Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. – Hebrews 11:1-3

This is not the first time we have visited the First Presbyterian Church in Wilson. It’s where Rebekah did the “Shortest interim ministry in history” back in 2022 (see God’s Power in Our Weakness), when her tenure ended abruptly after the infamous fall in the sanctuary.

We have attended twice now since Nick Demuynck was called as pastor, and this weekend his wife, Savannah, was filling the pulpit. Back in January we couldn’t help but note Nick’s enthusiasm and passion for Jesus when we heard him preach (“Passion is Contagious“), and this time we were impressed with Savannah’s positive word, her scholarship and her authentic spirit.

Savannah’s sermon looked at the idea of faith from the perspective of journey rather than destination. The scriptures point consistently to how faith literally changes us as we trust God and respond by living faithful lives – even when the place the journey leads seldom resembles the results we had imagined.

The key word here is “as.” As is a word that suggests action. Rather than God’s promises being an excuse to sit back and wait, we are invited not just to believe but to become active partners with God… as we live into what faith makes possible.

Living as participants in God’s purposes:

My definition of providence (first articulated in GET REAL: a Spiritual Journey for Men) is the meeting place of God’s intention and our obedient response. The way we live faith out loud, then, is key to the entire process.

There is a sense, I believe, in which God uses our faith and our trust as custom building blocks for his purposes. When God asks us to trust and to obey it is because God understands that we live our best lives when we are participants in building God’s kingdom.

I believe we miss the mark to the extent that we imagine God will magically provide a pie-in-the-sky forever-after, and that all we need do is to “get saved” then enjoy a cushy eternity… like heaven is some kind of a five-star resort.

Instead – and the scriptures point to this again and again – I believe we are participants in God’s purposes, both now and in the life to come.

The powerful truth in this scripture is that the future is going to be Good News beyond our imaginations. But in the meanwhile we are called to action in partnership with God, invited to join in rather than stand back.

Living into what faith makes possible – DEREK