By Mac Mckechnie
An Extract from the book Seasons of Faith by Mac Mckechnie (Available on Amazon)
January
There’s something exciting about starting over – new challenges, new experiences, new opportunities. I love starting a new year. I have plans, things I’d like to accomplish, big challenges ahead of me. Looking back over the past year, I realise there are some things I regret, and I’d like to do differently. Perhaps you’ve had similar thoughts.
The Bible tells a story of a lady who had reached this point, who had lost all hope:
Sighing deeply, she picks up the earthen jar and places it on her shoulder. She bends over slightly and walks through the low door. The woman is on her way to fetch water. It’s not a good time to fetch water. In fact, it’s not a good time to be outside. The sun has reached its height and seems to hang in the air as it beats down mercilessly on her. She could have chosen a cooler time of the day, but that would have meant facing the other women.
You see, this woman is the town’s local “bad girl”. She’s not married to the man she’s currently living with. She’s already had five husbands. Five times she’s tried to start over. Five times she’s tried to build a new life. And now she’s given up on marriage, given up on happiness, given up hope. It’s tragic to admit, but this woman is not alone in reaching this point of hopelessness. After too many disappointments, it can happen to anyone. After a while, you may begin to feel that there just isn’t a new beginning for you.
Jesus offered a new life to the hopeless woman: As she nears the well, the woman notices a man sitting on the wall. She hesitates. What’s he doing there? She wants to turn away, but she needs water. With downcast eyes she walks closer. Perhaps he will just ignore her. – And then Jesus offers her living water – the living water which quenches a person’s thirst and gives eternal life.
But the woman does not realise what He’s talking about. And then He begins to get too personal. He tells her about her failed marriages. He reminds her of her past, of all her disappointments. And with each word the door to her pain is forced a little more open. It’s not easy to confront our failures, our disappointments, our pain. In fact, it’s possible for us to get used to living in spiritual poverty, to live without hope. Eventually the woman at the well realises that she has met the Messiah and that He has begun to recreate her. Outwardly she looks just the same, but inside – inside she is a new creation! January is a time for new beginnings. Jesus is offering us all what He offered the woman at the well – a new creation, living water. Go on. Drink it.
…__ …
(This was written when our much – loved dog Daisy came into our family life. We chose her from a litter and collected her from Lancashire, when she was 12 weeks old. At the time of writing this, Daisy is 3.5 years old, and hasn’t changed much! – She is still a delightful companion.)
Now Daisy has been with us for just over a week. She came as a 12-week-old bundle of irrepressible mischief, not had all her injections yet, not housetrained, not knowing much about anything, but with a totally trusting nature, loves Maureen and I unconditionally, without reservation, and likewise everyone she meets. At only 12 weeks old, she has not yet come into contact with mean cruel people and of course we hope she never does.
Some might debate that a new puppy is a bit like a new baby, both totally dependent on us adults for basic life support needs as well as love and affection, But I wouldn’t totally agree with that, similar yes, but…… there is a difference….
A 12-week-old baby is pretty much immobile, and has limited thought process, and is totally dependent on a Mother or Father for everything, and lacks decision making capacity.
Daisy however, is unbelievably mobile, and has been nicknamed speedy by one of our young granddaughters. Charges around nonstop when she gets going, but this important, she has doggy decision-making capacity, even at 12 weeks. When to eat, what to eat what to play with, who to terrorise when playing, but this is important, all of Daisy’s thought processes at 12 weeks old are based on trust and hope, rather than experience, although she is learning quickly from experience. If she goes into our back yard to go to the toilet, she is likely to get a doggy treat (which she likes) whereas if she did that in the kitchen she wouldn’t. This is a great motivator to Daisy…. In a simplistic way built on 12 weeks experience, one of those weeks spent with us, Daisy exercises blind faith that we will love her, and take care of her, feed her when she needs food, water her when she is thirsty, play with her when she needs stimulation, and protect her that no harm will befall her when she sleeps… (which she does a lot.)
So …. how does all this link to my sermon today? How many of you here today have ever wished to yourself: “If only I had more faith”? Or maybe someone has said to you, “You know, if you just had a bit more faith, God would do such-and-such for you. Your prayers aren’t getting answered because you don’t have enough faith.
I’d like to make an important point about that – and we’re going to study what the Bible tells us about faith. But if you’ll forgive me, I’m going to begin by telling you what even I admit are a couple of rather lame jokes. (origin unknown) I may have to raise my hand or something to you when I’ve reached the punch line, but here goes. This is the first one. – And I’m not talking about Daisy here.
A man is standing on a street corner waiting for a bus, and he notices next to him a man and a dog. – So, he says to the man in a very friendly voice, “Does your dog bite?” “No,” the man says. – All right. So, our friend reaches out and gives the dog a pat on the head, and when he does, well that dog just takes a rip out of the man’s hand, and almost bites his arm off at the elbow. I mean, he really digs in. It’s a scary moment. – Well, the man yanks his hand back and screams at the other passenger, “I thought you said your dog doesn’t bite!” The other man gives him an innocent look and says: “That’s not my dog.”
