For Sunday, October
6, 2019, Readings:
Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-10, 1 Timothy 1:1-14, Luke 17:5-10
The wicked surround
the righteous – therefore judgment comes forth perverted….For there is sill a vision
for the appointed time...it will surely come…Look at the proud…their spirit is
not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith. [Habakkuk 1:4b, 3a,c; 4]
Take delight in the Lord…Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him…
[Psalm 37:4a, 5a]
...I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within
you...for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of
power and of love and of self-discipline. [2 Timothy 1:6-7]
The Apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
The Lord replied, "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." [Luke 17:5-6]
Habakkuk is irritated.
He will not give up his complaint until he gets God’s answer and he does! The
very descriptive language of his frustration speaks directly to our own times
and the answer he gets is clear if not exactly a swift resolution. The Psalm
appointed for today is a perfect follow up: Have patience, keep on
track, do good, commit to and trust in God, for evildoers shall be cut off
in the appointed time, wait for it.
And so while we are waiting, it is, certainly and always, the Gospel, with a little help from the 2nd letter to Timothy, that gives us our focus – the apostles, with relatable human impatience, ask Jesus to "Increase our faith!" Jesus reminds them, and us, that all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed and we would be able to command whole trees to uproot themselves and be replanted in the sea. These are metaphors whose underlying meanings are worth pondering, however strangely mixed – did you stop and wonder why would we plant a mulberry tree in the sea?
Moving on, there are many varieties of mustard seeds across the many regions of the Earth, and those Jesus speaks of are nearly as small as the period at the end of this sentence, yet they hold within themselves the ability to produce enormous trees. No magic intended here, just nature. But thinking of something so tiny taking such deep root and growing so large can guide our understanding of the potential in our own imperfect faith. Whether in those days of seeming uprooted-ness and feeling all at sea, or in times of feeling securely well planted, we are reminded by these readings that we have all that we need within us. We aren’t called to understand how it all works, just to believe that it does and it will.
And so while we are waiting, it is, certainly and always, the Gospel, with a little help from the 2nd letter to Timothy, that gives us our focus – the apostles, with relatable human impatience, ask Jesus to "Increase our faith!" Jesus reminds them, and us, that all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed and we would be able to command whole trees to uproot themselves and be replanted in the sea. These are metaphors whose underlying meanings are worth pondering, however strangely mixed – did you stop and wonder why would we plant a mulberry tree in the sea?
Moving on, there are many varieties of mustard seeds across the many regions of the Earth, and those Jesus speaks of are nearly as small as the period at the end of this sentence, yet they hold within themselves the ability to produce enormous trees. No magic intended here, just nature. But thinking of something so tiny taking such deep root and growing so large can guide our understanding of the potential in our own imperfect faith. Whether in those days of seeming uprooted-ness and feeling all at sea, or in times of feeling securely well planted, we are reminded by these readings that we have all that we need within us. We aren’t called to understand how it all works, just to believe that it does and it will.
How great our own
eternal future if we but remember the good treasure, our holy
calling, the grace... that has now been revealed through the appearing of
our Savior Christ Jesus.. If we seek to rekindle the gift of God that is within the fertile seeds of faith and trust within have already sprouted with the help of the Holy Spirit.
It is
also important to remember that having true faith doesn't mean freedom from
doubt. And when the doubts creep in, don’t panic. One Christian mystic suggested
that wanting to have faith is enough, and even wanting to want to have faith is
enough. Accept as natural that in this life there are moments of distance, occasions of
dark nights and gray days. Trees need pruning now and
then and so do our souls. Some of those times are longer than others and it is in such times, as the Psalmist tells us, we are to be still before the LORD and wait patiently. Give yourself a cheat sheet for those moments that encourage you to spend
time with the Word and Sacraments, and ideas on how to pray a little more often, if only just breathing
in and out with the name of Jesus. All the while our work of faith present or awaited goes on in small and ordinary ways, as in any garden. No worries about how large or small the seed, our level of faith isn't meant to be quantified, only recognized for its power, for its sufficiency, for its enough-ness to bring us to our fulfillment in God's grace and purpose, in God's appointed time.
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, may we allow our tiny
seeds of faith to renew our right spirits, rekindle the gift of You living
within us, and place our trust and hope in You.
Lord of Salvation
RESPONSE: We commit ourselves to You
~ God
of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, remove evildoers and perverted judgment from the
chambers of all who govern on this Planet, in this Nation, and in this Community,
that all victims of violence, poverty, and bigotry be met by righteousness and justice.
We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Lord
of Salvation
We commit ourselves to You
~ God
of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, grant ease to all who live with distress in body,
mind, or spirit, and give rest to the hearts of those who give them care.
We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…
Lord
of Salvation
We commit ourselves to You
~ God
of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, may the joy of our loved ones, now freed from
earthly bondage, shine brightly in the immortal life and light of the glory of
Christ. We pray especially for…
Lord
of Salvation
We commit ourselves to You
~ God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, we pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud
or silently…
Lord
of Salvation
We commit ourselves to You
~~
God of Mercy, Grace, and Peace, we lift up all who are appointed as Your heralds,
that with the help of the Holy Spirit, they may hold to the standard of sound
Gospel teaching, guarding the good treasure of Christ. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Lord
of Salvation
We commit ourselves to You
The
Celebrant adds: O Lord
our God, remind our impatient hearts to take our delight in You and to rely on
Your power in our holy calling. Inspire us to nurture the fragments of faith
our souls are holding, that we may bloom into the fullness of Your purpose and
grace in Your appointed time. We
ask through our Savior Jesus, the Christ; and the Holy Spirit, living in us,
who together with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.
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