“Increase our faith!” The disciples pleaded with Jesus. Now on the face of it, that sounds like a good request. After all, shouldn’t we all want to have more faith?
But what today’s Gospel doesn’t say is what prompted this request. Jesus had just finished warning the disciples:
“Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves. [And as if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, Jesus also told them:]
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
I can just hear the disciples complaining, “Come on. That’s not even possible. Seven times they repent and I have to forgive them?” No wonder they asked for more faith.
Jesus has high standards and expectations for his followers – and that includes you and me. We are to watch out for the vulnerable - whether they be children or others who are easily taken advantage of, hurt, or abused. Jesus is pretty blunt – “better to have a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” And on top of that, as followers of Jesus, we are expected to forgive someone even if they sin against us seven time in one day and say “sorry.”
The disciples respond out of their anxiety and out of their fear of not measuring up to these standards, they asked for more faith. Jesus’ way is not the easy way. So I can kinda understand the disciples request: How about a little more faith Jesus?
But Jesus sounds exasperated when he tells them that they don’t need a mountain’s worth but only faith as big as a mustard seed to throw a whole mulberry tree – a tree with extensive roots that spread out and hold on tight – into the sea. Please note that Jesus is not saying you ought to do that. Or that you want to do that. And he is not urging you to try and show off your faith by trying it. What Jesus is saying is: Faith is that powerful.
But it still doesn’t mean that faith is easy -- then – or now.
A pastor who lives in a State a bit south of us wrote in her blog that someone in her town recently put up a Confederate flag. It happened to be on the route of the new mail carrier -- who was black. Coincidence? A group of neighbors gathered. They didn’t like the flag or what it stood for. But none of them wanted to confront the neighbor who put up the flag. No one knew who lived there. And yet, they didn’t want the Confederate flag to be the only or even primary message that the mail carrier or other people saw in their town. So, they decided to order 100 posters that said, “Hate has no place here” and then distribute them to everyone who would put them up.
It's a good message. But it also meant lines were being drawn. Communication was happening – but it was happening through signs vs. a flag. Divisions were made deeper.
But one day, a retired Baptist pastor knocked on the door of the Confederate flag house. He went in. He talked with the person who hung the flag. No one knows what they talked about. But this Baptist pastor had faith enough – even if was just a mustard seed worth – to speak to the one who offended at least a hundred people in the town. Maybe the pastor talked to the person about why the flag was there? Maybe he asked this person to take the flag down. Or maybe they prayed. No one knows. But he had faith enough to talk with the neighbor. And the flag came down. 1
This is the kind of faith that we are learning about in Faith Practices and Neighboring Practices. And the first thing that we learned was that Faith takes practice.
After all… How did Tom Brady learn how to throw a football? How did Willie Mays, Babe Ruth or Aaron Judge learn how to swing a bat? How did Jean- Pierre Rampal learn to play the flute? How did Ann Marie learn how to play the piano and the organ and direct the choir? Practice.
That is what we, as Christians are called to do. Practice. Practice our faith so that if and when we face a problem in our neighborhood, we are empowered to knock on that door knowing that Christ is with us. But that’s really hard to do. So your Faith Practices, Neighboring Practices team and the council have been learning, practicing – how to talk with neighbors, how to listen without judgment and how to humbly share Christ’s love by having asking questions that create meaningful conversations. It’s been a great experience --- especially since we are all a bit rusty after the pandemic -- and it’s not just for extroverts or pastors. One good way for us all to “practice” is by having friendly conversations with friendly looking strangers – like those you can see at the treats and talk time right after worship.
And, in order to have the courage to talk with other people in meaningful ways – whether they are people bearing Confederate flags or just coffee cups – it helps to have some other faith practices to ground you in your faith and to give you courage.
When walking around a college campus this past year, I noticed that no matter how many official sidewalks there were, the students always seemed to make their own paths, finding the most efficient and fast way from one point to another. In his devotional book, We Make the Road by Walking, pastor and writer Brian McClaren writes that “Christian faith is still “in the making”. And so, the practices that we keep and the habits we choose to do each day – like a scripture devotion, or a prayer or something else, helps our Christian faith grow, evolve, learn, change, emerge, and mature”2
Faith practices can be as simple as a prayer before bed or at mealtime. Or you can pray while you do ordinary tasks. For example, one day, instead of counting the scoops of coffee I put in my coffee maker each morning, I pray for a person or group by name. For those who are techie, you can subscribe to a devotion online. I like God Pause. And if you would rather read, we have the devotion booklet, The Word in Season on the table outside. Feel free to pick one up. Or maybe you are a person who enjoys journaling – or coloring a Bible verse. Any of these can be good faith practices. The point is, if what you have been doing for a long time still works, great! But if not, I encourage you to try something new.
There is one thing that I urge you not to do. Don’t try everything at once! That is my tendency – to try everything! … but that is a recipe for failure. It’s simply too much.
May you practice your faith in ways that strengthen you, encourage you and give you peace and courage. And may your faith be as great as a mustard seed. Because, having faith the size of a mustard seed - is more than enough.
Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church + October 2, 2022 + Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane
1 The Rev. Judith Hunt, https://dancingwiththeword.com/on-mustard-seeds-and-mulberry-trees/
2 Brian McLaren https://brianmclaren.net/books-by-brian-mclaren/#wmr