"Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, 'If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.' Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, 'Who touched my clothes?' And his disciples said to him, 'You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ' He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.'"
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What do you believe in?
I ask this question, not necessarily about your faith tradition and whether you are Jew, Muslim, Christian or Buddhist. I am asking, what do you truly, strongly, deeply know to be true...know that beyond a shadow of a doubt, is solid as a rock.
There is a great video on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAMLOnSNwza) of a young man named Dalton Sherman. He gave a speech at the kickoff meeting for the Dallas Independent School District that, even if it were not delivered by a boy this age, tells a wonderful story. He asks questions throughout this amazing message, challenging the audience to believe in him, to believe in each other and to believe in themselves.
Belief can be many things and do many things.
Unfortunately, belief can be a poisonous deliverer of evil. Belief can...
...send millions to their deaths in the gas chambers of eastern Europe
...drive men to think that flying jumbo jets into skyscrapers in the work of God
...cause a generation of hatred manifested in white-hooded lynch mobs burning crosses
But, Belief can be amazingly powerful force for good. Belief can...
....cause the sick to be healed
...bring a woman to reject the notion that, because of the color of her skin, she has to sit at the back of the bus
...be a quiet voice that says "try one more time" and brings forth a miracle performance in music, science, sport or literature
Every Sunday, in almost every denomination of Christian church, after the sermon, homily or message is delivered by the minister, priest or pastor, a Creed is said by the congregation. It is timed perfectly, as one priest jokingly told me, to affirm, "regardless of what this guy (or gal) just said, here's what we believe." I grew up in the Methodist Church, reciting the Apostle's creed. In my current tradition as an Episcopalian, we read the Nicene Creed, which I have come to embrace as my statement of faith, my belief:
"We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen."
So, recognize the power of believing. Believe in the good and you will do good things. Believe in yourself, and you will become something greater than you are today. Believe in someone close to you and you will lift them up. Believe in God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.
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