Proper 22: October 7, 2007.Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 Psalm 37:1-9 2 Timothy 1:1-14 Luke 17:5-10 First Reading The disciples' derelict derelict n. something or someone who is abandoned, such as a ship left to drift at sea or a homeless person ignored by family and society. (See: abandon, dereliction) DERELICT, common law. cry bemoaning their paltry pal·try adj. pal·tri·er, pal·tri·est 1. Lacking in importance or worth. See Synonyms at trivial. 2. Wretched or contemptible. faith invites exploration of the nature and blessing of faith. In today's lessons, the Spirit leads us into reassurance that Christ has given and continues to give all we need. Fear melts into faith as frightened, beleaguered be·lea·guer tr.v. be·lea·guered, be·lea·guer·ing, be·lea·guers 1. To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems. 2. To surround with troops; besiege. disciples discover that they bear a strength and life that allows them to walk the way of the Lord. The disciples' cry "Increase our faith!" (Luke 17:1) comes at the end of the second section of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem. The journey starts at Luke 9:51 when Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem, where he will fulfill his ministry. On each step of the journey, Jesus reveals the reign of God and prepares the disciples for the crashing events to come and for the mission they will carry out in his name. In the second section of the journey (13:22-17:10), Jesus prophesies the end times (13:22-35), announces a new code of behavior Noun 1. code of behavior - a set of conventional principles and expectations that are considered binding on any person who is a member of a particular group code of conduct for the kingdom (14:1-35), and declares God's love for the lost (15:1-32). In chapter 16, Jesus harshly criticizes the Pharisees Pharisees (fâr`ĭsēz), one of the two great Jewish religious and political parties of the second commonwealth. Their opponents were the Sadducees, and it appears that the Sadducees gave them their name, perushim, for their love of money, revealing the insignificance in·sig·nif·i·cance n. The quality or state of being insignificant. Noun 1. insignificance - the quality of having little or no significance unimportance - the quality of not being important or worthy of note of wealth in light of the erupting e·rupt v. e·rupt·ed, e·rupt·ing, e·rupts v.intr. 1. To emerge violently from restraint or limits; explode: My neighbor erupted in anger over the noise. 2. reign of God. Then Jesus turns again to the disciples, warning them not to cause the "little ones young children. See also: Little " to sin and fall away from him (17:1-4). The little ones are his sisters and brothers, his followers followers see dairy herd. , the community of faith whom God loves dearly. Jesus does not direct his "woe" (17:1) to those who resist his leader-ship but to disciples who cause trouble and stumbling for those with whom he has come to share the reign of God. Jesus' followers are to correct and forgive those who sin against them--and to be willing to do so an unlimited number of times (17:3-4). He charges them to maintain high standards for themselves while avoiding any arrogance or high-handedness in their treatment of erring err intr.v. erred, err·ing, errs 1. To make an error or a mistake. 2. To violate accepted moral standards; sin. 3. Archaic To stray. sisters and brothers. Against this backdrop, it is little wonder that the disciples cry out for greater faith. They feel their own souls in peril at the high calling of following Jesus. Their cry arises from awareness that Jesus' call is beyond them, that failure is inevitable--and spiritually dangerous. Jesus' statement "If you have faith" (17:5) does not suggest that the disciples do not have faith but is a supposition for what follows. Having a lot of faith (by what yardstick can we possibly measure it?) is not required, Jesus says. Even the smallest faith is sufficient to live the discipleship dis·ci·ple n. 1. a. One who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another. b. An active adherent, as of a movement or philosophy. 2. to which he has called each of his followers. Why? Because the power of God is at work in faith. The mulberry mulberry, common name for the Moraceae, a family of deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs, often climbing, mostly of pantropical distribution, and characterized by milky sap. Several genera bear edible fruit, e.g. tree is large and possesses a widespread and elaborate root system. But even the tiniest faith can uproot it. A mustard-seed grain of faith is enough to meet the most overwhelming challenges the disciples face, Jesus says. So don't worry about having more faith. Live the faith you have. A natural consequence of Luke's theology is evident here. Faith, however small, is a mark of the Spirit's presence in the disciple's life. It is a sign that God's reign is at work in the life of the believer and believing community. If you have the smallest faith, you already have the reign of God, the Spirit of the living God, at work within you (Acts 2; 6:5; 11:24). Jesus' followers have what they need for their life and kingdom service, for their faith is the power of God's Spirit within them. Little wonder that Jesus urges them not to expect special treatment for their faithful work (17:7-10). Their faithful service merely acts out the power within them. They do what God's Spirit moves and enables them to do. They deserve no more credit than do flowers for blooming. Like the flowers, Jesus' disciples bring forth the beauty that the creative wonder of God's Spirit fashions in them: "We have only done what we ought to have done!" (17:10) Of course! The nature and power of faith appear also in the reading from the prophet