Humbly Faithful

by Reverend Pam Gurley  
October 7, 2007

Luke 17:5-10

            Whenever Jesus preached a sermon, he always wrapped it in a parable. Jesus was the master storyteller. He wasn’t like those Pharisees in the New Testament. The Pharisees quoted from the Old Testament all the time. The Pharisees were super religious people who quoted from the Bible continually so they could sound religious. People were bored to death when the Pharisees quoted the Bible like that. But Jesus almost never quoted from his Bible which was the Old Testament. Nor did Jesus ever quote from Greek philosophy, from Socrates or Plato. No. What Jesus quoted from were common and ordinary stories of life. These were the kinds of stories everyday people could understand. These stories from everyday life were naturally told and easily understood. Jesus always told a story.

            He said, “The kingdom of God is like this. The way of God is like this. It is like this farmer and this farmer went out and planted a seed in the ground. The farmer came back night and day and night and day. WOW the small seed became a large bush.  

            “Whoever has ears to hear let him understand the riddles of the kingdom of God.” And then folks would go about the work of the day and ponder the riddles and the meaning within the stories.

            We are a little removed from the everyday world of Jesus’ time. But be that as it may the stories are universal enough that we get an understanding that can be applied to our life today.

            The first parable is about faith. Do you have enough faith? Now that is a 21st century question. We quantify faith, count it, weigh it and put it to the test. We do exactly what is not talked about in this parable. There is no such thing as a little faith any more than anyone can be a little pregrant. Faith is an overwhelming power no matter how weak it may seem. Given half a chance it will take over and direct our lives, comforting us when we are discouraged and challenging us when we are complacent.

           If you have such a small faith that it was the size of a mustard seed you would have all the faith that you need. Faith isn't something you measure by quantity -- it is measured by quality. You don't need more faith... you need the right kind of faith. And that kind of faith consists in trusting God's ability. Our prayers in the face of tremendous burdens and need are our attempt to direct God's ability to the problem and trust God for the outcome. It is not so much, "God give me more faith," as it is "God help me to trust you in this!" 

            The faith that is enough is faith that trusts in God's ability and intention.

            There is the story of the young couple who visited a new church after burying their eight year old son. The boy had suffered from a degenerative disease for which there was no treatment. Parents and physicians alike could only watch as the disease slowly stole the boy's life. The heartbroken couple had been committed members of a church where people were taught that God would heal any illness if only those who prayed for healing had enough faith. During the wake one of the members of that church approached the mother, took her hand and said, "If only you had been able to pray with enough faith, your son wouldn't have died."

            As you might well imagine this young couple live with a horrendous sense of guilt. Can you imagine what it would be like to believe that your child died because you didn't have enough faith to save her or him? 

            It took months for the father of that little boy to begin to hope that his son didn't die because of his lack of faith. The mother never did get free from her guilt. They would tell you how much their former church was "based on the Bible" and how the pastor quoted over and over again:

            "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." And they knew they didn’t have that kind of faith. If they had had that faith, that faith that was measurabley greater than others, their child would not have died. This was what they thought.

            Oh, how I want to shake those that have built a theological house of cards that demands a victim from time to time. It is not a matter of needing more faith to insure that your child will not die. This scripture is about having faith and trust in God's ability and love for us; this is not your own amount of faith. If God wanted a tree or a mountain to jump into the sea -- it would jump into the sea! Nothing is impossible with God. Faith is not something within your portfolio of skills and abilities that you need more of -- faith is trusting God's ability and intent.

            I don’t know the reason why one child lives and another dies. I ask myself why God doesn’t heal all children. I do know that faith is a gift of God to trust God. Not trust that bad things won’t happen to us. No, to trust that God will be with us through the challenges of life.

            Don’t you think that many folks dream though of having faith, or rather a spiritual power, that would do the miraculous, the awesome, the marvelous? They would be the center of attention and a helper to the sick and helpless.

            Early on in ministry I met a young mother with two children who herself was a minister’s daughter. She told her faith story one afternoon and I was amazed. She told the group how when she became a Christian at the age of 16 she thought God was lucky to get her. And she said, “He is still lucky to have me as a Christian. I do a lot of good.” I sat there without a word to say. God was beholden to her in having joined his team.

           And yet in today’s scripture the master does not show any particular gratitude to one who is doing that which he is expected to do. To do what God requires of us is to do our duty and to do more than our duty is not possible. We can’t do so much that God owes us.

            So also the person of faith does not expect trusting and serving God to lead to praise. Trusting God and serving God are the joys of the Christian's life. Jesus' words translate to a very simple premise. Trusting God and serving God are the norm for Christian living. What is enough faith? Faith that trusts and serves God is enough! Should you expect royal treatment because you did what was only right? No.

           Today is World Communion Sunday and Christians around the world are sharing the elements of this meal and remembering. We are remembering that we have no claim upon God’s love because of our faith or goodness. God didn’t come in Christ for our redemption because he owed us. We have not been better than we had to be and so God owed us forgiveness. No, we are accepting the gift of God’s love and forgiveness in Christ. When we, as followers, are entering into that service, that duty, we become part of a people, a wide community. And in celebrating Holy Communion we are celebrating the power of God in Christ to transform and restore what we have messed up. And we don’t get what we deserve but what God has promised to give us in Jesus Christ. Come then to His table.