“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant.”
My eyes started welling up as we sang in church this morning. I want to answer the call to come, but I don’t know that I can call myself faithful. So often, I feel my lack of faith, my doubt, my cynicism. And I work all the harder for it. I cling to my covenants, for that is keeping the faith, even when I cannot rationally affirm articles or propositions expressing the faith of my fellow saints. I serve in good faith, with all my might, mind, and strength, even when I am without the faith, the belief, that gives assurance that these efforts are an acceptable offering to God.
So come, all ye faithful, and come all ye faithless. Come all ye who struggle to hope, you who hope through great struggles. Come and adore Him. Bring your gifts of devotion, work, service, belief. What you have is what you can offer. There is no need to begrudge others their gifts that they may bring. Give Him instead your life’s work and your tear-wrought questions and receive the silence that is not an answer, but is peace.
And as we worship, even some of us who are not faith full, will feel joyful and triumphant, as we raise our voices and come to adore the Christ child together.
Lovely, thank you, Rachel.
So well said and wise words expressed. Would that we all acted on this.
Great post, though I do not think you need to sacrifice the term faith in your description of your commitment and its strength.
Amen and amen. I slog on, with my bad attitude and all- perhaps seeming faith-less to many, but knowing that this is what I currently have to give. And like the widow’s mite, my gift is no less acceptable to God (or so I choose to believe). In the very fact that I am still desperately clinging, I hope my faith is evident.
Thanks for this, Rachel. Well said!