The Seventh Sense!

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”   - Hebrews 11:1

Among the greatest blessings of life are the five senses of taste, touch, smell, hearing and sight. We are truly blessed with these five keen senses to help us navigate our way through life and take in life to the fullest extent. Those of us who have our senses more of less fully, probably take them for granted all too much. Think how different your life would be without them, or without just one of them.

Imagine not being able to enjoy the sweet smell of freshly baked bread, hot apple pie or the wonderful fragrance of the forest after a good rain.

Imagine not being able to taste that first cup of coffee in the morning; your favorite gourmet dish; popcorn at the movies; a hot dog at the ball game, or hot chocolate on a cold winter's night.

What would life be like without the sensation of touch? Imagine not being able to experience the relaxation of a back or foot massage, the warm jets of the hot tub, the softness and warmth of polar fleece, a hug of assurance or a gentle touch on the arm.

Think about the incredible miracle of sight! Just imagine if you could never look into your child's or spouse's face again, and see a smile or a tear; or take in the awesome splendor of a mountain vista.

What would your life be like without the ability to audibly share in your child's shout of victory, or a loved one's cry of sorrow, or hear your baby speak that magical first word, or go to sleep to the sound of rain on the roof, or hear the wind whistling through the pines, or listen to your favorite music.

These senses that we possess are gifts that deeply enrich our lives, and if we are missing one or more of them or limited we say that we are impaired.  The loss of a sense is a great obstacle to overcome, and it certainly makes life an even greater challenge. We admire those people who have navigated their way through life, especially without hearing or sight or both.

I saw a piece on one of the news magazines of a blind golfer. With the help of a navigator friend who serves as his "eyes," that is lines him up, gives him the distances and describes the hole, he then hits the golf ball and hit it pretty well he does - even better than some who possess the faculty of sight! Some say that with the loss of one sense, a person has to rely on the other senses that much more, and develop them more keenly to compensate. Our senses are an incredible blessing that deeply enhance our experience of life.

Some people even talk about a Sixth Sense, ESP, Extra Sensory Perception.  In the scientific community the reality of ESP is looked upon with skepticism, because has never been empirically proven to exist or be credible in the laboratory. But even so, perhaps you have had an experience that seems to be more than coincidence. You sense that a loved one is in trouble, only to call and find out that something terrible happened almost at the same time you were thinking of them. Or you think of someone you haven't seen in a long time, and they call or show up on your doorstep soon after. Coincidence?  Perhaps! Is it something more?  Maybe!   It is a mystery, and it will probably remain a mystery, but even so, many can testify to experiences that seem to be more than coincidental.

In the face of the miracle of our senses we can only echo the Psalmist when he sings, "I praise you, Lord, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." (Psalm 139:14)

I suggest to you this morning that perhaps there is one more sense besides the five conventional senses and one debated sense, ESP. We don't usually talk about this other thing as a sense, but it my mind it is a sense, or it's helpful to think of it in such terms. The "Seventh Sense," as I like to call it, is the SENSE OF FAITH.  I’ll tell you why I call "faith" a "sense."

We use our conventional senses and conventional wisdom to relate to the world around us. The use of these wondrous senses not only help us perceive the world, but when combined with our power to reason we can understand the world, and come to conclusions about the world, and make decisions about living the world.

I call a "faith" a sense because "faith" is the thing that is needed to perceive, understand and experience God and the Kingdom of God. Our conventional senses and conventional wisdom aren't enough when it comes to the kingdom of God. Our conventional senses and conventional wisdom are always inadequate when it comes to the kingdom of God.

I love the story of the Great Wallenda, high wire acrobat of the mid 20^th century. The story goes that just before the Great Wallenda was to walk a cable suspended over and across Niagara Falls pushing a wheel-barrow, he turned to a spectator and asked, "Do you believe I can walk across this cable to the other side pushing this wheel-barrow?" The spectator reportedly said, "Yes, I believe. I have heard that you've done things like this before. I have seen in the paper and read that you are the greatest high wire acrobat of all time." The Great Wallenda is then to have said, "If you believe then get in the wheel-barrow and I will push you across!"  The spectator did not get in because you see he really didn't believe. His conventional senses and conventional wisdom could not motivate him to get into the wheelbarrow, in fact they prevented him.  Only faith, that is faith as trust, commitment and courage could have motivated him into the wheelbarrow, even at great risk.

The epistle for this morning says, “By faith Abraham obeyed… and set out, not knowing where he was going.” 

Faith does not mean being absolutely sure first and then following Jesus.   Faith means taking a risk and trusting just enough, even if only the size of a speck of mustard seed (as Jesus said); just enough to get your feet moving in the direction the Lord Jesus is leading.

When it comes to God, and the kingdom of God, the bottom line is it's always a matter of faith. Think of all the people that Jesus encountered who didn't believe in him; who didn't follow him. Think of all the people who heard him preach and teach and yet didn't believe and didn't follow. Think of all the people who witnessed his miracles: turning water to wine; casting out demons, healing the sick, and raising the dead and yet didn't believe in him and didn't follow. Think of all the people who had the opportunity to utilize their five conventional senses, and yet they didn't believe and didn't follow.

Most of the time we live by the axiom, "Seeing is believing!"  But when it comes to God and the things of God and the kingdom of God we have to turn that completely around and say, "Believing is seeing!"  Believing is a new way of seeing. Faith is an alternative set of eyes; a whole new way of seeing.

Faith is different from the other conventional senses and conventional wisdom. Our conventional senses and conventional wisdom give us information ahead of time, a certain amount of assurance ahead of time. But it is not necessarily so with faith. Faith is the one incredible "sense" that empowers me to follow and get my feet moving even when my other senses are confused and ambiguous and perhaps even telling me not to.  The "sense of faith" picks up where my conventional senses and conventional wisdom leave off.

I remind you of a few of the crazy things Jesus said beginning with our gospel for today:  “Do not be afraid… sell your possessions… make purses that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven.”   

Or how about "love your enemies; pray who persecute you?"  Or this is a good one: "Take up your cross and follow me; those who want to save their lives will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it."    Or in the Old Testament God told Abraham and Sarah they were going to have a child when they were getting ready for the nursing home!  And God told Noah to build an ark on a mountainside when the sun was shining

In the face of these kinds of wacky invitations and challenges our conventional senses and conventional wisdom are of little help and they cannot help us know for sure if Jesus is speaking the truth and can be trusted.   When it comes to God and the kingdom of God "seeing is not believing, but believing is new way of seeing." The only way we will ever know if Jesus is the real thing is to follow; is to move our feet in the direction Jesus is inviting us to go, even if our senses aren't sure and the better part of conventional wisdom are telling us to do otherwise. It's at this point that the "Seventh Sense of Faith" empowers you and me to get in the wheel-barrow for the ride of our lives!

My conventional senses and conventional wisdom cannot tell me if the man that hung on that cross was the son of God truly dying for my sins. But the "Seventh Sense of Faith" can empower me to take up my cross and follow. And you know what? It's been my experience that it's along the way of following that I have discovered to my greatest joy that Jesus is telling the truth.