In the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana (played by Harrison Ford) must make a leap of faith in order to get the Holy Grail and save his dying father. The linked scene portrays very literally what is meant by the phrase "leap of faith", but more often than not, a somehwat metaphorical interpretation is intended. Typically when someone utters the words "leap of faith" what is meant has more to do with taking a risk and trusting in someone or something.
This is exactly the case in the story of Ruth, so wonderfully acted out by our youth this past Sunday. In the story, Ruth (a moabite - mortal enemies of the Israelites) elects to follow her mother-in-law Naomi back to the land of Israel. Ruth was willing to leave her friends, her family, her country and everything familiar to her. She was willing to take a leap of faith. The conclusion of the story of Ruth finds that she gains much more than she gave up, including a husband, a son, a new family, and a type of immortality (thousands of years later, people are reading about the story of Ruth) precisely because she took that leap of faith!
Each of us have stories from our past where we took leaps of faith, in fact life is a series of leaps of faith. The beginning of my faith journey is one such story.
Convinced that the church (or christianity) was all about "No's" (mainly no fun) I had decided to try and acheive my ultimate goals of popularity and acceptance by projecting an unreal image of who I was, or more correctly who I thought people wanted me to be. I thought that I could do it all on my own, and that somehow I could fool everyone into thinking that I was better than I really was.
Somewhere along the way I was introduced to honest and sincere Christians through my local church. They convinced me to become a part of their faith community and quickly I realized that these people didn't want me to be perfect, nor did they like me because I was such a great person, but rather they accepted me because of who I was. Through them I realized that Christianity isn't about the "No's" but rather about the "Yes's". I came to learn that in fact the "No's" were only there for my benefit and my protection, because God and others cared about me.
What started out as a personal leap of faith, a very real risk, turned out to be the beginning of wonderful and lasting friendships, acceptance within a community of people committed to something larger than themselves, and the realization that although not perfect, my imperfections could be forgiven and accepted!
Whatever leaps of faith you have before you. Whatever risks you are contemplating. I would encourage you to realize that God is always trustworthy, and that the love and support of a faith community (like our congregation) can be a wonderful blessing. If you are part of such a community, encourage others to join you, if you are not a part of such a community, what are you waiting for? Take that leap of faith and soon you'll find (as Ruth and I did) that what you gain far outweighs what you might be risking!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
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