Increase Our Faith!

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 22C)

Luke 17.5-10

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

“Increase our faith!” Strange words out of the mouths of Jesus’ disciples—out of the mouths of men who had at least enough faith in him and in their God that they were willing to give up their jobs and to devote three years of their lives following Jesus around the countryside proclaiming God’s love. How much more faith do you need?

 

Although, I suppose that is part of our nature. To always want more. To always want to do better. And no matter how good we are, it never seems enough. We are, after all, our own worse critics. Thinking we still are not where we should be. This applies to all areas of our lives. To our relationships—am I loving and caring enough? To our jobs—am I good enough, productive enough? To our physical well-being—am I healthy enough, fit enough? To our intellect—am I smart enough, well rounded enough? And yes, even to our spiritual life—am I faithful enough, do I love God enough, am I serving God enough?

 

And, as we see in the Gospel reading, even the disciples, those closest to Jesus, are not immune from these self-doubts. Of course, when you are with the Son of God, God in the flesh, 24/7, I suppose you can’t help but recognize how much you fall short by comparison. So maybe their request, “Increase our faith!” is not so strange after all. To which Jesus replies, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, `Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Which initially seems like he is agreeing with them. As if saying, “you’re right, if you had even the smallest amount of faith, you would be able to do great things, amazing things, impossible things.”

 

But that is not what Jesus is saying at all. As is often the case with Jesus, his statement is meant to be hyperbolic. What he is really trying to convey to his disciples is that their thinking is not on the right track. They obviously have faith. He’s seen it. In their putting their entire lives on hold to follow some unknown itinerant teacher who goes around the countryside challenging the established religious authorities and proclaiming a message of radical love and inclusion. That takes more than a little faith. No, the disciples do not need to have their faith increased. They do not need to have it super-sized. He is telling them that the faith they have, no matter how small it may seem, has the ability, when applied correctly, to do great things. To do astounding things. To do amazing things. If they just have faith in themselves. To have faith that they are enough. To have the faith in themselves that Jesus and God have in them.

 

What Jesus is trying to get across to the disciples—and to us—is that the question is not about whether you have enough faith. You have faith, even if just a little. Otherwise, you would not be here. So why do you need increased faith? So that you can do even greater things? So that you can prove your status and worth to God? So that you can score more points with God? No, no, and no. God already loves you as his own children. Your status and worth are assured. Rather it is about being who you are. About living more fully into who God has created and calls you to be as beloved children of God. As those who are made in the image and likeness of God. That doesn’t require more faith. Other than, perhaps, faith in yourself. Faith in who you are as a beloved child of God. Faith in what you can accomplish as a beloved child of God.

 

Jesus seeks to convey this in what is, on the surface, a bit of a cryptic, even condescending, parable. That a wealthy landowner would not think of preparing supper for his slaves who return from working all day in the fields. Instead, he expects them to prepare his supper. Because that is what they are supposed to do. That is their job, their obligation. When the subject of thanks is raised, they respond, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!” This statement of being “worthless” seems condescending, self-deprecating. How can they say they are worthless, given that they are doing the very jobs they are supposed to do? Which is actually the point. This is another case of “lost in translation.” The Greek word translated as “worthless” does not actually mean to have no value. Rather, it describes one to whom nothing is owed. In this case, saying, no special praise is warranted. Essentially, “I don’t deserve any special praise; I was just doing my job.” Or “I was just doing what needed to be done.”

 

This is about translating faith into action. When we follow God’s commandments, when we do the right thing, when we do what we are supposed to do, when we do what we are called to do, we are motivated by our faith. We are energized by our faith. We operate out of faith. That is what we are supposed to do as children of God, as those who choose to follow Christ. As those who have faith. We do not do this because we have to. We do not do this for reward. We do not do this to prove anything to anyone or to God. We do not do this to gain favor with God. We do this because we are “worthless.” Because it’s who we are and what we do. Because that is what our faith prompts us to do. Because we do it for God.

 

Back to the disciples’ request, “Increase our faith!” We are all here because of our faith. And, I would guess that to some degree or another, we are all here because we want to increase our faith. Despite Jesus telling the disciples that was the wrong thing to ask for in the moment, there is, nonetheless, nothing wrong with trying to increase our faith. To strengthen our relationships with God, with Christ, with the Holy Spirit, as those who created, nurture, and sustain us in our lives, physical and spiritual.

 

And, admittedly, one of the reasons the Church continues to exist is to provide opportunities for us to increase our faith. Through what we experience in worship, through what we learn in Scripture and sermons. Through how we engage in and live out our faith through opportunities for hospitality and outreach projects. All that is important and contributes to the ongoing quest to deepen and increase our faith.

 

But one of the most important things that we do in this place is support one another in our lives of faith. To help each other to see that the faith we have is enough. That who we are is enough. And to help figure out and to develop opportunities to put our faith into action in tangible and meaningful ways. Because, at the end of the day, perhaps the best way to increase our faith is to actually live our faith. To put our faith into action. For it is through the work we do on behalf of God and God’s kingdom, and the ways we touch the lives of others, serving as God’s hands of helping and healing, that our own faith is nurtured and strengthened and increased.

 

 

Today we begin our annual stewardship campaign. At its essence, stewardship is about how we put our faith into action. How we choose to give of ourselves, our time, our resources, our abilities, as expressions of our faith. As expressions of our relationship with God and with God’s people in this place and in our community. As expressions of our desire to further God’s kingdom.

 

As in previous years, we are using the basic structure provided by TENS: The Episcopal Network for Stewardship. This year’s theme is “Tell Out My Soul”—the title of a well-known and much loved hymn. The opening verse of that hymn being:

 

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!

Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;

tender to me the promise of his word –

in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.

 

The theme of this campaign, as echoed in the words of the hymn, being that we are to proclaim the greatness and mighty deeds of God. The mighty deeds each of us are doing in our lives of faith and service. And to proclaim with gratitude the “unnumbered blessings” we have received from God. The blessings that serve to nourish and strengthen our faith.

 

At our announcement time, Holly Graham, our Stewardship Chair, will talk a little more about the specifics of the “Tell Out My Soul” campaign. But the bottom line is that during the next seven weeks, we will have the opportunity to explore and discern how to more fully use our faith, no matter how small, to more fully serve God and God’s people in this place. Trusting that, when we wrap up our campaign and bless our pledge cards, we can proclaim, “we are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!” And in so doing, we will be all the more blessed for having put our faith into action through our commitment to the ministry of St. Gregory’s parish.