Many years ago I did a sermon using the letters of the word faith for the outline – F.A.I.T.H.
When preaching I always try and do something like that so people have something to hang on to and to help them remember.
By the time you make the point and read the passage you only need a paragraph or two to create a 10 minutes homily. Here are the dot points.
F – Freedom in Christ
John 8:36 NLT – So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.
A – Assurance from Christ
Mark 5:36 NLT – But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.”
I – Involvement for Christ
Matthew 9:37 NLT – He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.
T – Triumph through Christ
Romans 8:37 NLT – No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
H – Heaven with Christ
John 14:2-3 NLT – There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? [3] When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
Using an acronym is a simple way of making things easier for people to remember. Whenever I did a homily like this, most people could at least tell me some of the points a week later.
A great habit I have used over the years is to pray the Scriptures. By this I mean using the words of the Bible to convey our heartfelt needs to God.
The Bible tells us that God’s Word goes out and achieves His purposes.
Isaiah 55:11 NLT says, “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
So here is an example of a prayer for healing. I start by reading the Psalm to declare God forgives our sins heals our diseases.
Psalm 103:1-5 NLT [1] Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. [2] Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me. [3] He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. [4] He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. [5] He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagles.
Then I pray the next two verses as a prayer.
Acts 4:30 NLT [30] Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Psalm 6:2 NLT [2] Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak. Heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.
For Psalm 6:2 I pray it as is for myself, but I change “me” to the persons name if I am praying for someone else.
I find praying this way declares God as our healer, it asks for His power to heal and it shows our total dependance on Him. And it is done in Jesus’ name.
I encourage you to give it a try next time you need to pray for someone, or even try it for yourself.
Bible readings: Acts 2:1-11, Romans 8:8-17, John 20:19-23
Today is Pentecost Sunday. It is the day in the church calendar that we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit to the first believers and the birth of the church. It is a day when we remember the help that comes from above. Today I have three reflections from our readings.
The Holy Spirit comes in power
In Acts chapter one we see Jesus told the disciples to not leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the gift from God that He had told them about. This gift was the Holy Spirit which would give them power to be His witnesses. Fast forward to chapter two and today’s first reading, we see this happens. The Holy Spirit comes in power. In verses 2-5 we read there was a rushing wind and flames of fire, that tongues of fire came upon them, and they spoke in various languages as the Spirit enabled.
This was such a powerful event that people came to see what was happening. They were shocked with what they saw – ordinary men from Galilee speaking in about a dozen languages of the hearers. They were praising God and declaring His wonders for all to hear and understand. They were filled to be the witnesses that Jesus spoke about. Now they had the power to continue His mission of seeking and saving the lost.
True followers of Jesus live by the Spirit
In our second reading we see there are two ways to live this life – by the flesh or by the way of the Spirit. Verses 9-11 encourages us to live by the Spirit and not our natural human nature. It reminds us to not live at the level of our natural fleshly nature that seeks the fleshly comforts of this world like riches, comfort and physical pleasure. God wants us to set our sights higher and seek what the Spirit wants by seeking the Kingdom of God above all else (Matthew 6:33).
Romans 8:11 reminds us that the Spirit that came at Pentecost, and whom lives in all true believers, is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. You and I have resurrection power inside of us! When Jesus returned to His Father in heaven, He did not leave us alone to fumble and stumble through this life. He sent us the Holy Spirit so we could continue His mission of seeking and saving the lost, loving one another and doing good works. He gave us the power to chose life – the Kingdom life that He calls us to live.
We are sent out by Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit
In our last reading from John we see that Jesus sends out His followers. He said, “As the Father sent Me, I am sending you.” This call echoes Jesus last words to His disciples before ascending to heaven in Matthew 28:18-20. It says, “Jesus drew near and said to them, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. [19] Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, [20] and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age.”
This call to His first disciples is also our call today. In the same way the disciples were called and sent out, so are we. However, we are not sent out alone. Just like the first believers were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and empowered for their mission, so are we. We are filled with the same resurrection power that enabled the disciples to preach and bring thousands in to the Kingdom in one day! Just continue reading on in Acts 2 to read about Peter’s first sermon that was empowered by the Holy Spirit. Three thousand were added to the church from one Holy Spirit empowered sermon. Yes I will admit that Jesus’ call to continue His mission can be daunting, but if we keep focussed on the Kingdom and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, then we have all we need to continue His work.
Closing thoughts
Today as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday I want us to be reminded of these three things. That Jesus did not leave us alone as Holy Spirit came in power, that as true followers we chose to live by the Spirit’s power, and as we do we can fulfil Jesus’ call to make disciples of all nations. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost means we have help from above to continue Jesus’ mission in this world.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for Pentecost. Thank You that You sent the Holy Spirit to us as followers of Jesus. Right now Holy Spirit I submit to You. I ask that You will empower me and use me to continue Jesus’ work in this world. Give me confidence and boldness to speak of God’s Kingdom and salvation through Jesus. Please help me to make disciples of all nations. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I believe there are five things we should try to find in this life. Things which will not only make our lives better, but will make the lives of those around us better too. I think we will also be more fulfilled.
Find Jesus – I honestly believe with all of my heart that we all need to find a personal relationship with Jesus. We all have a God shaped hole inside us and we will not make full sense of this life if we do not include Jesus. As St Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you”.
Find your Church – We all need a church home where we can learn about God, share our faith with others believers, serve others in community and receive the Sacraments. God wants us in community to journey together and grow in our faith together.
Find your partner – I believe most people will find a partner to share their life with. Yes some are called to serve as Priests or Nuns and serve the church, but most are called to have a spouse and family. Back in the Garden of Eden, God said it is not good for man to live alone. We need someone to love and support us, and we need to be that for someone else.
Find your Vocation – For me a vocation means more than having a job. It is about finding the thing that God has made you to do. We are all shaped by God with different gifts and talents. He knit us together in our mother’s womb to do certain things. I believe we are most satisfied when we find and do God’s work for us.
Find your devotional style – By this I mean finding the way you connect with God. Some love sitting in church and worshipping God, some find reading and meditating on the Bible hits the spot, some go on prayer walks in nature and feel God’s presence, some pray the Rosary and connect with the Mysteries. It is does not matter what it is as long as you feel connected to God and do it regularly. God wants to be with us daily.
These are some of the things that have helped me in this life. I really do not think my life would be the same without them. Each of them has added to my life in so many ways. I am so thankful to God He has blessed me with these things.
I have to admit I did not pay too much attention to the Saints for most of my walk. More recently I have been reading about some of the more famous ones.
Recently I have been looking at St Benedict…
St. Benedict was a 6th-century monk who profoundly shaped Western monasticism and civilization through his Rule, which balanced prayer, work, and community life. Born to a noble Roman family around 480, he abandoned his studies in Rome, disgusted by the city’s corruption, to live as a hermit in Subiaco. His holiness attracted followers, leading him to establish twelve monasteries before founding the great abbey of Monte Cassino, where he wrote his famous Rule. The Rule of St. Benedict, marked by its wisdom, moderation, and flexibility, provided a practical guide for monastic life that spread throughout Europe and remains influential today.
There are quite a few things I find interesting about Benedict.
1. One is that he was born to a family who was well off and he gave it up to follow God.
2. I also admire the way he lived his life drew people to follow him as he followed Jesus.
3. Lastly, he became a hermit in Subiaco. As someone who is introverted being a hermit is quite appealing to me.
Reading about the Saints has been a real blessing to me. They are much like the heroes of faith the Bible mentions in Hebrews 11. Their lives can encourage and inspire us now.
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