Faith Is Like Good Cheese Or Good Wine, It Matures Gradually
Sermon
Some years ago we had a wonderful Diocesan Conference. Five hundred people from the diocese, about half of them clergy and the other half laity, spent the weekend at Nottingham University. The topic for the weekend was "God Matters".
The highlight throughout the weekend was Roly the Clown, an Anglican priest who has since trained as a clown, and now does all his clowning for God. He made us laugh at ourselves, but he also brought Bible stories to life in a very profound and moving way, which made those simple and well known stories entirely topical and real. Roly kept popping up in the most unexpected places all weekend, but we also had three major speakers.
Our final speaker for the weekend was Bishop Jim Thompson from Bath and Wells, who spoke about the importance in Christianity of taking risks. Because it's very often after risks are taken, that amazing things happen. But back in our small discussion groups after his lecture, somebody pointed out that risks don't always come off. Sometimes we fall flat on our faces, like the clown. And sometimes, the taking of risks can result in serious and unnecessary damage. We all pictured youngsters in cars, overtaking recklessly and endangering themselves and other people. All of us had some experience of at least one youngster who had died that way, taking unnecessary and ill-considered risks.
But someone else responded very quickly that we must have faith. It's faith that makes the difference, because with faith all things are possible. As Jesus said in today's reading, 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.
When I read that in the Bible, I can get a real guilt trip about faith! When things don't work out, it's so easy to say that it must be because of lack of faith. That way we humans always take the blame for situations not working out the way we'd like them to work out, and we avoid facing the possibility of God's non-existence or non-response. But at times, that shouldering of the responsibility or applying of blame can be very damaging. For instance, at times of serious illness or impending death, to imply that the situation is someone's fault because their faith is smaller than a mustard seed, is appalling cruelty.
In today's story from Luke's gospel, the disciples say to Jesus, "Increase our faith." But he doesn't. Neither does he tell them how they might increase their faith. He merely confirms their lack of it! And then he goes on with some seemingly irrelevant comment about the way slaves are treated. So what's the connection, if there is one, between faith and the way slaves are treated?
When Luke strings together apparently unconnected sayings of Jesus, it's always worth looking at what comes immediately before and what comes immediately after the sayings, because that often gives a clue to Luke's thought. Luke is seldom random in his arrangement of material.
Immediately before this occasion, Jesus has some harsh words about sin and temptation. At the beginning of chapter 17 he says to his disciples, "Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive." (Luke 17:1-4)
Tough words, enough to strike fear into any heart! How is it possible to keep to such high standards, and to be always sure you haven't caused anyone else to stumble? No wonder the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith.
So why does Jesus then completely change the subject, and start discussing the way people treat their slaves? Perhaps the disciples were expecting too much too soon. Perhaps they wanted to run before they could walk. Perhaps they were struggling to do their best and not fall into temptation, and were looking for praise for their efforts and their success. But Jesus knew they were only just beginning, and there would be many falls along the Christian path. He also knew the disciples themselves couldn't "do" anything to prevent sin, for it's only as God's love and grace are allowed to grow within the sinner that sin and temptation gradually retreat.
And so Jesus talks to them about their expectations. He tells them it's no good expecting praise simply for doing what they ought to be doing, for being as they ought to be. When they've done or been everything that's expected of them, they're still going to be unworthy.
And this is always true. God's ways are not our ways, and God's thoughts are not our thoughts, for he is as high above us as the heavens are above the earth. Human beings are not God, and cannot begin to compare with God.
It's probably true, therefore, that in relative terms, a mustard seed of faith is a huge amount of faith for any human being to manage. If a mustard seed of faith can say to a mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it happens, then I'm nowhere near that point in my faith. The quantity of my faith in those terms is microscopic.
But to say that, is to miss the point. Human beings can't increase their own faith, for faith, like love and hope and praise and prayer, is a gift from God. We can't make any of those things happen by an act of will, by making a decision to become more faithful or more loving or whatever. All those things grow within us, usually while we're totally unaware of anything happening at all. All we can do is hang on by our fingertips - waiting for God, doing our best to be open to him and to receive him and accept all he has to offer.
The disciples were at an early stage of their Christian journey. They'd been with Jesus less than three years. And they hadn't yet realised that God doesn't provide instant fixes, but works slowly and surely and gradually inside those who have opened themselves to him.
