-Rev Evan Dolive-
 
Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see.
Hebrews 11:1 CEB

Faith is a tenet of Christianity that can take on many different forms.  If you were raised in the church or even if you became a follower of Christ later in life, the notion of your faith or having faith was more than likely a topic of conversation.  In a world filled with facts, figures and needing proof before we believe a YouTube video has the notion of faith been lost? 
This notion of faith is showed when Christ teaches the disciples that faith of a child is needed to enter the realm of God.  This one simple teaching of Christ has turned into just taking things at face value but by subscribing to this mentality I believe we are selling ourselves short. 

Children’s faiths are alive and strong, and the church needs to recognize this instead of repeating corny “children’s sermons” that are usually well intentioned but often developmentally inappropriate. The church’s story is being heard and lived out in front of our eyes through the hands and feet of some of the smallest members of the church. Why are we amazed that more children are asking to give money or toys to others instead of receiving for themselves? This is something that should be an extension of our own faith; sometimes it takes the innocence of a child to reorient our thinking about what truly matters.

We don’t give children enough credit. They are infinitely smarter than we think. Children figure out things that most adults have trouble comprehending. I truly believe that my daughter came out of the womb knowing how to operate an iPad. She gets that finger swiping and she can navigate the world of apps and photos with more precision and understanding that people 20 times her age.

Having faith like a child does not mean that we take everything at face value, but it does mean that we have the ‘go-get-em’ attitude. Children’s faiths are constantly being shaped and formed by the people around them and by the answers they get to important questions. If we cannot articulate our faith in a way that a child can understand, then we have a failure in communication.

I want to have a child’s faith; I want the stories of the Bible to be more than just words on a page or the same old story. I want to be emboldened in my faith to step out and be the hands and feet of Christ in the world around me. And if I can do that, I know that I will have a partner in ministry with me.  This Lent let us hold to our faith and examine it; may this time of contemplate and prayer allow us to experience God anew as well as deepen and strengthen our faith in God and Christ.

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Help me O God to have faith like a child, innocent and wondering.  May your spirit dwell within me in Lenten Season.  Through Christ I pray, Amen.

-Rev Paul Appleby-
 
Now the one who had received one valuable coin came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man. You harvest grain where you haven’t sown. You gather crops where you haven’t spread seed.
Matthew 25:24 CEB

The Scripture quoted above is from a teaching of Jesus commonly called "The Parable of the Talents." Now, as those history buffs among us are aware, a talent is a fairly large sum of money (the "valuable coin" in The Common English Bible- it would have weighed around 70 lbs and depending upon its composition could be worth upwards of $30,000). In this story, a master leaves town and gives three of his servants some of his riches to manage in his absence. The first two invest their talents and pay back their master with interest upon his return. The third… well, he (either out of fear or laziness) buried his talent then dug it up and returned it to his master upon his return.

The English word "talent" comes from the name of this old coin, in fact it comes to us right out of this parable. A talent is a treasure that our master has entrusted to each of us. Just as is the case in the parable, some of us are given a lot of talents, some of us are given a few. The number and value of the talents is really beside the point. In fact, in the Scripture mentioned the use of the talents, the rewards doled out upon his fellow servants who used and developed their master's gifts, and the master's disapproval of this lazy, selfish, fearful servant aren't exactly in view. The issue in view is the servant's understanding of his master as the one who "harvest(s)… where (he has not) sown… gathers(s) where (he hasn't) spread seed." Quite an unconventional picture of God, no?

Unconventional, perhaps, but is it true? The God of this parable is one who looks to us, God's servants, to see what creative and innovative ways we have found to use those talents with which we have been entrusted. This is a God who has given us not success, but simply the building blocks for it. This God is looking to make a name and a treasure for God's self from our creativity, our sweat, our struggle. This is a God looking for us to do the hard work of developing talents, and all to his credit. I don't know about you, but this certainly seems to ring true to my experience of God. It also holds true to the idea of God as a heavenly parent. I have been told by my parents, more than once, to live up to my family name. My parents provided me, not with success, but with the tools needed to build it- it is my hope that I am providing my children with the same.
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Because, as the servant in this story intuitively grasps, that is what the Christian is called to do. To develop his/her God given talents. To grow where they find themselves planted, and to offer up to God the increase. We are God's agents of growth, of prosperity, of beauty on this earth. We are called to be salt (an agent for growth to the ancient botanist) and light (an agent of illumination) - and one day, like the servants in this parable, we will be called to give an account of the talents we have been entrusted with. On that day, may we be found faithful.

