Saturday, March 20, 2010

Daily Office Reflection: I Believe, Help My Unbelief!

Psalms: 107:33-43, 108:1-6(7-13) * 33; Exodus 2:23-3:15; 1Corinthians 13:1-13; Mark 9:14-29

I think this father's plea to Jesus in Mark's Gospel today to help his son can be considered iconic. I believe, help my unbelief! So many of us.....all of us at some point or other (if not daily) struggle with "belief". We have questions that challenge our faith. We receive questions, comments, odd looks from those who we associate with who do not worship, or who profess no belief in God. This father's instantaneous response to Jesus' statement All things can be done for the one who believes....the response of....I believe, help my unbelief..... is indicative of a deep desire for clarity, surety that what we profess, that what we pray is true.

This is one of the areas where I love being a member of The Episcopal Church.....for we are called to question. We approach our understanding of God, our exploration of Scripture through a process often referred to as "The Three Legged Stool" approach. Those three equal legs of the stool are: scripture, tradition and reason. We are called to question. We are called to live into faith through questions.

I firmly believe God can be found in that questioning....can be found in the questions. For when we question, when we reason, when we think about Scripture, we are in a conversation with God, which is what Bible Study should be all about. Much like Moses' conversation with God who appeared to him to the form of a burning bush in today's Exodus reading.

Start, continue, renew that conversation in these remaining weeks of Lent. Although a life long conversation, it is the best one we can have.
jfd+

Copyright 201o, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

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