Leap of Faith

(this piece was written for the “Faith Matters” column of the Moscow/Pullman Daily News, and was published on May 2, 2008)

This will be my final contribution to this column. I have resigned my position as pastor of The United Church of Moscow and sometime in the near future my wife and I will be moving on to what comes next. I want to acknowledge my deep love and respect for the people of my congregation. From the very beginning and throughout my twelve years here they have welcomed me with open arms and allowed me into their lives. I will forever be grateful. I also want to express my deep appreciation for the community here on the Palouse where so many of you have been kind and supportive.

We do not know what comes next. Our leaving is a leap of faith, and we trust that whatever does come next will be an adventure filled with life and love, growth and support, learning and transformation. The process of discernment which has led us to this moment has been filled with journeying and processing, praying and walking, listening and talking. It is not something we came to lightly, casually, easily or quickly, and it is not an easy experience to talk about in ways which makes any sense. Faithful - foolish. Trusting - gullible. Vision - delusion. Risk - dangerous. Which description fits? It’s always a fine line we walk when we seek to live faithfully. Looking from the outside in, it is often impossible to gain a clear sense of whether a particular choice is faithful or just plain crazy. What we see with our eyes and what we perceive with our hearts can be very different, and will sometimes lead us in very different directions. The path down which our hearts lead us is not always going to appear safe, or sensible, or even sane. Any serious practice of prayer and discernment really ought to come with a warning label - “Warning: engaging in this practice may result in a life that will completely surprise you.” I have spent my whole ministry preaching about stepping out on faith, trusting, risking and letting go of fear, and I now find myself learning to practice what I preach in a dramatic new way. What I am discovering is that when you listen carefully and intently for the leading of God’s Spirit the guidance will come from a wide variety of Spirit-inspired sources.

The Sufi poet Rumi wrote, “Move within, but do not move the way fear makes you move.” Helen Keller found her way into the mix with these words, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all.” Amy Martin inspired us with a line from one of her songs. “It’s a radical trust that gives us the freedom to fly.” Even the well-worn phase “throwing caution to the wind” has taken on new meaning. Wind - breath - Ruach - Spirit. We are always and forever being invited to throw our caution, our fear, our worry, to the wind of God’s Spirit, so that we might be freed to answer God’s call in fresh new ways.

As we prepare to take this “leap of faith” and step into the unknown, we do so with the confidence that the God who has led us this far will continue to provide guidance and abundant blessings. It is time to let go of what is in order to make room for what will be. It is time to step off the edge and fly. “Be not afraid,” the angels say. Where is God’s abundant and gracious guidance calling you? It’s time to fly!