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Sermon for Sunday 2 October 2016

FIRST READING Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

1The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. 2O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 3Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 4So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.
1I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint. 2And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. 3For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end — it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. 4Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.”

 

PSALM Psalm 62

1For God alone my soul in silence waits; from him comes my salvation. 2He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold, so that I shall not be greatly shaken. 3How long will you assail me to crush me, all of you together, as if you were a leaning fence, a toppling wall? 4They seek only to bring me down from my place of honor; lies are their chief delight. 5They bless with their lips, but in their hearts they curse. 6For God alone my soul in silence waits; truly, my hope is in him. 7He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken. 8In God is my safety and my honor; God is my strong rock and my refuge. 9Put your trust in him always, O people, pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge. 10Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath, even those of low estate cannot be trusted. 11On the scales they are lighter than a breath, all of them together. 12Put no trust in extortion; in robbery take no empty pride; though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it. 13God has spoken once, twice have I heard it, that power belongs to God. 14Steadfast love is yours, O Lord, for you repay everyone according to his deeds.

 

SECOND READING 2 Timothy 1:1-14

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus, 2To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 8Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. 13Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

 

GOSPEL Luke 17:1-10

1{Jesus} said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” 5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? 8Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? 9Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

 

FAITH

Pastor Gil on Tuesday told me a story that I thought I’d share with you. It seems there was this cat who had a hard life. He was born in an old abandon house and grew up sleeping under the floor for safety and in order to stay dry. Food was scarce and he was always competing with the other cats for what little they had. Dogs were a constant threat and the kids would throw rocks at him. In time he died and went to heaven.
In heaven, he was met by God who said, what can I do for you? The cat said, Lord you know how hard life was for me on earth, I’d like a safe warm bed and enough food to sustain me. God looked at the cat and said, have faith, go through that door to your new home. A day or so later, 4 mice also found themselves standing before God and God asked them what He could do for them. The mice answered, we had a hard life on earth. We were constantly chased by cats or swatted at with a broom by the wife of the house and it was hard to get away. We’d like some roller skates so we can easily and quickly move around. God said, let it be so and golden roller skates appeared on their feet. God then said, go through that door to your new home.
A few days later, God went to see how the cat was doing. When He entered the cat’s dwelling, He found him on a big cushion lounging. God asked the cat how he was enjoying his new home to which the cat replied, thank you Lord for everything. In faith I went through the door and found this wonderful place to live with this fine bed to sleep on. I’m no longer cold or wet and no one chases me or throws rocks at me. And what’s more, I’m no longer hungry. Those meals on wheels you provided are excellent!
This week is one of those weeks where it’s relatively easy to see a connection between the readings. In our gospel lesson, we have the Apostles asking Jesus to increase their faith. The disciples have just heard Jesus’ warning against causing one of His followers to “stumble” in verses 1 and 2. Jesus then goes on to say that we must forgive our brother when he asks, even if he sins and asks for forgiveness 7 times in same day. So it’s with understandable concern that they plead, Lord, “Increase our faith!” Jesus reassures them that God works great things through even the tiniest amount of faith; in this case a mustard seed worth. It’s a wonderful request, and one that we should be praying for as well. Then in Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul implores him to hold to the standard that Paul taught in faith and love. Paul also said he’s reminded of Timothy’s sincere faith, a faith that was handed down to Timothy from his grandmother and mother. And finally in our Old Testament lesson, the prophet Habakkuk demonstrates this trust in the Lord by “keeping watch” while waiting on the Lord to answer his questions.
Faith is a subject that we frequently hear about, yet how often do we ever stop and consider what it is, or its importance. Yet, faith can be extremely difficult to grasp and is very personal for each of us. We can spend a great deal of time talking about it and may find ourselves debating faith over and over again—things like, “What does it mean to have faith?”, “How do I get faith?”, “Who has faith?”, “How can I get more faith?”
What’s more, there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground with faith because it’s deep within us and can’t be seen. Yet we seem to know when we’ve sensed it within ourselves even if we can’t name it. Martin Luther described faith as “a work of God in us, which changes us and brings us to birth anew from God.” And in Hebrews 11:1, faith is described as “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” And I think we can all agree that faith is important, because it guides us in our daily lives. This week, Jesus answers His apostle’s request to “give us more faith.” A request that is still asked and relevant 2000 years later.
