Reflection: “Increase our Faith” The disciples pleaded with the Lord: "Increase our faith."
They were concerned that there was so much to do and there were so many problems. In interpreting scripture, we can look at what comes before and after the passage we are thinking about. Last week we reflected on the story of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar. In the first few verses of Luke 17, there are three teachings related to our concerns for the little ones in this world, the ways we injure and sin against each other, and the call to forgive. These issues remain challenges today, because there are so many needs in the world and there’s so much conflict. Therefore, we can understand the disciples' request to: "Increase our faith." We live in a world of ever decreasing Christian faith and the problems on all fronts seem to be escalating. People are scared and scarred, there is massive financial debt hovering over our nation and a greater use of violence to achieve political ends. Our systems - educational, economic, military, political, ecclesiastical - are all in some sort of crisis. We might be tempted to say, along with the disciples, "Increase our faith." What else could we say? What else could we do? We might want to borrow the metaphor from Psalm 137 and sit down by cool waters, remembering Zion. Another option is to fondly remember the past – we call it nostalgia - which is wonderful, but in truth, we don’t always remember the past as accurately as it happened. Unfortunately, life was never as easy in the past, as we now think it was. In reality, there were more diseases, warfare, discrimination, etc., and the list goes on. And yet, we sometimes like to think that we’re also living in some kind of Babylon, where everything is great. Maybe our obsession with modern day influencers, like Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian, can be seen as one sign that we’re living in an unreality - our own version of Babylon. But there are others, too, like when we think that it’d be better if life were simpler, as it was in the old days. Maybe like the times when we all went to church every Sunday, observed the Sabbath and shared meals together. When the Jewish people were in exile, they knew that a certain part of their world had come to an end and the old has passed away, so they wondered what they were left with. In fact, it was a new world that they were going to discover. One that we’re still searching for. We ask, “What is life going to be like in this new world? What will family life be like in 20 years? What will the church look like in 20 years? What will our city look like in 20 years?” If our eyes are open to the world around us, we realise that we have the following options: We can ask for more faith, or we can return to the past, clinging to it. There is also another option: we can give up - a course of action we call “despair”. Oddly, some Christians choose this option – it’s the option where people believe that God isn’t going to fix the brokenness of this world, it's all going to come to an end, with some people simply being "left behind." So, these are the three options before us. We can long for the world of the past, for life the way it used to be. We can stop worrying and be confident that we are God's chosen people. Or, we can look at the third option again and ask: Just how are we going to live in this world?
Our world is in peril, so should we, like the disciples ask Jesus to "Increase our faith"? The response we get will be the same, "If you had just a little faith, you would be able to do amazing things...if you had faith the size of a mustard seed." This could also be translated, "If you had faith as small as a mustard seed...and I assure you that you do...then you have the ability to do amazing things. Are you familiar with the saying of Mother Teresa? “Our calling is not to do great things, but to do small things with great love.” The scripture might be saying something similar: we don’t need more faith; we just need to better use the faith that we already have! Today, many Protestant churches observe World Communion Sunday, which falls on the first Sunday in October. 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 to discover an abundance that can overcome any scarcity. Yes, sometimes we see mostly obstacles, divisions, scarcity. Sometimes it’s like we’re singing the Lord's song in a strange land. This teaching of Jesus presents us with a vivid image: a seed is usually planted in the ground and usually it grows into something special. Jesus is alive wherever Christians practice the faith that they already have. It’s not so much that we need more, but that we need to use what we already have! There’s something here that relates to our human nature and goes against the grain. We want more, don't we? Isn't that one of the first words a child learns to say: “More!” I saw a documentary some time ago in which the salesperson would ask every customer, "Would you like to super-size that?" and most folks would respond, without thinking, "Sure!" The spiritual logic tends to work like this: The world is a mess, but we believe in God. We believe that God wants us to do something, but what is the solution? Some might petition God to : “Increase our faith!” Today, our prayer might be simpler, more grounded in a reality to which Jesus points’ We don't need more faith. We just need to better use the faith that we already have. The good news, the promise of Jesus, is that even if we plant a seed in the midst of the sea, it will grow. A small act of our faith will help. Let the Christians across this planet pledge themselves to saving the lives of children. Let the Christians across this planet pledge themselves to sharing the message of the gospel with all people. Let the Christians of this world let go of divisions and judgmentalism. Let the Christians of the world practice forgiveness. We don't need to necessarily do great things...just small things with great love. We don't need to ask for more faith... we just need to more effectively use the faith that we already have! Go in peace to love and serve the God who loves you. Pastor Rick
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