Radical faith...and taking notes during sermons!

I’ve listened to two sermons (or “messages”, as the chaplains here call them) since I’ve arrived in Iraq. And I’ve taken notes at two sermons. Since I bought it nearly three years ago, I’ve carried around a 3”x5” Moleskine book, almost wherever I’ve gone. So far, it’s about 3/4 blank.

So what’s in this book? And why do I carry it? I’ve taken a few notes, mostly little bits of insight or questions along my spiritual journey. I carry it because I never know when those insights or questions will come, or how long I can keep them in my head. That little pocket in back is useful for storing anything smaller than a 3x5 card—like a business card or a small note. It’s easier to carry when I’m in my utility uniform, since it has so many pockets. I carry it less often when I’m in civilian clothes, for no other reason than pocket space.

While I sat in my first sermon in Iraq, my hand went to the pocket where I keep the book. I remember thinking to myself, “You’re really going to take notes during a sermon?”.

Yes, I am going to take notes during a sermon. Especially when I’m in a purposeful path of exploring and examining my faith and vocation. Especially when the sermons seem to speak directly toward my exploring soul.

Last Sunday, the sermon addressed the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28. In the Matthew’s gospel, the Canaanite woman “puts the full-court press on Jesus in demonstrating her faith” (as the preacher put it). When Jesus apparently dismisses her by saying that the children’s food ought not to be given to the dogs, she persists, responding that even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table. Then Jesus praises her for the persistence of her faith and gives her what she has asked for.

Radical faith, as the preacher put it, places dependence on God. In that case, I can’t help but think: Isn’t all faith radical? Faith really is dependent on God.

Faith is much more than belief in God, though belief is a part of it. In some way, faith rejects the demands of this world. In the words of an earlier posting, faith is the breaking of the chains with which we have bound ourselves in this world and the taking on of God’s work. Again, as Jesus says, “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Persistence of faith, as the preacher goes on, is allowing yourself to say (and mean), “Lord, not what I will, but what you will.”