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Everyday Faith: Q&R with Pastor Luke Uran
As we begin a six-week teaching series in the Book of James, we spoke with Pastor Luke Uran about the series’ theme, and how both faith and works mark the life of a Christian.
Jim Killam
April 27, 2022

As we begin a six-week teaching series in the Book of James, we spoke with Pastor Luke Uran about the series’ theme, and how both faith and works mark the life of a Christian.

How has God led you to this series right now for our church?

One of the things I have been praying about is, what does faith look like every day? On Sunday mornings, on Wednesdays or whatever day you have your life group or adult community, it comes a little more naturally just because you are opening yourself to that. But what does it look like on Monday morning at 9 a.m.? What does it look like on Tuesday afternoon when you’re tired and ready to go home? What does it look like at home when you’re not even halfway through the day and you’re waiting for some help with the kids? What does everyday faith look like in difficult trials and circumstances? What does it look like when you’re walking through challenging times? James really gives us a practical guide to what everyday faith looks like in the life of a follower of Jesus.

It used to be that a regular churchgoer was defined as somebody who attended 1-2 times a week. Today for a lot of people, it’s a lot less than that. Can that limited contact be a barrier to getting recharged for the everyday faith you’re talking about?

There’s always a way to get connected to the church. There are always opportunities. But as we connect, we are coming together to encourage one another and to build one another up, and then we’re going out to do the mission we’ve been given to do. Attendance is important, of course, because you need that encouragement. And it’s not just from whoever’s preaching that Sunday, but also from people in your community that you are a part of, whether it’s your life group or a Bible study or your adult community. 

Here’s what I’ve seen. Text messaging, phone calls and coffee go a long way for faith. When I am in community with other people and I am allowing them to speak into my life, and I am given the ability to speak into theirs, that’s going to continue to encourage me, to build me up and edify to church, and continue to allow us to live this everyday faith that we are called to live.

This series is going to include some powerful stories of people in our church family who have walked through difficult seasons. What do you hope we take from those stories?

It doesn’t mean that our walk of faith is going to be the same. Everyone’s is going to look different. But we are able to point to a brother or sister in Christ who is telling the story of what they have been through, and to know that encouragement can come even in the midst of that. In some cases it will be to know that there are other people in my church family who have gone through these things. I’m not the only one, or the first one who’s gone through this. And so I have people I can turn to.

That’s one of the beautiful things about Jesus’s church—none of us are the same, but together we are the bride of Christ who continues to build one another up. Ultimately our goal here is to continue to present a more radiant Bride who is prepared for when the bridegroom comes.

There are a number of serving opportunities available right now, starting with the Big Day of Serving and extending to a lot of the organizations that our ReachRockford ministry supports. What would you say to life groups about this?

For us here at First Free, we are a church that worships together, grows together and serves together. I would continue to encourage life groups to find opportunities to serve together this summer, even if it’s once a month or once every five or six weeks. I know it’s crazy with sports and vacations and such, but when we are serving together side-by-side, that’s great opportunity to connect with one another where it doesn’t feel like I need to put my thinking cap on to facilitate or lead this discussion, or read these chapters or watch this sermon. It’s the way we can gather and continue to work toward the mission Jesus has given us. But also, we can build one another up and encourage one another in that way.

These opportunities feel like a fairly easy on-ramp to the “works” side of the faith-and-works conversation you’ll be having as part of the James series.

Serving together is something we’re really going to talk about in the third week in the series. It’s the week before we do our Big Day of Serving. I once heard a quote from another EFCA pastor, Quintin Stieff at Valley Church in West Des Moines. He said:

“Good works create goodwill, which opens up the door to share the good news.” 

I just love that. As we talk about faith and works and the “why” behind it, I think that will continue to push us and enable us to live out this faith-and-works life. We understand, of course, that we are not saved through works, but by grace through faith. But ultimately, that’s going to lead to the works.

Jim Killam
Jim Killam is a journalist, author, teacher and terminal Cubs fan. He and his wife, Lauren, live in Rockford and work internationally with Wycliffe Bible Translators.

1 Comment

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    I really enjoy these stories about the people in and functions of the Church. That is particularly true since because of circumstances and personal infirmities I have had restricted personal attendance at church. Keep them coming!

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