An Unexamined Faith...

This week three of our five Daily Devotions at Fourth Church were written by the youth of Fourth Church Rising on our spring retreat two weeks ago. I am really proud of the devotions these youth wrote and I hope you enjoyed them too. I wrote the final devotion of the week, and it pretty much sums up my thoughts about this year's great confirmation class.

Scripture Reading: Genesis 18:17–25

Reflection
More so than any other confirmation class I have led, the youth of this year’s Fourth Church Rising have taken my challenge to explore their faith through honest questioning and have run with it. Over the course of the past eight months, it seems that we have hardly left a theological or spiritual stone unturned. And even though this has left us with many questions, I think our faith is stronger for it.

I often use this story of Abraham’s encounter with God to demonstrate what it means to be in a faithful relationship with God yet also willing to ask difficult questions about God, even to God. Abraham clearly had a deep, personal, trusting relationship with God. But he wasn’t afraid to ask a bold question when confronted with a situation he didn’t understand. “Shouldn’t God do what is just?” asks Abraham. “Shouldn’t God do what is right?”

According to Plato, Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I often think the same thing about faith. An unexamined faith is not worth believing.

Through confirmation and beyond, our youth are remarkably good at this. It is my hope and prayer for our church that the rest of us might do the same.

Prayer
Gracious God, thank you for allowing me to ask even the most difficult questions about you, our relationship, and the world we live in. Thank you for meeting me in those questions and helping me to know that you are always with me. Amen.