How to reply: "My faith is at an all time low."

For when you feel like you cannot get any lower or for when someone you care about cannot feel any lower, there is a word our Lord gives to us.

Many times in conversation with those who are ill, injured, grieving, jobless, newly broken up, or some other instance you will hear the sentiment, "My faith is at an all time low." Or maybe, "I know I should believe, but I just can't right now." What do you say?

First, honor the hurt and guilt going on in the person. Even if the guilt is not appropriate, it is there and needs to be acknowledged. But the hurt is most certainly appropriate and by simply acknowledging, sometimes with silence, you can be a person who walks with your friend through the hurt and into the joy of life again.

Second, communicate concerning the nature of faith. Too often we think about faith as something we do in the first place. Now, this gets a little fine pointed here, but faith is something God does in the first place and sustains within us. And often our part of believing does fade and weaken, but this does not change what God is doing. Perhaps the best way I've been able to say this is, "Well, it is a good thing that it does not matter how strong our grip on God is but what really matters is how strong God's grip on us is! And since not even death could take Jesus out of God's grip, we know that no illness/injury/grief/joblessness/breakup can take us out of God's grip. So, you have permission to feel low and weak right now because you are. But God is holding on to you and will never let go of you. That is what He promised in Holy Baptism and keeps on telling you when you hear Jesus!" Faith is not something that you need to worry about keeping strong. Faith is a gift God gives that you may have Him and His life.

To recap then: honor the hurt and speak the truth about what really matters: God is holding you and nothing can take you out of His hand.

Christ is risen!

How to reply: "You don't have to worship every Sunday to believe in God."

This idea comes up in conversation pretty regularly in my line of work. But I'm also aware that it comes up pretty often when neighbors and coworkers and friends and family allow themselves to break our social taboo and go ahead and discuss religion. So, how do you reply?

As you can imagine, this idea is usually spoken by a person who worships once maybe twice in a year, but not always. Sometimes the speaker is someone who worships every week. And herein lies the first point to remember in replying to this idea: know the background of the person saying this idea. Do not guess at their background, ask about what has happened to lead them to such an idea. Also, know what your conversation partner is getting at with this idea.

So, with that first point established of honoring the uniqueness of the person saying this, I'm ready to move on to my general reply. If you think you can believe in God without worshiping Him every Sunday, then I wonder what god you are believing in. The God of the Bible commanded that we worship Him every week. And more than that, if you think that God is only interested in getting your worship once a week, then you are not worshiping the God who gave you life and sent His Son to restore your life from its brokenness. God does not want you for one morning per week. God wants your whole life. He paid His Son's lifeblood to buy it.

So, I guess I agree and disagree with the idea that you don't have to worship God every Sunday in order to believe in Him. If the god you believe in does not call you to worship every Sunday and does not call you to himself every moment of every day, then you do not believe in God who sent His Son to save the world. I agree with the idea because God is not only interested in my Sunday morning. He wants my whole life. But I disagree with the idea because God does command me to worship Him.

As you encounter this idea in yourself and others, I pray the Holy Spirit enlighten your mind and embolden your lips to speak His reply.

Sincerely, Pastor Nate Reichle

Christ is risen!