Okay, that’s the end of the first joke. Some of you probably won’t start laughing until you’re going home this afternoon, and you’ll suddenly get it. Although it might not even raise a smile!
But here’s the second one.
A man runs into a chemist shop and shouts in desperation to the pharmacist: “Quick! Hurry! Have you got anything for hiccups?” Without warning the man in the white jacket fills up a cup of ice-cold water and throws it in the man’s face. And the poor chap shouts: “What did you do that for!” The pharmacist put the glass back down. “You don’t have the hiccups now, do you?” – “No,” the customer said. “But my wife out in the car and still does!”
Now, I’m going to be the first to say that these are not my two best jokes, despite what some of you think. But you know, these two little stories actually make a pretty decent spiritual point. This kind of twisted humour comes from a false assumption or an action being directed at the wrong person, in the wrong direction. Petting the wrong dog or throwing water at the non-hiccupping spouse. Directing your energy into the wrong channel of action.
Here’s my observation. In the Christian experience, we face much the same dilemma. Millions of believers are trying to go about getting the experience of faith – and they don’t do it the right way. I’d like to talk about surrendering to God and then building a faith experience with Him. Once we’ve embraced Calvary, well, then we want for our faith to grow. We want to go from a little to a lot, from immature faith to mature faith, to a grownup kind of faith. Just like a puppy or a baby learns through experience, and as soon as we do that, a temptation begins to bubble its way up to the surface.
What is faith? In my opening remarks about Daisy’s arrival last week, I said here that faith equals trust. Trust equals faith. If you know someone and you know them to be good and solid and caring and dependable, you’re going to have faith in that person. It’s that way in all of our human relationships: right here at the church, in our jobs, in our casual friendships, with our spouses and relatives, with our babies and puppies, and it’s that way with God.
Some of you might know the words of this classic gospel song. “The more I trust Him, the more I love Him. Nothing good for me He’ll deny. The longer I know Him, the better I can show Him; I couldn’t stop now if I try.”
So of course, the faith relationship just “gets sweeter as the days go by.” So love leads to trust and trust leads to love – and both of them lead to obedience and fulfilment. But many, many people, including veteran Christians, begin to have faith in faith! That’s right. They start looking at faith as its own kind of power, a spiritual entity all of its own. They make having faith their goal instead of making knowing Jesus their goal.
This I think is a troubling spiritual trend where believers spend a lot of energy and time trying to build up their faith. Focusing on their feelings and their emotions and their inward religious thermometer. But the reality is this: if you grit your teeth and suck in your stomach and try hard to conjure up faith or “work up” more faith, you’re essentially throwing cold water in the face of the wrong person. You’re aiming your efforts in the wrong direction.
Could I make an observation this morning? “Faith is trust – and trust comes from communication and acquaintance with One who is absolutely trustworthy.” Do you want to have more faith right now? Then don’t work on having more faith, work on getting to know Jesus. Would you like for your faith to be stronger, more steadfast? We all would like that. Well, then, redouble your efforts to get to know Jesus. Do you wish your faith led you to greater obedience? Romans 1:17 says it can: “The just shall live by faith”.
The New International Version says it even more plainly: “The RIGHTEOUS will live by faith”.
If you want that experience, then don’t work on getting more faith. Don’t work on being more righteous. Work on getting to know Jesus more. The more you know about Him, and the more you know Him – the more faith you’re going to have in Him. It’s always worked that way, and it always will. The eleven disciples didn’t really have a life-changing kind of faith in their Master until they went through the upper room, and then the Garden of Gethsemane, and then Calvary and then the Resurrection. But as they got to understand the overwhelming nature of Jesus’ love for them, His sacrifice on their behalf, the goodness of His character, the power of His resurrection, the truthfulness of His teachings, they came out of Pentecost with a faith in Jesus which has changed the world.
Author Bio:
Seasons Of Faith – Paperback by Mac Mckechnie
In Seasons of Faith, author Mac Mckechnie invites readers on a journey through life’s triumphs, struggles, and the enduring power of belief. A reflection of his many years writing for community magazines and sharing personal sermons, this collection is a heartfelt exploration of faith in the everyday. This book is available on Amazon.
Discover a treasure trove of thoughtful reflections on faith, personal growth, and the power of community. Seasons of Faith is not just a collection of words, but a guide for anyone seeking peace, direction, and a renewed sense of purpose. Writen here is an extract from this remarkable little book.
Mac is a family man at heart, has a few hobbies, is a member of the organisation u3a, which is an organisation for older people, where he leads a group with the sport Kurling, and also the creative writing group. Mac is an active Christian, and the Pastor of his local church in Barnsley.
Click here to buy Seasons of Faith on Amazon
Contact Author:
Mac can be contacted by email : mckechnie31@btinternet.com