Habakkuk, a contemporary of Jeremiah who saw the rise of the Babylonian power that would soon overrun 1. overrun - A frequent consequence of data arriving faster than it can be consumed, especially in serial line communications. For example, at 9600 baud there is almost exactly one character per millisecond, so if a silo can hold only two characters and the machine takes Jerusalem in 587 B.C.E. The population would be carried into exile. Doubts about God's justice and treatment of the wicked occupy the prophet's mind as he argues with God and bears the nation's fears, doubts, and accusations against God. Can God remain faithful to the divine promise and deal graciously with the chosen people in the face of the overweening, arrogant power of great nations? Chapter 1:1-4 contains the prophet's first complaint. Verses 1 through 5 of the second chapter are the Lord's response to Habakkuk's second complaint. Verses 3 and 4 are most to the point today: Wait. Don't lose hope. The vision of redemption and fulfillment awaits its intended time. It will come. Thus, "the righteous will live by their faith" (2:4). The prophet's message: Do not give up hope. The Holy One made covenant with us and will fulfill it. Exile is coming. Only those with faith will live. Only they will avoid surrender to despair, living in hope that they will enter the fullness of God's promise. The reading from 2 Timothy is one in a series of continuous readings, not chosen for its thematic connections with the other lections. But related themes echo here, too. Timothy may have possessed a timid spirit (1 Cor 16:10-11). To this, Paul (the purported author) assures Timothy (and us) that God gives not "a spirit of cowardice Cowardice See also Boastfulness, Timidity. Acres, Bob a swaggerer lacking in courage. [Br. Lit.: The Rivals] Bobadill, Captain vainglorious braggart, vaunts achievements while rationalizing faintheartedness. [Br. Lit. , but of power and of love and of self-discipline" (2 Tim 1:7). The saying is structured much like Rom 8:15: "you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear...." God's Spirit gives power for bold witness beyond any shame (1:8,12; compare Rom 1:16). Again, we see the wonder and power the disciples of Christ Disciples of Christ: see Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Disciples of Christ Group of U.S. Protestant churches that originated in the frontier revivals of the early 19th century. bear in their mortal flesh, allowing them to live and serve beyond cowering cow·er intr.v. cow·ered, cow·er·ing, cow·ers To cringe in fear. [Middle English couren, of Scandinavian origin.] , despair, or shame. Pastoral Reflection Is God enough for us? Does the Spirit give what we need to live a discipleship of grace, purpose, love, and power? To put it personally, "Jesus, are you enough for me?" The answer in today's readings is immediate and powerful: Yes, I am enough for you, Jesus says. You bear the Spirit of God in your mortal flesh, even if your small faith troubles you. The reign of God is at work in you. The presence of faith, itself, testifies to the mysterious and undeniable life of God that you bear. It may be human nature to fear the limits of our resources. This fear produces (often lame and pathetic) excuses for why we can't live or serve, witness or move beyond the static state of our spiritual and communal lives. Jesus is uninterested in our excuses and unhindered unhindered Adjective not prevented or obstructed: unhindered access Adverb without being prevented or obstructed: he was able to go about his work unhindered by our immobility immobility standing still and disinclined to move, as in an animal suddenly blinded; responds to other stimuli unless immobility is part of a dummy syndrome when all stimuli are ignored. and fear. He turns our eyes from fixation upon our deficiencies to the mystery of the One whose Spirit and inbreaking rule is present in such faith as we have. Jesus issues a strong word of assurance to disciples and to the church in our doubt about whether we have enough faith to live the life of discipleship to which Jesus calls us. This life is one of helping all of Jesus' little ones, correcting those who err and granting fulsome forgiveness to those who offend and sin against us. It is a life of keeping faith when there seems little likelihood that we will receive anything from God. And it is a life of sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ Jesus Christ: see Jesus. Jesus Christ 40 days after Resurrection, ascended into heaven. [N.T.: Acts 1:1–11] See : Ascension Jesus Christ kind to the poor, forgiving to the sinful. [N.T. without shame or apology. All of this is possible because our faith is not our own but the presence of God's reign within us. Recent Finnish research into the theology of Martin Luther has revealed a prevalent though often misunderstood theme in the reformer's thought: "Christ is present (really, truly, ontologically on·to·log·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to ontology. 2. Of or relating to essence or the nature of being. 3. ) in faith" (Tuomo Mannermaa, Christ Present in Faith: Luther's View of Justification [Fortress, 2005]). Christ is present in faith, even the faith of those who fret that they have so little. Christ invites us again and again to turn from the insignificance of our resources to the wonder and power, beauty and joy that we bear. Luther can have the last word: Thus a Christian is greater than the entire world. For in [one's] heart [one] has this seemingly small gift; yet the smallness of this gift and treasure, which [one] holds in faith, is greater than heaven and earth because Christ, who is this gift, is greater. (Luther's Works 26: Lectures on Galatians 1535 [Concordia, 1963], 134). DLM |
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