I've got my doubts, (and apparently), so do you...
by Rev. Alexandra Robinson on January 10, 2024
I’ve got my doubts, (and apparently), so do you….
Thank you to all of you who reached out to me on Sunday after the sermon. Your encouragement gave me strength in the vulnerable space of sharing my doubts in faith. It still surprises me when I take risks in sharing my full self, how graciously you accept me just as I am. I am so grateful to be pastoring a congregation that realizes welcoming is not just a gesture of hospitality at the front door of the church, but a spirit of inviting difficult conversations with honesty and openness.
In the outpouring of your generous response to the January sermon series, many of you have asked – “how can we create more opportunities to have conversations about our doubts in faith?” So instead of guessing what would be most beneficial, I would like to invite you to take a survey, so that I can get a better gauge of the format that would be most helpful and engaging for you. (My years of ministry experience have taught me that throwing out a date and location onto the wall to see if it sticks is not the most effective way of starting a group.) In addition, we must recognize that the opportunity to discuss doubts in faith is a unique space for people who have left the church completely. I would like to be intentional about how this opportunity is not one in which we are just hosts, but journeying alongside those for whom the space of church may not feel safe to share openly. We really are all guests on this journey, knowing God is the one offering the hospitality! So how can we best reflect this intent?
So please take a moment to take this survey so we can continue the conversation beyond the sermon series. You can click here to take this anonymous survey, or even pass it along to a friend, colleague or family member who might be intrigued. I’ll keep the survey open for the next two weeks, so we can determine a way to gather by the last week of January.
In the meantime, here are a few podcasts and books I would recommend for your resource library on this journey:
Podcasts:
Books:
In addition, this week, I have asked you to dig deeply into some of the doubts you are experiencing in faith and bring those to God in prayer. The purpose is not to seek one answer, but to engage in an experience of honesty before the holy. I share this prayer with you, in a way of connecting into that space this week. It engages three prayer stances I encourage in this part of the journey: Being Present, Cultivating Gratitude, and Openness to Wonder.
Beyond the Words
I’m struggling, I’m doubting, and I need to ask you lots of questions….
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