Faith Beyond Failure

Success!  Most of us like it when we feel like we are succeeding and making progress in the things that matter to us the most.  And, when things don't go quite the way we wish they would, our responses can often range from disappointment to devastation.  The fear of failing to meet the expectations of others, or even our own expectations,  too often fuels a sense of anxiety that lurks below the surface in our lives - sometimes erupting or leaking out in unfortunate and even unexpected ways.

Luke 22:31-32 (TNIV)

   31"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.

32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.

And when you have turned back,

strengthen your brothers."

1 Cor 13:4-8 (TNIV - paraphrase)

4God is patient, God is kind.

God does not envy, God does not boast, God is not proud.

5God is not rude, God is not self-seeking,

God is not easily angered,

God keeps no record of wrongs.

6God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

7God always protects, always trusts,

always hopes, always perseveres.    

8God never fails.

Christians, after all, are supposed to get it right, live victoriously, keep the faith . . . and yet there are times when our lives feel very much like the wheat in the picture to the right --tossed in the air, buffeted by the wind, and dropping back to the ground again, only to be tossed once more) . . . and we wonder just where it is that this " faith" is being kept?  When we don't "meet or exceed" our expectations, what do we do then?  And what about God?  How does God relate to people who, sometimes despite their best efforts (or even when our efforts are not the best), are confronted with the reality of their own flaws? 

Interestingly enough, when we turn to the scriptures, instead of finding assurances that we will always get it right all the time,  we find texts like the ones Pastor Jon is preaching on this week (see the passages to the right).  These texts remind us that not only can we expect challenging moments in our lives, but that when we do so, we are not alone.  What's more  there is a way out of and back from them.   That is great news!  

To Listen to Pastor Jon's sermon once again, or maybe for the first time, as he talks about faith beyond failure, click here

As you reflect upon the passage to the right from Luke, what impresses you most about . . .

Jesus is honest with Peter about what Peter can expect

    (vs 31)

Jesus is both with us in the midst of  the challenges we face and is not caught by surprise by our responses (vs32)

Jesus anticipates our recovery

    (vs 32)  

Jesus doesn't waste the experience

    (vs 32)

God's Goodness and Faithfulness to us, even when our own is not exemplary