Faith and Doubt

On this Mother's Day, our sermon examines the relationship between faith and doubt based on Matthew 13:53-58, using the faith of Jesus' mother, Mary, as our example. Let's take a quiz.  Pick one.  Doubt is (a) the worst sin imaginable, (b) a terrible weakness that derails people's faith, (c) a great benefit and encouragement to our faith, or (d) an essential and necessary part of our faith.  Here's my advice: if you want to start an argument in a church, ask a question like that.  If I had to guess, most of us would argue that doubt is a bad thing, a really bad thing.  Want some proof?  Would any of us want our kids to have serious doubts about their faith? I didn't think so.  Some of us, on the other hand, believe that doubt, when applied properly, can actually strengthen our faith.  Want some proof?  Look at the