10^th March 2009

“A Healthy Faith – In touch with God; Psalm 50:15, Romans 10:12, 13

In Romans 10:12&13 the Apostle Paul quoted the Prophet Joel and he said this…
“…the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

The great devotional writer, Oswald Chambers, once said that when a crisis arises we instantly display, or reveal, in whom or in what we place our trust.

Chambers said that it is in a crisis that true healthy faith is displayed.  Those who truly trust in God will still find peace in a crisis, will find healing in injury or illness, and will find solace in God even when human hearts are failing.  Those who have no faith in God or those whose faith is weak, will quickly reveal that fact by their actions, often accompanied by panic, distress, or fear.

What does it mean to be a ‘healthy church’, or a ‘healthy Christian’? Is your faith healthy?  What determines that?  Who judges the degree of health?

For me a healthy faith; a healthy church …

• Is one where people trust God resolutely and find freshness and renewal in the Word of God.
• A healthy church is one where the signs of the Spirit are visible and people’s lives clearly reflect the life-giving touch of Jesus on their soul. 
• A healthy church has people ‘’outside’ enquiring about what’s going on ‘inside’ - a healthy church attracts the ‘God-seekers’.
• A healthy church is noticed for all the right reasons – not with disdain or critique, and not with dismay at what people see or hear. 
• A healthy church cares for its old folk, its families, and its children & youth – it cares for those in need, and those rejected by others.  
• A healthy church values its past and yet always looks to the future with hope, excitement, and confidence in God. 
• A healthy church is where people easily and naturally display genuine grace and love for each other; real love, not just religious rhetoric.

Like any church the Uniting Church is not perfect and there may be things here and there that need attention and possible correction, yet I see a great many signs of health here at our local UCA - Unity Hill in Port Lincoln.  And with a leadership team tackling many issues already this year with enthusiasm - a team who says “Let’s meet weekly because it’s good for the church” - along with my own energy for mission increased, I was looking forward to building on our healthy attitudes.

Then Victoria caught ablaze.  

My home State was devastated and places I knew well have disappeared. Mind-numbing scenes confronted us on TV and in the press. The numbers of dead increased by the hour – men, women, children, whole families gone.  Over 1200 homes have been lost. Close to two million acres burned so far.  Of the dead, many would have been people of faith yet their faith did not change the outcome when the fire-front roared into their street. Churches burnt to the ground like any other building. I was stunned at the devastation and I know I cried out in my soul, “How Lord? Why Lord? What do I say, Lord, in answer to the question, ‘Where was God in that?’ 

It is easy to look for signs of a healthy church when there is no crisis.  Yet if there was a crisis – when there is a crisis – I began to ask myself, “How healthy is our relationship with the Lord…really?”  Could we, would we, be able to call upon the Lord in faith and hope?   

The Bible says in Psalm 50:15, “…call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you…” and again Paul said, “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved…” but is it really that easy?  If we call upon Him, will we be saved? Really? How?

When death and destruction come in an event such as the fires, the God-questions always surface.  People begin to ask, “Is there a God? Could God allow such a horror? How could God let the children die? Why did my house burn down? Why did my prayer not work?  Does God really care?”  And – in the midst of a rising death toll – “Will the victims all go to heaven?”

How healthy is your faith, our faith?  In whom do we place our trust?

A healthy faith, a healthy church, a healthy Christian, is one that can withstand the impact of a crisis - even a disaster - and can face the hard questions as well as the challenges of life. Life is not easy and holding to faith in Christ Jesus when a crisis impacts is also not easy.

How healthy is your faith, our faith?  In whom do we place our trust?

When we speak of a Godly vision for a church - of looking forward and aspiring to reach a goal, a standard, that is God-inspired -  then using the word ‘healthy’ with many its facets of meaning can be - should be - a consideration.

When tragedy strikes and a community, a State, and even a whole nation are impacted by grief and loss and pain and agony of soul, then…

• A healthy church can contribute support to the damaged soul. 
• A healthy church can help answer the God-questions that arise.
• A healthy church can assist in rebuilding shattered lives.
• A healthy church can proclaim hope when all hope seems gone.
• A healthy church can bring life where everything seems dead and gone.
• A healthy church can share the peace of God in the midst of turmoil.
• A healthy church brings grace, faith, hope and love into the destruction.
  

Psalm 50:15 - “…call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you…”
The vision of God for the Uniting Church is real… to be a church that is strong… to have faith in Christ as central to everything else… and to be an influence for renewal and transformation within our communities.

Amen

15th Feb 2009.

Rev Rob Tann
Unity Hill congregation,
Port Lincoln Uniting Church SA