A Little Goes a Long Way – Sermon Oct 3, 2010
October 3, 2010
Scripture: Luke 17: 5-10
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. “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”
Sermon: A Little Goes a Long Way
Rev. Doreen Oughton
The woman was disheartened, and even more than that. She was frustrated, even angry, overwhelmed, and self-pity was creeping in. She’d been going to these al-anon meetings for months now, and she still hadn’t learned how to get her partner to stop drinking, to shoulder his fair share of responsibility for the family. The drinking and the irresponsibility just kept getting worse. The woman went to meetings and told how she had tried everything she could think of – she’d cried and begged, screamed and yelled, given the silent treatment, kicked her out, took her back in, worked to make everything perfect, to lower the stress in the household, made excuses for her with the employer, taken on more and more work and blame. And these people at the meeting just took it all in, said keep coming back. Today one woman had the nerve to ask if her partner knew how much the family was being affected. She actually said, “Maybe you should tell her just exactly what it is that you object to, what you want to have changed.” As if she hadn’t made that perfectly clear with her anger and nagging! She had, hadn’t she? And then these people at the meeting kept talking about letting things go, about staying in the present, about speaking with love, being respectful. How could she do that with things as bad as they are. But she also knew that some of these people talking this way lived in tough situations. For some, the family situation had changed – the alcoholic got sober, or left, or some other big change. But others lived with it day in and out, just like she did. And yet they seemed okay, even good in many ways. There was a certain peace, even joy, about them. Maybe she should have more faith that things will work out. Maybe she should try praying, talking to God, like the program recommends. “Lord, increase my faith.”
“Increase my faith,” the apostles said. They said this after Jesus had been teaching them. He’d told them the parable of the rich man and Lazarus that we explored last week, and he told them that even though there are many occasions for stumbling, they were to work very hard to avoid bring about such an occasion upon others. Jesus said, “better to have a millstone around your neck and thrown into the sea” than to cause someone new to the way to stumble. And then he told them to watch out for one another, and if one of them sins, let the offender know – call them to account. And if they accept accountability, forgive and let it go. And if they sin again, and again repent, let it go and begin again, over and over and over, as often as one repents. So I’m guessing the apostles felt disheartened, overwhelmed, maybe a little self-pitying. Yet they knew who Jesus was, wanted to keep to the way, wanted to do what he said despite their feelings, and so asked him to help them by increasing their faith. And doesn’t Jesus give an interesting response. He tells them they don’t need more, they don’t need a lot of faith. Just a little, the size of a mustard seed and they can talk a mulberry tree into uprooting itself and replanting in the sea. He then goes on to ask who among them would bring a servant in from the field work and serve him supper. Wouldn’t they have the servant serve supper to them? They wouldn’t thank the servant for doing his job, would they?
Very interesting response. It makes me wonder what kind of faith the apostles were looking to increase. Did they want their faith in God, their sense of trust and dependence on him to increase? Or did they want the opposite, for God’s trust and reliance on them to increase? Were they fishing for assurance from Jesus? Did they want him to say, “Goodness no. You don’t need more faith, you are the most faithful people I know. You work so hard, you give so much. I don’t know where this ministry would be without you. And don’t you worry. Your efforts don’t go unnoticed. You’ll be rewarded for sure. Because really, God owes you.” Okay, confession time. Sometimes that’s the kind of faith I want to have increased – God’s faith in me, with reward. I can’t tell you how much it tickled me to come across this poem by Sufi mystic Rabia who said, “There is a dog I sometimes take for a walk and turn loose in a field. When I can’t give her that freedom, I feel in debt. I hope God thinks like that and is keeping track of all the bliss He owes me.”
I’m not lifting this up as something in me to emulate, I’m just saying I get it. And I also get Jesus’ message, I believe – both parts. The part about how little faith one needs to really make a difference is truly encouraging. Sometimes we want big dramatic, obvious shifts – the sudden flash of insight that changes everything, the fireworks of love at first sight, the bold confidence of knowing absolutely that one has made the right decision, has the solution. Sometimes I just want to focus on the good news of Jesus’ message and be fully confident that we are well on our way to completing the Kin-dom, to forming together God’s beloved community. I want God’s help in making my trust and faith so thick that I can’t see through it to the obvious divisions, the great injustices, the suffering and pain in the world. I want an increase in my faith that God will take care of all those problems.
But Jesus says no. You don’t need an increase in faith, you just need to use the faith you have. Use it not as a blanket between me and the division, the injustice, the suffering and pain, but to face it, to see it and be moved by it. Jesus says you don’t need the sudden flash of insight. Use your faith to keep looking at a belief or issue, consider different perspectives, spend some time wrestling. Jesus says you don’t need love at first sight. You don’t need to be swept up in a passionate fervor, not for another person, and not even for God. Just do loving acts, have faith that those acts matter, that they shape you, even if you don’t feel loving as you do them. Jesus says you don’t need the bold confidence, in fact it may be best if you are not convinced that you are so right. Just be willing to make some decision, take some step. Let the Spirit move in you without dictating how. We don’t need to know how everything is going to turn out, we just need to take the next step. The woman didn’t need to know that her partner would get sober, or that she herself would be serene and together. She just needed to keep going to meetings, talking to people, trying small changes.
And I think I get the second part of Jesus’ message too. I do find certain things about the passage unfortunate, like his seeming acceptance of the master/slave roles and his use of the phrase “we are worthless slaves.” So let me clarify here that the term “worthless” as used here does not mean having no value, it means not being owed anything. Let’s think of employer / employee relationship. An employee is happy to have the job and is compensated fairly for it. She doesn’t then believe her employer is obligated to take her out sailing on the family’s boat, or invited home for dinner as well. She doesn’t expect her boss to come over and help clean her house or do her laundry. The employer has given her a chance to use her talents and creativity, has provided focus and purpose for them. And as she uses them, she grows in effectiveness and in joy. Now personally, I think it is very, very good to give people lots of thanks and praise, even for just doing what they are supposed to do. Positive attention and acknowledgment has incredible power to motivate and enhance focus and purpose. This story is not directed to the master, so to speak. Jesus is not saying don’t serve your slave dinner or thank him for just doing what he’s supposed to do. No, this is directed to the servants. Don’t expect such treatment. Don’t get all put-upon and resentful and self-pitying if someone isn’t praising everything you do. Don’t be looking outward, away from your task, looking for signs of approval. Just do it. Stay busy using your talents and skills to serve.
We are also to hear this example Jesus gives as allegory. We are to understand that God is the master, and the servant is us. God gave us not just focus and purpose, but life. We use our talents and gifts to serve God, to serve God’s vision and will. They are important, but it’s really not about us. It’s not about our standing out, our getting accolades or thanks. It’s not about increasing our faith, or God’s faith in us, it’s about living out our faith, no matter how small it is, taking the next right step. God will take care of the rest. May it be so.
