Excerpt from Acts 13:16-25

"Paul stood up, paused and took a deep breath, then said..."

Reflection by William C. Green

Paul was asked to speak an encouraging word by a leader in the Jewish community. What he then said was all about Jesus as the proof and power of faith. His words moved many because they were backed up by specific instances of history and experience beyond just his own.

How do we back up our faith?

I know how easy it is to default to generalities about God thinking I thereby show respect for doubters turned off by too much talk about Jesus. I also know how easy it is to draw too much on personal experience as though what inspires me is how Jesus is supposed to inspire others.
   
But backing up the Christian faith is an entire history of belief and experience broader and deeper than ours alone. Without this our own faith remains general and vague.

What Eleanor Roosevelt said about politics can also be said about faith. ìSometimes I wonder if we shall ever grow up in our politics and say definite things which mean something, or whether we shall always go on using generalities to which everyone can subscribe, and which mean very little.î

By God's grace and with the help of the church, I can keep growing. I believe we all can.

Prayer

Learning the ways of Jesus, God, may our own faith become more concrete and specific, and our own experience broader and deeper. Amen.

About the Author William C. Green is Vice-President for Strategy and Development, Moral Courage Project, NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and the author of 52 Ways to Ignite Your Congregation: Generous Giving.

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