Morning Prayer: Shannon Cook Choral Amen Hymn of Trust *The Lord's My Shepherd* Witness of Scripture: I John 3: 18-24 Anthem *Hellelujah!*G.F. Handel. Chancel Choir Sermon *Building Trust* Steve Graham
Recorded on September 7, 2025
Building Trust
A Celebration of the Good News with the Beloved Community First Christian Church, Norman, Oklahoma Rev. Dr. Stephen D. Graham August 31, 2025
Scriptures: I John 3:18-24, Psalm 23, Acts 14:21-28
I remember when Jeff, our 16-year-old son, asked if I trusted him. To be honest, his question captured my curiosity about where this might be going. It was not a yes or no question. “Well, yes, son, I do trust that you’re sixteen, and what that means for both of us.” He smiled, and we relaxed into the trust we shared. Parenting is like that. About the time you think you’ve figured out what it means to parent a 13-year-old, he’s 16, and things change. Neither Jeff nor I had ever been there before. We discovered trust is not simply something you either have or don’t have—it’s something you build, day by day, in the wonder and risk of relationship. Some of my most cherished memories are those days when Jeff and I were exploring trust together.
It has been my great joy to walk with you, building trust in God, in ourselves, and in one another. For me, it begins and ends here: our trust in God is not the result of our effort but the by-product of God’s own trustworthiness. God is faithful, and therefore, we can rely on God. Still, we must confess this is not always easy.
Trust in the Storm
Several years ago in Liberty, Missouri, a tornado tore through our neighborhood. Homes were devastated. Beautiful trees were uprooted in seconds. Life spun out of control. The next morning, Jennifer went to the church to put on a pot of coffee for neighbors without electricity. People gathered—needing warmth, conversation, the presence of others. In the midst of chaos, we put our arms around one another, helped families search for belongings, and began to clean up the debris. Strangely, in that environment of fear and loss, we found ourselves opening up. Our renewed trust in one another rekindled our trust in God. One image stays with me. A 30-foot spruce in our yard had been knocked flat. Volunteers helped pull it upright with a tractor, tying it off with ropes until it could stand again. It was a fragile, awkward sight, but it reminded me that when life is turned upside down, sometimes the best we can do is hold one another steady until roots take hold again. Even so, not every relationship weathered the storm well. Without asking, I had borrowed a young neighbor’s ladder to prop up the tree, only to find out later that it wasn’t hers. She had borrowed it from her neighbor. It was his ladder propping up our tree. That explained the note tacked to my door, a stinging rebuke. He dared to call me names. “Who do you think you are? I thought you were ‘a man of faith.’” I had been wrong, but that was tacky. So, I quickly bought a post to replace the ladder, but we did little to repair the breach between us. Without mutual trust, the world remains upside down. Why does it take a tornado—or any crisis—for us to remember that we belong to one another, that we must lean on each other?
Trust at the Heart of Faith
The early church asked that same question. They had experienced the darkness of the crucifixion. Could such wrong ever be made right? Yet they discovered that at every turn, life required trust in God. The writer of 1 John put it plainly: “And this is his commandment, that we should believe (trust) in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another” (3:23). The first Christians did not see Christ’s death as the end but as the beginning. They placed confidence in the Good Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep, who “scratched through the dirt,” as it were, to make sure our roots remain connected to God. Love is not just words; it is action (1 John 3:18). And trust in God is revealed in the way we love one another. When we love one another, we can come to God with confidence. When we love one another, the world begins to steady itself again.
What Builds—or Breaks—Trust
Patrick Lencioni has written insightfully about the importance of building trust. The absence of trust shows itself when we: • Conceal our weaknesses or mistakes. • Jump to negative conclusions about others. • Blame, shame, and hold grudges. • Fail to make use of one another’s strengths. By contrast, trust grows whenever we: • Admit our weaknesses and mistakes. • Give one another the benefit of the doubt.
• Offer and accept apologies quickly. • Value and rely upon one another’s strengths. These habits are not only good advice—they are gospel practices. As the community of faith, we are called to believe (trust) in Jesus Christ and to love one another. Since your nascent days in 1892, you have been a church, not because you first loved God, but because God first loved you and sent Christ among you. This is Christ’s church. Trusting Him is just as vital today as when you began.
Trusting the Shepherd
Psalm 23 reminds us that trust is an action. It is as practical as sheep relying on a shepherd. God provides food, water, rest, and protection. Our cups are not only full—they are overflowing. What would it mean for you to trust that there is enough? Enough grace. Enough love. Enough mercy. To trust in God’s trustworthiness is to walk each day in the assurance that “goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives.”
Upside Down Confidence
Frederick Buechner tells a wonderful story about a New England church in 1831 that added a steeple with a bell. When the steeple was finished, a man named Lyman Woodard climbed into the belfry and stood on his head, feet toward heaven. No one knows much more about him, but that one whimsical act endures in the church’s history. It was impractical. Risky. But magnificent. And it became a symbol. For if the Lord is our shepherd, then the world is indeed upside down: the last are first, the weak become strong, and losing becomes finding.
That’s what trust in Christ does—it turns things around. As Paul wrote, “Such confidence we have through Christ toward God” (2 Corinthians 3:4). The psalmist prayed, “O my God, I put my trust in you” (Psalm 25:2).
Strengthened for the Journey
Acts 14 reminds us that building trust has always been hard work. Paul and Barnabas traveled back through the cities where they had already preached, not to rest on success but to “strengthen the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith.” They spoke truth: “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” They did more than inspire words—they prayed, fasted, and committed each congregation to the Lord. In other words, they entrusted the churches to God’s faithfulness. Their mission was not just about planting churches but building trust strong enough to endure hardship. Trust was the fabric that held the community together. So too with us. We are strengthened for the journey not by avoiding storms, but by trusting God and entrusting one another.
Conclusion
Let us keep building trust—as something alive, something we choose and renew each day. In families. In friendships. In our church. When we are vulnerable, when we admit weakness, when we extend grace, we mirror the trustworthiness of God. And in that, the world begins—slowly but surely—to stand tall again, like a storm-battered tree lifted back to life.
Building Trust – Discussion Guide & Handout
Key Scripture
I John 3:18-24, Psalm 23, Acts 14:21-23
Sermon Summary
Trust is not static—it is built day by day in our families, friendships, and in the church. The tornado story reminds us that in crisis, we rediscover our need for one another and for God. The early church in Acts 14 understood that 'through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.' Paul and Barnabas strengthened believers by teaching them to remain faithful, entrusting their lives to God. Trust grows when we admit weakness, extend grace, and commit to love in action.
Reflection Questions
1. How have you experienced trust being built—or broken—in your own life? 2. What does the tornado story teach us about leaning on others during times of trial? 3. Acts 14 reminds us that hardship is part of entering God’s kingdom. How can challenges deepen trust rather than diminish it? 4. Which practices (admitting weakness, offering apologies, giving the benefit of the doubt) could strengthen trust in your relationships and in our church?
Takeaway
Building trust is both practical and spiritual. Trusting God’s faithfulness empowers us to love one another. When we do this, the world begins to stand tall again—like a storm-battered tree lifted back to life.