Faith
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Thinking the Faith, Praying the Faith, Living the Faith is written by the PC(USA) Office of Theology and Worship.
Thinking, praying, and living the faith is at the core of ministry in the Office of Theology and Worship. In the following videos, learn more about what thinking, praying, and living the faith means to the leadership of the Office of Theology and Worship. Discover why it matters and what difference it makes in our lives, work, and worship.
Charles Wiley
Barry Ensign-George
David Gambrell
Christine Hong
Karen Russell
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Relentless Love
I am not a fan of the TV show Survivor. I am, however, familiar with the concept of survival. I sing along (loudly) to Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” and describe myself as a survivor of multiple things, among them high school, the terrible two’s, the “blizzard of the century” – the one in 1994, that is. Survival is a basic human instinct. Faced with threat of various kinds, our instinct is to flee or fight – both of which are geared toward our own survival. In matters of faith, it seems we often have the same instinct. When threatened, we instinctively consider either flight or fight.
For some reason, most of my reading lately has been centered on the steadfast and unfailing and relentless love of God. In the Psalms, especially, remembering God’s steadfast love was a counter to the flight or fight instinct. God can, God has, and God will deliver us from perils on the sea, those who talk behind our backs, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, the monsters under the bed, enemies real and imagined. Psalm 107 is a special favorite of mine; a portion of it was in the stained glass windows of the chapel where I worked previously. In myriad ways, this psalm outlines the ways the world can threaten to destroy us. But the refrain is this: “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1, New Revised Standard)
God’s love is relentless. It is steadfast and unfailing. It’s a love that pursues us when we’d rather hide. Unfailing when everything and everybody has let us down. Steadfast when the ground trembles, the floods come, the river rises and everything seems to be changing daily.
Relentless love – thanks be to God.
- Posted at 9:07 a.m.
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