Dear friends,
The Hebrew word 'shalom' is fraught with meaning. Often translated as "peace" it actually carries more substantial connotations such as "wholeness," "justice," and "well-being." It's why Covenant's Vision Statement affirms our commitment to a 'whole and just world' and why our capital campaign is "For a Whole Community." God's vision for our world is for shalom, for wholeness, justice and peace.
For the next five weeks in worship we'll turn our attention to qualities that contribute to any community - family, congregation, city, - being "whole." We will, of course, talk about generosity, but we'll also explore other, more mercurial, qualities such as compassion, vision, and resilience. This weekend, we'll start with the topic of faith, life-altering, direction-changing, faith.
Paul Tournier, the Swiss physician turned theologian once put the point this way:
"Faith knows itself to be weak and uncertain, and yet like a reed it will survive the storm better than the proud oak. It knows that in this world it can never penetrate all the unfathomable mysteries of God, and yet, however tiny the light it receives from him, this is the only light that can really show the way."
The Presbyterian essayist and novelist Fred Buechner once talked about faith like this:
"Almost nothing that makes any difference can be proved. I can prove the law of gravity by dropping a shoe out the window. I can prove that the world is round if I'm clever at that sort of thing - that the radio works, that light travels
faster than sound. I cannot prove that life is better than death or love better than hate. I cannot prove the greatness of the great or the beauty of the beautiful... Faith," he concludes, "can't prove a damned thing. Or a blessed thing either."
We'll talk honestly about it this weekend, what faith is, what it's not, and how it can direct our path.
Come, and bring a friend.
Warmly,
PS. This Sunday's Mission Festival will reach new heights of fun and opportunity this year. There will be a game corner for kids, a live auction (opportunities to bid on time at beach and mountain homes) more than 300 other items, and a whole lot of fun for a great cause. Click here to see a sample list and plan to come.
