Luke 17:5-10
A fly was buzzing along one morning when he saw a lawn mower someone had left out in their front yard. He flew over and sat on the handle, watching the children on their way to school.
One little boy tripped and fell, spilling his lunch on the sidewalk. He picked himself up, put his lunch back in the bag and went on. But he missed a piece of baloney.
The fly real was hungry. So he flew down and started eating the baloney. He ate so much he couldn’t fly, so he waddled across the sidewalk, across the lawn, up the wheel of the lawn mower, up the handle, and sat there resting and watching the children.
There was still some baloney on the sidewalk. The fly was stuffed, but that baloney sure looked good.
So he jumped off the handle of the lawn mower to fly over to the baloney. But alas he was too full to fly and fell straight to the ground... splat!
The moral of this story is simple... don't fly off the handle when you are full of baloney.
Baloney … who likes it? … I do … I love a good baloney sandwich – white bread, Velveeta Cheese, mayonnaise and lettuce … in Oklahoma, you can go to a barbeque place and get it smoked … umm good, but don’t ever ask what’s in it.
“Baloney,” says Jesus … when the disciples say, “Increase our faith.”
Well, he didn’t exactly say “baloney,” but that’s how I read it … when Jesus says, “Faith, the size of a mustard seed, can uproot a mulberry tree and plant it in the sea.”
It’s not about having more faith, it’s about using what faith you have!
And it doesn’t take much faith at all … even faith the size of a mustard seed … a tiny, tiny, itty bitty bit of faith – more than enough to do great things.
The immediate context for this episode is forgiveness … how many times? As often as it takes … as often as the offender repents, and then some!
There is no other way to survive life – without forgiveness, we imprison ourselves behind heavy bars … bars of resentment and bars of dependence, debilitating dependence on what others say or do, or fail to say or do.
Forgiveness is our freedom …
Jesus makes it clear … go ahead and let someone know if they’ve hurt you … it happens, and it happens a lot … things said poorly, the flick of an eyebrow, the tone of voice, a misunderstanding, a miscommunication, a forgotten promise, or just a bad day, and we’re hurt by someone else’s behavior.
We all have a large book, many chapters, wherein is recorded a lot of difficult memories … parents berating us, teachers scolding us … our own personal faults and failings, and the various and sundry versions of unkindness that flow through our lives.
At the end of teaching for several days, Jesus ends with piece on forgiveness … what else is there, to set us free from the attitudes and behaviors of others.
Go ahead, and let someone know they’ve hurt you, and if they repent, forgive them … and if the sin occurs again, and again, and they repent, forgive them – as often as it takes. The name of the game is NOT the other person’s behavior, but our freedom to live and get on our with life.
But there’s more to this then meets the eye … think about Jesus … the ultimate moment of His suffering and humiliation – dying on the cross – bloody and beaten, stipped naked for all the world to see – those discreetly placed loin cloths we see in artistic recreations are not a part of the Roman crucifixion – criminals were hung on the cross, naked.
So there our LORD hangs, death approaching … in words so utterly profound they still leave us breathless, Jesus says, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.”
Radical forgiveness … the Lamb of God dying for the sins of the world … not waiting for an apology, no waiting here for repentance … God goes way beyond our behavior.
Remember several weeks ago when the Words of Assurance came before our confession of sin? Remember when I said, “Confession doesn’t trigger forgiveness; forgiveness triggers confession.”
God acts before we do … because God is free … free to love and get on with it, to set us free, too.
Both God and humankind free from an endless cycle of hurt and recrimination … to close the book rather than writing new chapters – set free for higher and better things.
For this, the disciples say, “Increase our faith.” We need more faith to do this!
“Baloney,” says Jesus!
It’s not about having more faith; it’s using what faith you have!” Use it, and you will do great things with it.
The last part of Jesus’ teaching goes after a bad attitude … the attitude of entitlement … “Ill scratch your back, and you’ll scratch mine” – where things are done in order to gain something else.
Life in terms of reward and recognition … a crippling sense of entitlement.
