October 3, 2010 (27th Sunday in Ordinary Time)
1. Do you remember the story from the book of Exodus about the Israelites wandering around in the desert for 40 years? It was tough going through those forty years, just one of the many tough times they went through. If you’ve been listening closely to our Old Testament readings for the last few weeks, you’ve been hearing the sad stories of exile and punishment from the biblical prophets. Well, anyway, getting back to the Exodus—do you remember that the Israelites were hungry out in the middle of nowhere? God hears their complaints and gives them manna, which is this sort of flaky sweetbread that settled with the morning dew. God commanded that each family gather only as much manna as they would need for one day, anything extra would go bad. And, in fact, those greedy families who hoarded the manna would find that it would not last more than one day—the leftovers would quickly fill with worms and become inedible.
Naturally, this whole experience with manna has become a powerful metaphor for both Jews and Christians who are trying to remember that God will meet our daily needs. In the wilderness, the Israelites didn’t need barrels full of manna; they just needed enough to sustain them each day.
2. The disciples in this morning’s gospel reading want more than what is sufficient for one day. They say to Jesus, “Increase our faith!” Wouldn’t that be great? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you had so much faith you could store it away for those times in your life when you know you could use an extra boost? It’s not completely possible to be sure about the tone of Jesus’ response, but I like to think that he laughs at the disciples a little. He seems to say, “You need more faith like the ancient Israelites needed more manna! What are you going to do with all this surplus faith? Do you honestly have a need to plant mulberry trees in the ocean? Do you honestly have a need to move mountains with the power of your faith? The last time I checked, the faith that you have was getting you through the day!”
3. Like manna, it seems you can’t store up faith. In fact, the gospel passage seems to suggest that the question is not “How much faith can I have?” but rather is “What is my faith for?” Professor Kim Long writes, “In this economy, faith is not stockpiled in a storehouse for the working of spiritual wonders, but is lived out as obedience to a just and loving God….[F]aith cannot be measured, only enacted.” 4. Back in the late 1800s, there was a famous Methodist revival preacher named Samuel P. Jones. He did a lot of preaching in Ryman Auditorium, which nowadays is the home of the Grand Ole Opry. I want to share with you a piece of one of Rev. Jones’s sermons.
[An old church member] says, “I am waiting for faith.” Yes, you have been waiting forty years for faith. How much have you saved up? Like the fellow who had ten bushels of wheat, and was waiting till more grew before he could sow what he had. Sow it, and you will have a hundredfold. By keeping it, you will not get any more, but the rats will eat up what you have.
… “I want to be a blacksmith as soon as I get muscle.” Why don’t you go at it? There he stands until at last he has got muscle enough to lift the hammer. He is “getting it” with a vengeance. How did you get faith? By using what you had. I tell you what tickles me—to hear fellows down praying for faith. “Lord, give me faith.” The next time you get any in that way, bring it over and let me see it. That ain’t scriptural, that talk you are doing now. Christ rebuked those who prayed for faith. The trouble with you is not that you need more faith. You use the faith you have, and then you will get more. I would as soon pray for sweet potatoes as faith.”
I love that last line! “I would as soon pray for sweet potatoes as faith”!
5. Rev. Jones is surely right. Use your faith if you want more of it. This is the gist of the story Jesus tells the disciples when he asks if the master should invite the slaves in for dinner after a hard day’s work. The answer, at least in Jesus’ day and age, was “no, I would have them continue serving me since they are meant to serve.” Jesus concludes, “So you also, when you have done all you were ordered to do, say… ‘we have done only what we have ought to have done.’” In other words, we must not forget that God is our God, and we are here to serve. We don’t need more faith, or an increase, because we have what we need from God to serve right now. Faith, if we can talk about it increasing at all, increases in service.
6. And how do we know this? German theologian Margit Ernst-Habib says that we need to “understand the faith talked about [in this passage] as Christian, not in the sense of the faith of the Christians, but in the sense of the faith in Christ that mirrors the faith of Christ.” You see, when Jesus tells us we need to serve if we want to have faith, he is not just telling us what to do. He himself models this. Jesus Christ is the Lord who serves. He serves the poor, he serves the sick, he serves the downcast, he serves the lonely, he serves the stranger, he serves you, and he serves me. This is the faith to move. Faith, in a very real sense, can hardly be thought of as a noun, but would better be considered a verb tied very closely to serving our God and neighbor.
7. There is a very famous line in a poem by Spanish poet Antonio Machado. It is: “Caminante, no hay camino; se hace camino al andar.” Or, “Traveler, there is no road... it's made by your own footsteps.” So we move in faith. We reach out and serve. We make the road ahead of us by walking and serving. And that’s what actually constitutes our faith! We can’t stockpile God’s gifts. They are for sharing right now.
On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus served the Last Supper to his disciples. Because of that night, we continue to come together around this table to be with him and be strengthened by his own body and blood. As part of that evening, Jesus stripped down to his undergarments, got down on his hands and knees, and like a slave washed the disciples’ feet. If you want an increase in faith, this story is a great place to start. We believe that the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in the man Jesus. And this Jesus behaved as a slave to his followers. And so, this meal, this bread and wine, remind us that we are to serve. We are to reach out and care for others, to remember their dignity, and to remember that they, too, are beloved by God.
So on this World Communion Sunday, we give thanks to God that our servant Lord taught us that faith is to give your life. May we be strengthened at this table to move, to serve, and so to have faith.
Let us pray:
By your will, O God,
we go out into the world
with the good news of your undying love,
and minister in the midst of human need
to show wonders of your grace.
We pray for men and women
who minister for you around the world.
May all Christians be strengthened by our mutual concern,
and supported by the sharing of our gifts.
Let us not be discouraged by doubts or other barriers
but make us brave and glad and hopeful in your word;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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