Faith isn't an overnight change, but is a gradually maturing process which takes a lifetime to become anything like effective. But like good cheese or good wine, a matured faith at the end of a long life is very good indeed.
The highlight throughout the weekend was Roly the Clown, an Anglican priest who has since trained as a clown, and now does all his clowning for God. He made us laugh at ourselves, but he also brought Bible stories to life in a very profound and moving way, which made those simple and well known stories entirely topical and real. Roly kept popping up in the most unexpected places all weekend, but we also had three major speakers.
Our final speaker for the weekend was Bishop Jim Thompson from Bath and Wells, who spoke about the importance in Christianity of taking risks. Because it's very often after risks are taken, that amazing things happen. But back in our small discussion groups after his lecture, somebody pointed out that risks don't always come off. Sometimes we fall flat on our faces, like the clown. And sometimes, the taking of risks can result in serious and unnecessary damage. We all pictured youngsters in cars, overtaking recklessly and endangering themselves and other people. All of us had some experience of at least one youngster who had died that way, taking unnecessary and ill-considered risks.
But someone else responded very quickly that we must have faith. It's faith that makes the difference, because with faith all things are possible. As Jesus said in today's reading, 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.
When I read that in the Bible, I can get a real guilt trip about faith! When things don't work out, it's so easy to say that it must be because of lack of faith. That way we humans always take the blame for situations not working out the way we'd like them to work out, and we avoid facing the possibility of God's non-existence or non-response. But at times, that shouldering of the responsibility or applying of blame can be very damaging. For instance, at times of serious illness or impending death, to imply that the situation is someone's fault because their faith is smaller than a mustard seed, is appalling cruelty.
In today's story from Luke's gospel, the disciples say to Jesus, "Increase our faith." But he doesn't. Neither does he tell them how they might increase their faith. He merely confirms their lack of it! And then he goes on with some seemingly irrelevant comment about the way slaves are treated. So what's the connection, if there is one, between faith and the way slaves are treated?
When Luke strings together apparently unconnected sayings of Jesus, it's always worth looking at what comes immediately before and what comes immediately after the sayings, because that often gives a clue to Luke's thought. Luke is seldom random in his arrangement of material.
Immediately before this occasion, Jesus has some harsh words about sin and temptation. At the beginning of chapter 17 he says to his disciples, "Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, 'I repent,' you must forgive." (Luke 17:1-4)
Tough words, enough to strike fear into any heart! How is it possible to keep to such high standards, and to be always sure you haven't caused anyone else to stumble? No wonder the disciples asked Jesus to increase their faith.
So why does Jesus then completely change the subject, and start discussing the way people treat their slaves? Perhaps the disciples were expecting too much too soon. Perhaps they wanted to run before they could walk. Perhaps they were struggling to do their best and not fall into temptation, and were looking for praise for their efforts and their success. But Jesus knew they were only just beginning, and there would be many falls along the Christian path. He also knew the disciples themselves couldn't "do" anything to prevent sin, for it's only as God's love and grace are allowed to grow within the sinner that sin and temptation gradually retreat.
And so Jesus talks to them about their expectations. He tells them it's no good expecting praise simply for doing what they ought to be doing, for being as they ought to be. When they've done or been everything that's expected of them, they're still going to be unworthy.
And this is always true. God's ways are not our ways, and God's thoughts are not our thoughts, for he is as high above us as the heavens are above the earth. Human beings are not God, and cannot begin to compare with God.
It's probably true, therefore, that in relative terms, a mustard seed of faith is a huge amount of faith for any human being to manage. If a mustard seed of faith can say to a mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it happens, then I'm nowhere near that point in my faith. The quantity of my faith in those terms is microscopic.
But to say that, is to miss the point. Human beings can't increase their own faith, for faith, like love and hope and praise and prayer, is a gift from God. We can't make any of those things happen by an act of will, by making a decision to become more faithful or more loving or whatever. All those things grow within us, usually while we're totally unaware of anything happening at all. All we can do is hang on by our fingertips - waiting for God, doing our best to be open to him and to receive him and accept all he has to offer.
The disciples were at an early stage of their Christian journey. They'd been with Jesus less than three years. And they hadn't yet realised that God doesn't provide instant fixes, but works slowly and surely and gradually inside those who have opened themselves to him.
Faith isn't an overnight change, but is a gradually maturing process which takes a lifetime to become anything like effective. But like good cheese or good wine, a matured faith at the end of a long life is very good indeed.