Where good deeds and worthy efforts are undercut by our desire to be patted on the back and rewarded.
Talk about dependence … and we’ve all been there:
We invite Bill and Susie over for dinner, and six months later, no reciprocal invitation … we’re bummed – “That’s the last time we invite them over.” But Jesus asks, “Why did you invite them over in the first place?
We do something nice for Sam and Sally, and they don’t even bother sending an email, and we’re irritated. Jesus asks, “Why did you do the good deed in the first place?”
We work ourselves silly in our job, and no promotion. We grow resentful and jealous. Jesus suggests, “Let the quality of your work stand as it is – work for the sake of doing good work; don’t work for the sake of reward.”
We do a great deed, and there’s no recognition … or worse, our name is misspelled in the bulletin.
Speaking of bulletins – the following announcements actually occurred:
∑ "The cost for attending the Fasting and Prayer conference includes meals."
∑ The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water.” The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus."
∑ "Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands."
∑ The peacemaking group scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.
∑ Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.
∑ Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again", giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
∑ For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
∑ During the absence of our Pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when J.F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.
∑ The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing "Break Forth into Joy."
∑ At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.
∑ Eight new choir robes are currently needed, due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
∑ Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
∑ Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 pm - prayer and medication to follow.
Well, who doesn’t need a little prayer and medication now and then? … and good prayer and medication is what our LORD is offering to us today. To set ourselves free – from what others have done or failed to do, to see ourselves free the crippling attitude of entitlement.
“LORD, increase our faith so we can do this!”
“Baloney,” says Jesus … “It isn’t about having more faith, but using the faith you already have.” Trust God, trust those around you, and trust yourself.
Let’s think a moment about self-trust … I use something inspired by Joel Osteen … a little mantra of sorts to pull myself back to center … “I am who God says I am. I have what God says I have. I can do what God says I can do.”
Self-trust … God created us, our gifts are good, abilities are more than sufficient … we don’t need more of anything; we already have all that’s needed.
We have to be clear how debilitating is this “increase my faith” thing … strangely shifting the blame to God … “God, I can’t do this, because YOU haven’t given me what I need.”
“I’ve asked for more faith, LORD, but you didn’t do it. It’s your fault, LORD, because I asked, and you didn’t follow through.”
The great “If only I had … (fill in the blank – more money, more brains, better parents, better looks, better children, a better boss, better employees, a better education, more faith … ) … if only I had, then I would … (fill in the blank – then I would be happy, satisfied, content, successful, joyful, be more available, go on that mission trip, teach Sunday School, share Christ and study the Bible … if only.
“LORD, increase our faith.”
“Baloney” says Jesus.
It’s not about having more faith. It’s using the faith you have.”
This week, a good conversation with Marj Miller … responding to my Genesis comments about today’s message …
Is self-trust a form of pride?
What about humility?
Self-trust is a form of gratitude – that our Heavenly Father did a good and decent job creating us …
Self-trust, a form of gratitude along the whole stream of life: our parents, though not perfect, did a reasonably good job raising us … all kinds of folks have helped us … life is good and we’re glad to be here.
Self-trust – a form of gratitude – a way of saying “Thanks.”
If one of our children constantly berated themselves, put themselves down, doubted their abilities, questioned their character, we’d finally say: “That’s not true. You’re capable, you’re gifted, you’re strong – you can do it, you can handle it, you’ll make it. Trust yourself,” we’d say.
On the flip-side of self-trust – humility - plain and simple recognition that life is a web of relationships – all the way from the butcher who helps us pick out a good cut of meat to our Father in heaven.
Thanks Mom and Dad, thanks teachers … thanks to all the world that made it possible for me to be who I am. And thanks to God: I have what it takes, and whatever it takes, I have..
Tomorrow, we’ll face all the usual challenges, and then some.
Jesus said it well, “occasions for stumbling are bound to come.”
But you’ve got what it takes … you already have the faith that can move mountains and transplant mulberry trees.
It’s not about having more faith; it’s about using the faith you already have.
I am who God says I am.
I have what God says I have.
I can do what God says I can do.
And that’s no baloney.
Amen!
