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Something in Sunday's sermon caught my attention: "Jesus' miracles sometimes required a lot of work from his disciples."
Servants had to fill the jugs with water before Jesus could perform the miracle of turning it into wine.
Jesus filled the nets of the fishermen to the point of breaking, but then they had to do the work of getting the fish to shore; the nets cleaned, repaired and put away; and the fish to market.
The feeding of the five thousand resulted in having to pick up all the leftovers and figure out what to do with them.
Abraham and Sarah had to pick up their lives and move to a new land.
Moses had to face the Pharaoh multiple times, and then lead the people through exile for 40 years.
God's faithful people had to fight against the temptations offered by the unfaithful who surrounded them.
Stories from the Bible tell us, over and over again, that the people who were most faithful to God were the ones who acted. Our faith cannot be passive.
We've been talking in the stewardship team about a theme for the upcoming year. One idea we've considered is Responding Through Faith.
Responding is active. Am I doing this because it is a faithful action? If I do this, am I showing my faith to others? If someone has done something to me, is there a way I can respond which is faithful to God?
This year think about Responding Through Faith.
Respond through faith as you are asked to support charity appeals. Respond through faith as you greet guests at church or your home. Respond through faith as you encounter road rage, as you deal with a child's tantrum, as you face all the things that life throws you each day.
God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit didn't ask us to sit back and quietly proclaim our faith. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit said, look, I'm may give you a miracle, but you've got to give a little something too. You've got to respond.
- Ann Warner