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Dear Lord, may the talents you have put in my care be carefully seeded to grow a plentiful harvest.
Amen.

I will open the door to my closet and admit “I am a word freak.” I am many things more but today I choose this to disclose.

So when I was asked to write this piece I went to my dictionary (it has lots of words) and I looked up “faithfulness.” Faithfulness (the word) means: true to one’s word, promises, vows---

The word “one’s” means you and me. I have always known of faithfulness to humanity, but I don’t believe I truly knew what my faithfulness was; until I gave birth to my first child and he was placed in my arms.

My husband and I counted fingers, toes, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, etc. And then it hit me face on. My husband and I had signed more than a contract when we married. I was now holding this little bundle that God, in Hid faith, had given me to love and cherish.

​Faithfulness is one of those words we should live by every day of our lives. An apple tree is planted, watered, pruned and harvested. Thus faithfulness means to me, to plant and pray. I many not live to see it grow to its tallest or produce the yield, but I am faithful to the vow I gave to God. My first bundle will be 48 on November 2017 and I daily praise God for His faith in me 

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Holy Father, parent in my life. As we grow, help us find faith in the ways that help us grow a full harvest. Amen.

-Rev Rebecca Ann Yowler-
 
God will protect you with his pinions; you’ll find refuge under his wings.
    His faithfulness is a protective shield.
Psalm 91: 4 CEB

When we think about faithfulness as a fruit of the spirit, we tend to think about our faithfulness to God- our loyalty and our fidelity. Being faithful implies that we are consistent in our worship and that we will return to God again and again rather than seeking solace or protection from other sources. But today’s verse from the Psalms challenges that notion. Today we are reminded that God is faithful to us.
That’s a bit hard to take in, so let me say it again. God is faithful to us.

Psalm 91 is a powerful reminder that faithfulness is a two-way street. Of course, we are called to be faithful to God. We are supposed to be loyal to God- and only God. It’s that whole first commandment thing- you know, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” and such. Our faithfulness to God is an important and vital part of our relationship with the Divine. But, our faithfulness is only part of the equation. In our symbiotic relationship with our creator, God’s faithfulness is vital, and important, and something we tend to forget. God cares for us, loves us, and is loyal to us.

When I lost my grandmother just before Easter in 2013, I was most comforted by the image of a mother hen. In the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus also compares god to a mother. He says that God is like a mother hen who wants to stretch out her wings over her chicks and protect them. This image, the image of a mother hen with her arms outstretched, this is the image of God that sticks with me most, and in mourning my grandmother, that image resonated.  Nancy was most definitely a mother hen—she would either fiercely protect and nurture you, or henpeck you to death until you did exactly as she wanted. This small verse from Psalm 91, recalls that idea as well, “God will cover you in her feathers and under her wings you will find refuge; her faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” God outstretches her motherly wings and protects us, hides us, and keeps us safe. Like a mother hen, God is faithful in her protection. This doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have expectations, doesn’t get disappointed, or doesn’t wish we’d behave better.  It does mean, however, that even when we screw it up, God is still there. Loving us. Protecting us. Staying faithful to us.

​And I’m reminded of my grandmother yet again. Nancy was most definitely a great mother hen—loving and sheltering and guiding and henpecking and prodding. She was loving and tender as long as you listened to her, and if you failed to listen, she’d preach at you until you came around. We often had to remind her that we had already heard one sermon during the week and really didn’t need another, but she often felt obliged to preach at us anyway. She was the great matriarch of our tribe- to the extent that my father even called her “chief.” But even when she was chastising and pushing and prodding and henpecking, she loved us, was fiercely protective of us, and was faithful to us, her children and grandchildren. Missing her reminds me that God’s faithfulness is that kind of faithfulness—it’s the kind that pushes us, prods us, and keeps reminding us that we are God’s and that we are safe beneath her loving wings

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Gracious and loving mothering Hen, thank you for spreading your wings over me in protection and love. Help me to remember that you are faithful to us even in our mistakes and missteps. Push me, prod me, and remind me again and again that you love me and have me safe beneath your wings. Amen.