Belief and Faith, Merit and Grace
In many of today’s readings there is this idea of faith. From Romans speaking about the “Father of the Faith” Abraham: “The promise…did not come…through the law but through the righteousness of faith…it depends on faith…he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God…therefore his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:13-25). And from our Gospel reading we have the faith of Matthew who got up, left everything and followed Jesus. And the leader of a synagogue whose daughter had just died who came and knelt at Jesus’ feet, beseeching him to come and lay hands on her so that she might live.
To read Ryan’s entire sermon, click “read more.”
Imagine
Imagine you are in Palestine when Jesus was proclaiming the Good News. You are not in one of the cities or large towns. You most likely haven’t ever seen a king or a Caesar. You know the stories of King David and King Solomon. They were heroic men, but flawed. In their kingdoms there was suffering and hunger, greed and deceit. One day, a stranger comes to your village and there’s much talk about it, about his teachings and his deeds. You go to the synagogue in curiosity, and you hear him teach about the kingdom of God. It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened. And you leave the synagogue perplexed at its meaning.
Listen to or read more by clicking “Read More.”
Approaching the Holy Scriptures
The Radical Grace of God
Persistent in Prayer
Faith, hope, and love. This is the trinitarian theme of our pledge campaign this year and our recent adult education series. Over our three-week session, we gathered for Evening Prayer, a simple shared meal, and explored faith, hope, and love in art, cooking, bible study, or story sharing. Over the past few Sundays, Bingham’s sermons have talked about faith.
