Enough Faith

I wish I had more faith – enough faith to do great things – even enough faith to do the small things well. Jesus, “Give me more faith.”

“You don’t need more faith. There is no ‘more’ or ‘less’ in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this tree, ‘Go jump in the lake,’ and it would do it.”[1]

The disciples have been told by Jesus that hard trials and temptations are bound to come – that they are expected to forgive over and over and over again. I think they felt overwhelmed – unequal to the task – and so asked for more faith to do what Jesus was encouraging them to do. Jesus seems to be asking more than is humanly possible. And he is. And that is – perhaps – the point.

The disciples are exhausted with the demands of following Jesus. Maybe you know how they feel – maybe you too are overwhelmed at times by the demands you feel are placed on you to be “good Christians” – maybe you too are not sure you are up to the task – maybe you, like me and like those followers of Jesus long ago, feel that being a disciple is beyond you.

No wonder those disciples ask for their faith to be increased – no wonder we empathize with that cry. It is a call for help: Jesus, give us the faith to do this better. You talk about being on guard, you talk about forgiveness… and we want to follow, we really do. But we need you to help us out here, so we can embody this great love to which you call us…

Give us courage, Lord. Make us able. Increase our faith!

And Jesus answers, “if you have faith – which you do – you could do the impossible (uproot a tree) – you could do the absurd (plant a tree in the sea). It is an affirmation of the faith they have and an invitation to live and act in that faith. Even a tiny bit of authentic faith which they already have is more powerful than they can possibly imagine. They do not – we do not – need to have faith increased. They need – we need – to trust in the power of the faith they already have – to remember that they – we – do not undertake trials and tribulations alone

We already have enough faith to do great things – enough faith to do small things well. In fact our faith doesn’t have to be heroic – sometimes faith can be pretty ordinary – because even the simplest things done in faith can have a huge impact – can transform the world.

With this assurance, however, comes a stern reminder – “Do you thank the worker for doing what was expected?” Although the disciples need no additional faith to do the work they have been called to do, they also can expect no thanks, no extra credit or compensation, regardless of how hard they work. Just as there is no increase in faith needed, there is no bonus grace offered.

The good news is that faith and grace are God’s free gifts to the disciples and to us. We do not need to ask for more faith – but only believe that we have all the faith we need for whatever we are called to do in discipleship. Faith is powerful and present to those who will accept the gift. Grace is also a gift. We cannot expect grace as a prize for our good works – it is not a reward for our discipleship but simply a reality of relationship with the living God.

Discipleship is not a transactional relationship. We do not look at what we have been called to do, rely on our own strength and skill to accomplish that work and then hold out our hands for payment. If discipleship were that sort of relationship, we would all fail. Without faith, none of us has the resources to follow Christ and none of us earns the reward that has been given to us.

Discipleship is a transformational relationship. We are given gifts of faith and grace which change us because we know that they are given, not due to our own merit, but because God loves us. The gifts of faith and grace are the love of God at work in us that make it possible for us to participate, through Christ, in God’s divine will.

The apostle Paul encourages Timothy to rekindle the gift of God that is within and to guard the good treasure entrusted to him. Paul reminds his younger colleague that he has received the gifts of faith and grace to accomplish what he is called to do. Timothy need not, indeed cannot, succeed by his own efforts but must rely on the power of God.

We are invited to the Lord’s Supper not because of our strength or goodness or worth but because we need mercy and help – because we want to be the disciples the Lord calls us to be. Paul insists that God saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to divine purpose and grace. We are saved and called to discipleship through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate in communion today around the table with Christians throughout the world.

There are many important theological themes addressed by the sacrament. Three of them are identified by the names we use for this ritual celebration. When we call the sacrament, The Lord’s Supper, we focus on remembering Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. When we call the sacrament, Eucharist, we focus on giving thanks to God for the gift of grace that comes to us in Jesus Christ, reminding us that we are God’s beloved children. When we call the sacrament, Holy Communion, we focus on the presence of Christ with us and in us – on the family of faith that comes from our relationship with Christ and, through Christ, with one another.

The latter meaning draws our attention on this World Communion Sunday. It provides an opportunity for us to recognize that Christians around the world, representing many traditions, share bread and wine at the table of our Lord. On this day, we emphasize the importance of solidarity in Christ. We must not cause others in the faith to stumble. We must correct and forgive one another within the whole Christian community because we are gathered around one table to share in the one bread.

Communion is not only a declaration of our love or faith, but also a declaration of God’s love for us – God’s love which comes first and which we cannot earn. Today as we celebrate and remember God’s promises with believers around the world, we celebrate the glory of our oneness in Christ. We need to remember that faith is an immeasurable commodity, we will not beep or change colour or sport a halo when we have been filled with “enough” faith to live the life of discipleship to which we have been called.

Perhaps what Jesus is saying is that we should stop worrying about whether we have enough faith and just get to the business at hand. Perhaps increasing faith emerges in the everyday events of life.

Imagine the good that has resulted in the past week from our “little faith” – all the opportunites we have had to be faithful – to engage in the work we have been given to do – to care for those in need – to reach out to the lonely – to pray for the concerns of others – to donate materially as we are able – to wrestle with the questions of life both big and small – to participate in God’s love for the world and contribute to the common good.

Faith is putting one foot in front of the other – walking toward a future we do not yet see but trust God is fashioning. Faith is heading out the door each day looking for opportunities to be God’s partner and co-worker in the world. Faith is imagining that the various challenges put in front of us are actually opportunities that invite us to grow as disciples and witness to God’s presence and goodness in the world. This is everyday faith – enough faith – ordinary, extraordinary faith…

Now to the One who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish far more than we can ask or imagine, to God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, to all generations, forever and ever. Amen

[1] Luke 17: 6, The Message