Pentecost +19 Sunday – C4

Pentecost +19 Sunday – C4

Years C
Luke 17:5-10

"Increase our faith" that we might be able to do what Jesus asks of us - to make possible the impossibility of forgiving the same person 7 times per day.

This is the equivalent of saying, "As soon as I graduate, then I'll be able to make a difference - well, as soon as I get in the right position, I'll make a difference - any day now, I'll make a difference." Somehow, someday never comes.

A creative insight at creation is that light is already a potential presence in the midst of chaos. It takes an inquiring mind to grab its various waves and particles and to bring them together - let there be light. Likewise, faith is already present. We delay our insight regarding faith's presence, by never perceiving enough and always waiting for, "Increase!"

As a creation story begins the rest of the story, so, too, the smallest dab of faith begins the rest of it's journey.

Of course we will do some crazy things with our faith and its increase (sort of like the Sorcerer's Apprentice) such as polluting oceans with mulberrys for no good reason. But faith is an active implementation of belief and as such we look for it to simply do its job of being big enough for what is at hand, and no bigger. Faith can be seen as the subtext of the servant in the story that follows. Try substituting "Faith" as a personal name for the servant and see how it flows.

= = = = = = =

how was your week
did you note
day by day
servant Faith
plodding steadily along
ready to serve
and if you did notice
did you try serving faith
or see that faith served
faith put to work
brings good weeks
faith coddled doesn't