By Faith, We Drive On

A Reflection for Friday, November 28 by Rev. Alicia Vela Anderson 

Lectionary reading for 011/28/2025: Psalm 122; Genesis 6:1-10; Hebrews 11:1-7; Selected passage for reflection: Hebrews 11:1-7

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Hebrews 11:1-7 Common English Bible

Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see. The elders in the past were approved because they showed faith.

By faith we understand that the universe has been created by a word from God so that the visible came into existence from the invisible.

By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice to God than Cain, which showed that he was righteous, since God gave approval to him for his gift. Though he died, he’s still speaking through faith.

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he didn’t see death, and he wasn’t found because God took him up. He was given approval for having pleased God before he was taken up. It’s impossible to please God without faith because the one who draws near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards people who try to find him.

By faith Noah responded with godly fear when he was warned about events he hadn’t seen yet. He built an ark to deliver his household. With his faith, he criticized the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes from faith.

Reflect 

In my late teens and early twenties, when I was confused about the world around me, I would go for a drive. I’d jump into my ‘94 Jeep Grand Cherokee, roll all the windows down, put on a mixed CD that I had made or had been made for me, and I’d drive the dark roads along the foothills of the Rockies. Those were the moments when I felt God's presence most tangibly. I felt the Spirit in the wind flowing in and out of the windows. I would imagine how the disciples felt when they could sit across the table from Jesus, talking through whatever they needed to talk through. 

It was a season of life that was chaotic and filled with the unknown. I laugh now at the ways that young woman thought she needed to have it all figured out. I’d get into the car so determined that once I pulled back into the driveway, I would have figured it all out. More often than not, what I found wasn’t answers or a plan, but rather the warm assurance that I was not alone. I was learning so much about God at that time, but on those drives, I was learning the feeling of God. The head knowledge was becoming heart knowledge.

As I’ve moved away from my mountains, after my dad sold my beloved Jeep, as my technology has been upgraded to have any song at my fingertips, I tend to long for those dark nights along the foothills - the pureness of what I felt in that car. It feels more complicated now, my changing feelings about who God is and how they interact with our messy, chaotic world. Sometimes I expect that familiar feeling amid my busy, loud life.

Advent is a time when I try to slow it down, when I try to tune back into the intentionality of those car rides. I’m trying to recapture those moments when I tuned into the ways the divine was breaking into my day-to-day. To record them like my own little Hall of Faith, like Hebrews 11. Just as the imperfect elders in this faith story, I am writing down the places where I have found my faith. Recording the places and spaces where the invisible has been made visible to me. 

By faith, Alicia took to the dark roads. She put on that one song that reminded her to be bold. She rolled down the windows, turned up the heat, and poured her angsty heart out to the one who created the mountains on her left. 

Respond 

Where is one space where you find the warm assurance of God’s presence? If you’re not sure, try to remember a time when you’ve felt calm, that peace that didn’t make sense but washed over you. Take some time to write about that space. Please describe, in detail, what it was like to be in that space. What was the smell? What types of materials touched your skin? What sounds are associated with it? Journal about that time.

Rest 

Creator God, meet us in these times. Flood our existence with your Spirit. Grant us moments of undeniable presence, peace, and love. As we journey with you this season of Advent, fulfill our expectations in new ways. May we allow ourselves to be open and expectant of your presence.

About the Author 

Rev. Alicia Vela Anderson is a Spiritual Formation Coach and Writer living in Chicago. After serving the local church for 20 years, she is shifting her focus and hoping to provide a space where youth can explore the big topics of faith, life, and how to thrive imperfectly in a crazy world. You can find her on social media @revaliciavelaanderson