Grow In Faith at St. Benedict's
Ours is a world awash in competing messages and astonishingly attractive commodities. In this hectic matrix, Christian faith is something of a minority report and the Christian religion can appear to be a commodity well past its sell-by date. So what does it mean to “grow in faith”? And why bother with the Christian answer to this question?
More to the point, what does it mean to have faith at all?
To have Christian faith is to share Christ's love with the world; to practice the Christian religion is to pray as Jesus taught his disciples to pray and to follow His example. To "grow in faith" is to receive the gift of identity and religion is the language that gives us the means to develop that identity. Prayer rehearses the itinerary for the Christian journey. Mission puts the example of Christ into action. The Church then, is that community of fellow travelers who form a community shaped by the prayers and life of Jesus Christ.
Let me back up for just a minute: faith is the relationship of trust we have with that which we hold most dear. To discover this, we need to look no further than the words of Jesus. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds his disciples - ancient and contemporary alike - that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," (Matthew 6:21). The implication is that those things which we regard as most valuable are or will become the object of our faith. Therefore, it is with great care that we treasure anything at all and it is with even greater care that we nurture our relationship to our treasure.
Prayer, especially when a method and discipline structure it, cuts through trivial clutter, clearing a path that leads to a relationship with God. The Rule of St. Benedict is a classic Christian expression of structured intentional prayer. In the prologue to this text, St. Benedict urges spiritual discipline so that "...as we advance in the religious life and faith, we shall run the way of God's commandments with expanded hearts and unspeakable sweetness of love..." In these words from St. Benedict there is for us - contemporary residents of metro Atlanta - an invitation to a life of intentional prayer and mission in the midst of an unsteady and sometimes confusing culture.The words of St. Benedict (out patron saint) announce the promise of contemporary realities embraced and transformed by prayer and the support of a faith community. Out of this hope emerges St. Benedict's Episcopal Church: A community to nurture a relationship with God. A community that prays as Jesus taught his disciples to pray. A community that endeavors to follow the example of Jesus.
A community to "grow in faith."
There will be more to come in this section. If you have any comments or questions you may call Lang at 678-279-4301 or email him.
