Year C

Luke 17:5-10

The Rev. Denise Vaughn

The Quality of Faith

The author of the best seller ‘The One Minute Manager’ Spenser Johnson, M.D., told a simple story in his book that has helped many people reorganize and manage their lives better. Dr. Johnson after achieving many academic accomplishments, and a lovely family and home, found he was basically unhappy and knew something was missing from his life. He began to search for what was missing. He searched and through his searching, came up with this modern day parable which he calls the ‘Parable of the Precious Present’. This parable is a story of an old man who tries to share with a young man, who is searching and desires to be happy, both the secret of how to be happy and the greater secret of how to remain in that happiness. But, it is not until the young man is himself an older man, is he able to understand and discover what the Precious Present is.

He says it this way: “The present is what is. It is valuable even if I do not know why. It is already just the way it is supposed to be. When I see the present, accept the present, and experience the present, I am well, and I am happy.” “Pain is simply the difference between what is and what I want it to be. When I feel guilty over my imperfect past, or I am anxious over my unknown future, I do not live in the present. I experience pain. I make myself ill. And I am unhappy. My past was the present. And my future will be the present. The present moment is the only reality I ever experience. As long as I continue to stay in the present, I am happy forever: because forever is always the present.”

This modern day parable and our gospel today are much the same story. The apostles ask for an increase in faith, and Jesus responds with the example of the mustard seed. He tells his followers that what is important in life is not the quantity but the quality of their faith. Dr. Johnson learned this in his search for happiness when the quantity of his life did not bring what he longed for. What he had to search for, what the apostles had to discern, and what we have to seek to discover is the quality of our faith whether it is the size of a sycamore tree or that of a mustard seed.

If I were to ask you to define or describe what faith means to you? I am certain there would be a variety of definitions offered because each one of us understands our faith personally and corporately as the body of Christ. It is interesting to note that nowhere in the teachings of Jesus does he give us a simple definition of faith. What we are able to discern from the totality of the New Testament is that faith is our unconditional acceptance of Jesus as savior or the giving of our total self to follow Jesus. Faith becomes a way of life for those who follow him. We may wonder why the disciples needed to ask Jesus to increase their faith. Surely as Jesus’ closest followers, the ones who heard his words and watched him perform miraculous deeds, surly they had enough faith.

Yet, when we take a look at the paragraph just before our text today, the disciples have had two heavy demands placed upon them. They have been warned not to be a stumbling block to the ‘little ones’ and to rebuke and forgive sins wherever among them they are to be found. Even if asked seven times a day, and surely they feel the tension mounting as Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem. How will they be able to face the coming conflict or live up to all this? They sense their need for greater resources, and make the request of Jesus. The response they receive from him is reassuring. You don’t need more faith, it’s not about the quantity; you just need to use the faith you have. The smallest possible amount of faith can work wonders. It is sufficient for life in the kingdom of God.

Faith, in Luke’s gospel, is always related to God and God’s actions. Faith is a gift from God and we are invited to receive and use this powerful gift simply by doing what is expected for life in the kingdom of God.  It is not so much what we do or do not do, but what God does. Through faith in Christ, we become open to God’s actions in our life and it becomes much easier to make our offerings of every moment, the present, and every action to God. Our lives become giving lives as we come to understand a giving God. All the gifts given to us in creation, the land, the sun, the stars, our atmosphere, the flowers that give beauty, the rains, our animal friends, the fruit trees, all creation is given to us to manage. God is giver and has made us in God’s image to be givers. therefore, our lifestyle and how we live everyday is an important witness to whom we follow.

The secular lifestyle is a way of life organized as though there is no God, or as though God does not count. When we adopt the secular lifestyle we adopt a life that places economic security as the most important goal. Like Dr. Johnson we have it all but we tend to become unhappy and know something is missing from our lives. The Christian lifestyle on the other hand is one where Christ is placed at the center and by living Christ’s example, we come to know that material things are good and are to be used as a means of living and serving. We adopt a giving life and discover there are many positive outcomes. We experience increased joy, growth in humility, a concern for others, our relationships grow deeper; we experience increased selflessness and find there are more resources for the work of God’s kingdom.

It’s a win-win scenario.  We don’t need more faith”, Jesus says, we already have enough faith to do whatever is required of us. We have enough to live a giving life dedicated to God. Paul knew this well when he wrote his second letter to Timothy, a leader in the early church. For two millennia, Christians have drawn strength, insight, and found clear direction from his letter to pursue more enriching lives in service to God. Paul is reminding and challenging Timothy “to rekindle the gift of God that is within you.” To never be ashamed of witnessing for the Lord and that the rich deposit of faith, the quality of faith, found within himself is to be lived and shared with others. The same grace, faith and love that we have received and we stir up by putting them into practice.

By being grateful for the faith which enables us to do what we need to do, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we becomes grateful for the gifts of God; especially the gift of grace. Through the centuries, Christians have been challenged by Jesus and Paul to live a giving life, one that is concerned with the quality of how they live their lives and not the quantity the world wants us to consider. As we walk in God’s ways we find that the God who expects much from us also gives much because we discover much more than we dared to imagine about God’s blessings. This is what Dr. Johnson discovered and I pray each one of us will make the decision to give all to Jesus; to dedicate our lives as giving lives because we have enough faith and that is indeed good news.