So what is faith, and why is this important? By definition, faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. It can refer to a religion itself or to religion in general. As with trust, faith involves a concept of future events or outcomes, and is used conversely for a belief “not resting on logical proof or material evidence.” When applied informally, the definition of faith can be quite broad, and may be used in place of trust or belief. We most often use the word faith in a religious context, where it almost universally refers to a trusting belief in a Supreme Being and/or this being’s role in the order of transcendent, spiritual things. Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind, that a certain statement is true. Quite simply, faith gives us the ability to believe in varying degrees in something we can’t necessarily prove.
Therefore, faith is an ability we all have, to varying degrees, and when it pertains to the things of God, it’s a gift given by God Himself. Yet many of us treat faith like it’s a foreign language. For example, I would bet that everyone here got up this morning, and without even a moment’s hesitation, reached over and flipped on the light switch, expecting the light to come on. The same could be said for the brakes in our cars. How many would say that they feel compelled to say a little prayer each time they step on the brakes, hoping they’ll work? If our cars are in good repair, we normally don’t; we simply roar up to the stop sign or traffic light, jam on the left peddle and never worry whether the car will stop or not. So the ability to trust or believe in things is something we all have, and it’s also something we learn to use depending on the circumstances.
James, in his epistle, tells us that faith without works is dead, indicating that faith isn’t just something we need, it’s something we need to use, or it will be of no use to anyone. So, if faith is something we already have, why does it seem so hard when it comes to the things of God? Why is it that we suddenly lack the ability to trust God in the face of the evil in this world? Is it possible that we’ve been fooled into listening to philosophers and have become convinced that evil is a noun and something that we need to fear? Have we allowed this thing we call evil, to rob us of the ability to trust God to lead, guide and protect us? Finally, in the face of evil, has our ability to speak out in faith been replaced with silence or doubt? For me, the biggest problem with faith is our understanding of good versus evil; that too often we’re guilty of thinking of God and His creation in a dualistic manner. Maybe we’re guilty of thinking of God in the same way we think of light and darkness, heat and cold, good and evil.
These are often misunderstood concepts, so maybe the best way to explain is to retell the story about an atheist philosophy professor and his encounter with one particularly brilliant student. It’s a popular story that has floated around the internet for years and it does a great job of getting to the root of the problem of thinking of God and His creation dualistically.
At the beginning of the semester the philosophy professor liked to begin his class with the following statement. ‘Let me explain the problem science has with religion.’ He then asks one of his new students to stand and asks, ‘you’re a Christian, aren’t you?’ ‘Yes sir, ‘the student replies. ‘So you believe in God?’ ‘Absolutely.’ Is God good?’ ‘Sure! God’s good.’ ‘Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?’ ‘Yes’ ‘Are you good or evil?’ ‘The Bible says I’m evil.’ The professor grins knowingly. ‘Aha! The Bible!’ He considers for a moment. ‘Here’s one for you. Let’s say there’s a sick person over here and you can cure him. Would you help him? ‘Yes sir, I would.’ ‘So you’re good!’ ‘I wouldn’t say that, replies the student.’ ‘Why not? You’d help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn’t.’ At this point the student doesn’t answer, so the professor continues.
My brother was a Christian who died of a terrible disease, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. So how than can you say that Jesus is good? Can you answer that one?’ The student remains silent. ‘No, you can’t, can you?’ the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. ‘Let’s begin again. Is God good?’
‘Er..yes,’ the student says. ‘Is Satan good?’ Without hesitation the student replies, ‘No.’ ‘Then where does Satan come from?’ The student falters. ‘From God’ ‘That’s right. God made Satan, didn’t He? So tell me, is there evil in this world?’ ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘Evil’s everywhere, isn’t it? And God made everything, correct?’ ‘Yes’ ‘So who created evil?’ The professor continued, ‘If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.’ Again, the student has no answer.
‘Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?’ The student squirms on his feet. ‘Yes.’ ‘So who created them?’ Again the student doesn’t answer, so the professor repeats his question. ‘Who created them?’ There’s still no answer. Turning to another Student, he continues, ‘Tell me, do you believe in Jesus Christ?’ The student’s voice betrays him and cracks. ‘Yes, professor, I do.’
‘Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?’ ‘No sir.’ ‘Then tell us if you’ve ever heard your Jesus?’ ‘No, sir, I have not.’ ‘Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?’ ‘No, sir, I’m afraid I haven’t.’ ‘Yet you still believe in him?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn’t exist… What do you say to that, son?’ ‘Nothing,’ the student replies. ‘I only have my faith.’ At this the professor begins to pace the room. ‘Yes, faith,’ the professor repeats. ‘And that’s the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.’ The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own.
