back to Sermons Archive

September 30, 2007
Scripture: Luke 17: 5-10
Title: "Faith"

Faith. It is a word that we use a lot in church. What does in mean? Belief? Trusting in something you can’t see? We talk about having faith in Jesus Christ. What do we mean when we say that? What do we mean when we say faith?

Hollywood has given us its version of faith through various movies and quotable lines. According to Hollywood, faith always boils down to belief. If you believe in something enough, it will come true. We have seen this statement played out in many forms and on many a movie screen. One that comes to my mind is a scene from “Indiana Jones and the Search for the Holy Grail”. Indiana Jones must go through some difficult trials to discover and retrieve the Holy Grail to save his father. He has made it through two challenging trials. And finally he comes to a vast canyon with no way across. He looks once again to his notebook that his father has created to find clues and ways to get across. All he can find is a quote: Only a man who takes a leap of faith will cross. He looks at the distance and says, no one can do that. But Indy knows what he has to do: take that leap of faith. So he gets ready, takes a deep breath, and steps off this cliff…and suddenly his foot touches something solid. A bridge has miraculously formed. He took that leap of faith and a miracle happened.

According to Hollywood, Indiana Jones believed enough in a bridge, and was able to take that leap of faith. And through the magic of Hollywood, the bridge appeared. He could go on and complete his mission and save the day.

According to Hollywood, if you believe in something enough, it will come true! And you can be like Indiana Jones and save the day! It is simple. Faith is taking that first step. Faith is saving the day. So why isn’t it as easy in real life as it is in Hollywood?

We proclaim to be faithful people. We all try to live out our faith in our lives. But bad things happen. Obstacles come up. And we cannot save the day, even when we believe in something so much. Even when we have faith.

Faith. What exactly do we mean when we say the word “faith”?

Faith. It is a tricky word for us as Christians.

This week, as I was preparing this sermon, Mike shared with me a story about one of his former youth. This youth was wondering where God was calling him in his life. He told Mike “Well, you see All I want is that one moment where the heavens opened up and God’s voice talks to me and tells me what I am suppose to do.” I asked Mike what his answer was to that statement by his youth and Mike said Well, I told him, Listen, no one does. Everyone expects this great big calling with the angels singing the “Hallelujah” chorus and for most people it just doesn’t happen. I told him that he had to have faith in what he was feeling and in what he knew that he had experienced in his life. I told him to have faith in God and where God was leading him and asking him to do. I told him to have faith.

If only it were that simple: we could say have faith and things would be okay. We would know where God was calling us. We would know our purpose.

Faith. Taking that leap of faith. Having faith. These are all phrases that we hear in our lives and in the church. What do they mean for us as Christians?

As Christians, we proclaim to have faith in Jesus Christ, while maybe we are all secretly wondering if our faith is enough. Is our faith enough to move mountains? Is our faith enough to move trees? Is our faith enough to save the day?

And we find ourselves asking How much faith is enough? How much faiths does one really need as a Christian? Is there a certain amount that guarantees you that you are doing the right things?

And we get the answer to these questions in our Scripture today.

We find Jesus talking with his disciples about their calling as disciples. He asked them to look out for those who are new to the faith and to make sure that they never do anything to make them stumble in their faith. And then Jesus continues by saying, Okay, guys. You are going to have to forgive people in your lives. And I am just not talking about once. If this person comes and wrongs you seven times in one day, you are going to have to forgive them seven times. .

The disciples think about what Jesus is saying for a moment. Well, no one wants to purposely cause someone else to stumble on their faith journey. We hear you. Look out for one another. And this forgiveness thing. One time will be pretty easy. But Jesus, really seven times in one day if we have to? This is going to be hard. That is a big order for us as your disciples. We simply don’t have enough faith to do that. We simply don’t have enough faith to save the day.

The only logical thing, Jesus, is that you are going to have to increase our faith. That way we can take risks for you. That way we can rescue people from hurting. That way, we can save the day. We just need more faith.

