Faith and Heelys!

Proper 14C

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

St. Matthias

August 11, 2019

I have been in Houston all week for Papaw Camp.  Our granddaughter, Lydia, had 1 week remaining in her summer vacation before the start of 2^nd grade. Our daughter, Stefanie, just happened to mention that she was searching for a very special camp experience for Lydia for that week and just had not been able to find the exact right thing she was looking for.  Well as luck would have it, my schedule suddenly opened up.  Stefanie said Papaw Camp just happened to be that exact right thing she was looking for.  I think she knows her father.

           Now Lydia and I spent our week painting and making bracelets and even bouncing on trampolines.  We have also been working on balance because Lydia now has her first pair of Heelys.  Heelys are those shoes with the wheels on the bottom that we DIDN’T have when I was growing up.  But they are enough like roller skates that I understand the basic physics.  And like riding her bicycle or her scooter – the key is BALANCE!  That imaginary alignment of your body and the universe so that the top half of you is going at the same speed as the bottom half and you are LEANING just as much to the left as you are to the right.  We all know about BALANCE and have no doubt mastered BALANCE at some point – but when faced with a new challenge that requires BALANCE – it can be tough.

In the Epistle to the Hebrews this morning, we read - Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  For as long as I can remember I have heard about faith.  You can’t see it, BUT you can feel it.  You can’t control it, BUT you can depend on faith.  It’s like balance and if you think about it – balance requires faith.  The first time the training wheels come off your bicycle its scary and you wobble and fall.  The 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th times it gets better.  Then comes the moment when it all comes together.  Faith is about believing when you are really unsure.  In my sermon on this Scripture passage 3 years ago, I compared faith to walking across the bridge over Clear Creek at Camp McDowell.  The bridge moves – up and down – and left to right.  You wonder if it will fall in the middle of crossing.  There is always somebody who likes to bounce a lot while they are walking.  But you make it to the other side, and you believe.  The next time is a journey of faith.  It is the assurance of hope, the conviction of what you can’t see but know is there.

But why do we even care about Faith?  Lydia wants balance so she doesn’t fall when she is skating.  I think that we want Faith for much the same reason.  All of us have probably thought at one time or another that it sure would be nice if believing in God was easier.  We come to Church, see our friends, sing hymns, pack beans and rice and leave here with the sure and certain knowledge that God is with us and loves us.  Then comes Monday and everything that makes life difficult.  Traffic, schedules, bills, and of course people.  Why can’t other people be as perfect as I wish I was?  And that is where Faith comes in.  No, you won’t get to change other people, but through Faith you can live differently.  We can live life just like we do on Sunday.  The WHY of faith is because though Faith we become the person God created and everything God created is good. And when we do fall, Faith means we know that God is with us and we can ask for forgiveness and we are made whole once more – we are made holy by God’s Grace through Faith.  Faith means we are never alone – that we are never left to live life all on our own and most importantly – Faith calls us to live our lives loving God and our neighbors Monday through Sunday.

So, what about the HOW of Faith.  How do we get it?  The same way Lydia is learning to use her Heelys – one step at a time. Practice, Practice, Practice!  Get up in the morning and ask God for Faith.  The collect for today is a great way to start, “Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right…”  That is a perfect prayer for faith.  Then go out and life expectantly knowing that God will give you the opportunity to love others throughout your day.  If you realize at some point that you are not feeling close to God, stop and say the prayer again.  One step at a time, you will begin to realize more and more that God is always with you.  That is Faith.  It comes a little at a time.  You will never get too much.

I am going back to Houston next month and of course I will stay with Stefanie and family.  I expect that Lydia will be almost a Heely pro by that point.  I was surprised to learn that they actually make Heely’s for men.  I hope Lydia doesn’t find out.  I’m not sure I have that much faith or balance.  I am really going to need to pray about this one!  Amen.