The Fabric of our Faith

As the wardens and I were brainstorming about a theme for this year, I was struck by the interconnectedness of all we do at church.  If you host Coffee Hour, you are offering hospitality and fellowship.  If you are involved in the Women’s Link, there are components of Christian formation, outreach and fellowship.  Any of the “jobs” involved in worship (Altar Guild, Acolytes, Ushers, Greeters, Chalicers, Choir, Lectors to name a few) contribute to evangelism, formation and hospitality.  All our actions and interactions are weaved into each other, just like fabric.

I must admit that when I started thinking about this, the catchy jingle that the Cotton Growers Association came up with years about (“The look, the feel of cotton – the fabric of our lives”), was running through my head ad nauseum.  But it also got me thinking about how the metaphor of fabric is helpful on our journey of faith.  Fabric is sturdiest when it is tightly woven together in a repeating pattern.  We can think about the various activities that we do as the threads that make up the whole, but what really gives our faith sturdiness is commitment.

Commitment is really the cornerstone to all that we do, because when we make the decision of how we will use our time, talents and treasure, we dedicate our resources to those effects.  When we commit our lives to Jesus Christ, we offer all that we are and have to being his disciple.  All the various threads in our lives begin to knit together to form the fabric of our faith.  We make time for prayer and worship. We become good (or better) stewards of our resources to ensure the needs of our ministries are met. We offer our gifts to benefit God and the Church, perhaps in ways we never imagined (like serving on the Vestry!).

We are also aware that fabric can begin to fray if the edges are not bound together. For our metaphor of fabric to really work, we need to recognize that what holds all of our well-meaning intentions together is the binding strength of the Holy Spirit.  When we make the commitment to follow Jesus, we also open ourselves up to the presence of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. In fact, the Spirit is the weaver of all our threads, holding us all together and empowering us with the desire and strength to accomplish what might seem impossible otherwise.  The stronger our sense of commitment, the stronger we feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, forming a durable fabric of faith.

Even when our faith is punctured or torn due to the hardships of this moral life, the fabric doesn’t fray if we use the Spirit’s presence to darn the fabric back together thread by thread.  It takes time and can be arduous, but when our fabric is fully restored, our faith is even stronger.

As we begin the Program Year at St. Barnabas, I ask you to consider the fabric of your faith.  What can we do to make it more durable?  Where can we ask the Spirit’s presence to come into our faith and help darn an old wound or bind up the edges to offer for strength and sustainability? Do we need to be more committed, and if so, in what area(s)?  Please note that activity for activity’s sake is not what I or Jesus am asking for, but a desire to offer service that is a deep expression of your faith, that will allow you to grow and mature in your life in Christ. 

In our collective faithfulness, we will create a beautiful patchwork quilt that shows our commitment to Jesus Christ for all the world to see!

In Christ,

Rev.Valerie+

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