There is a song called Jesus take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood.
The text of the chorus of the song is this:
Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can’t do this on my own
I’m letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I’m on
Jesus take the wheel
The song is an analogy for faith, and it’s a prevalent understanding of faith, just let Jesus take the wheel. While it is true that we should allow Jesus to guide our lives in everything we do, and faith in Him is an essential part of being a Christian; is faith really this simple?
The letter to the Hebrews is really more of a sermon than it is a letter. It was written to early Christians and it was very hard for them to live into Christianity. Christianity was a new religious system that often set them apart from society, and as we heard from Jesus in Luke today, even from their families, and loved ones. Christianity was hard work back then. This section of Hebrews, gives us many nice examples of faith that are relatable, familiar, all have a common thread, and would have been very helpful to those early Christians who were being challenged to give up their faith, for something more familiar and accepted.
In this section of Hebrews we hear a discourse about faith. The author of Hebrews, much like Paul in Romans, is drawing off of Old Testament figures to show that their salvation and their relationships with God really came by and through faith. From today’s lesson: by faith the people crossed the Red Sea, by faith the walls of Jericho fell, by faith Rahab did not perish, because she gave friendly welcome to the spies. And just before our lesson picks up in this section of Hebrews, by faith Abel made his offering to God, by faith Abraham received his inheritance, and again by faith Abraham was tested, by faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh, by faith the first Passover was held. And the author goes on and on, showing the faith of the heroes of the Old Testament.
The common thread in the illustrations used in Hebrews is what really defines faith for Christians. It’s not only belief in God The Father, God The Son and God The Holy Spirit, but that the heroes described were all moved to action by their faith. Something I like to call (and this is a really original title) faith in action. Faith in action is not just intellectual assent that God exists, became man, died for us, and dwells within all of the baptized. And belief in all that is enormously important and essential. Faith in action is what happens because we believe in all that, and faith in action does not allow us to sit back and let Jesus take the wheel, we have to take some steps of our own. (Sorry Carrie!)
Faith in action is what naturally happens because of our belief in God. Faith causes within us all a change in heart, a change in heart that causes us to hope for things from God, things that previously seemed impossible. That change in heart causes us to act, whether it be prayer, starting a new ministry, talking to someone you do not know, or countless other things.
Through Baptism we receive The Holy Spirit, through the Eucharist we enter into communion with God. Faith in action is the response to the new life given to us in baptism and the love and grace we receive in the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood. That free grace is made manifest through actively loving those around us, engaging God through worship, repenting of our sins, and amending our lives. All the heroes we heard about in the Hebrews lesson today, did not sit back and let Jesus take the wheel. They responded to God’s call in their lives and through the power of God took action, and allowed God to guide them, and they were able to do this through prayer, and reflection.
We are called to do the same; we are called to respond to God through faith, just like the heroes in the Old Testament. Like the Apostles, like Saint Paul, like the author of Hebrews, like the recipients of Hebrews, like Saint Mary the mother of Our Lord whose faithful response to God gave this world Jesus Christ. We are called to take action because of our faith, because of what we believe. Action to bring enemies together, actions to mend broken relationships with family and friends, actions that forgive those who have harmed us, and actions to make known to those we encounter the importance of, through faith, allowing Jesus Christ to enter into our lives. Now, nothing I have said so far is original or unique. Everything I have said so far is another way of defining our own Baptismal Covenant. Our baptismal covenant perfectly describes faith in action. And if you don’t believe me, look it up. It begins on page 304 of the Book of Common Prayer. It begins with assent to what we believe in the formula of the Apostles’ Creed, and continues with the action words, will you, will you, will you, to which we answer: I will with God’s help.
You know, Carrie Underwood’s analogy wasn’t all that far off. Maybe the song should have been called Jesus be my GPS! Jesus is here to guide us through the power of the Holy Spirit, and to show us the path we should travel, but we still have to grab the wheel, and hit the gas to make what Jesus wants for us a reality.
Sermon preached by the Rev. Christian M. Wood
Church of the Redeemer
13th Sunday after Pentecost
14 August 2016