Ordinary Time 
Pause
Our lives are filled with images. They’re everywhere — on our phones, on television, on the side of the road. Pictures of celebrities. Pictures of athletes. Pictures of just about everything.
But what about faith? Where do we find pictures of faith?
Finding faith is no easy task. Neither is becoming a person of faith. But with God’s help it’s possible. With this in mind, we look to Scripture, and we commit ourselves to gathering with other Christ followers. Even now we wait expectantly for a word from God, with the hope that we might become a picture of faith for others to see.
Listen
But others experienced public shame by being taunted and whipped; they were even put in chains and in prison. They were stoned to death, they were cut in two, and they died by being murdered with swords. They went around wearing the skins of sheep and goats, needy, oppressed, and mistreated. The world didn’t deserve them. They wandered around in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground.
All these people didn’t receive what was promised, though they were given approval for their faith. God provided something better for us so they wouldn’t be made perfect without us.
Hebrews 11:36-40
Think
We live in a world that’s aching and groaning for redemption — things aren’t as they should be. Deep in our bones we know this is true, but we too often get distracted and sidetracked. We lose focus. And we forget that God has invited us to participate with God in the healing of our world.
In spite of our forgetfulness, God extends to us an invitation to help make things right and to enact justice. Accepting the invitation, however, comes with a cost.
Throughout Scripture people of faith experienced public shame, imprisonment, and even death. They lived on next to nothing, were mistreated, and sometimes had nowhere to lay their head at night. Still, they pressed forward and entrusted God with their lives, because they wanted to believe another world was possible.
Remaining faithful to God and God’s mission in the world has never been easy. And yes, it’s true that there’s always more work to be done. But slowly and surely things are being put back together, and with God’s help, we have a part to play.
Chris Robertson
Pray
God, we live in an unpredictable world, which is why I sometimes feel overwhelmed, scared, and even sad. But I draw strength from those people of faith who have gone before me, and with your help, I commit to loving your world and all that is in it as best I can. Amen.
Go
In Scripture we meet hundreds of faithful people whose stories continue to inspire, enliven, and challenge us today. Each of their stories is a unique picture of faith, as well as a constant reminder that faith is always a call to action.
“Faith is better understood as a verb than as a noun, as a process than as a possession. It is an on-again-off-again rather than once-and-for-all. Faith is not being sure where you’re going but going anyway. A journey without maps.”
Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking
