Title: “Belief and Trust”

Scripture: Psalm 27, Philippians 3:17-4:1, Luke 13:31-35

3/7/04 Second Sunday in Lent

Rev. Joy R. Haertig

Last week the key word or theme in my sermon was “solidarity”, this week the word is “trust”.  I keep running into that word and am beginning to understand how foundational it is to a sense of personal and interpersonal wellbeing.  I have a deepening appreciation for the time it takes to build trust, how fragile it can be, and the patience and care that is needed to rebuild it once it is broken.  In today's scripture readings we find how central trust is in our relationship with God as well.  It is trust that transforms belief into a relationship.

It is one thing to believe in God - to believe in yourself - to believe in love - to believe in leadership, and quite another to trust in God - trust in yourself - trust those you love or trust someone's leadership.

In Psalm 27 there are a variety of images of trusting in God's protection in the beauty of the temple and in the shelter of God's tent.  In the Gospel of Luke, we are given another image of protection when Jesus talks about wanting to gather all of Jerusalem under his wing as a hen gathers her brood.  In Philippians Paul is talking about the important link between believing in Jesus and trusting in what Jesus has given to us.  

As I studied these passages I had an image of a canopy, an archway with two ends.  On one end is belief and on the other is trust.  These ends hold up God's “canopy” under which we take shelter, and throughout our lives we move or circle between these two poles.  Ideally we seek to move toward trust, for it is then that relationship happens, it is then that God becomes more than just a belief, it becomes a personal relationship.  I saw a quote this week that read: “Trust is a release of both mind and heart to God.”  We can not open our mind and heart to anyone without having developed a personal relationship of some kind.

Thursday afternoon after I had spent the morning writing this I had the joy of visiting one of our elderly parishioners in the hospital, Dorothy McKinnie.  As I sat by her side she began quoting scripture lines from various Psalms and as I have come to know her well over these years I have witnessed the comfort and strength she is given by living underneath the “canopy” of belief and trust in God.  I am always inspired by her witness.

Most of us that carry the basic belief in God rarely quit believing in God, but it is not uncommon to go through times of not trusting in God. We have many spoken and unspoken expectations and assumptions about God as much as we do in any relationship --and they often get in the way of our trusting.  

When we experienced the horror of September 11, most of us did not quit believing in God - but I know that many people quit trusting in God, at least for a time, because their expectations were severely tested.  Or perhaps when we face a terminal illness or the loss of a beloved job and years of unemployment - we can find ourselves still believing, but far from trusting in a loving God. We are still under the “canopy” of belief and trust, but we are stuck on one end, sometimes for just an hour or two - other times we can be stuck for years.

And like any other relationship, we cannot rebuild trust by sitting in that stuck place and waiting for the other to make the first move.  Sometimes we need to ask for help or be willing to engage in conversation with someone and tell our story.  A simple step towards the rebuilding of trust is to make a list of those things you have appreciated or feel grateful for - whether it is God or a dear friend - when trust is challenged it is easy to lose sight of the bigger picture.

Trust is complicated and is made all the more complex by unspoken expectations or what Buddhists would call “attachments” that are not always realistic or even mutual in a relationship.  It can be healing to bring those out of their dark closets and into the light of day where they can be talked about and eventually understood.  

This can happen even in relationship to our selves.  We can have unspoken expectations and assumptions about our skills or our life direction, or we make a choice that we deeply regret and lose a sense of trust in our own ability to choose wisely.  As we age and our bodies change, we can even lose trust in our bodies.  We still “believe” in our selves, but we no longer trust our selves.  

This kind of personal brokenness can be as hurtful as any other relationship and needs to be worked through with the help of someone else.

In today's reading from Luke I am moved by Jesus' lament over Jerusalem.  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” A city divided amongst itself that Jesus loves with all his heart and wishes to help, to help heal its lack of trust and hope, yet it will not receive his help.  

Perhaps the biggest problem with trust is that it does involve “letting go”.  

As I ponder the “hot issues” of our day in our society and in the broader world  - I see this interplay between belief and trust.  So often we cling to the “belief end” as if it is more certain and secure and can help us avoid the reality of change.  We cling to tradition for traditions sake; we blame one another; we make someone else the enemy.  But in doing so, I fear it costs us a deeper sense of trust in one another and in God.  We lose our ability to grow, to see the other side of an issue, to understand the uniqueness of someone we love, much less a stranger.

I am haunted by the voice of Jesus saying to us: “America, America, The city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!  How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” Aren't we all like Jerusalem on one level, crying for help yet resisting it?  Wanting to do it our way?  Wanting to be “in control”?  Wanting to stand fast in how it has always been and resist the letting go that comes with trust?  

Today's scriptures remind me that we can not move from a belief in God or in anyone else, towards a relationship of trust, without help.  As we consider some of the experiences in our lives that can challenge our sense of trust, may we also be aware of the people and the places that can become the wings of God that gather us in at our most difficult times, and help us build or rebuild our sense of trust.

Please join me in the Litany of Thanksgiving that you will find in your bulletin…Li

Litany of Thanksgiving

Many: Thank you, O God, for your protecting love.

One: When I am beaten and scared and feeling helpless,

Many: Thank you for shelters and offer protection, guidance, and care.

One: When I am homeless…Ma

Many: Thank you for shelters, food pantries, and soup kitchens; and for those who serve with compassion that can protect dignity and provide food and clothing.

One: When I am trapped in the grip of drugs, alcohol, and addiction…Ma

Many: Thank you for halfway houses, Alcoholics Anonymous, and other organizations that provide help.

One: When I am sick…Ma

Many: Thank you for the sheltering care of hospitals and clinics, and the doctors, nurses, and professionals that provide care and medicine.

One: When I am no longer able to care for myself independently or  stay in my own home…Ma

Many: Thank you for the sheltering care of caregivers, adult family homes and nursing homes.

One: When I am dying…Ma

Many: Thank you for the sheltering care of hospice.

One: When I am filled with doubt…Ma

Many: Thank you for the shelter of hope found in a faith community.

One: When I hurt other people…Ma

Many: Thank you for the shelter of forgiveness found in your unconditional love.

One: When I am afraid of how things will turn out…Ma

Many: Thank you for bringing to my remembrance the knowledge that you, O God, can work all things for good.