October 3, 2010
Increase Our Faith
- Luke 17:5-10
- Dr. Teri Thomas
This is a very busy time in the life of the church.
Fall programs have started up.
We are full swing into the stewardship and capital campaigns.
Teams are busy planning for their program year ahead.
It is budget season.
There are people to visit in the hospitals and nursing homes,
and weddings and funerals to conduct.
So there is plenty to do and never a dull moment.
But last week I took a quick break and did something for me.
I got my flu shot.
It’s that time of year.
I am convinced that this little extra dose of drug
will increase by body’s ability to face the germs of winter unafraid.
Increasing my immunity will fight off whatever “ick” is out there waiting.
Wouldn’t it awesome if someone could culture a “faith shot”
that would increase our faith,
protect us from the “ick” that is out there waiting.
We all have those moments when we look at what is out there
and we wish we could just increase our faith.
We want to support Northminster,
be faithful in our attendance and our participation,
yes, we want to be good stewards,
supporting the church with our time and our talent and our treasure.
But we need just a little more faith to really do that.
The problems, the illness, the troubles seem to spread like viruses.
People are scared and scarred.
There is massive financial debt hovering over our nation,
and a greater use of violence to achieve political ends.
All of our systems—
educational, economic, military, political, ecclesiastical—
all of our systems seem to be in some kind of crisis.
We understand the disciples' request: "Increase our faith."
The world is in peril.
We are called to serve.
"Increase our faith," we ask Jesus.
The disciples felt that a major faith inoculation was in order
to give them some extra protection,
if they were going to be ready to take on everything Jesus was asking them to do.
But Jesus does not provide such a faith shot;
instead, he talks about faith the size of a tiny seed being enough to do incredible things.
It is easy to misread this passage when we go back to the Greek.
Could be read-
If you had even a little faith (and you don’t) then you could…
Or we can read it
If you have even a little faith (and you do) then you can…
Jesus is saying- I don’t need to increase your faith,
You have enough.
When we are up against it and feel we are unequal to the task,
when we feel we just don’t have what it takes to do more,
to give more,
to serve more,
when we think we need that extra shot of faith,
think again.
Faith is beyond measurement.
You’ve got it or you don’t.
Jesus goes on to suggest that having faith
is being like the servant who simply does what is commanded,
who knows their place and does what needs doing.
But do your job- not the master’s job.
You do not have to find God- God found you.
You do not have to please God- God said in your baptism- with you I am well pleased.
You do not have to fix the world- God is fixing it.
You do not have to do this alone- God has called you into this community of faith.
We have all the faith we need.
We will not get more by wishing for it.
We won’t increase our faith by listening to sermons.
We don’t receive faith by reading books or studying the Bible.
We find the faith we have been given by doing,
by doing what Jesus says to do.
We do faith
and we don’t understand,
but a window opens.
Grace blows over us.
Something inside us changes- emotionally, spiritually.
Our heart is open to new things,
new possibilities.
We want to do more.
We believe we can make a difference.
It makes things change around us.
just a little- but some.
And before we know it the tree has moved.
Before we know it the mountain has relocated.
Some of us discover our faith when we share a meal with the homeless in IHN.
Some of us realize our faith by teaching first and second graders once a month.
Some of us reveal our faith when we step up in our giving and stretch in our financial commitments.
Some of us will find our faith by doing one new thing in the life of the church this year.
We have enough faith.
We have enough because God is working in us.
We do not need some super faith vaccination to give us a boost. Christ already did that.
We are simply to keep doing the work with which we have been charged.
On World Communion Sunday,
we reflect on the faith that we have.
Surely, this faith helps us to see a power
that can overcome any obstacles.
Surely this faith helps us to know a love
that can overcome any divisions.
Surely this faith helps us find a way
to meet any challenge.
Surely this faith helps us to discover an abundance
that can overcome any scarcity.
We don't need more faith...
We need to use the faith that we have! Amen.
Amen.