Lost Faith
Lectionary
Readings: Lamentations 1:1-6; Psalm 137;
2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17: 5-10
The apostles came up and said to
the Master, “Give us more faith.” But
the Master said, “You don’t need MORE faith.
If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a mustard seed, you
could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Go jump in a lake,’ and it would do it.
Luke 17: 5-6. (The Message)
During
the spring of 2007, the children of JM were learning a song, “The Kingdom of
God is like a Mustard Seed”. The lyrics
for this version were based on the Matthew, chapter 13 version of the mustard
seed story. They were happily learning
the song, but didn’t really understand what they were singing about. Most of them had some experience with
planting seeds and watching them grow, but were not making the connection to
their own faith. I had taken pictures of
several large mustard plants and I had a spice jar of mustard seeds, but they
were not impressed. One of the kids then suggested that we plant some seeds and
the adults agreed that it would be a great idea. I searched the seed packet racks for mustard
seeds, but had no luck, so as a last resort we planted 2-3 of the spice jar
mustard seeds in small cups of dirt. The kids marveled during the planting that
the seeds were so tiny and would be easy to get lost, especially if they were
outside and planting in the ground. The kids watered the cups and placed them
on the south facing window sills. I
watered them on the following Wednesday, but there was no change—it still
looked like a cup of dirt. I really
thought that we had planted “processed” mustard seeds and they were not going
to grow anything. My faith in the whole
process was sadly lacking. I didn’t even
have the faith of a tiny mustard seed.
Then,
a week after the big planting, the kids showed up for practice and “WOW!!”, the
little cups showed some definite green shoots emerging from the dirt. We continued to water the plants twice a week
for about a month. The mustard plants grew
to look exactly like the pictures I had googled on the internet and were outgrowing
their cups. The children talked easily
about the tiny seeds they had seen go into the cups and the plants that were
now growing. They joyfully sang “The
Mustard Seed” anthem in morning worship and talked about sharing the story of
these seeds with their family and friends.
They “got” it….
I,
however, still found it difficult to believe.
I didn’t tell any of the kids or the other adults, but I had serious
doubts that the seeds would sprout. During
the planting process, I had such a negative expectation that I was planning what
I could do to assist the kids with their disappointment when the seeds did not
grow. I fully expected the whole project
to be a “bust”. I had not expected a
good outcome, let alone a great outcome.
Thankfully, I was so wrong!!!
In
the Luke version, the disciples start the conversation by asking for more
faith. I can definitely understand the
desire for an increase in my faith. In
this situation, I felt like I did not have any faith at all. And yet, God continued to be at work in the
situation. God was in charge of the universe and my job was to learn and let go
of my doubts. There was no doubt that a plant was growing from a tiny seed. Every
seed of faith, no matter how small, is still powerful enough to be used to
share God’s love with others.
Jesus used the description of this common and
seemingly well-known seed as a way to explain what was needed to help the
kingdom of God grow. Without a doubt,
God has already supplied all that we need to navigate this life. From small steps, little ideas, initial attempts,
etc., great things can develop when we allow God to guide our path. Remember-- “This little light of mine”--
where a small amount of light can make large changes in the environment. And
then there is “It only takes a spark to get a fire going”… We all have something to add to the
picture. We need to fully rely on God
for direction and not be afraid of the outcome.
God will use every situation, discussion and attempt to advance the
cause of LOVE.
Dear God, our guide and teacher,
We thank you for all the lessons and
teachings of your Holy Word. We are
sorry that we do not always have faith in your teachings. You have said that all we need is the faith
of a mustard seed, and yet, sometimes we feel that we do not even that
much. Help us to continue to study and
learn from the example of your son, Jesus.
Lead us to the path that brings us closer to you. You are all that we
need. In His Holy Name, AMEN.
Chyrl Budd
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