2 Timothy 3:14-17 ESV But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. Do You Want Stronger Faith? I miss Bishop Pittelko. He was a beacon of faith for this congregation. Whenever the sky was falling around here, he would smile and say, “It will work out.” As anyone who has spent any time as a member of the Church knows, the sky is always falling. Since the day the Church was born, she has been in constant danger, want and need. It is hard to have faith in God. God promises to take care of everything we need and we immediately ask, “yeah, but what if He doesn’t?” Bishop had been around long enough and had faith strong enough, that he no longer doubted. He no longer wavered. He was a rock. But he did not start out that way. We were blessed to know Bishop after all the hard work had been done and he had become the mountain of faith that God had made him. But he started out just like everyone else. Faith was created in him at his baptism and he strove for 88 years to feed that faith so that it would grow into what we witnessed at the end. But not everyone gets to be a giant of faith like Bishop was. So, what’s the difference? Do you want stronger faith? I would imagine that everyone would want stronger faith. But wanting stronger faith is much like wanting stronger physical health. I want to have good health but that requires eating right and regular exercise. The question is not “do I want better health?” Of course, I do. The question is, “am I willing to do the work that brings me better health?” Am I willing to exercise every day? Am I willing to forgo cookies and stick with fruits and vegetables? The path is obvious but not easy. The same can be said for faith. Do you want stronger faith? Do you want to be rid of worry and anxiety? Do you want to have that calm that pervades the lives of people like Bishop? If so, I can show you the path, but you have to do the walking. Faith is nourished by Word and Sacrament. People who are in worship every week and Bible Study every week will have more peace, stability and calm in their lives. When you are consistently filled up with God’s Word and Sacrament, you will experience more peace and more joy. I will go so far to say that this is an absolute. It works every time. People who pop into worship once a month and whose Bible is sitting on the bottom shelf of the nightstand covered in a layer of dust will never have the same level of peace and joy as someone who reads their Bible every day, is in Bible study every week and hears the word and receives the Sacrament every week. Some people have said, “hey, I’m in church pretty regularly, but I don’t want to be in a Bible study too.” That’s fine. If I exercise once a week and eat a salad with my dinner, I’m better off than someone who doesn’t but I am not anywhere near achieving really good health. Do you want really strong faith? Do you want faith like Bishop’s? I do. So I’m in worship every week. I receive the Sacrament 3 times a week and I study the Scriptures almost every day and my faith has grown immeasurably. It’s not where Bishop’s was yet, but I am headed in that direction. Come join me. Resolve in this new year to put your faith first. Commit to being in worship every week. Choose a Bible study either here at church or with friends somewhere else and attend every week. Here at church Dr. Boudro, Mary Stahlke and I teach on Sunday Mornings at 9:15am. We have two women’s studies during the week: one on Mondays and one on Thursdays. Pastor Allyn teaches on Wednesday mornings at 10am. Dr. Boudro leads a prayer group on Wednesday nights and we have a mom’s group on Thursday evenings. Beyond that we have Sunday School for all ages on Sunday mornings, confirmation instruction of middle schoolers on Wednesday afternoons and High School Bible Study on Wednesday nights. In other words, you almost have to work to avoid Bible study at Trinity. Finally, get a Bible and read something from it every day. Don’t be put off by plans that have you reading 20 chapters from Leviticus. Just focus on reading something, even if it is just a few verses every day. Don’t go to bed without reading your Bible every day. The Word of God has power in and of itself. If you want God to work, do what he says! He will bless you when you read and study His Word and when you receive His body and blood. He will bless you every single time. You can count on it. I don’t know if I will ever make it to Bishop’s level of faith, but that’s my goal. I hope you will join me in worship and Bible Study this year. | 
