. at Hope UCC, Alexandria, VA), the voice of faith I thought I had was all too sure of itself. I cringe at the memories of some sermons I once preached, full of "you oughts" and "we needs." It was a humbling transition from the academic honing of seminary to the pastoral attention serving a congregation.
Now for what happened: something went wrong with Cheryl's pregnancy during our first months in Alexandria. Our firstborn, a daughter, was delivered by Caesarean 6 weeks early. Rachel suffered an extreme genetic translocation and never left the hospital in the 4 weeks of her life. We decorated her neonatal isolette with a name card that we found at the gift shop. The name card for "Rachel" included a paraphrase of Galatians 5:24: "against love there is no law." With the politics of life/death issues in the mid 1980's, the medical staff often felt forced into interventions with Rachel that they knew were not indicated by her condition. A few weeks into our daily visits, the neonatal nurse assigned to Rachel was concerned we were wearing ourselves out by visiting everyday. We recognized she was a beautiful soul, and told her that "there is no law against love" kept us coming back. I still picture her glistening eyes, "Bless you, and that's why I keep coming back, too."
I am struck by the voices of January 6 insurrectionists invoking Jesus outside the Capitol and praying their vengeance through barricaded doors on the inside (WP 1-10-2021). How can these be the voices of faith they claim to be? Who are we when self-proclaimed voices of faith sound like a cacophony of righteous differences? Is our voice merely a clanging cymbal?
My life experiences early in my ministry changed how I hear and how I share a voice of faith:
1. I have found that voices of faith are rooted in hope. Sacred hope shared in a voice of faith reveals that the faith articulated is indeed righteous.
2. Voices of faith are righteous in expressing the blessings of Spirit, such as named in Galatians as love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
3. We have assurance that voices of faith build up life.
There have been, and will continue to be, those who claim to be voices of faith, yet agitate against sacred hope and just relationships. They will stand against others and offend the most righteous people in history. I suggest that what we are hearing in our culture are not some alternative voices of faith. These are only noises, sounding off from those who are offending human decency and the common good. Words of hate betray a lack of sacred hope and righteous action.
The voices of faith we know to be hope-filled and life-giving are called forth in these times. These voices of faith are heard in our Sunday morning preaching, in our national prayer vigils, and in our prophetic engagement with the issues of our day.
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