Lectionary 27C Pr 22
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
Lakeland, FL
October 2, 2022
Lam 3:19-26
Psalm 137
2 Tim 1:1-14
Luke 17:1-10
My beloved ones in Christ, I speak to you in the name of God who is Father Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Please pray with me…..
Well, here we are. On the other side of a massive storm. The skies are blue and the temperatures are cooler, well, at least for a few days. And yet we hear of the extreme suffering of others – homes destroyed, businesses lost, possessions accumulated over the years piled on the curb, blisters on hands and backs aching from mucking out, hearts still clutched with fear accumulated over hours of terror, worry mounting as we await word from loved ones, bodies sweaty and weary and no hot shower to be found.
And in the midst of all the feelings we are carrying in the depths of our beings, we come. We come together. We come to talk and share. We come to hear a good word. We come to sing and pray. We come to feast at the Table. We come so that we can face another week. It is indeed the Grace of God that beckons us here and it is our faith, however strong or weak it is, our faith that knits us together in that grace and love.
Our gospel reading today, of course, is the source of the “faith the size of a mustard seed” phrase that is such a part of our language. And, this is so important, that it is found also in Matthew and Mark. So we hear that the disciples asked for more faith. We can understand this prayer, can’t we.
And as we hear Jesus response, we can understand it (or not) in any number of ways – some think that Jesus was speaking some distant esoteric words that we are never intended to understand on this side of eternity; others think that his words were an encouragement – kinda like “hang in there! You’ll get it pretty soon.” Others think he is shaking his head, chastising them, amazed at their lack of understanding – If ONLY you had the faith of a mustard seed.
Now, we have to note that word “if.” Some of you have heard me explain this with the illustration of my husband’s simple request about folding his handkerchiefs after doing the laundry. This was not petty request, he had legitimate reasons for this request and he said, “Honey, if you love me, will you fold them this way please.” Now what he meant here was not “if” that carries with it uncertainty. What he meant was “since” you love me. And so it is in our reading, that the word “if” can be understood as “since” – SINCE you have the faith of a mustard seed, you are able to say to this mulberry tree – be uprooted and be planted in the sea. Preposterous we may say. Outlandish. Wildly improbable! Yes indeed, all of the above.
Note this – Jesus is telling the disciples that they HAVE the faith that they are asking for.
Let’s talk about faith for a moment – in confirmation I was taught that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen,” as the writer of Hebrews told us. I was taught that faith is knowledge plus assent. As an adult, I have come to understand faith as having less to do with what is in my head than what comes from my heart.
Faith is not a personal possession, something that we must work to grow. Faith is first of all a by-product of the faithfulness of God. Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit and it is given to us so that the kingdom of God may grow as we grow closer to God and each other
Faith – not something to be accumulated and stored up –
Faith – something to be lived into, something to be strewn all around,
Faith rooted in relationship, faith resulting in relationship,
Faith at the core of who we are as people of God…
Faith.
Now, as we are in the aftermath of a disaster, I want you to know a couple of things. I hear some people say, “Well, God has a plan.” Now, my friends, Hurricane Ian was not part of God’s plan for God’s people or God’s creation. We love a God of creation not of destruction. A God who sent his son to into a broken world. And this God did not to condemn the world but to save the world.
Others say, “everything happens for a reason” as if there were some hidden God-intended benefit from this storm. Now, of course, it is true that there is a reason behind most events – the reason I got a ticket was that I was speeding. The reason a house burned down was because a candle was left burning after people went to bed. Now, God no more intended Hurricane Ian to destroy so much than God intended that house to burn down.
Now however, the response of God’s people to the pain and need that results from this disaster, this response IS part of God’s plan. And at the heart of this is faith – God’s faithfulness to God’s people and our faith in response to this gift of grace.
Now, while my faith does provide comfort in times of stress and duress, to be honest, it is also the faith of others that carries me through those times – faith expressed in prayer and encouragement and small acts of love and care….. Have you seen some of those in recent days? [RESPONSES]
Faith – small acts – Luther’s example of a father changing a diaper –
A card sent to one who may be lonely
A simple check in call
Bagging food for our backpack ministry
Giving to the SPCA
Checking our campus after a hurricane
Each of these are faith in action.
But it doesn’t stop there, because just like one pumpkin seed can result in many on the vine, and each one of those with hundreds of seeds at their core – preposterous and wildly improbable isn’t it? So it is with our small and faithful acts joined together within our community of faith and the Church around the world.
Mother Theresa – who we have come to learn had a tiny mustard seed sized faith wanted to care for the poor who were dying. From this tiny bit of faith came a religious order dedicated to the poorest of the poor in Calcutta and an untold number of lives were touched. Outlandish isn’t it.The many faithful who gathered around the wall of Communism carrying candles and praying day after day, night after night – and the wall came down. Wildly improbable
Stuttering and stammering Moses, a fugitive murderer, in faith went to Pharaoh and the beloved ones of God made their way to freedom. Preposterous.
Wildly improbable things can result from the small seed of faith that is ours because of the gift of the Spirit
What may happen here in Lakeland, here at Grace because of the faith, maybe even the mustard-seed size faith of this community of faith? Hang on – it could be wildly improbable – as improbable as a mulberry tree being transplanted into the sea.
May it be so. Amen