‘Professor, is there such thing as heat?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘And is there such a thing as cold?’ ‘Yes, there’s cold too.’ ‘No sir, there isn’t.’ Suddenly the professor turns to face the student obviously interested, and the room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. ‘You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or even no heat, but we don’t have anything called ‘cold’. We can achieve what’s known as absolute zero, or -458 degrees Fahrenheit, which is no heat, but we can’t go any further than that. There’s no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than 0 degrees Kelvin. Everything is susceptible to study, when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero is the total absence of heat. So you see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. Therefore, we cannot measure cold. Heat can be measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold isn’t the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.’ The professor remains silent, so the student continues.
‘What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?’ ‘Yes,’ the professor replies without hesitation. ‘What is night if it isn’t darkness?’ ‘You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness isn’t something; it’s the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it’s called darkness, isn’t it? That’s the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn’t. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?’ ‘So what point are you making, young man?’ My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.’ At this statement the professor’s face cannot hide his surprise. ‘Flawed? Please, explain?’
‘You’re working on the premise of duality’… ‘You argue that there’s life and then there’s death; a good God and a bad God. You’re viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can’t even explain a thought.’ ‘It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never been seen, much less fully understood. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death isn’t the opposite of life, just the absence of it.’ ‘Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?’ ‘If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.’
‘Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?’ The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. ‘Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?’ At this the class is now in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion subsides. ‘To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.’ The student looks around the room.
‘Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor’s brain?’ The class breaks out into laughter. ‘Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor’s brain, felt the professor’s brain, touched or smelt the professor’s brain? No one here appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.’ ‘So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?’ Now the room is silent.
The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. ‘I guess you’ll have to take them on faith.’ ‘Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,’ the student continues. ‘Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?’ Now uncertain, the professor responds, ‘Of course, there is. We see it every day. It’s in the daily example of man’s inhumanity to man. It’s in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.’ To this the student replied, ‘Evil doesn’t exist sir, or at least it doesn’t exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God.
Evil is just like darkness and cold, a word that we have created to describe the absence of God. God didn’t create evil. Evil is the result of what happens, when man doesn’t have God’s love present in his heart. It’s like the cold that comes when there’s no heat or the darkness that comes when there’s no light.’ The room remains absolutely silent and both the student and the professor sit down. Without another word, the class realizes that their time is up and they all leave the room.
And oh, by the way, the second student that had enough faith in God to face the atheist professor was Albert Einstein. He would later go on to write a book in 1921 about his belief in God and science entitled God vs. Science. Having faith, the size of a mustard seed, isn’t always easy and applying that faith in our world today may seem even harder. But remember, Jesus seems to be telling us, in our gospel lesson for this morning, that it really isn’t about the quantity of our faith, but what we do with it that counts. And as parents and grandparents we need to understand the importance of handing it down to our children and grandchildren.
When we look around and see the effect of God’s absence in this world it’s hard not to become discouraged. There are so many things in this world that can rob us of our faith. But when we realize that the more we place God first in our lives, the less room there is for evil. A mustard seed is so very small. But consider this; in some Cole slaw recipes, it takes just a teaspoon of mustard seeds to flavor the entire heard of cabbage. Think about it, one seed can make a big difference in a fork full. And when you put that one seed with the seeds from the rest of the teaspoon, the impact throughout the bowl of coleslaw is profound.
When we join our mustard seeds of faith together, what far greater things will God do through us as a church? Evil can only exist in the absence of God. So instead of allowing this absence to rob us of our faith, look to God and as the Apostles did, ask God to increase our faith so that the evil of this world will be displaced by the love God has for each of us. James said it best, faith without action is useless.
So it’s up to us. It’s up to us to take the faith God has given us, and use it to boldly share God’s love with those around us. If we’ll do this, then evil will have no place in our lives or in the world around us. God’s words to Habakkuk are clear, “the righteous live by their faith”. Therefore, if we’re called to live by faith as God commands, it only makes sense that God will provide us with the faith we need to live for and serve Him. Our prayer today is a simple one; Lord, increase our faith that we may live and serve you now and in the days to come.
Amen

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