Layne Smith

The Passion of Christ (Nextsunday Studies) Layne Smith

We see in the Passion of Christ our own struggle of faith. Authentic faith is a daily challenge. According to Hebrews 11:1, ?faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.? On our good days, we may reflect this kind of faith. The problem is, we have bad days. Life and the life of faith are not always easy. For this reason, we are encouraged to gather together for fellowship, study, and worship. We find strength and help for faithful living in the context of the church of Jesus Christ. Sometimes, faith seems like a ?two steps forward and one step back? proposition. As Frederick Buechner reminds us: ?Faith is better understood as a verb than as a noun, a process than as a possession. It is on-again-off-again rather than once-and-for-all. Faith is not being sure where you?re going but going anyway. A journey without maps.? We need not feel guilty that faith is not always easy for us. Have you ever been traveling in unfamiliar territory? There is no shame in having a difficult time finding your way. Stopping to ask for directions is part of the journey. Heading down the wrong road from time to time is all but inevitable. The question is not whether we will go down the wrong roads in our faith journey. All of us will. The question is whether we will find the resources to acknowledge our failure, turn from it, and learn from it. The four lessons in this unit highlight the faith struggles of the early disciples. In lesson one, Jesus addresses the issues of faith and practice. In lesson two, we meet Judas, who like us, struggled with God?s Kingdom and human kingdoms. In lesson three, the issue of temptation reminds us that our faith journey is a constant challenge. Lesson Four invites us to remember Peter?s experience of ?faith failure.? Peter?s failure, however, is not the final word. There is forgiveness.