And Jesus responds: If you had faith the size of a mustards seed, you could say to that tree over there to be uprooted and to be planted in the sea. And he then proceeds by telling a parable about a servant who goes about his daily chores. His master does not say thank you. This servant will go about his tasks because these are things that are commanded of him.

They don’t get accomplished through the magic of Hollywood. The servant does these things because they are what is required of him as a servant.

Guys, you have everything that you need to be God’s people. You will accomplish the things I ask because that is what is commanded of you and because you have faith in God. You are my disciples. You heard the call and you followed. You have faith. It is not about how much faith you have or if you need more faith to live out your calling as my disciples. You already are my disciples. You trust in God. You believe in God. You proclaim God as Lord.. You have faith. And you have faith to live out your calling as my people.

Jesus is telling the disciples that it is them who put the limits on their faith. Jesus is telling the disciples that when they cried out to increase their faith, it was them who said that they didn’t have enough faith. Jesus is telling the disciples that it is not the quantity of faith that you have, it is the quality of faith that you profess.

Jesus is telling them that even the small faith that they proclaim to have is enough to live out their calling as God’s people.When Jesus uses the description of the mustard see, Jesus is affirming the disciples’ faith and gives them an invitation to live out the full possibilities of that faith. Even the small faith that they already have cancels out words like impossible and absurd. The small faith that they already have puts them in touch with the power of God, the true power that saves the day.

Jesus wants the disciples to know that the faith that they already proclaim has enabled God to work in and through their lives in ways that defy ordinary human experiences. The faith that the disciples proclaim in their lives has opened them up as God’s people to God’s power in their lives. Jesus wants them to know that the faith that they proclaim is grounded in God and God’s promises and will guide them on their journey as God’s people.

And Jesus extends that invitation to us today. Jesus has heard us say you are asking too much of us. You are asking us to be your people in the world. You want us to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, heal the hurts of the world, and bring hope to all of your children. Jesus, we simply can’t do all of this. We need you to do something for us if we are really going to accomplish anything. We need you to increase our faith if we are truly going to live out our calling as your people

And once again, Jesus says to us: If you have the faith of a mustard seed, nothing is impossible through God. Once again, Jesus tells us that it is us who put the limits on our faith. Jesus tells us that faith is not about answers. Faith is about the love of God through Jesus Christ. Faith is about trusting in the promises of God that we know to be true.

And it is in that moment, that we are free. We are free of contending to be more. We are free from contending to be better. We are free from the disclaimers that we put on our faith. In that moment, when we stop putting limits on our faith, that We become free to save the day by practicing loving kindness and making Christ real in this day and time for all of God’s children.

That is what we mean when we say the word faith. Faith is a freedom from limits. Freedom is a freedom from boundaries. Faith is a freedom from the excuses that prevent us from living out our calling as disciples of Christ.

Jesus wants us to remember that we are not given promises of a faith that conforms or releases us from responsibility. We have been given a faith that is a prelude to action and finding. We have been given a Faith that is about placing your trust in the possibilities of God and accepting that we can do all things through God. We can be God’s servants in the world because we have faith. We can go out into the world, offering hope and peace because God’s saving promises are the background for our professions of faith.

It is only when we stop the disclaimers and act that our faith increases. It is only when we stop measuring our faith and simply go out as God’s servants that our faith increases. It is only when we stop comparing and stop hoping for the Hollywood version of faith in our lives, do we begin to see our faith increase as God’s people.

As disciples of Christ, we may be proclaiming faith the size of a mustard seed. But we know that we can proclaim that faith because we trust in our God. We can proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ, because we know that we are proclaiming God’s message of hope and love. We can proclaim to have faith, because we know that our God can move mountains and trees. We can proclaim to have faith in this world, because we know that we are proclaiming the promise of God’s kingdom where all are welcome, where grace abounds, and where God’s children live out the full possibilities of their calling. We can proclaim our faith, knowing that it does not take great faith to do great things. Nothing through God is impossible.

May we all claim faith the size of a mustard seed. Amen.

Rev. Heather McColl
Midway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

back to Sermons Archive